June is the month of my favourite music festival – Tauron Nowa Muzyka. It takes place in Katowice and so I visit this city at least once a year. I spend my evenings dancing and listening to music, but I still have quite a lot of time during the days to get to know Katowice. And after all those years I still find new interesting places that I’ve never been to before. This is not my first Katowice related blog post. I’ve written the first city guide two years ago, and updated it last year. There were more conventional spots that every tourist should visit, so be sure to check it out if you haven’t.
As a blogger I feel constant pressure to look for something new, to check out places that noone has written about before and I must admit sometimes it stresses me out. Especially when I have my own traditions and my favourite spots that I like coming back to. So this blog post is a mix of both worlds. There are some trendy spots, some accidental finds and some places that I’ve been to before but I absolutely love and want to share with you. You can expect lots of food, even more drinks and icecream spots (as my last visit was in the middle of a heatwave), some street art, lots of walking around and shopping recommendations. Enjoy!
Good night, good night, it’s been charming
No, no it’s not the end. I just thought I’d start with an accomodation recommendation. When it comes to booking a stay during Tauron Nowa Muzyka festival, it’s the same shit every year. I buy my tickets as soon as they’re available and make a mental note that I need to book a room ASAP. Then I forget about it for half a years while trying to establish which of my friends are going this year and therefore how many beds do we need. Two months before the festival I think to myself that now I REALLY need to book a hostel. Any hostel. And then forget once again. Finally few weeks before Tauron I finally get around to it and book whatever is still available. Somehow this year it worked out fine for us. Matylda found cheap hostel rooms for 4 people at Słowackiego 16 and the people there were so nice that they didn’t have any problems adding an additional bed for the fifth person. The room was really spacious, the beds comfy and allowing you to have quite a lot of personal space (the curtain allows you to sleep whole day if you wish to do so), plus there were large cupboards where we stored all of our stuff (it’s always a problem in hostels and after one night you have to manouver between all of the stuff to get to your bed). But the bet thing was that there was hardly anyone at the hostel so we never waited in line to the toilet nor the shower. Perfect!
Attractions off the beaten track
If, like me, you’ve been to Katowice several times and seen every major tourist attraction, hopefully in this blog post you’ll learn about something new. If you don’t know Katowice that well, first be sure to check out Muzeum Śląskie, the neighbourhood of Nikiszowiec, art gallery in Szyb Wilson and the industrial space of Fabryka Porcelany (where they also serve amazingly good pizza). All of those are described in my previous blog post. Also remeber that the spost you’ve already been to, always can be explored further.
But first, let’s get to the less conventional stuff. The first place I highly recommend to everyone is the art space at Piastowska 1. There are various events orginized there from time to time, it’s a place where local artists meet and discuss life. It’s not always open and available to everyone but if you know the art of Andrzej Urbanowicz you might have already heard about it. Another thing you should be on a look out for when in Katowice is street art. The best stuff is also the one you come by by accident, but be sure to look up (there are naked purple men waiting for you on balconies), look carefully at the walls (there might be a random art installation or a pig’s nose just because), go inside inconspicuous backyards (one of my recommendations is at Tylna Mariacka street where friendly monsters are waiting for you to find them), also don’t be afriad to open small metal boxes (look carefully around on the corner of Świetego Stanisława and Mariacka streets).
And if you’re not that great with spotting tiny hidden things, there are also many amazing murals and graffiti around Katowice. Another type of art that you can admire on the streets are the mosaics. One is on the building of Music school, another on the next street. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you find some other amazing stuff, I’ve not found myself.
Interesting spots that you might have heard about are also Sztauwajery. A summer spot where locals and tourists come for a beer and something to eat. They’re valued for a trendy, modern design (containers). Tauron Nowa Muzyka also holds additional parties and smaller concerts here during the festival. Another popular attraction is the neon sign in the city center that says “Sunset” (Zachód Słońca). The funny thing is that I tend to see it more at sunrise than sunset. It’s ou little tradition to take the ‘end of the night selfie’ here after every night of the festival.
Fancy shopping vs. second-hand hunting
If you’re one of the people that like to get back from a trip with some kind of souvenir or you just enjoy shopping I have two completely different options for you. The first one is more touristy, but fun. Simply visit the most popular shop with localy made souvenirs. It’s called Geszeft and is located in a pretty cool neighbourhood, where I’d recommend you to walk around (but it’s also available online).You can find everything in here: from clothes, to jewellery, to books, to ceramic decorations, to toys and much more. It’s a great spot to hunt for gifts for your friends and family members. And if, like me, you fell in love with Katowice and want to take a piece of it home, you can get for yourself a candle that smells like the city, a necklace made of coal or my favourite rhubarb flavoured candy (called Szkloki).
But if you want something less mainstream, why don’t you go around town looking for second-hand shops. There’s quite a lot in the city center, and I’m sure there must be even better ones on the outskirts. I check some out every time I visit as the prices are really low and the things tend to be better than in Warsaw. I don’t have addresses of most of the ones we visited during this trip, but the biggest one, that might prove lucky for you is “Dyskont” located on Mickiewicza 7. It’s a two stories high second-hand filled with colour-coordinated clothes. Magic!
I can never say no to Nikiszowiec!
