Practicalities
Currency
Polish currency is called
złoty,
abbreviated PLN. 1 PLN is approximately 0.22 EUR or 0.27 USD. There are multiple currency
exchanges offices near the Market Square and at the airport. ATMs are widely available,
some of them, including the ones at the airport, might charge you a small additional fee
that is clearly shown in the very beginning.
Credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) are widely accepted, even in small shops.
There is no need to carry cash (except for maybe tipping in restaurants).
Electricity
230 V, 50 Hz with either
Schuko or
Europlug.
Tap water
Should be safe to drink, but you can confirm that at your hotel.
Tipping
There are no strict rules concerning tipping, but 10% is considered appropriate in
a restaurant. There is no need to tip in a café/bar.
Safety
The streets of Wrocław are very safe. You should however exercise standard caution,
as you would do in any large city especially around the very crowded area near the
Market Square. In the case of an emergency, dial the all-purpose emergency number
112.
Language
Most young people speak English to some degree. All shops/restaurants in the city center
should have someone with decent English (or German, as there are many tourists from Germany).
Transport
If you are staying in the city center then everything is within a walking distance.
Public transportation is reasonably well developed, and we recommend using the trams
to get around. You can buy the ticket on board from a vending machine (it is 3,40 PLN
for a single trip). Keep in mind that you need a contactless card and the machine
doesn't print anything, it just sends the information that you have bought the ticket
to a central database.
Taxi
We recommend booking your taxi online (through your favourite app) or through your hotel,
as to avoid any misunderstandings. That being said, all taxis waiting at the airport
need a special license and should be OK.
