Locals recommend

Director of Studies, International House Toruń 

Here are my comments and recommendations:

- place for a good coffee

Toruń is full of good coffee places. My two favourites are Bread House which is right in the heart of the Old Town and Nasza Torunska which is about a 12 minute walk out of the Old Town. Both offer a good selection of fresh coffee as well as some nibbles to eat.

- a cheaper restaurant

For value of money you really can't do any better than Manekin. They offer delicious pancakes with an array of delicious fillings. The only issue with Manekin is that it's so popular that it's always difficult to get a table. Another cheap and less popular alternative is Caffe Bistro in Legionów St.. They offer a daily offer of soup and main course for less than 15 PLN. It's open weekdays and Saturdays and is located about a 15 minute walk away from the Old Town. 

- a restaurant for special occasion

If you want to splash out and celebrate a birthday then the plenty of top-range restaurants such as Monka, Artus and Luizjana. My particular favourite place to celebrate a birthday is Pueblo Mexican restaurant as they serve delicious sizzling fajitas as well as an incredible caipirinha grande, which will definetly quench your thirst!

- pizza house

The best pizza in Toruń is Presto Pizza. They are situated about a 20 minutes walk out of the Old Town but do deliver to your home. 

- museum

A quirky little museum is the military museum located in the basement of High School Number 1. It's run by a World II historian Piotr who has collected many artefacts from the many forts on the south side of the river. During World War II some of these forts were used by the Nazis as the Stalag XXA POW Camp. Sadly you can't visit them but at least Piotr has preserved some of its reminders.

- park

The best park in town has to be Bydgoski which is simply beautiful with a lake and places for a BBQ. You can also take your kids here as there's a great playground. Nearby is a small zoo which is also a fun place to take kids. Check out the cute red pandas.

- club

It's not really a club but a great place to dance, drink and even eat would be Brandos Music right opposite the Cathedral. There's also a chill out area on little poofs.

- pub

The best place to drink a cocktail has to be Parter; home of the longest bar in Toruń. There they make the best cocktails and the staff remember exactly what their regular customers like. When it comes to mixing drinks, Adrian is a true professional. 

Another great place to go for drinks has to be Hipisówka. It's a small bar in a basement but it gets very lively and often has live bands.

- a place to relax

A good place to relax in the summer is by the outdoor pool at Copernicus Hotel. Alternatively you can sit up on the excluded roof top terrace of Hotel Nicolaus and sip a coffee or beer. It also offers a unique view of the Old Town.

- a part of Toruń (but for the Old Town) worth visiting

I always love showing tourists the little metal bracket on the wall of the building on the corner of Św. Ducha and Kopernika St. During the day it's now slightly hidden by the shutters of Galeria Piernika. I try to get them to guess what it was. It is in fact an old medieval hinge for what would have been a curfew gate. Amazing to think it has stood here for all those many years.

- a place where to spend time actively

A walk through Barbarka forest is always a great place to stretch your legs and get a breath of fresh air.

- a good place for kids

As mentioned earlier Toruń’s Zoo is a good place to take the kids. For 3PLN each you can buy a bag of food and deed the goats.