Lodz – the world’s second Best Value Destination in 2019, according to Lonely Planet
Lodz ranked second as the Best Value Destination of the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2019 outranking the Maldives, Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the U.S., Argentina, or Slovenia, among others. The winner is Southern Nile Valley in Egypt.
Lonely Planet’s editors appreciated the city’s revitalization. Lodz combines renovation of industrial spaces with bold architectural projects. “Great and ambitious investments finalized in recent years were aimed at stimulating and modernizing Lodz. Effects are visible,” concludes Lonely Planet’s editor Tom Hall.
Lodz’s main attractions are the defunct textile factories transformed into vibrant cultural spaces, luxury apartments, hotels, and restaurants. Colourful murals and street art installations are major sightseeing attractions. Presented on walls of town houses, warehouses or factories, they show a new image of the city, which is a mecca for young artists and entrepreneurs.
The authors of the Best in Travel 2019 ranking pinpointed three main places worth seeing:
Manufaktura. The former textile empire of Izrael Poznański turned into a commercial and entertainment centre housing museums: the Art Museum (ms2) and the Factory Museum. In the summer, tourists can enjoy an artificial sand beach, and in winter – an ice rink. An aerial ropeslide ride over the Manufaktura square is also a singular attraction of this place.
Fabryczna Railway Station – a unique piece of art and the biggest Polish railway station.
Piotrkowska Street – the longest commercial thoroughfare in Europe, more than four kilometers in length, and the city’s marketplace. Visitors may take a rickshaw ride for a unique sightseeing experience. It is also a place full of coffee shops, pubs and restaurants where one may admire the beauty of 19th c. architecture.
