Lublin often gets overlooked by tourists heading to Krakow or Warsaw, but Poland’s ninth largest city deserves more attention. Just a few hours southeast of Warsaw, Lublin rewards visitors with a beautifully preserved medieval old town, significant historic sights and a spirited festival scene.

#	Activity	Description
1	Wander Old Town	Explore cobblestone lanes and historic architecture.
2	Discover Majdanek Memorial	Visit the WWII concentration camp and museum.
3	Explore Lublin Underground	Tour beneath the city in medieval cellars and tunnels.
4	See Jewish Lublin	Learn about Lublin’s Jewish history and culture.
5	Raft the Bystrzyca River	Enjoy rafting or a romantic gondola ride.
6	Browse Lublin’s Museums	Visit diverse museums, including the Museum of Imagination.
7	See Centennial Hall	Attend performances in this renovated Art Deco hall.
8	Try Lublin Beer	Sample local craft beers and visit breweries.
9	Experience Polish Folk Culture	Explore folk arts at the Open-Air Village Museum.
10	Relax in Lublin Parks	Enjoy green spaces like Saxon Garden and Botanical Garden.
11	Experience Lublin Castle	Tour the medieval castle and Lublin History Museum.
12	Attend International Festivals	Join in various cultural festivals throughout the year.
13	Shop at Krakowskie Przedmieście	Explore boutique-lined lanes for shopping.
14	Taste Cheese and Cheesecake	Indulge in local cheesecake and regional cheeses.
15	Experience Contemporary Art	Visit galleries and outdoor art installations.

In 2024, new attractions emerge alongside familiar sights, creating even more reasons to add Lublin to your itinerary. Whether you want to delve into Poland’s complex history, enjoy outdoor festivals or explore quirky museums, Lublin delivers remarkable experiences. Here are the 15 best things to do in Lublin, Poland in 2024:

Wander Old Town

Name and Location: Lublin’s Old Town is located around the central Market Square in the heart of the city.

History and Significance: Dating back to the 15th century, this historic district still retains its medieval charm with cobblestone streets, historic architecture, and monumental buildings.

What to Expect: Visitors can explore atmospheric streets lined with restaurants, cafes, galleries, churches and historic sites like the Lublin Castle and Crown Tribunal.

Visitor Information: Old Town is open and walkable at all times. Guided walking tours available.

With its maze of cobblestone lanes andMarket Square ringed by pastel buildings, Lublin’s Old Town transports you back to the 16th century when the city thrived as a trade center.

Weaving through narrow alleys you’ll stumble upon architectural gems like the elaborate façade of 17th century Jesuit College and Gothic Holy Trinity Chapel embellished with Renaissance details. Don’t miss the panoramic view over red-tiled rooftops from Lublin Castle’s tower.

Discover Majdanek Memorial

Name and Location: Majdanek Memorial Site is located at Droga Męczenników Majdanka 67 in Lublin.

History and Significance: Majdanek was a Nazi German concentration camp during WWII. The memorial preserves the grounds and buildings as a sobering reminder of the atrocities committed.

What to Expect: Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the barracks, gas chambers, crematorium and monument. The museum documents the camp’s tragic history.

Visitor Information: Open daily 9am-6pm, except Mondays and some holidays. Free admission. Audioguides are available.

This former Nazi concentration camp, located just outside Lublin, provides a somber glimpse into one of history’s darkest chapters. A multimedia museum chronicles the camp’s operation and liberation through artifacts, photos and survivor accounts.

Walking through the barracks, crematorium and gas chamber brings a haunting understanding of prisoners’ realities. Majdanek commemorates its victims through moving monuments and spaces for reflection.

Explore Lublin Underground

Name and Location: The Lublin Underground route runs beneath the Old Town of Lublin, Poland.

History and Significance: These excavated passageways date back centuries, used as storage cellars, shelter, and for commerce. Guided tours allow exploring this hidden world under the city.

What to Expect: The hour-long route includes stories from the Middle Ages, industrial times, and World War II while viewing archaeological treasures. Cold damp conditions underground.

Visitor Information: Located at ul Grodzka 5. Tours daily on the hour 10am-6pm. Admission 15 PLN, students 12 PLN.