Okay, I know I said I want write about ‘traditional tourist spots’, but I can’t help myself and I go to the area of Nikiszowiec every chance I get. The area is very photogenic, there’s amazing food in local restaurants, but also there’s always something new that I’ve never noticed before. This year I almost crushed a neighbour’s party, noticed an epic balcony and ‘perfect lettering’ on the building of Jantor Icerink (Design? Thinking ahead? what’s that?).
If you’ve never been to etnographic division of Museum of the History of Katowice, be sure to check it out when you’re in Nikiszowiec district. A small museum has been established in a former public wash house at No 4 Rymarska Street. There’re three temporary exhibitions – one is about everyday life of the locals over the years, another one is aboutthe history of the building where the museum is located, but the third one is definitely the best one. It’s dedicated to a group of artists called Grupa Janowska (the official name is A club of Non-professional Painters, and that’s everything you need to know). The paintings are a great example of local heritage. They’re weird, creepy and magical at the same time.
And since you’ve already made it all the way down to Nikiszowiec be sure to drop by my favourite restauant in the entire city – Cafe Byfyj. In here you can try traditional local cuisine as well as some vegetarian options. And don’t forget about desserts! They sell the best pavlova cake I’ve ever head and the pieces are larger than my head. It’s always packed so plan your trip to Nikiszowiec accordingly. And once you get a table don’t let go of it. I tend to spend hours there, soaking up the atmospehere and drinking prosecco served with fresh fruit. Heaven on Earth!
Another great dessert option is icecream from a local icecream place (Mint) that are available to buy at Zillmann Tea&Coffee. Rhubarb sorbet is the best thing I’ve ever eaten, but I also really enjoyed icecream that tastes of roasted butter. The interior of Zillmann is dark and cozy so it’s a great place to chillout when you get tired of walking around this amazing district.
Where to get the best cocktails in Katowice?
After all the walking and playing tourist you definitely deserve a drink. I have two bar recommendations for you. One is more fancy and the other is rather cheap and casual. The first one is called Amfora and it serves amazing food (especially mezze, so be sure to order a selection of several different ones that they have available on the menu as a plate for 2 people) as well as delicious cocktails. Cockatil menu changes seasonally but they can also prepare something especially for you. After doing my research of the best cocktail bars in Warsaw (you can read part 1 HERE and part 2 HERE) I know a bit about cocktails and I can definitely say that the ones served at Amfora are fantastic. Be sure to check this place out!
Those who don’t like spending to much money on alcohol, should visit Drzwi Zwane Koniem. There’s an amazing, huge outside sitting area, the food is great and the portions are enormous (seriously! we were unable to finish it all, I mean they serve fries in actual buckets!), the staff is really nice, but most importantly drinks and beer are really cheap. You’ll only pay 6 PLN (1,5 euro) for a beer! Cocktails are a bit more expensive, but still cheaper than usual, and there’s quite a selection. We liked this place so much, that we visited it twice in two days, so we had a perfect opportunity to try every single cocktail available on the menu. My personal favourite was Ichigo Sawa with sake, but my friends who prefer burbon highly recommend Psotnica.
Breakfast, lunch, second lunch, third lunch…
Be honest, did you think I’m dying because I’ve written so little about food so far? Don’t you worry. I’ve eaten plenty of delicious food, I’ve had some amazing coffee and great icecream during my last trip to Katowice. Let’s start from my favourite meal of the deal – breakfast. This time I’ve been to two spots that I’ve been to before (and I’ve described in the previous blog post): Synergia Dobre Miejsce and a bagel spot called 3 Siostry. Another spot I’ve visited was Kafej, that I always wanted to check out but it was always too crowded during the festival (this time I went a day earlier just to be able to eat everything that I’ve never been able to do before). It’s definitely worth waiting in line. The food is delicious, portions are huge and the menu is quite original. Plus the interior is trendy and very instagrammable and there’s really good coffee. And the best part about all this is that they serve breakfast all day long. What more would you want from life?
If breakfast coffee is not enought to keep you alive, there’s lots of amazing cafes in Katowice that you can visit. This time we checked out Same Maszkety (famous for it’s desserts and freakshakes) where we went for ice coffee to go. Another great option for hot summer days in tonic espresso (my personal favourite!) or it’s new trendy version with freshly squizedorange juice instead of the tonic. The best one is at Kawiarnia Fotograficzna. And let’s not forget about icecream! I recommend checking out Istne icecream place. There are different flavours available everyday (always at least one vegan) and they’re served in colourful cones. I really enjoyed the sour blueberry in a black cone. Om nom nom!
The last place for me to describe is Len Arte, a pizzeria that I’ve always wanted to check out as it’s very popular, but I’ve never had time to do so. i mean I did try once but the wait was so long that I’d miss my train. i finally had an opportunity to try their pizzas and I understand the long queues! Their pizzas are simple but delicious, the crust is thin and perfect and the ingredients are fresh. I hihgly recommend an intensely falvoured Ai Tartufi e Prosciutto as well as a spin on a classic – Bufalina.
And that’s it for this blog post, but I’m sue I’ll write another guide to Katowice sooner or later as I don’t plan on stoping going to Tauron Nowa Muzyka Music Festival any time soon. Let me know if you’ve been to some amazing places in Katowice. there’s still a lot of amazing spots to explore there.
