Cool Useful Krakow Guide For Everyone. (Stay, Eat, See)

Jan 8, 2020 @ 9:28 AM

cool useful krakow guide view of river from Krakow castle
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The secret is out! I am spilling the beans right now. Krakow is not just for youngsters and party lovers! It is a vibrant and colourful city that dates back to the 7th century and offers something for everyone. Krakow is the second largest city in Poland. Cracow has aย  reputation as a party city due to the numerous colleges and universities with enrolled students numbering over 170,000.

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You can therefore see what the mixture of young kids away from home combined with cheap alcohol results in. Krakow clubs are for non stop socialising. I was a bit wary about visiting, but with a bit of planning, we had an amazing time and can’t wait to go back. Here is a cool and useful Krakow guide for slightly more mature adults like us who don’t party like we used toย  :-). Is Poland a good place to visit? My answer is yes!ย  Read all about it in this useful and pretty cool Krakow guide to everything.

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ย Krakow Guide: Ultimate Guide To The Best

Cool useful Krakow guide: Image of Wawel castle
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Krakow guide for mature people visiting: Side view of Wawel castle. Check out all those lookout peepholes.


The Best Guide to Krakow: A little history

Krakow is a highly regarded city for Polish academic, cultural and artistic lifestyle. It started out as a hamlet on Wawel Hill and was a busy European trading center. At the beginning of World War II, Poland was invaded by Germany and it became the capital of German’s general government.

Krakow Ghetto:

Wiki image of Krakow ghetto
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Wiki image of the Krakow ghetto map showing the boundaries of confinement of the Jewish population.

The city’s Jewish population were forced to move into what was known as the Krakow Ghetto, a small walled section in Kazimierz on the order of Gauleiter Hans Frank who wanted Krakow to become the “racially cleanest” city in the General Government.

15,000 people were forced to live in a space originally occupied by 3,000. In addition to the wall, all windows and doors that opened up to the outside wall where the Nazis lived were bricked up. Eventually, most of the population were sent off to death concentration camps like Auschwitz and Belzic.

 

empty chair memorial krakow
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Krakow Ghetto monument: Empty Chair Memorial in the Ghetto Heroes Square. Please do not sit on the chairs (apparently tourists do). 68 bronze chairs to remember the people that never returned.

Cool Useful Krakow Guide to History:

Krakow Poland Facts:

Krakow was the capital of Poland from 1038-1596.

King Casimir III founded the University of Krakow, the second oldest university in 1364 bringing prominence to the city.

Krakow Old Town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the very first list.

Oskar Schindler selected people from the ghetto to work in his enamelware plant, in the process saving over 1100 lives.

Roman Polanski, the director is a survivor of the Krakow Ghetto. I still don’t like him!

Krakow had very little damage during the war, unlike Warsaw.

Karol Wojtyla, then cardinal archbishop of Krakow was elevated to papacy as Pope John Paul II in 1978, the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years.

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Krakow Currency:

Poland is a member state of the European Union. However the euro zone goes far beyond its borders. Therefore, Poland has its own currency called the Zloty. The zloty is the legal tender and the money to spend in Poland, but you will have no problems spending euros in the country. The zloty is weaker compared to the Euro, so a lot of shops will accept it, hold it and convert when the currency exchange favours them.

cool useful krakow guide church
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Krakow Church: One of the many stunning churches we saw.

Useful Guide For Getting to Krakow:

Is it safe to travel to Poland (Krakow)? The answer is yes. Is it safe to travel to Krakow as a black person? Absolutely. I never once felt out of place. You can read about bad experience in Warsaw as a black woman here.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Poland is a huge country and its neighbouring countries are Germany, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. There are therefore many opportunities to travel any which way that suits you. Major international airlines flying in to Krakow airport include KLM, Norwegian, Iberia and Swiss Air.

There are also plenty of low-cost airlines flying into Cracow. We took a direct flight on Ryanair from Valencia to Krakow. Due to the close proximity with other European countries, you can travel via train from places like Germany. You can search for flights to Krakow using our affiliate link.