A maze of passages running beneath Lublin’s Old Town opens for public tours starting in 2024. Walk through excavated medieval cellars, vaulted tunnels and reservoir chambers accompanied by 3D projections recreating Lublin’s past.

Listen for tales of treasure hunters and mythical beast sightings as you navigate the atmospheric former limestone mines. Education centers explain Lublin’s hydrologic systems and geologic features shaping the underground labyrinth.

See Jewish Lublin

Name and Location: Jewish sites are centered in Lublin’s Old Town, including ul Szeroka, ul Lubartowska, Plac Żydowski.

History and Significance: Jewish culture flourished in Lublin for centuries before the Holocaust. The district preserves this legacy with historic synagogues and the Yeshiva Jewish education center.

What to Expect: Visitors can see remnants of Jewish heritage including the Old Synagogue and New Jewish Cemetery. Guides share the importance of “Jewish Lublin”.

Visitor Information: Jewish Lublin sights can be visited individually or via organized tours. The Grodzka Gate center offers tickets and info.

Lublin was once known as Poland’s Jerusalem for its thriving Jewish community, reflected in historic sites. The reconstructed Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin honors the famed Jewish learning center destroyed by Nazis. The New Jewish Cemetery contains over 35,000 gravestones, some carved with emotive imagery.

Costumed guides lead tours of these landmarks, sharing the moving history of Jewish life in Lublin. The Grodzka Gate hosts exhibits about centuries of Jewish culture in the region.

Raft the Bystrzyca River

Name and Location: The Bystrzyca River flows through Lublin, Poland. Rafting tours launch from points downtown.

History and Significance: The Bystrzyca River has long been an important trade and transportation route. Today it offers recreation and picturesque scenery.

What to Expect: Rafting tours float through Lublin seeing attractions like the Castle, Old Town, and natural areas. It’s a relaxing way to enjoy the cityscape and river views.

Visitor Information: Rafting tours operate May-September. Book through companies like Lublinianka. Prices around 50-70 PLN per person.

Paddling down the Bystrzyca River lets you enjoy Lublin’s lush landscape from a unique vantage point. Sign up for guided rafting trips taking you past forested banks and valleys carved by the river. As you drift along, admire the natural beauty and scenic views of Lublin’s Old Town perched on the hills above.

White water sections add exciting splashes. For a more relaxing glide, opt for a romantic gondola ride at nightfall when Lublin Castle glows against the twilight sky.

Browse Lublin’s Museums

Name and Location: Top museums located throughout Lublin showcase specific interests.

History and Significance: Lublin has a thriving museum culture. Its diverse museums cover topics from Polish art history to Catholicism’s roots in Lublin. Rich repositories of regional artifacts and culture.

What to Expect: Choose from themed museums like the Historical Museum, Ethnographic Museum, Martyrdom Museum, Pharmacy Museum, and Archdiocesan Museum.

Visitor Information: Locations and hours vary. Most are closed Mondays and open Tuesday-Sunday approx 10am-5pm. Admission ranges 5-10 PLN.

Lublin’s diverse museum scene expands in 2024 with new additions joining favorites like 14th century Lublin Castle housing the Lublin History Museum. The Museum of Imagination uses interactive installations to ignite visitors’ creativity.

At the funky Herbaciarnia Museum, you can learn about tea traditions while sipping over 70 brews. The new Neon Museum spotlights Lublin’s history of neon sign production. Don’t miss the annual Long Night of Museums when venues stay open late hosting special events.

See Centennial Hall

Name and Location: Centennial Hall is located within Lubelski Park Kultury i Wypoczynku at al. Warszawska 19 in Lublin.

History and Significance: Built in 1929, this impressive building pioneered reinforced concrete construction. Its sleek functionalist style heralded modernism. Hosts cultural events.

What to Expect: Visitors can admire the architectural style and acoustics inside the dome structure. Attend concerts, festivals, or exhibits held within.

Visitor Information: Open year-round. Event prices and times vary. Guided tours available.

Concertgoers can enjoy top notch acoustics after the 2024 renovation of Lublin’s Centennial Hall, constructed in 1929 to commemorate Poland’s independence. The expert restoration returns the interior to its Art Deco elegance.

