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Someone asked about Krakow so thought I would write a quick destination guide. Hopefully someone finds this useful - I certainly would have before I got there!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Poland. Everything was so cheap and the people were friendly (and most speak English and/or German, as well as Polish!) Krakow is a lovely city which really does have something for everyone - from young adults to families with children to retires.
What to do?
I spent three nights but only two full days in Krakow. To be honest, it wasn't enough and I wish I had stayed at least one more day! There are a number of things to do in Krakow itself, as well as quite a few attractions in nearby towns. Below I will propose what I would consider to be an ideal itinerary for 3 days:
Day 1: Discover the city
I took two "free" (as in, you're supposed to tip) walking tours on the first day which were fantastic. I went with a company could Free Walking Tour but there are other companies which run fairly similar operations. In the morning I did a tour of the old town. This was really interesting and we got to see most of the main attractions in the city centre/old town. This tour meets at St Mary's church in the Market Square at 10am. Here's a couple of photos:
After a quick Polish lunch of Pierogi (dumplings) I joined the Jewish Quarter tour at 1:30. We had a different guide but she was just as good and showed us around the Jewish part of Krakow. This place has a sad history, especially considering what happened during the Second World War. The tour ended at Oskar Schindler's factory (I didn't even know this was in Krakow until we were there!) The tour guide offered a paid tour of the factory at a cost of 25 złotys plus museum entry. All up that equates to around $16 Aussie. I wanted to do this but it didn't run as they apparently need a minimum of 4 people. I did still go into the museum, which is inside the original factory. It was worthwhile, but I would have preferred the guided tour as there was a lot of information. Note that this museum closes at 6pm. By the way, if you are a fan of the movie 'Schindler's List' you will probably recognise quite a few places!
Some photos from the Jewish Quarter - the Jewish Ghetto Memorial and somewhere you may recognise from Schindler's List:
Day 2: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps
Auschwitz was one of the largest and most notorious extermination camps run by the naz_s during World War II. The camps are around 1.5 hours out of Krakow and can be reached by train, car or bus. I took a guided tour from Krakow (at a cost of 115 złotys or $42) which included a mini-bus there and back with hotel pickup and guided tours of both of the major camps. My hotel booked me with a company called Discover Cracow - who were absolutely fine - but there are a range of companies offering very similar things at similar prices. It is technically possible to do this yourself but I wouldn't recommend it. The main station in Oświęcim is several kilometres away from the camps, and the two are themselves separated. Once there, you can go in for free but I just don't think you would get as much out of it without a guide as there are very few signs telling you what's what, especially at Auschwitz II-Birkenau.
As expected, I found the camps and confronting and depressing. It is shocking what some people were able to do to other people. Nonetheless this is an important part of history which cannot be forgotten, nor repeated. I would consider them a worthwhile place to visit and 1.3 million people which visit every year.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau extermination camp:
That night I did a pub crawl... there are many out there in Krakow so just pick one and go with it. If you're interested in that kind of thing, Krakow is a great place for it as there's so many trendy bars and clubs and everything is so cheap! Krakow also seems to be a bit of a favourite amongst young Australian travellers - I would estimate that 50-60% of the people I met there (other than Polish people of course) were Aussie (plus around 10% from New Zealand).
Day 3:
Unfortunately I had to head to the airport at this point but if I had a third day, I would have visited the Wieliczka salt mine and the Polish Aviation Museum. The salt mines are quite famous and a UNESCO world heritage site. However they are not in Krakow itself, and again I would suggest taking a guided bus tour from Krakow. The price is approximately the same as the Auschwitz tour. If you would like to see some photos of the salt mine, I would suggest doing a quick Google search.
The Polish Aviation Museum was recommended to me and as an aviation nut I was of course interested, but didn't get an opportunity to visit. If you like planes, check it out. If you don't, don't bother.
There are all sorts of other attractions and possibilities in Krakow. Other tours available include communist and cycling tours. And most people visit the Wawel Castle and get a photo with the dragon.
Where to eat?
There are heaps of restaurants and eateries in Krakow and most are very reasonably priced. Make sure you try the Polish specialities of Pierogi (dumplings) and Zapiekanka (a kind of Polish pizza). My favourite place to get dumplings was Zapiecek, which was open 24/7 but you can get them at a lot of places. Again, you can get good Zapiekanka anywhere but the best places are in Kazimierz (the Jewish district). Any place with a long line is bound to be alright!
Other than that, there are many different types of restaurants all over the city and you can't really go wrong. Almost all of them are good value. There were also market stalls on the Market Square selling delicious traditional food, however they are only there until around the end of January.
How to get there?
The main ways of getting to Krakow are by bus, train or of course plane. I came from Berlin and took the train via Warsaw. Krakow Główny station is very close to the centre of the old town and it is easy to walk to many places from there. If you are staying a little further away, taxis are cheap and plentiful.
As I explained in my other trip report, there are numerous ways to get to the airport. I used the train, but other possibilities include public busses, taxis or shuttle busses. The trains from Główny (the central) station to the airport depart approximately every hour - check the timetable before you go - and take 18 minutes. The ride is just a little bumpy due to the condition of the tracks! The train arrives at a station near the airport and you need to transfer to a free shuttle bus which takes you to Terminal 2 (domestic) and then T1 (international). The train costs 12 złotys.
I'm not a huge fan of Krakow Airport as it was quite small and crowded, with long lines at security, but it is functional.
