Long in the shadows of hipper, more well-known destinations in Poland such as Kraków, Wrocław and Warsaw, Lublin has traditionally languished, economically and politically, out of the limelight and happy to be a big fish in the small pond of eastern Poland. In recent years however, Lublin has seen an upturn in fortunes, as European Union money has flooded into its coffers, infrastructure has improved and architecture has been spruced up. The city today is a confident, young, vibrant and cultural place with plenty to offer those (still relatively few) visitors who have made the effort to travel here. The town's Rynek is ripe with tourist potential, ringed as it is with an array of cool bars, imaginative restaurants and relaxing cafes, and there is enough here to keep you busy - especially if you are interested in Jewish history - of which there is a lot - for several days. Lublin is beginning to wake up to its potential as a premier destination in Poland at last, and put its painful history behind it.

Best of the Beaten Track

You'll no doubt head through one of Lublin's main historical 'gates' - Krakowska or Grodzka - on arrival, and into the cobbled alleyways of its old town. These winding streets are full of life in summer, and you can soak up the history in and around the Rynek (market square). At the Rynek's centre is the 1781 neo-classical Old Town Hall, beneath which can be found the fascinating Lublin Underground Trail, which tells the story of the city, with the aid of scale models and photos, including the story of the fire of Lublin in 1719. Visit the 16th-century cathedral nearby to see the 'whispering room'; an acoustic vestry famous for its ability to project whispers. The Castle should be on anyone's itinerary, not so much for its exterior beauty (it was rebuilt as a prison in the 1820's) as for its interior, especially the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, which contains a beautiful set of frescoes, covering the walls from floor to ceiling; a stunning sight and perhaps the finest examples of medieval wall paintings in Poland. Next on your itinerary should be a tour of Lublin's Jewish sights, starting with the old Jewish district around ul. Lubartowska - here can be found the only synagogue in town, and nearby the 'Yeshiva' - the school of sages of Lublin as it was once known, or rabbi school, where before the war rabbis were trained and dispatched all across Europe to teach. Majdanek stands as a stark and austere monument to man's inhumanity to man, to the south of the city centre. Unlike the other well-known concentration camps which were mostly hidden away from public view in remote locations, Majdanek was situated on the edge of a major city, where the local populace was well aware of what was going on. Over several acres, the concentration camp documents the horror without any attempt to sensationalize the facts, which are that over a two year period up to 100,000 people perished here. You will not find the crowds here that you do in, say Auschwitz (indeed you may walk around for half a day with only a few crows for company, particularly out of season), and as such, Majdanek is one of the best places in Poland to learn about the Holocaust.

Hipster's Guide

Lublin is a great city for cycling in and around. Why not hire a bike (cheap at around 30zł/8 Euro a day) and head off to explore the environs. First up, the skansen, 5km out in the west of the city. Over an undulating terrain of 25 hectares, this reconstruction of middle-ages rural Poland is a delight, and you can while away several hours here, exploring old wooden buildings, windmills, manor houses and even an orthodox church. Bring a picnic, have a campfire in the woods and watch locals sing folk songs on balmy summer evenings. Next door, the pretty botanical gardens are worth a look too. Next, head to the south of the city through the forest (Las Stary Gay) to the lake (Zalew Zemborzycki). Popular with fishermen, sailors, swimmers, cyclists, walkers and anyone who fancies a break from the city, this is a great place to chill out in the summer and unwind. Bring a book. Further afield, Kozłówka makes a pleasant day-trip; famous for its sumptuous late-Baroque palace, the main reason to come here is to see the Socialist-realist Art Gallery, a great place to see that most politicized and discredited (yet still oddly fascinating) of styles, depicting various 'glorious' scenes of delirious workers interspersed with portraits of their infallible leaders (mainly from years 1949-56). For a slice of picture-postcard village Poland, visit Kazimierz Dolny, 90 mins away by bus. Probably the best-preserved medieval village in Poland, surrounded by picturesque hills and situated by the Wisła river, this has atmosphere in spades and is a wonderful place to come and relax.

Experiences and Events

Most of your time spent in Lublin will involve strolling around and enjoying the many cafes and bars around the old town, but for a town of its relative obscurity, Lublin has a lively cultural life - proven by its recently narrowly missing out on European city of culture to Wrocław. Famed throughout Poland for its theatre tradition, don't leave the city without checking out a performance at one or other of its theatres - the main venue being Teatr im Osterwy. Filharmonia Lubelska stages classical and contemporary performances and the little Teatr im H Ch Andersena stages puppet shows (good if you don't understand Polish!) Since 2010, a new music festival has been on the calendar in Lublin, Electric Nights. From October 8th-9th, the line-up features an eclectic line-up of Polish and international electro-rock/psychedelic/techno/drum 'n bass acts such as Cool Kids of Death, Gafyn Davies, Out of Tune, Renton, The Spouds, The Legendary Dots and The Car Is On Fire. Also featuring a graphics exhibition and film screenings, this is one eastern hipster festival you should not miss.

