Rainy day: Wrocław

What to do in Wrocław when it rains? The zoo with Afrykarium, museums, opera, escape rooms and play rooms. Ideas for a grey day, no umbrella needed.

What to do with kids in Wrocław when it rains?

Start with places where children can move around indoors. Afrykarium is the first oceanarium in Poland presenting African ecosystems, opened in October 2014 on the grounds of the Zoological Garden. The building is shaped like a ship, so a visit there is a comfortable item for a downpour. The zoo has operated since 1865 and covers 33 hectares, so in light rain you can combine the two.

Kolejkowo in the Sky Tower is a moving model railway with miniature trains, trams, ships and aircraft in scenes from Silesia and Lower Silesia. The exhibition moved here from its original location by the Świebodzki Station, and it is run by a company that builds the largest displays of this kind in Poland. For movement, try the trampoline parks. Jump Hall on Szybowcowa street has about 54 trampolines in six zones and a twelve-metre run into a foam pit, and GOjump MEGApark Długosza covers 5,500 square metres and has a cafe overlooking the whole hall. If you prefer calmer play, choose the Bobolandia play room in Księże or Strefa Rozrywki in the Dominikańska Gallery, with ticket machines and ride-on toys for the youngest. At Zoo Team in Ołbin you can see reptiles and arachnids, and touch some of the animals under staff supervision. You will find more such places on the page Wrocław for children.

For swimming, pick Aquapark Wrocław in Huby with pools, slides and saunas. An educational alternative is Hydropolis, an ecological education centre about water in a former underground drinking water tank on Na Grobli street.

Which museums suit a rainy day?

There are many museums in Wrocław, and several tell the story of the city itself. The Town Hall on the Market Square is a late Gothic building housing the Museum of Bourgeois Art and the Gallery of Famous Wrocławians. The Royal Palace at Kazimierza Wielkiego 35 houses the City Museum with the exhibition 1000 Years of Wrocław, and the Historical Museum in the same building was founded in 1948. The Museum of Medal Art in the palace shows about 50,000 medals and decorations. In the City Arsenal of 1459 you will find the Military Museum, devoted to weapons. The story of the city after the war is told at the Zajezdnia History Centre at Grabiszyńska 184, opened in 2016 with the exhibition Wrocław 1945-2016.

Among the less obvious places, we recommend the Herbarium and Natural History Museum on Plac Bema, which holds the oldest herbarium in Poland, and the Pharmacy Museum in the Silesian Apothecary House on Kurzy Targ, open since 2011. The Old Jewish Cemetery on Ślężna street, the Museum of Cemetery Art, has about 12,000 gravestones, but a walk there can get wet, so choose it when the rain eases. The Museum of Man on Kuźnicza street has been closed since 2020, so do not plan it. The full list is in the section museums in Wrocław.

Where to spend a rainy evening: art, theatre, music?

The Racławice Panorama is a museum around the cyclorama painting of the Battle of Racławice from 1893-1894. Viewers see it from a central platform. The largest collection of painting and sculpture, over 200,000 objects, belongs to the National Museum, and the Four Domes Pavilion by the Centennial Hall is its branch devoted to contemporary art. A smaller gallery is Galeria Małgosia on Odrzańska street, with painting exhibitions by artists linked with Wrocław.

In the evening, check the repertoire of the stages. The Wrocław Opera occupies a building of 1841 at Świdnicka 35, and the National Forum of Music is one of the largest concert venues in Europe, opened in September 2015. The Polish Theatre has three stages in a historic building from 1906, and the Wrocław Puppet Theatre on Plac Teatralny has played for children, young people and adults since 1946.

How to spend an active rainy day with friends?

If you want a laugh, go to Zagrywki, an activity bar with shuffleboard, mini golf, karaoke, darts and beer pong, which also serves cocktails and pizza. You can see retro computers and consoles at the Museum of Games and Computers of the Past Era in the Świebodzki Station building: over 200 computers and consoles and about 500 handheld consoles. You can also solve puzzles as a team at EXIT19.PL, which has 13 rooms in three locations in the centre.

Also check the other lists: Wrocław for couples and Wrocław for families. All rainy day attractions from the entire region are collected in the category Rainy day.

Frequently asked questions

What to do with a child in Wrocław on a rainy day?

Choose Afrykarium, Kolejkowo, a trampoline park, the aquapark or a play room. Younger children will also like the puppet theatre on Plac Teatralny.

Which museums are best in the rain?

The Town Hall with the Museum of Bourgeois Art, the Royal Palace with the exhibition 1000 Years of Wrocław, the Racławice Panorama and the National Museum.

Where to listen to music in the evening?

At the National Forum of Music or at the Wrocław Opera.

Is there anything for adults without children?

Yes: the EXIT19.PL escape room, the Zagrywki activity bar, the Museum of Games and Computers of the Past Era, and museums and galleries in the centre.