Airplane wing on flight from Valencia to Krakow direct.
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Getting to Krakow: And away we go! We flew into Krakow airport direct from Valencia, Spain.

Information and ticket purchases for train trips can be found on the Polish Rail Service website here. It’s in English. I would recommend purchasing it before arrival if possible. The reason l say this is because we decided to purchase our tickets after we arrived in Krakow for our trip to Warsaw. The website was pretty useless as it would not let us actually purchase the tickets. I think the reason was because we needed a Polish credit card or similar. You kept getting an error notice. We ended up actually going to the train station and purchasing it at the window.

Here are several ways to get to Krakow City Centre from Cracow airport:

Taxi from airport to Krakow centre:

A taxi will run you roughly $22 to the center. Just by the taxi stand, there is a sign listing prices for the different zones. This is great. You know how much right off the bat without worrying about the taxi drivers who literally take you for a ride ๐Ÿ™‚ by telling you their meter is broken and will guestimate then stick it to you!. Note to always ask if the meter is working or absolutely negotiate a price if you have an idea of the cost before getting in.

Uber Krakow Airport:

You’ll be happy to know that Uber works just fine in Krakow. It doesn’t seem to be as prevalent, so we had waits from 10-20 minutes and a couple of cancellations. I would advise you to give yourself some cushion time, especially going back to the airport or catching a train on time.

The advantage of Uber of course, is that the price is fixed, even in heavy traffic. We were sweating bullets one time when we took a metered cab and got caught in the heaviest traffic ever. It sucked :-(. The Polish Uber does not take PayPal or cash surprisingly. They will only take credit/debit cards so you need to add this to your account if you plan on using Uber. The cost to get to the center is about 35%+ย  cheaper with Uber.

Tram from Krakow airport to Krakow city centre:

Krakow Poland Guide - blue metro tram that runs through the city
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Krakow tip: The tram is pretty easy to use. You can usually buy the tickets on board if there are no machines at the stop. They only take coins though, so be prepared.

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This is the cheapest way to get to the center. It is also surprisingly easy. We had originally intended to use Uber but because it was a high demand time, the cost was high. We decided to use the metro. From the arrival terminal exit, take the big escalator to your right (as opposed to going out to the street and taxi area). Go up, and follow the signs to the metro station.

The ticket machine is right in the middle, between the tracks. Change the language to English and get your ticket which costs 9 zloty ($2.40). Get on any train that’s there and go 5 stops tot he center. Station name is “Krakow Glowny Central Station. This is also the stop for the Bus station. It is huge, humongous even with a mall and really central. From here, you can find your way to your hotel or lodging by walking or maybe a taxi depending on where you’re staying.

Where to stay in Krakow: Guide to accommodations:

AirBnB Krakow:

We stayed at an AirBnB flat close to the Kazimierz district for the first half of our trip. We really liked the place. It was clean and close to the tram stops and on the first floor. A lot of the places we looked at were on 4th or 5th floors with no elevators which did not sound good to me at all, so make sure you check that out in order to have the best stay.

The Krakow AirBnB flat was also about a 40 minute walk to the Old Town and was a definitely non-touristy area so you were among the locals and it was nice to get a glimpse of everyday life. We enjoyed taking the tram to the center and then walking back.

We would have liked to stay there upon our return from Warsaw, but it was booked. If you would like to try AirBnB, you can use my referral code to get started and you earn some credit as well. Win..win. If a hotel is more your style, we’ve got you covered with our affiliate link on Booking web site for hotels in Krakow which is awesome as it scours the web for the best possible prices at no extra cost to you.

Living room in Krakow AirBnB
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AirBnB images of our rental. Great place!

 

AirBnB bathroom Krakow
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AirBnB image of our bathroom. Very tastefully done.
AirBnB bedroom Krakow
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AirBnB image. The hostess was so nice and it felt spacious even though it was only 350 square feet.

