Rzeszów travel guide
Cellars under the Rynek, Lubomirski walls and the gateway to the Bieszczady
The main city of south-eastern Poland, with a walkable old town, a tourist route through the cellars under its market square and an airport 8 km out. May to September is best. Spend a day in town and another at Łańcut Castle or on the road to the Bieszczady. Costs are moderate, and many nationalities enter visa-free.
Rzeszów is the capital of Podkarpackie, Poland's south-eastern corner, and the largest city in that part of the country. It received its charter in 1354 and grew rich on trade routes running east, much of the time under the Lubomirski family. Most visitors pass through its airport on the way to the Bieszczady mountains or Łańcut, and find a compact old town that repays a day.
Underneath the Rynek runs a tourist route through linked merchants' cellars, the best single thing to do in town. Above ground, restored houses frame the square. The 16th-century town hall in its south-west corner is closed to visitors. The Lubomirski castle on the edge of the old town is now the law courts, so you can only walk around its walls and bastions. The family's late Baroque summer palace on Dekerta belongs to the university.
Two synagogues survive near the old town, among them the early 17th-century Old Town Synagogue on Bożnicza. Ulica 3 Maja, off the Rynek, is the street for cafés, pierogi and pubs, while Stary Browar Rzeszowski on the square brews its own beer. Winters bring snow and nights below freezing. In summer, days often climb towards 30°C.
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Top things to do in Rzeszów
Cellars, castle walls and synagogues in a small old town, plus easy trips to Łańcut and the mountains.
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Best time to visit Rzeszów
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 20-24°C suit long walks round the castle bastions and easy driving to Łańcut and the Bieszczady.
January averages 1°C by day and -5°C at night, snow is common, and the cellar route under the Rynek becomes the obvious indoor plan.
July is the wettest month at around 90 mm, mostly in short afternoon storms; plan the castle walk for the morning.
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Getting there
Jasionka rail link, city bus or the A4
Rzeszów-Jasionka airport is about 8 km north, with LOT from Warsaw, Lufthansa from Munich and Ryanair routes. A short Polregio rail line and a city bus link it to the centre; taxis cost more because most of the drive falls under the out-of-town tariff. Rzeszów Główny has trains from Kraków, Przemyśl and Warsaw.
- Polregio train
- Jasionka Lotnisko to Rzeszów Główny roughly hourly, with gaps during the day and none at night
- City bus
- From the Jasionka - Port Lotniczy stop, about half an hour to the centre; check the current line on the RTM timetable site
- Taxi
- Licensed cabs wait at the terminal; expect a steep fare on the out-of-town tariff
- Rzeszów Główny
- Main rail station a short walk south-west of the Rynek
- The airport sits outside the city limits, so buy a ticket that covers the outer zone before boarding the bus.
- Check the train timetable on landing: if the next departure is a long wait away, the bus will get you in sooner.
Where to stay
Rynek rooms or a bed near the Philharmonic
Rzeszów's sights cluster within ten minutes of the Rynek, so choose by noise. The square is the liveliest base and the loudest on weekend nights, while streets a few blocks out, near the Philharmonic, are quieter and still walkable.
- Rynek and the old town
- Hostel and guesthouse rooms on the square, steps from the cellar tours; bar noise into the small hours from Thursday to Saturday
- 3 Maja and Kościuszki
- Apartments above the cafés and pubs of the main pedestrian strip; handy, though rarely quiet
- Szopena
- Hotels near the Artur Malawski Philharmonic, a calm five-minute walk to the square; suits concert-goers and business travellers
- Around Rzeszów Główny
- Practical for an early train or the airport rail link, but a duller walk into the old town
Getting around
Rynek on foot, buses to the new estates
Walk Rzeszów's centre: the Rynek, Bożnicza, 3 Maja and the castle bastions are minutes apart. MPK Rzeszów buses serve the newer districts, the station and the airport, with time tickets, stop-based tickets and an integrated train-and-bus option; pick a time ticket if you will change, and validate on boarding.
- City buses
- MPK Rzeszów; time and stop-based tickets, validate on boarding; a few night lines
- Bikes
- A long network of cycle paths, though bike parking is scarce
- Car
- Useful only for Łańcut, Krasiczyn or the Bieszczady; leave it outside the old town
- For a day of hopping between the station, the Philharmonic and the river, a longer time ticket saves buying one for every ride.
Know before you go
What makes Rzeszów worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Underground Tourist Route, a guided walk through the cellars and passages beneath the Rynek.
- Lubomirski Castle's bastions, best seen on a walk round the outside of the walls.
- A beer at Stary Browar Rzeszowski, the brewpub on the market square.
Good to know
- Football and speedway rivalries run hot here; do not wear club colours.
