Why Lodz is the coolest Polish city you have ever heard of

Whilst it may not be Poland's most beautiful nor most touristic city, it is one of the most popular destinations for international Erasmus students. Although you may not think so on arrival, Lodz is Poland’s flourishing university city, you won't have a moment to put your feet up. Choosing it will be the best decision to spend the best year of your life. And I will tell you why.

Where is Lodz and how to get there

Lodz is perfectly placed right in the centre of Poland, the current trendy place to go to on Erasmus. It’s a little over an hour away from the capital Warsaw and is the country’s third biggest city. As a result, be it by bus or train, it has excellent transport links with Poland’s other cities. You can reach any corner of the country in under 5 hours.

Although it does have a small airport with some direct flights to European capitals, most people tend to catch a flight to nearby Warsaw before getting to Lodz. The most practical option is to arrive at Chopin Airport which is in the centre of the city. From there you have the choice of a bus or a train in order to get to Lodz in around an hour and a half. If your flight lands at Modlin Airport (Warsaw’s second airport in the outskirts) the best option would be to take the bus from there which will take you directly to Lodz in around 3 hours.

As I have already mentioned Lodz’ strong transport network, most people tend to buy the cheapest plane ticket which may land them first at other airports in nearby cities like Krakow, Wroclaw or Poznan. In many cases getting to Lodz from these places can take the same amount of time or even less as travelling from the capital.

Accommodation

When considering where you are going to live for your Erasmus, the best choice for Lodz is in a halls of residence. You can also look at Facebook groups to find a flat in the city though this process is sure to be more complicated. In any case, 200€ a month or less is more than enough to find a nice place.

There are three main campuses in Lodz, one from each university; University of Lodz (UL), Lodz University of Technology (TUL) and Medical University of Lodz (UMED). Each one offers their own student halls. Therefore, if you apply for a public halls of residence, it will be one of these three which allocate you a room in relation to your degree. In reality, the quality and location of these residences leaves little to be desired (I speak from experience) although you will be better off if you stay in the ones belonging to TUL or UMED.

In any case, in 2018 a new private residence was built in the centre called Basecamp, which whilst being a bit more expensive than public halls, is by far the best option. I moved there as soon as it opened, as did many other people staying in public residences. The facilities as well as its location, and the most fun and lively atmosphere in the city makes it an excellent choice. Staying there means you can meet people from all over the world, studying any given degree. And most importantly, during the freezing winter months you will appreciate being surrounded by everything you need without ever having to take a step out of your house.

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Currency

Zloty is Poland’s currency. This is a massive plus for visiting the country as it means that prices are much cheaper than in the rest of Europe. Furthermore, as Lodz is not a very touristic city like Krakow or Warsaw, then prices are even lower still. The exchange rate is approximately 4.10 zloty for every euro.

The best thing to do is to exchange currency in a Kantor (Polish exchange bureau), they are everywhere and are sure to offer the best exchange rate. Still, the most accepted form of transaction is by card, you can buy everything with it, even a beer or a coffee.

The weather

Another factor to consider before living in Poland is the extreme weather (the difference in temperature between winter and summer is 50°C). The seasons of autumn and spring barely exist.

The worst thing is the winter when temperatures can fall to as low as -20°C and it constantly snows. Whichever type of coat is of little use against such a bitter cold. Snow boots, tights, thermal shirts, socks and a coat (better still if it's waterproof), gloves, a hat and a scarf are all obligatory items of clothing. Somehow, all the locals are perfectly acclimatised; whether they go out to eat, have a coffee or go partying they seem to go in practically just a short sleeve shirt. The best way to bear such contrasts in temperature is to wear a lot of layers, so that you can either take them off or put them on depending on the situation.

Then, after a hard winter suddenly comes the lovely summer with sunny days of 20°C. The hottest it will reach is 30°C. In any case, the weather remains volatile with storms and some dips in temperature to 10°C. Therefore, it's probably not a good idea to get too confident and throw away all your jumpers when temperatures begin to rise.

City life

The best thing without doubt is all the energy and excitement which this city has to offer, so much culture as well as entertainment. The highstreet Piotrkowska is in the middle of the city centre and the hub of all life. It boasts everything you could ever need: loads of shops, restaurants, café’s, pubs and clubs. When the good weather arrives, all the locals use the street as their own terrace, creating a buzzing atmosphere. Along this street you will also find another one of everybody’s favourite places to go eat or have a drink, the OFF Piotrkowska Centre. There you will find various lively bars with a terrace and sometimes live music.

The best shopping area is Manufaktura, one of Europe’s biggest shopping centres. Inside you will also find many restaurants and terraces at the top of its entrance as well as a cinema, bowling alley, trampoline parks and some other attractions.

Lodz’s cultural sources of interest are not characterised so much by its buildings nor its architecture but by it being the capital of Polish cinema. It has a prestigious cinema school and a few interesting museums which you will be able to discover thanks to a university initiative which organises various activities every week for Erasmus students to get to know the city’s points of culture. Trips are organised at no cost to places like the textile museum, Radegast train station, the Jewish cemetery, the planetarium, the botanical gardens, the zoo, parks, the city’s museum which is in the Izrael Poznanski palace among other palaces and museums.

Restaurants

The majority of restaurants and places to eat can be found in the shopping centres I mentioned earlier, Piotrkowska and Manufaktura. They have everything, from Italian places like Presto, to Polish, Turkish and Jewish eateries. LaVende, a bistro with a lot of different foods, is one of my favourites. The best burgers can be found in Gastromachina. And if you want a place where you can find burgers, pasta and pancakes as well as the famous and most typical Polish dish pierogis, then Pozytyvka is the place. If you fancy a snack, Jerry's makes great, sweet pancakes or get a kebab from Zahir’s. All these different places are testament to the city’s great cultural variety.

The go-to restaurant at the moment in Poland is Manekin. The one in Lodz is one of the few in the country. There are always long queues outside but it's worth it to get your hands on one of their savoury or sweet pancakes.

Although all these restaurants are located in the centre, in Lumumby campus there are some of my other favourites like Hell's Kitchen. The pasta and the burgers as well as the typical Polish meat dishes which they make are incredible. And the best thing about these places is that you can go out and eat easily a few times a week because in all of them you can eat for less than 7 euros.

Travelling from Lodz

Travelling from Lodz is very easy and affordable, due to its position in the centre of the country and its excellent transport links. But not only across Poland. Its position in the middle of central Europe makes it easy for an Erasmus student to pack their bags and travel around at weekends.

All the central European capitals can be reached very cheaply by bus. Also, for inter-country travel by train, students get a 50% discount.

Another advantage of being so close to Warsaw is that it opens the door to many other direct destinations whether it be by bus or by plane.

Parties

Finally, one of the most important features of the Erasmus experience: that there are a lot of parties and a fun atmosphere. I don’t think I’m mistaken when I say that Lodz has the best party scene in all of Poland. The reason could well be down to the number of Erasmus and international students who arrive each year or due to the sheer amount of places to go out, the majority being in Piotrkowska. Each day the city’s party atmosphere concentrates over one club. Here is a list of my favourites:

• Monday: Hell's Kitchen, Lumumby 10.
• Tuesday: Klub Futurysta.
• Wednesday: Klub Czekolada.
• Thursday: Lordi's Club.
• Friday and Saturday: El Cubano.
• Sunday: Cotton Club.