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We ended up staying in Old Town after a weekend in Warsaw and l would definitely not recommend that at all. It was nice to be in the middle of everything, but l could not get any freaking sleep! Despite the double pane windows, and being on the third floor even,ย  you could hear the revellers taking, drinking, singing quite loudly every single night till 5 or 6AM when the street cleaners came by!. Every night!!!! I imagine they went home in the morning, slept all day and repeated the drinking and partying the next night. Yeah! Like you couldn’t do that at home! :-).

Hotels are also plentiful in Krakow. With the conversion rate of $1 to 3.73 zloty at the time of our travel, you can see why splurging shouldn’t make you feel guilty.

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[box] OUR RECOMMENDED BUDGET HOTEL IN KRAKOW IS HOTEL COLUMBUS[/box]

 

Ultimate Krakow Guide. What to see in Krakow:

Krakow is such a pretty city. There are lots of things to see and do apart from drinking till you pass out:-). These are just a few of the things we enjoyed doing while in Krakow.

Wawel Castle:

Wawel castle Krakow exterior with wall
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Exterior of the castle Krakow. Nice looking., but a bit of a departure from traditional castles.

I don’t think a visit to Krakow is complete without visiting this pleasing to the eye Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque architectural delight. It was built by King Casimir the Great. For centuries, this was the royal residence of Polish kings. Built on Wawel Hill which was a huge trading center from thousands of years back.

Wawel Castle history:

Krakow Castle (Wawel castle)ย  is a UNESCO site as part of the centre of Krakow designation. The main courtyard is Italian in design. It sustained major damage in a fire in 1595 and ultimately fell to neglect despite the efforts of King Vasa who rebuilt the burnt area. In 1795, the castle was destroyed (The Prussian army occupied Wawel Hill since the previous year and used the castle as a defensive point). Defensive walls were built by the Austrians and the interior modernized. It became a national museum after WWII. There are several chambers to Wawel Castle and tickets are sold to each separately for touring. We did 2 of the 5 tours.

Grounds of Wawel Castle Krakow Guide
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The grounds of Wawel castle were really lovely. Impressive and vast. It wasn’t super crowded on the whole which was good.

 

 

wawel castle courtyard moorish
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Wawel castle interior grounds: This had some Moorish element to it. One of the courtyards in the castle.
State Rooms at Krakow Castle:

There was no photography allowed on this tour. Upon buying your tickets, you were given a map of the castle grounds and told what time to show up for your tour. I was not impressed by the rooms at all. They felt stark and cold if that makes sense.

Unlike the Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, which despite its opulence, managed to convey a homey feeling where you could picture the inhabitants from centuries ago living there. These rooms on the other hand, looked like they hired an interior decorator two weeks ago to re-imagine what the place might have been like in the olden days, and they failed miserably in my opinion.

Maybe because we knew a lot of the interior designs were attempts at duplication (since everything was rebuilt) made it seem blah. I wouldn’t do this one again. I would probably do the Royal Apartments or Oriental Arts tour. Check their English language website for prices. I can’t remember how much we paid, but l think it was about $15 per person without the guide for the 2 tours we did.

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cool useful krakow guide Pope John Paul II statue
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Native son done good. Pope John Paul II statue on the Wawel castle grounds.
Dragon’s Den at Krakow Castle:
dragon's den Krakow Castle
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Super dark in there. I didn’t dare stop to take pictures on the stairs :-).
Cave at Dragon's Den in Krakow Wawel castle.
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I half expect caves to come flying out!
Light at the end of the tunnel at dragon's den Wawel Castle
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You were happy to see light at the end of the cave.

 

I actually enjoyed this one. Federico didn’t. Smocza Jama in Polish, the dragon’s den is a cave with a vertical range of 15 meters. There are several stories about the cave. One saying it was a den meant for sacrifices of cattle offered to the fiery dragon in exchange for him leaving people alone. It is also said it used to be a house of ill-repute.

You enter Dragon’s Den from the top which has the most magnificent views of the river and go down some really, really tight circular stairway in the dark which made you feel dizzy. The lady behind me said she was going to throw up which made me move faster :-). Once at the bottom, there are little sections that we did not explore. It was wet and slippery. Like l said, l liked it, but can understand that it’s not for everyone. The claustrophobic feeling is intense, so beware. There is a statue of the dragon outside at the bottom which was erected in 1972.

dragon's den dragon krakow
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The scary dragon
luc besson prints wawel castle poland
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They have their own little walk of fame thing going on the castle grounds. I was thrilled as l am a huge Luc Besson fan.