Pillow Talk

Lublin is perhaps not blessed with a variety of accommodation and it certainly lacks on the budget front, but Hostel Lublin tries to make amends for this with cheap and clean dorms, a common room with internet, free breakfast and friendly English-speaking staff. A bargain at 40zl (10 Euro) a night. Moving up the scale, Hotel Waksman, just inside Grodzka Gate in the old town, is a retro hotel which offers comfort and style with faux antiques, historic portraits and some rooms with great views of the castle with rooms in the 200-250zl range. If you really feel like splashing out, check in at Grand Hotel Lublianka, a century-old pile which boasts a Turkish bath and sauna for all guests, one of the best restaurants in town and floor-to-ceiling charm from 300-500zl per night.

Fork Out

The number of good bars and restaurants in Lublin has proliferated in the last five years, so much so that you'll find it hard to make a choice where to go in and around the Rynek. 16 Stoł (16 Tables) does a fine job of pretending to be in a much bigger city, and its refined and elegant surrounds are matched by an eclectic European menu including everything from English style fish and chips with mushy peas to roasted fillet of duck with orange sauce. A great place to try Polish cuisine is Old Pub. Less of a pub than a regal dining experience, this place serves up 'staropolska' (old Polish) cuisine in sumptuous surrounds, and it won't cost you a king's ransom. Nearby, Magia sprawls over several rooms and out into a summer garden, each area beautifully decorated. Fresh and tasty ingredients are used to create an imaginative European-influenced menu. To complete the Jewish-tour experience, try Mandragora, one of the finest kosher restaurants in Poland, whose menu includes all manner of mouth-watering Jewish specialities. For cheap and tasty eats, Zadora serves up bumper-sized pancakes for less than 5 Euro (15zl) and Pizzeria Acerna, operating from its tiny premises near Krakowska Gate, survives year on year because of great pizzas and tasty toppings at student prices.

Drop In

Lublin's nightlife scene is no match for the Warsaws and Krakows, but in and around Krakowskie Przedmiescie in the new town, there are a cluster of bars where you can hang out and party till dawn if you so wish. Try Kwadrat for a few local brews in relaxed surrounds with a bit of blues music and friendly locals for company; just round the corner is Blues Brothers, with a similar vibe, or Black Sheep, complete with an English red phone box, Murphys and Guinness on tap, great for any Anglophiles or homesick Brits. Downstairs, Klub Kino has a cultural crowd and a cinematic vibe, with Hollywood stills and film paraphernalia adorning the walls. Caxmafe, with its vibrant orange and yellow walls and upbeat music, brings a splash of colour to Lublin, Club Koyot features live music, often of the rock variety, most nights, and the spacious Klubokawiarnia Archiwum is a great place to go and meet some young Lubliners, as it's slap-bang in the middle of studentville. Back in the Old Town, try Grodzka 15 for some locally-produced fine ale (made on the premises) or Ceska Pivnice for some Czech brews in Czech-style wooden clad surrounds.

Getting There

At the moment, Lublin does not have an international airport, but this situation is set to change, with a new airport slated to be open in time for the Euro 2012 Championships next year. Until then, the closest airport is Warsaw, 3 hours away by train. Lublin is well connected to all the major cities in Poland by frequent trains and buses, and is a regional transport hub for Lubelskie. Krakow is 5 hours distant, and Lviv in Ukraine (another Euro 2012 city) about the same.

More Juice

Online information about Lublin is pretty scant, at least in English. www.tnn.pl is a site which shows a moving gallery of the Lublin Jewry and ghetto 1940-41, before the tragedies that followed. http://kultura.lublin.eu/0.html?locale=en_GB is the best site for cultural happenings and tourist-related info. Apart from that, Lonely Planet's website and chapter on eastern Poland is your best bet for reliable online info.

Hard Copy

Both Rough Guides and Lonely Planet do solid travel guides on Poland, but if you are looking for some more poetic travel reading, then Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything Is Illuminated gives a great insight into the fate of east European Jews, and most interestingly, the history of 'shtetls', Jewish communities that existed in the Polish/Ukranian borderlands for some four hundred years until WW2. Bittersweet and very moving. Bernard Shultz, another Jewish writer, wrote beautiful dream-like novellas and short stories, and was born in Drohobycz, in present-day Ukraine but then Poland. His collection The Street of Crocodiles & Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass is the best choice. Finally, Joseph Konrad's Under Western Eyes, though notset in this region, is the writer's most eastern-European novel; although he is thought of as English, he was born Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski and born to Polish parents in Russian-dominated Ukraine, 100km from Lublin. Finally The Magician of Lublin is an immensely readable account of a talented performer corrupted by his dreams of the big time. Isaac Bashevis Singer wields the pen.

Soundtrack to the City

Myslovitz - Sprzedawcy Marżen

Riverside - After

Hobo Codes - When I Want To

Don't Ask Smingus - Laying Down Lies

New Century Classics - Children of an Uncertain Future