Łódź

There was a time when travelers were greeted to Lodz (pronounced wutch) by smoke-belching chimneys and endless industrial factories. But that was the heyday of the city’s textile boom in the 1800s and times have changed. Now, Lodz is a vibrant university town and the third-largest city in Poland. It’s rejuvenated the old depots into art galleries, like at the Muzeum Sztuki, where cubist and Surrealist works burst from the exhibits. There’s also buzzing nightlife and a top dining scene to be found down lively Piotrkowska Street.