Shopping MANUFAKTURA SADZA SOAP This is the ultimate must-have souvenir for the Silesian enthusiast in your family. A lump of pristine coal that you can use to clean off all that coal dust you picked up from visiting one of the region’s many mines. Ok, so it may be a novelty, but it is actually high quality natural active charcoal soap with an absolutely deft design. Yet another perfect stocking stuffer. You can purchase your very own clean coal for around 30zł. They also have shampoo or body wash for 35zł, peeling soap for 40zł and a gift box for 180zł (or minibox set for 70zł), among other special deals. You can order them online, in selected museums and info points around town or visit their shop on ul. Bednorza 49/1 where their products are sold. Call or email them for more info.QN‑10, ul. Bednorza 49/1, www.sadzasoap.com.
HEALTH & BEAUTY LULUA This niche perfume and cologne shop fields orders from all over the world, but is located right in the heart of Katowice, just up from the Rynek. Specialising in unique artisanal scents, Lulua is lauded for their expertise and unparalleled customer service (a rarity in these parts). In addition to a fantastic array of olfactory enticements, from obscure manufacturers to top luxury brands, Lulua also offers luxury skin care products, shaving kits and men’s grooming accessories. This is an excellent place to pick up a unique gift for either sex.QN‑12, ul. Staromiejska 21, tel. (+48) 502 08 90 92, www.lulua.pl. Open 11:00-19:00; closed Sun.
MARKETS TARGOWISKO MIEJSKIE You haven’t really experienced Poland until you’ve smelt the unique fragrance of fruit, vegetables, fish and Chinese cotton that make up the main things for sale in a classic outdoor Polish market. This small market south of the train tracks comes with red and white striped awnings and a good selection of the aforementioned things for sale at bargain prices.QM‑13, Pl. Miarki, tel. (+48) 32 250 40 08, www. ztm.katowice.pl. Open 06:00-19:00; Sun 08:00-13:00.
SHOPPING MALLS DESIGNER OUTLET SOSNOWIEC The abbreviated ‘DO Sosnowiec’ is a great way of saying in Polish (and translated well into English), ‘Go to Sosnowiec’, and now you have the perfect excuse with Designer Outlet Sosnowiec (the first and biggest outlet in Silesia, here since 2004) offering impressive discounts of 30-70% on big name brands! The Designer Outlet mark has a nack for creating good looking buildings, giving you that feeling of walking through a chic London or Parisian style fashion arcade, the experience being as important as the huge savings you can make on your purchases. Brands on offer include Calvin Klein, Guess, Timberland, Adidas, Nike, Levis and many more. Getting there by car is easy, even if you’re travelling along the eastwest A4 motorway, take the exit for E75 then join road 86
79 (which leads to/from Katowice) taking you directly to the outlet. From Katowice’s main train station, you can take take a regional train (Koleje Śląskie) to Sosnowiec Główny then switch to bus 26 to get you directly to the outlet at stop Jęzor Centrum Handlowe. Alternatively, from bus stop Aleja Korfantego (in front of Hotel Katowice) take buses 77 or 149 to stop ‘Mysłowice Kopalnia’ then switch to bus 26. All journey times around 50 mins.Qul. Orląt Lwowskich 138, tel. (+48) 32 296 50 22, www.designeroutletsosnowiec.pl. Open 09:00-21:00; Sun 09:00-20:00. SILESIA CITY CENTER Located mid-way between Katowice and Chorzów on the site of an old 1904 coal mine, the spectacular Silesia City Center easily trumps everything else in the region. A combined retail, gourmet and entertainment complex, the original 65,000 metre-square building (now over 86,000) was opened in 2005 and in 2011 hotel heiress Paris Hilton descended upon Silesia to open a new wing with 60 additional shops, 2 more restaurants, a dentist office, massage studio, beauty salon and additional parking, bringing the total number of spaces to 3,500 - the largest lot in Silesia. Designed to blend in with the surrounding Gothic architecture, this shopping mall has over 300 shops including Tesco, Media Markt and EMPiK superstores, a Cinema City movie complex and is even a decent place to eat thanks to the upstairs Bierhalle Restaurant, Hana - a magnificent sushi restaurant located externally in the mine’s former swimming pool and the industrial sheik Sztolnia restaurant. Other features include the preserved, red brick St Barbara’s Chapel and the remains of the tower that once lowered the miners underground - now the symbol of the commercial centre. Get there via tram no.s 0, 6, 11, 19 & 23 or bus no.s 108, 109, 662, 673, 674, 820, 830 & 840.QK‑9, ul. Chorzowska 107, tel. (+48) 32 605 00 00, www.silesiacitycenter.com.pl. Open 10:00-21:00; Fri 10:00-22:00. SILESIA OUTLET/FACTORY GLIWICE Silesia Outlet (as of April 2020, Factory Gliwice) is the new kid on the block in Poland (the 1st stage opened 2019, but once the 2nd phase is complete, this will be the largest outlet in the region!). Here you’ll get the usual discounts you’d expect, ranging 30-70%, across 100 brands including men’s/women’s fashion, from premium brands like Guess, Molton, Pierre Cardin, Kazar to popular brands like Levi’s and sportswear such as Adidas, New Balance and Puma, to name only a few! There are also designer shops to furnish your home interiors. And on that note, the outlet’s interior is modern, filled with plants, and even contains relaxation zones and play areas for the kids; perfect for while you shop. To get there from Katowice, the quickest way is to travel by car along the A4 motorway, taking the slip lane onto the no. 78 national road towards ‘Gliwice/Rybnik’ and later the slip lane to ‘CH Auchan’. Alternatively, take 30 min regional train (Koleje Śląskie) from Katowice train station to Gliwice Dworzec PKP, then take bus 194 from stop ‘Gliwice Plac Piastów’ (just east of the station) directly to the outlet’s stop ‘Bojków Auchan’. Both bus journeys take 20 mins.QUl. Rybnicka 205, tel. (+48) 32 889 84 45, www.silesiaoutlet.com. Open 10:00-21:00; Sat 09:00-21:00; Sun 10:00-20:00.