- Car-park hawkers selling 'bargain' binoculars and the like are peddling junk; walk on.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Rzeszów, month by month
Rzeszów's July highs reach about 26°C and January's about 1°C. July is the wettest month at about 91 mm, February the driest at about 32 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Rzeszów (Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, via Wikipedia).
Cellar tours, the Lubomirski bastions and a run out to Łańcut
Begin on Rzeszów's Rynek with the Underground Tourist Route, a guided walk through merchants' cellars joined into one passage system; the information point at Rynek 25 has tour times. Then walk to Bożnicza for the Old Town Synagogue, see the Lubomirski Castle bastions, and take a half-day trip to Łańcut Castle.
From the square, walk a few minutes to Bożnicza and the Old Town Synagogue, built in the early 17th century, then on to the parish church of Sts Stanislaus and Adalbert on plac Farny, whose oldest Gothic walls go back to the 15th century. After lunch on 3 Maja, look into the former Piarist convent on the same street, now home to the district museum, and finish the afternoon circling the stone walls and corner bastions of the Lubomirski castle. The courts inside keep the doors shut, but the outside is the part worth seeing. Wander past the late Baroque summer palace on Dekerta on the way back.
Evening belongs to the Rynek: a brewpub table at Stary Browar Rzeszowski or a concert at the Philharmonic on Szopena. Next morning, head east to Łańcut, the region's grandest palace, where the stables hold one of Europe's largest collections of horse-drawn carriages. Allow most of the day.
Proziaki, pierogi and brewpub pints off 3 Maja in Rzeszów
Podkarpackie cooking is plain and built on flour, potatoes and dairy. Look for proziaki, thick soda-raised griddle breads served warm with garlic butter, and pierogi. Ulica 3 Maja is the spine of eating and drinking in the centre, and Stary Browar Rzeszowski on the Rynek brews its own beer with heavy pub food.
Pierogi are everywhere, and Pierogarnia Na piętrze, upstairs on 3 Maja, makes them the main event, with pierogi ruskie (potato and curd cheese) the safe first order.
Zacisze Bar & Cafe is at number 12, and Irish Pub Galway, a few doors away at number 8, pours stout and whiskey. For something quick and cheap, NK Strada on Grunwaldzka sells home-style cooking by weight, which is the easiest way to try several Polish dishes in one sitting.
It stays open late at the end of the week and gets loud; early in the week it suits a quieter dinner.
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How we research our Rzeszów travel guide
Rzeszów's airport links and cellar tours are checked against the city's official website and Poland Travel, with Wikipedia for its Jewish and Lubomirski history.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Rzeszów.
Getting there
The Polregio train to Rzeszów Główny is quicker but runs only about hourly, with gaps in the day and none at night. The city bus needs about 30 minutes and runs more often by day.
Rzeszów-Jasionka airport is about 8 km north, with LOT from Warsaw, Lufthansa from Munich and Ryanair routes. A short Polregio rail line and a city bus link it to the centre; taxis cost more because most of the drive falls under the out-of-town tariff. Rzeszów Główny has trains from Kraków, Przemyśl and Warsaw.
Prices & payment
Most of the 8 km route runs outside the city boundary, where the higher out-of-town tariff applies. Licensed taxis wait at the terminal rank.
General
No, the Underground Tourist Route is visited on guided tours only. Ask at the information point at Rynek 25 for the day's times.
Generally not, as the building houses the law courts. The 18th-century stone walls and bastions are the attraction, and you can walk all the way round them.
Yes. Łańcut lies a short drive or train ride east, and its palace and carriage museum fill most of a day.
Two still stand near the Rynek, including the Old Town Synagogue on Bożnicza, built in the early 17th century.
They are soda-raised griddle breads typical of Podkarpackie, served warm with garlic butter. Look for them on regional menus around 3 Maja and the Rynek.
Average highs are about 1°C and lows about -5°C, and snow is common. Summer highs average 24-26°C in June to August.
Rival fan groups take their clubs seriously, so keep club scarves and shirts out of sight, especially around match days and late at night.
Cancellations & changes
Buy a time ticket if you plan to change: it covers any bus until it expires, whereas stop-based tickets are for a single ride. Validate it as soon as you board.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Rzeszów is May to Sep. Warm days for the old town and for trips south to the mountains.
- Best overall: May - June, September (Highs of 20-24°C suit long walks round the castle bastions and easy driving to Łańcut and the Bieszczady)
- Winter: December - February (January averages 1°C by day and -5°C at night, snow is common, and the cellar route under the Rynek becomes the obvious indoor plan)
Booking
Spend a day in town and another at Łańcut Castle or on the road to the Bieszczady.
Visa & documents
Poland applies the Schengen area's entry rules. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime against visitors to Poland is low. Watch for pickpockets in busy tourist areas and overpriced bars that target tourists.
