Rainy day

What to do on a rainy day in Lower Silesia? A zoo with an oceanarium, underground routes, castles and museums. Pick a plan for a wet day.

Where can you take children when it rains?

Choose places where much of the attraction is under a roof. In Wrocław that means Afrykarium, the first oceanarium in Poland, presenting African ecosystems inside the Wrocław Zoo grounds. The zoo itself has run since 1865 and is the oldest on present-day Polish land, but in the rain head mainly for the Afrykarium building.

Aquapark Wrocław is three pools in different parts of the city, with the main site at Huby, plus slides and saunas. Water is the least awkward thing to do when it pours. Older children will like Hydropolis, a centre for learning about water set in a former underground reservoir of the city waterworks on ulica Na Grobli.

Outside Wrocław, families can visit the Park of Miniatures of Lower Silesian Monuments in Kowary, where the 1:25 models are partly under cover, and Minieuroland in Kłodzko, with replicas of buildings from Lower Silesia and Europe. The zoo in Lubin has free entry, but it is an outdoor attraction, so save it for better weather.

Where can you go underground when it pours?

Underground, the weather above does not matter. In Złoty Stok the Gold Mine runs routes through the adits of a former gold and arsenic mine, with an underground waterfall, a boat crossing and a narrow-gauge railway. In Głuszyca, in the Owl Mountains, the Riese Włodarz underground complex is the largest part of the Nazi Riese project (1943-1945) open to tourists, with about 3,200 metres of tunnels, an underground cinema and a boat crossing.

Kowary offers two routes through former uranium mines. The Kowary Adits run for about 1,200 metres and have radiation monitoring along the whole route. The Podgórze Mine, worked in 1950-1958, shows an exhibition of glowing uranium glass. In Wałbrzych, the Stara Kopalnia Science and Art Centre combines an underground tour with an industry museum and a children's zone.

Which castle or monastery can you visit while staying dry?

The Kłodzko Fortress has bastions above ground and also kilometres of underground countermine corridors, so in rain you go below. Gothic Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie is now a museum with a visitor route, an inn and a hotel. The castle in Bolków is a ruin, so skip it in wet weather.

The strongest impression comes from the Cistercian Abbey in Lubiąż, the largest Cistercian abbey in the world and a masterpiece of Silesian Baroque, with the crypt of the Silesian Piasts. Its volume is three times that of the Royal Castle on Wawel. Among smaller places, choose the Palace in Łomnica, a 17th-century Baroque palace now serving as an interiors museum and a hotel, or the Gothic cathedral in Świdnica, which has the tallest tower in Silesia and free entry. The cathedral in Legnica also has two towers, a Renaissance pulpit and a Baroque high altar.

Which museums suit you if you know what you want to see?

In Wrocław the simplest start is the Racławice Panorama, where you view the cyclorama from a central platform. If you prefer the history of the city, go to the Royal Palace with the exhibition 1000 Years of Wrocław, to the Town Hall on the Rynek with the Museum of Bourgeois Art, or to the History Centre Zajezdnia with the exhibition Wrocław 1945-2016. Contemporary art waits in the Four Domes Pavilion and the National Museum.

Two places outside the city will please technology fans: the Museum of Railways in Silesia in Jaworzyna Śląska, with the biggest collection of rolling stock in Poland, and the Topacz Motoring Museum in Ślęza, with about 130 cars and motorcycles. In Duszniki-Zdrój you can see how handmade paper is produced at the Museum of Papermaking, housed in a mill from the 16th-17th centuries. In Karpacz the exhibition Karkonoskie Tajemnice about the Spirit of the Mountains is indoors.

Memorial sites call for a quiet visit. The Old Jewish Cemetery on ulica Ślężna in Wrocław, founded in 1856 and now the Museum of Cemetery Art, holds about 12,000 gravestones, and the Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica commemorates the victims of the German concentration camp of 1940-1945.

What to do in the evening when the rain will not stop?

In Wrocław you can spend the evening in a theatre hall. The historic Wrocław Opera on ulica Świdnicka, dating from 1841, the National Forum of Music on Plac Wolności, opened in 2015, and the Polish Theatre with its three stages are three different choices. Opera and ballet, a concert in a hall with an organ, or a drama, all under a roof.

How do you choose a town for a rainy weekend?

Start with the town where you are staying. Wrocław has the most options, so see rainy day places in Wrocław. In the mountains, browse the pages for Jelenia Góra and Szklarska Poręba, and in the Central Sudetes the page for Wałbrzych. In the west of the region, check Legnica. Karpacz has its own page: rainy day attractions in Karpacz.

Frequently asked questions

What can I do in Wrocław with children in the rain?

Choose Afrykarium, Aquapark Wrocław or Hydropolis. All three keep a large part of the experience indoors.

Where in Lower Silesia will I stay dry even in a downpour?

Underground. The Gold Mine in Złoty Stok, the Kowary Adits, the Podgórze Mine and the Riese Włodarz complex all have routes in tunnels.

Are fortresses and castles good for a rainy day?

Some are. The Kłodzko Fortress has underground corridors and Grodno Castle is a museum. Ruins, such as the castle in Bolków, are less comfortable in the rain.

Which places are free?

According to their descriptions, the cathedrals in Świdnica and Legnica and the zoo in Lubin have free admission. Always check the rules with the organiser.

What should I choose for the evening?

The Wrocław Opera, the National Forum of Music or the Polish Theatre. You will find repertoire and tickets in the events calendar on the portal.