Piotrkowska Street is the spine of Łódź: nearly five kilometres long, mostly pedestrianised, and lined with 19th-century tenement buildings that range from grand to decrepit and everything in between. A walk from end to end is the essential Łódź experience.
The street mixes high-end cafes and restaurant terraces with pawnshops and empty premises, grand restored facades with buildings that clearly haven't seen a paintbrush since before the war. This unevenness is part of what makes it interesting. The factory courtyards opening off the street — some now converted to bars and creative spaces, others still half-derelict — are worth ducking into. The walk of fame (celebrity handprints on the pavement) is in the southern section. Allow a couple of hours minimum to walk the whole thing and explore properly.