Main Square Krakow:

Main square Krakow with horse drawn carriage
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Main Square is a highlight of Krakow – I just always imagine a bride on one of these.

 



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Krakow City Centre:

This Main square in Krakow dates back to the 13th century and is one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe. It was meant as commercial space for traders. It is dominated by the Cloth Hall which was originally the place for international trade. Merchants met there to trade and barter imports like Silk and Leather and Spices while Polish merchants exported Salt from the mines, Lead and Textiles.

Nowadays, this is the place to find your Krakow souvenirs and amber jewelry. The Sukiennice museum is located on the upper floor with an extensive collection of Polish art and sculptures. We really enjoyed people watching. Since prices are so reasonable and exchange rates favourable, eating at this very touristy area didn’t break the bank, and the food was often good to boot. We had great pizza, traditional Polish food and Kebab.

cool useful krakow guide main square people
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Imagine every kind of weather and we got it. Often in the same day and hour. Didn’t stop us obviously.

 

main square krakow stalls cloth hall
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Get your souvenirs here at the Cloth Hall.

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Kids in native costume Krakow
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The kids posed after their great performance at Krakow city centre.


 

ย St. Mary’s Basilica Krakow:

Cool Krakow Guide #stmarysbasilica #krakow #poland #polanditinerary #krakowguide #krakowitinerary #krakowholidays #krakowmustvisit
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Krakow Church: Lots of people, but St. Mary’s basilica is still worth a visit and was one of the major highlights of Krakow visit.

Krakow Church masterpiece with Polish Gothic architecture at its best. The Church Of Our Lady Assumed Into Heaven is a brick church that was built in the 14th century. At the top of the hour, a trumpet is played from one of the 2 towers. It stops halfway to honour a trumpeter that was shot in the throat while sounding an alarm during a Mongol invasion.

St Mary’s Basilica was rebuilt during the reign of Casimir III after the destruction by the Mongols. It took 10 years. The Basilica is also located in the main square and is worth seeing, even if you are tired of seeing churches :-). It looks incredible inside. You need to pay an extra $1.30 on top of the $3 entry fee to take pictures with a professional camera. We saw lots and lots of churches in Krakow and were told that over 65% of the population are practicing Catholics! Good to know that those churches get used.

St Mary's Basilica Krakow ceiling.
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The ceiling of St. Mary’s basilica Krakow. Gorgeous.

 

St mary Basilica Krakow Center #krakow #krakowguide #krakowitinerary #poland
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St Mary’s Basilica Krakow interior. It is absolutely gorgeous inside.

 

Kazimierz District in the Jewish Ghetto:

cool krakow guide kazimierz
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Trendy coffee shops abound in the Jewish district of Krakow. It didn’t look too different to us. We would have liked to see remains of the old wall though.

This is the Jewish quarter that is now a hip section of town since Steven Spielberg filmed the movie “Schindler’s List” here. Granted the freedom to worship, trade and travel by Boleslaw the Pious, the Jewish population had co-existed alongside their Polish neighbours since 1264 under the protection of King Kazimierz III.

I’ve already written about the fate of the Jewish people above, so l won’t repeat myself. There are now trendy coffee houses next to synagogues. You can take a tour of Kazimierz on one of the carriage rides or take a free walking tour or ride one of those golf cart like looking things for cheap. You can also visit Schindler’s museum if you book ahead. We tried, but tickets were sold out as they are limited. You can book your Schindler’s museum tickets here.

Kazmierz buildings krakow
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Wandering around the Jewish quarter Krakow, waiting for our Uber ride.

Wieliczka Salt Mines:

Salt mine picture with people Krakow
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Wikipedia Image of the salt mine. Everything is made of salt, chandeliers and all.