If you are planning a trip to Krakow, I hope this was helpful and if you aren't, maybe you ought to start planning one!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Poland. Everything was so cheap and the people were friendly (and most speak English and/or German, as well as Polish!) Krakow is a lovely city which really does have something for everyone - from young adults to families with children to retires.
What to do?
I spent three nights but only two full days in Krakow. To be honest, it wasn't enough and I wish I had stayed at least one more day! There are a number of things to do in Krakow itself, as well as quite a few attractions in nearby towns. Below I will propose what I would consider to be an ideal itinerary for 3 days:
Day 1: Discover the city
I took two "free" (as in, you're supposed to tip) walking tours on the first day which were fantastic. I went with a company could Free Walking Tour but there are other companies which run fairly similar operations. In the morning I did a tour of the old town. This was really interesting and we got to see most of the main attractions in the city centre/old town. This tour meets at St Mary's church in the Market Square at 10am. Here's a couple of photos:
After a quick Polish lunch of Pierogi (dumplings) I joined the Jewish Quarter tour at 1:30. We had a different guide but she was just as good and showed us around the Jewish part of Krakow. This place has a sad history, especially considering what happened during the Second World War. The tour ended at Oskar Schindler's factory (I didn't even know this was in Krakow until we were there!) The tour guide offered a paid tour of the factory at a cost of 25 złotys plus museum entry. All up that equates to around $16 Aussie. I wanted to do this but it didn't run as they apparently need a minimum of 4 people. I did still go into the museum, which is inside the original factory. It was worthwhile, but I would have preferred the guided tour as there was a lot of information. Note that this museum closes at 6pm. By the way, if you are a fan of the movie 'Schindler's List' you will probably recognise quite a few places!
Some photos from the Jewish Quarter - the Jewish Ghetto Memorial and somewhere you may recognise from Schindler's List:
Day 2: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps
Auschwitz was one of the largest and most notorious extermination camps run by the naz_s during World War II. The camps are around 1.5 hours out of Krakow and can be reached by train, car or bus. I took a guided tour from Krakow (at a cost of 115 złotys or $42) which included a mini-bus there and back with hotel pickup and guided tours of both of the major camps. My hotel booked me with a company called Discover Cracow - who were absolutely fine - but there are a range of companies offering very similar things at similar prices. It is technically possible to do this yourself but I wouldn't recommend it. The main station in Oświęcim is several kilometres away from the camps, and the two are themselves separated. Once there, you can go in for free but I just don't think you would get as much out of it without a guide as there are very few signs telling you what's what, especially at Auschwitz II-Birkenau.
As expected, I found the camps and confronting and depressing. It is shocking what some people were able to do to other people. Nonetheless this is an important part of history which cannot be forgotten, nor repeated. I would consider them a worthwhile place to visit and 1.3 million people which visit every year.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau extermination camp:
That night I did a pub crawl... there are many out there in Krakow so just pick one and go with it. If you're interested in that kind of thing, Krakow is a great place for it as there's so many trendy bars and clubs and everything is so cheap! Krakow also seems to be a bit of a favourite amongst young Australian travellers - I would estimate that 50-60% of the people I met there (other than Polish people of course) were Aussie (plus around 10% from New Zealand).
Day 3:
Unfortunately I had to head to the airport at this point but if I had a third day, I would have visited the Wieliczka salt mine and the Polish Aviation Museum. The salt mines are quite famous and a UNESCO world heritage site. However they are not in Krakow itself, and again I would suggest taking a guided bus tour from Krakow. The price is approximately the same as the Auschwitz tour. If you would like to see some photos of the salt mine, I would suggest doing a quick Google search.
The Polish Aviation Museum was recommended to me and as an aviation nut I was of course interested, but didn't get an opportunity to visit. If you like planes, check it out. If you don't, don't bother.
There are all sorts of other attractions and possibilities in Krakow. Other tours available include communist and cycling tours. And most people visit the Wawel Castle and get a photo with the dragon.
Where to eat?
There are heaps of restaurants and eateries in Krakow and most are very reasonably priced. Make sure you try the Polish specialities of Pierogi (dumplings) and Zapiekanka (a kind of Polish pizza). My favourite place to get dumplings was Zapiecek, which was open 24/7 but you can get them at a lot of places. Again, you can get good Zapiekanka anywhere but the best places are in Kazimierz (the Jewish district). Any place with a long line is bound to be alright!
Other than that, there are many different types of restaurants all over the city and you can't really go wrong. Almost all of them are good value. There were also market stalls on the Market Square selling delicious traditional food, however they are only there until around the end of January.
How to get there?
The main ways of getting to Krakow are by bus, train or of course plane. I came from Berlin and took the train via Warsaw. Krakow Główny station is very close to the centre of the old town and it is easy to walk to many places from there. If you are staying a little further away, taxis are cheap and plentiful.
As I explained in my other trip report, there are numerous ways to get to the airport. I used the train, but other possibilities include public busses, taxis or shuttle busses. The trains from Główny (the central) station to the airport depart approximately every hour - check the timetable before you go - and take 18 minutes. The ride is just a little bumpy due to the condition of the tracks! The train arrives at a station near the airport and you need to transfer to a free shuttle bus which takes you to Terminal 2 (domestic) and then T1 (international). The train costs 12 złotys.
I'm not a huge fan of Krakow Airport as it was quite small and crowded, with long lines at security, but it is functional.
If you are planning a trip to Krakow, I hope this was helpful and if you aren't, maybe you ought to start planning one!
Hmm, Krakow or Venice - really tough choice!
