Ryanair has introduced new flights from Birmingham Airport to Wrocław, a Polish city recently named Europe's best and cheapest destination, with fares starting at £41. The route, launching next summer, connects the West Midlands to a city that welcomed a record 7 million visitors in 2025.
Wrocław's record tourism growth
Wrocław, located in southwest Poland near the Czech border, may lack the fame of Warsaw, Kraków, Łódź, or Gdańsk, but it is increasingly drawing attention. The city saw a 6% increase in visitors in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching 7 million. By contrast, Kraków, a major Polish tourist hub, attracted 14.72 million visitors last year.
Among Wrocław's key attractions is the Main Market Square, lined with colourful medieval buildings. It hosts the Museum of Bourgeois Art and the annual Christmas Market. The city also boasts the Centennial Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's most renowned concrete structures, often described as a pilgrimage site for architecture enthusiasts interested in pre-Brutalist design. Its vast circular space, beneath a ribbed dome crowned with a lantern, can hold up to 10,000 people.
Historical significance and winter charm
In 2006, the United Nations concluded that the hall, built between 1911 and 1913 by Max Berg, “transcends national boundaries” and is “of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity”. The city particularly shines during the Christmas season, with the Wrocław Christmas Market running from November 20, 2026, to January 7, 2027, making it one of the longest-running winter fairs in the region.
Beyond history and architecture, visitors can explore trendy bars and vegan-friendly restaurants. Forecasters suggest the Polish economy could overtake the struggling British one by the end of this decade, but Wrocław remains full of bargains for those paid in pounds. A draft beer at cheaper bars such as Przybij Piątaka, Przedwojenna, and Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa costs less than 10 PLN (£1.92). A budget meal at a milk bar costs the equivalent of £4 to £5, and even a full fine dining experience is unlikely to exceed £25 per head.
Affordable transport and cultural appeal
Getting around is cheap and simple. A standard single bus or tram ticket costs 4.60 PLN (88p). Wrocław was named European Capital of Culture in 2016, with travel bloggers calling it a “real cultural laboratory”. It is also popular with couples, with flowers on sale round the clock and bridges covered in love locks. Two years after its cultural capital title, the city was named Europe's Best Destination, beating major capitals like Paris, London, and Lisbon.
Two years ago, research by virtual card provider Getsby, analysing data from travel cost site Budget Your Trip, calculated the average cost for two people for a mid-range city break across 100 European cities. The study included daily costs for two people for two days, covering mid-priced meals, hotel stays, and local transport. Wrocław came in with a daily average cost of £35 per person, making it the cheapest option among the cities studied.
Reaching the city from the UK is straightforward. Ryanair is launching new flights from Birmingham to Wrocław next summer, with fares starting from £41.
