There are a few European style covered markets in the city. Some are closer to the tourist attractions, and our favorite one is located a little further from the Old Town, and closer to the residential neighborhoods. Both Nowy Kleparz and Stary Kleparz are within walking distance of the major tourist attractions, but their prices are higher, and a lot of the stands there re-sell produce, so the people you are handing your money to are not the farmers themselves. If you don’t have enough time for a field trip outside the tourist area these markets are a great experience. But, if you have some time, its worth a bus ride out to Plac Imbramowski. And hey, if you have a car, its going to take less than 10 minutes to get there, and they have a huge parking lot that’s free!
Why do I like Plac Imbramowski the most? There are more actual farmers selling the produce that they grew and harvested themselves, which means what you buy is less likely to have been bought from a supermarket-chain-clearance-sale. It is also HUGE! Aisles and aisles of fresh produce, kitchen items, organic honey, fresh juices, etc…. And you can’t beat the prices. It the beginning of June, and strawberries are 3zl/kilo, cherries are 6zl/kilo, and thats just the beginning! Convert those prices to dollars or euros or pounds and they are practically free.
What is important to remember is that markets in Poland follow seasons, so prices change day to day depending on what is being harvested that morning. And you won’t find oranges in June, or strawberries in November. Plac Imbramowski opens officially at 6am everyday, but I usually suggest going around 9am when all the farmers have gotten there from the fields. Saturdays are incredibly busy, but sometimes its fun to see the hustle and bustle of the market.
And what’s great is that from the end of May until the summer season is over, farmers will come park their trucks outside the market until dark (around 10pm) and sell what they picked that day, so you can get fresh produce all day long! (The market is closed on Sundays, but sometimes farmers will still bring produce to sell on the street, however it is best to go the other 6 days of the week.)
See just a small portion of what Plac Imbramowiski has to offer below:
A quick Google search of all three of the markets listed will show you their locations on a map. It is hard to find parking at the Kleparz markets in the city center, but as I stated above, it is very easy to park at Plac Imbramowski.
Stary Kleparz is 120m walk from the Tram Stop: Bastowa LOT
Nowy Kleparz has its own Tram Stop and is reachable by several trams and buses
Plac Imbramowski has its own Bus Stop and can be reached by the 132, 137, 172, 503 and more…
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