Fresco paintings, glittering chandeliers and wall sconces create a glamorous backdrop for performances by the Lublin Philharmonic and international artists. Free summer organ concerts let you experience this architectural gem without buying tickets to a show.

Try Lublin Beer

Name and Location: Local breweries located around Lublin, including Perła, El Brewery, Radawka, Mrowisko.

History and Significance: Lublin has a growing craft beer scene. Its breweries create unique lagers, ales, porters and IPAs using natural ingredients. Beer is ingrained in Polish culture.

What to Expect: Sample locally crafted beers to experience flavors like nutty, fruity, chocolatey, hoppy. Brewery tours, tastings and taps around Lublin.

Visitor Information: Opening hours vary. Perła and Mrowisko offer daily brewery tours, book ahead. Pub crawls also available.

Lublin emerges as an unlikely beer capital with over a dozen craft breweries launching in recent years. Sample award-winning ales from pioneers like Perła Brewery during a brewery tour. Order a flight at trendy Draft Pub to compare small batch lagers, porters and IPAs.

Hoist a honey beer at Czarna Owca’s industrial-chic taproom. Lublin’s new beer festival brings regional brewmasters together under one roof for tastings and competitions determining the year’s best brews.

Experience Polish Folk Culture

Name and Location: Polish folk culture can be experienced at Old Town venues, festivals, and the open-air villages of Lublin Village and Poland in Miniature.

History and Significance: Lublin region is renowned for its vibrant folk traditions in music, crafts, costumes, customs and cuisine that proudly celebrate Polish heritage.

What to Expect: See folk dance and musical performances, make crafts like paper cutting and wreaths, learn traditional cooking, and explore replicas of Polish rural architecture and life.

Visitor Information: Experience through organized tours, scheduled events, museums, villages, and shows around Lublin.

Lublin proudly preserves Poland’s folk arts and traditions. At the Open-Air Village Museum, costumed staff demonstrate regional crafts, music and cuisine. The Museum of Rural Life exhibits handmade textiles, ceramics, tools and other artifacts of traditional village living.

Catch a performance by Mazowsze, Poland’s acclaimed folk song and dance ensemble, or attend the annual Folkloriada festival celebrating folk musicians from across the country and abroad.

Relax in Lublin Parks

Name and Location: Large parks in Lublin include Litewski Square, Saxon Garden, Czechowska Park, and the Botanical Garden.

History and Significance: Lublin’s many green parks provide peaceful natural spots for resting and recreation, contrasting the urban setting.

What to Expect: Visit shady gardens, ponds and fountains. Litewski Square and Saxon Garden host free music and entertainment. Cafes and paths for walking or cycling.

Visitor Information: Most parks open daily from approx 9am-dusk and are free to enter and enjoy.

Lublin’s abundant green spaces provide the perfect place to picnic, stroll through gardens and enjoy free outdoor entertainment. Historic Saxon Garden charms with ornamental flowerbeds and manicured lawns.

Lithuania Square becomes an open-air concert venue during summer. Families flock to the small zoo and amusement park at Lublin Ponyard Land. The sprawling Botanical Garden and Arboretum offers over 6,000 plant species to admire across 80 acres of grounds.

Experience Lublin Castle

Name and Location: Lublin Castle sits atop Castle Hill in the heart of Lublin’s Old Town.

History and Significance: This medieval castle dates to the 12th century. It served as a royal residence and defensive fortress over the centuries. Today it houses a museum.

What to Expect: Visitors can tour castle rooms, climb the tower for panoramic views, and visit the Lublin History Museum exhibits on site that cover the castle’s strategic importance.

Visitor Information: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Admission 10 PLN, extra for tower climb. Guided tours available.

Perched atop Castle Hill, Lublin Castle looks over the Old Town and Bystrzyca River with impressively picturesque views. Dating back to the 12th century, the fortress contains the Lublin History Museum exhibiting archaeological finds, weaponry, and medieval artifacts within the castle’s grand chambers.

Walk the fortified stone walls encircling the hill for panoramas of Lublin’s winding alleys and hidden courtyards. Don’t miss the musical fountain shows illuminating the castle moat at night.

