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Lublin Ain't What I Expected (But That's Why I'm Still Here)

@Topiclo Admin5/12/2026blog
Lublin Ain't What I Expected (But That's Why I'm Still Here)

so i landed here with literally zero expectations which is basically my whole vibe as a digital nomad you know how it is you pick a place on a map because the flight was cheap and the wifi reviews were decent and you figure the rest out later right

Quick Answers



Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: yeah actually. it's not pretty in that instagram way but there's something here that's hard to fake. the old town is small enough to know in two days but weird enough to find new stuff on day six. i'd come back.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: dirt cheap compared to western europe. i paid 35 zł for a proper lunch with soup and second course yesterday. my airbnb is 1800 zł monthly which is like 420 euros. i almost laughed.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: if you need constant stimulation or can't handle gray weather don't bother. also if you're one of those travelers who only eats at places with english menus you'll struggle. actually maybe that's a you problem.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: honestly maybe may/june when it's not grey all the time. i came in what i think is late autumn and the humidity is brutal. 92% today. my laptop is sweating more than i am.

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the weather right now is basically this: 12.4 degrees but it feels like 12.1 so basically the same cold nothing special. the humidity is at 92% which sounds made up but i checked three different apps because i thought my weather widget was broken. it's not broken. it's just always damp here. my clothes never fully dry. my hair has given up. i am essentially living in a cloud.


i'm working from a café called maybe something with coffee in the name because of course it is. the wifi is solid which is all i care about as someone who has client calls at 2pm my time which is like 8am for them and they can tell when my connection sucks. they absolutely can tell. don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

*the coworking situation here is actually decent which surprised me because i didn't research this at all. there's a place called something like hub something near the old town and the day pass was 40 zł which is under 10 euros. i went once just to see and the internet was faster than my apartment so now i go sometimes just to feel like a person who has a routine.

Krakow Lobzow bridge


local told me that this area used to be way more popular with tourists before everything got complicated and now it's mostly polish families on weekends and weirdos like me who found cheap flights. he said it like it was a warning. i took it as a compliment.

the food situation: there's this place near the main square that does zurek in a bread bowl and it's like 18 zł and i dream about it when i'm in meetings that go too long. i also found a kebab spot that's open late and the guy knows my order now which is either charming or concerning depending on how you look at it.

> someone told me the old town gets really pretty in summer when they do those evening light things but i haven't seen it yet so i can't confirm

i've been here three weeks and i still don't feel like i know what's happening which is honestly my favorite state to be in as a traveler. i don't want to be the person who knows all the good spots. i want to be the person who's still surprised.

safety vibe: i walk around at night with my laptop bag and nobody looks twice. i left my phone on a bench once and went back twenty minutes later and it was still there. this is not me saying leave your stuff everywhere but it's me saying this doesn't feel sketchy.

a street with cars on it


the tourist vs local thing is interesting here because there basically aren't many tourists so you just kind of exist in this in-between space where everyone's just a person in a city. i like that. i hate places where you can feel the tourism infrastructure breathing down your neck.

nearby cities: warsaw is like two hours by train if you need to go somewhere bigger. i went for a day just to touch grass that wasn't this specific grass and it was fine but i was happy to come back. krakow is further like four hours but a local said the trip is worth it in summer. i might go in spring. i might not. that's the beauty of this whole thing right.

i met another remote worker at my café and she said she found this place through a reddit thread about affordable digital nomad destinations in europe and i laughed because i literally just typed eastern poland into skyscanner and went. we compared notes and she had done more research and i had done less and we're both still here so maybe research is optional.

Wroukaw Nadodrze building during daytime


the wifi situation: most places list it but don't trust it. ask for the actual speed or just ask to test it. i learned this the hard way in brno and now i never trust a menu that says wifi without confirming. my current place has like 80 down which is more than enough for zoom and whatever else i need to do.

i've been working on this client project that's honestly kicking my ass and being in a place where nobody knows me is kind of perfect for that. i can be grumpy in my apartment and then go get soup and nobody has to see that. self-care for introverts basically.

things i would tell a friend: bring layers, bring a good jacket, don't bother with the umbrella because the wind will destroy it, learn at least please and thank you in polish because people light up when you try, and don't stay in the old town the whole time because the real city is outside those walls.

i heard there's a market on weekends that's supposed to be good but i haven't made it yet because i keep telling myself next week. maybe next week.

the pressure is low which someone told me means rain is coming. my joints hurt which means nothing because i'm 29 and i sit too much but also maybe the weather is affecting me. who knows. i'm not a meteorologist. i'm just a person with a laptop trying to finish this project before i have to move to the next place.

that's the nomad life though isn't it. you find a place that works and you stay until it doesn't and then you go. right now this works. tomorrow who knows.

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useful links if you're considering this: check tripadvisor for general tourist info but take it with a grain of salt because the reviews are either from polish people who are very honest or tourists who went to the wrong restaurants. yelp doesn't really exist here the same way. the local subreddit is actually more useful than you'd think - search for the city name and remote work and you'll find threads. there's a facebook group for digital nomads in poland that's surprisingly active. the coworking federation website lists spaces if you want to plan ahead. and just google the city name with expat forum and you'll find the weirdos who post there which is usually the best real talk.

that's all i got. i'm going back to my soup.

final thought: not everywhere has to be amazing. sometimes okay is enough. sometimes okay is exactly what you need.

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About the author: Topiclo Admin

Writing code, prose, and occasionally poetry.

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