We didn’t get here even though l would have liked to see it. I am putting it on this guide because l understand people might want to visit. The reason why we didn’t visit? My research led me to discover that there were 380 steps to walk down to reach the mine, plus an additional 500 along the 2.5 kilometer tour. If l were younger and had better knees, I would say why not?

I think l would feel too closed in at a salt mine though to really enjoy it. I watched youtube videos and l already didn’t want to be there. They whisk you up in an elevator at the end of the tour and l tried to inquire if they could whisk you down as well. The answer is no!. So..no thanks. I’ll stick to licking salt around a margarita filled glass :-). It was interesting to find out that a lot of the miners preferred to stay down there during the winters than come up because it was much warmer :-). Now you know how all those gorgeous works of at from salt came to be. Here is the website to find out prices etc.

ย Auschwitz Krakow Tours: Visiting the concentration camp post

This has a separate post. It is definitely worth a visit and l highly encourage everyone to find out the not too distant history and see what suffering and pain the Jewish people had to endure at the concentration camp.

Krakow Parks and open spaces:

cool useful Krakow guide to fun things to do like this park with joggers on cloudy day with river view
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Lots of joggers and walkers in the park as we walked around Krakow.

I was surprised at how green the city of Krakow is. There is such incredible scenery everywhere you look. There seemed to be a park around every corner. It was cool to see trams going right through them. We spent a bit of time sitting on benches eating ice cream and just chilling. Highly recommended. A good trip is not always about rushing about for us. We enjoy taking time out to smell the roses. Once again, I forgot to bring my inhaler! Yikes. Lesson learned.ย  I have now bought a spare one and left it permanently in my carry-on luggage.

ice cream cone Krakow
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I’m the slowest ice cream eater. I get it because it looks good, but l make him eat it.

Where to eat in Krakow? Cool Useful Krakow Guide to the rescue:

Pierogi (Varenyky) is the national food of Poland. It is filled dumplings made with unleavened dough, originating from Eastern and Central Europe. We tried it at several places in our quest to find the best tasting one. They are cheap and a plate usually has 8 dumplings.

The best and freshest pierogi in Krakow that we found was at a small family run restaurant not too far from the first AirBnB and was recommended by the hostess. What an incredible find. The little restaurant has been in operation since 1934. It survived the war. We had a whole meal for two for less than $11. I highly recommend it. It was a great find. The grandmother left them a black cabinet (on display, but my picture came out fuzz) full of recipes. Not a big menu and they are only open from 10AM-6PM. Is Poland a cheap place to visit? Yep! We both agree on that.

food collage Krakow main foods including pierogi
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Where to eat in Krakow. All these food for less than $11. 2 plates of pierogi, 1 Polish meatball (flat!), 1 broccoli soup and 2 bottles of water.

Krakow Cheap Eats and drink:

Krakow is the first place l can truly say that prices are pretty reasonable everywhere. I remember being told that Lisbon was cheap. We didn’t find it so. Our most expensive meal turned out to be $46 for a full dinner with appetizers an drinks (including a horrible margarita priced at $7 and was the only sucky part of the dinner. Stick to beer!). Some of the food we had included:

cool useful Krakow guide pod wawelem restaurant great place to eat
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Funky looking place. There is music in the evenings, but we had lunch there. Huge portions..skip the appetizers.

 

Food in Krakow at Pod Wawelem
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What to eat in Krakow. Lots of meat and and the food was very good

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Other lovely food in Krakow consumed by us:

Krakow food with pork and potatoes
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Breaded pork and mashed potatoes and some sauerkraut looking thing. Delicious.

 

Krakow food - soup
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I had this sour soup at almost all meals. I really liked it. Doesn’t look very appetizing, but it’s very, very good. Federico was not a fan.

BaniaLuka is a great place to eat cheaply in Krakow.

BaniaLuka Krakow menu and food on our cool useful Krakow guide
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Krakow cheap eats definitely at BaniaLuka: Check out those prices. Can you go wrong? ;-). The food was great too.

 

zielonym restaurant krakow food
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Zielonym restaurant Krakow: I had so much soup most days. I just love it! :-).