Attend International Festivals

Name and Location: Lublin hosts several major festivals like the Jagiellonian Fair, Theater Confrontations Festival, Jazz Festival, and Film and Art Festival.

History and Significance: These festivals spotlight Lublin’s vibrant arts, culture and entertainment scenes on an international scale and attract visitors worldwide.

What to Expect: Festivalgoers can see street performances, cutting-edge theater productions, musicians from around the globe, indie films, and colorful fairs.

Visitor Information: Most run annually in summer months. Check online for dates and schedules. Many events are free.

Lublin’s packed festival calendar adds extra vibrancy to the city. Theater buffs flock to the International Theatre Confrontations festival each fall. Jazz classics and new compositions hit the right notes during Lublin Jazz Festival.

Ukraine and Belarus influences infuse folk ensemble performances during the Podlachian Culture Meetings festival. Top films from across the globe screen during the Cinergia International Film Festival in late October.

Shop at Krakowskie Przedmieście

Name and Location: Krakowskie Przedmieście is the main shopping street that runs through Lublin’s Old Town area.

History and Significance: Dating back to the 15th century, this historic street is now a lively row of shops, restaurants and services housed in beautiful old buildings.

What to Expect: Visitors can stroll down Krakowskie Przedmieście browsing for Polish crafts, souvenirs, food items, books, clothing, jewelry and more.

Visitor Information: Shops typically open around 10am-7pm daily, some close Sundays. The street is open 24/7 for window shopping.

Lublin’s main thoroughfare connects Old Town to the city center offering boutique-lined lanes perfect for strolling. The charming shopping street Krawkowskie Przedmieście bustles with an eclectic mix of businesses from art galleries to high-end chocolate shops.

After browsing the boutiques, stop for afternoon tea or light lunch on one of Krakowskie Przedmieście’s tranquil side plazas before venturing onward.

Taste Cheese and Cheesecake

Name and Location: Find Lublin’s signature cheesecake at cafes around the city, and cheese at specialty shops.

History and Significance: Lublin region is renowned for its fresh cheeses and decadent cheesecake recipe. Authentic baked Lublin cheesecake is famous worldwide.

What to Expect: Try the rich, smooth taste of cheesecake made with local cheese. Also sample squeaky cheese curds and local brands like Lublinianka.

Visitor Information: Look for cheesecake at cafes like Wątróbka Cafe or Pracownia Cukiernicza. Korona supermarket sells local cheeses.

Indulge your sweet tooth with Lublin’s famous cheesecake, prepared from special recipes passed down for generations. Try this decadent dessert at Cukiernia Roztocze, in business for over a century.

Pair your slice with a glass of mead, a honey-based wine popular in Poland. Lublin’s regional cheeses also delight. Sample salty oscypek smoked sheep’s milk cheese and mild blue cheese crafted by local producers.

Experience Contemporary Art

Name and Location: Contemporary art galleries located around Lublin’s Old Town and Krakowskie Przedmieście street.

History and Significance: Lublin has a thriving contemporary art scene. Galleries exhibit works across mediums by up-and-coming Polish artists.

What to Expect: Visit galleries like Labirynt, Archeologia Pogranicza and others to see thought-provoking modern art exhibitions and perhaps meet local artists.

Visitor Information: Opening days/hours vary by gallery, typically early afternoon through evening. Check schedules online. Admission free or nominal.

Lublin’s contemporary art scene flourishes through small private galleries and innovative public installations. The neon-lit Tunnel of Fantasy displays trippy illuminated visuals accompanied by synthesized music inside a unique cylindrical passageway.

Check out the latest exhibitions at BWA Contemporary Art Gallery or the cutting-edge Zona Sztuki Project. For a quirky artistic experience, marvel at the outdoor gallery of giant installations at Reduta Zbigniewa Herberta.

Conclusion

With an alluring blend of history, culture, folk arts, festivities and natural beauty, Lublin delivers authentically Polish experiences beyond typical tourist destinations. In 2024 and beyond, new attractions emerge alongside familiar sights for fresh reasons to visit this underrated city.

From poignant war memorials to vibrant summer festivals set against medieval backdrops, Lublin rewards visitors with remarkable adventures.