The Best Bars in Włocławek, Poland

Włocławek’s Cafe Mistrz I Małgorzata has created a niche all of its own. With sublime art on the walls, cosy chairs and a huge beer garden, this is a place with atmosphere where you can relax with friends day and night. The bar is decorated with quirky little objects such as a mock Irish phone box, lamps in a drum and guitars on toilet doors. The downstairs bar serves Irish Guinness and Belgian ales on tap and includes a sunken piano on the floor. The buzzing venue upstairs hosts live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Rejs bar and restaurant offers the best views in Włocławek from a raised wooden balcony that looks over the Wisła, Poland’s longest river. The bar serves a good selection of Polish beers, wines and spirits. A succinct but hearty menu ensures you can get tasty and consistent food throughout the day. The bar is connected to the rowing club and from the balcony you can watch local boaters sailing on the river. Rejs also caters for privates events such as parties and weddings.

The cool, swanky Starodębska Music Bar is located centrally in Włocławek. Here, you can try a range of Polish beers on tap, including Żywiec and Kasztelan. Excellent cocktails and healthy smoothies are also part of the bar’s drinks menu. The cosy front lounge faces out onto the street and is a frequent place for families and couples to eat and drink at weekends. The back part of the bar is more lively and has DJs at weekends; however, the real surprise is the mock beach at the back. In summer months, locals bring their children to play in the sand while they drink on the wooden decking next to it.

On the edge of the city of Włocławek you will find the classy Pałac Bursztynowy. This means ‘the Amber Palace’ and is a large building dedicated to ‘every mother’. The complex hosts weddings and special events but it is also open to the public in the form of the downstairs pub. Expect good Polish draft beer and a selection of bottled beer to accompany typical pub grub and live sports on TV. Children are welcome but the pub has limited and irregular opening hours, so check their website in advance.

Włocławek is full of surprises, and this place is a real treat. It’s located on the edge of the city at Włocławek Airfield, so you can sip a beer next to Polish fighter planes and grazing deer. However, the biggest thrill comes at busy weekends, when you can sip a beer and eat a pizza while you watch small aircraft taking off and landing. And not only can you watch skydivers in action here, but you can also participate. The airfield hosts Poland’s largest skydiving centre, and they created a European record here in August 2010 when 102 Polish skydivers simultaneously created a formation in the air. As well as alcoholic drinks, the bar serves tea, coffee and snacks. However, alcohol is not permitted on the airfield, or in the skydiving centre.

The city’s most luxurious four-star hotel, Hotel Młyn boasts a large luxury bar on the ground floor. It has a stylish modern interior and an outdoor beer garden located on a wooden terrace. The food menu includes Polish classics such as pierogi, bigos (‘hunter’s stew’) and naleśniki (pancakes). Coffee and beer prices start at 8 złotych (£1.70) and there is a range of international wines available by the glass or the bottle. The venue can also be booked for private events such as birthday parties and business functions.

Housed in a former brewery down by the river, Czarny Spichrz (officially called Klub Środowisk Twórczych ‘Piwnica’ Czarny Spichrz) is a basement bar with an old-school vibe to it. It’s a good place for single people to mingle and meet up, and also a perfect spot for a beer after watching the sunset by the Wisła River. It is also a live-music venue, hosting regular events featuring local artists. The bar’s name means ‘Black Granary’ and remains one of the most popular night-time venues in the city.

Let your hair down and party the night away at the Browar Loft, a popular drinking and dance venue in Włocławek. It opens at 4pm and stays open until 3am at weekends. Enjoy some shots of vodka, stylish cocktails (such as the Bolivian Agwa) and dancing to a mixture of Polish and international music. The dance floor gets especially busy as the DJs pump out the tunes on Friday and Saturday nights.