When people think about Poland the main places that come to their mind are the cities of Warsaw and Krakow. Nowhere else really gets considered by us non Polish. Now don’t get me wrong, I knew I wanted to visit those cities but for my first trip to Poland I wanted to see more of the country. After a couple of days in Warsaw, I couldn’t miss it out completely!, I made my way to Lublin.
Lublin is the largest city in south-eastern Poland but it’s not one that receives a huge amount of tourists. While you may not need too many days to enjoy Lublin it should definitely be a place you should consider visiting. Especially if you’ll planning a visit to nearby Warsaw. It’s a beautiful place that’s rich in history.
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How to Get to Lublin
By Airport
Lublin has its own airport so you can fly direct there, or you can do what I did and fly into Warsaw and then fly out of Lublin. With only four flights a day it is the smallest airport i’ve ever flown from but with a train station at the airport and only being 15 minutes to get to by car/taxi it’s an easy airport to get to.
By Train
Lublin is also well connected by its main train station Stacja Lublin and with PKP network there are easy connections to Warsaw, Krakow, Katowice and many more places. As well as this there are also connections to many smaller towns with Przewozy Regionalne.
Getting around Lublin
By Foot
The best thing about Lublin is that everything you want to see there is in walking distance so you can have a nice walk around and really appreciate the town. If you do find yourself needing a taxi while in Lublin the prices are very reasonable!
By Bus
There is a good bus service available in Lublin with a main bus terminal located just north of the Old Town next to Lublin Castle. Here you can get local connections to other parts of Lublin and even international connections to nearby Ukraine and even connections to Belgium and Italy.
What to do in Lublin
Lublin Castle
Lublin Castle (Zamek Lubelski) just north of the Old Town is one not to miss when visiting Lublin. Dating from the 12th Century, the castle is one of the oldest preserved Royal residencies in Poland. It was where the Polish monarchy would stay when visiting Lublin in the medieval time. Then during WWI it was used as a detention centre and witnessed the deaths of hundreds of prisoners. Now the castle is part of the Lublin Provincial Museum and includes the Polish National Gallery and the Chapel of the Holy Trinity.
The Keep
Inside the castle is the Keep which you do need to pay for to enter but it is well worth it to get some fantastic panoramic views of the city. There are stairs to climb which aren’t too challenging but the views are breathtaking so you’ll be happy once you have reached the top.
Chapel of the Holy Trinity
The Chapel of the Holy Trinity was built within the castle to serve as a royal chapel. This is also something you need to pay for but believe me when I say it is well worth it. I wasn’t expecting much before I entered but I was completely blown away by what I saw. The chapel is covered in beautiful medieval paintings that are just amazing. I’ve never seen anything like these! It’s hard to believe someone painted over them! Thankfully there were rediscovered in 1897 and have been restored over a hundred year period.
Trust me when I saw the photo doesn’t do this place justice
Cracow Gate
The Cracow Gate is the only surviving part of the fortified wall that once surrounded the Old Town. It was built during the reign of King Casimir after a Tatar attack in 1341 and now serves at the Lublin History Museum.
Old Town
The Old Town is something you must check out when in Lublin. It’s a beautiful little district that is full of history. The Old Town has plenty of restaurants and pubs so it’s the perfect place to spend your evening. Although you really will want to see it during the day too.
Underground Trail
The Underground Trail is a complex of 16th and 17th Century cellars that run beneath the Old Town. The route was created by merging the cellars which were once used by traders as storage. During the tour you are guided into different chambers showing the history of Lublin. While the tour is in Polish they do offer scripts in different languages that you can follow throughout the tour.
Cathedral of St John the Baptist
Located just outside the Old Town, this former Jesuit church dates back to the 16th Century and is the largest church in Lublin. The inside is stunning but you can’t enter when a service is in process.
Day trips out of Lublin
With the excellent connections there are many places you can take day trips to while staying in Lublin. Warsaw is only 2 and a half hours away and easy to get to. Although I would recommend having more than a day to enjoy Warsaw.
I highly recommend taking a trip to the town of Zamosc (only 2 hours away by train), a UNESCO listed town which is known for its stunning market square. Or you could visit Chelm (1 and a half hours away by train) which is a historic town known for its Jewish heritage.
The market square in Zamosc is beautiful
Where to Stay in Lublin
The great thing about Lublin is there are a lot of affordable hotels and apartments for visitors to chose from. During my visit I stayed in an apartment booked through AirBnb. To see all AirBnb options in Lublin click here. Or for hotels in Lublin click here.
Planning Your Poland Trip?
Need some inspiration for planning your Poland itinerary? These posts may help:
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Very brilliant article
Great article, Claire. Again, you beat me to it. I visited Lublin about a year after you. Your description of the city is great. I am sorry that I did not read it before I went, as the underground cellar tour is my kind of troglodyte idea of fun. A short trip out to the Majdanek concentration camp museum is also a sobering day trip on the outskirts of the city. I found the experience more traumatic than Auschwitz, because the smaller scale was more understandable, it seemed to make it more obvious that it was a personal killing factory not like the industrial scale killing at Birkenau. Horrific but an important trip too. Allan
I got lucky with the underground tour. It wasn’t well advertised but thankfully a local had told me about it. I’ve never heard about the Majdanek camp. I’ve been to Auschwitz and yes it’s a very sobering experience