 

Mexican pizza Krakow
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You really couldn’t go wrong. We had good food everywhere. This Mexican pizza was awesome. Yes, I know.. pizza in Krakow? ๐Ÿ™‚

 

strawberry flavored vodka Krakow
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Strawberry flavored vodka was a hit with us. Vodka is the national drink in Poland and served at restaurants and bars in Krakow, sometimes free!
Indian Restaurants Krakow:

One thing that puzzled me about Krakow? We saw maybe 6 people of Indian descent in the city, yet there were like a thousand Indian restaurants. We went to one that was incredibly good, absolutely fabulous and would have loved to see the cooks. I wonder if they are Indian or Polish? and if Indian, where do they all live? I hope someone has an insight on this and can share. I am really curious.

indian food krakow poland
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Absolutely delicious, and such big portions of Indian food at Zayka in Krakow.

Is Krakow worth visiting?

Most definitely. We found the city to be amazing and worthy of the praises heaped upon it. If it were possible to live there for 6 months out of the year, I would like it. The sights are beautiful, the history is quite fascinating and the people really warm and friendly. We had a glimpse of it on the train and told you about it on the postcard.

How long to stay in Krakow:

Krakow makes for an awesome weekend destination. We feel it’s best enjoyed if you can stay longer. I think 5 days in Krakow or a week in Krakow would be perfect.ย  If you’re older and past the partying all night and throwing up age, you will still find plenty of things to do here. It is most definitely worthy of a visit. Getting a bang for your buck? That’s just icing on a yummy, mouth-watering cake! We found Krakow to be an absolutely wonderful place to visit as mature people and highly recommend adding it to your list.

Pin it for later:

Krakow Guide #krakow #poland #krakowguide #krakowitinerary #mustseekrakow #visitkrakow #bestkrakow #wawelcastle #visitpoland
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Krakow Guide #seekrakow #visitkrakow #krakow #poland #foodkrakow #krakowguide #krakowitinerary #krakow5dayguide
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What do you think of what l consider a cool useful Krakow guide? Have l convinced you to visit Krakow? Is it a place that has come up on your radar at all? If not, would you consider adding it?

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38 thoughts on “Cool Useful Krakow Guide For Everyone. (Stay, Eat, See)”

  1. This is indeed a great guide! Krakow looks beautiful. For some reason – and not only endless hordes of partying teenagers – I didn’t have Poland high on my list of countries to visit. But it seems that I was wrong. I did the same with Budapest – didn’t even want to visit it and ended up loving it more than anything else ๐Ÿ™‚ But the information about the Old Town is priceless: I am an extremely light sleeper so it’s good to know that it wouldn’t be the place for me.

    Reply
    • Thanks C. I think, no l’m sure you will like Krakow and should definitely consider it, especially since you like Budapest. It wasn’t high on my list either, but l was curious. Now, we’re like we would go back to Krakow. I am a light sleeper too and boy..was it loud. All night! I don’t know where people get the energy. We were on the most famous street l think. Never again. Fede can sleep through anything though so he didn’t mind it too much. Some AirBnB places in the old city provided earplugs. I know why now..haha!

      Reply
    • Please do. I hope you enjoy your trip. We found it a wonderful place and next time, we will stay in the ghetto like the first place. I need peace and quiet. The street we were on is supposedly the place to be seen and heard apparently. It didn’t help that the bar across the street gave away free vodka shots and crowds spilled out every evening onto the street :-).

      Reply
  2. In a huge coincidence, we watched Schindler’s List” last night on Netflix. Such an awesome movie and your post today on Krakow made me want to see the city to learn more about its ancient past and its more tragic and recent past. And look at it now – Wow oh Wow! I could feel your enthusiasm for the city throughout the post and your pictures show an incredibly interesting and vibrant city with lots to do and see and (yes!) EAT! Poland was already on my bucket list but Krakow looks like a great place to launch from. And, if your return, let me know and I’ll meet you there! Anita

    Reply
    • I now have to get up the courage to watch that movie. I think l can handle it now. I couldn’t when it was released. I was surprised at my interest in learning more about Poland. One of the hosts had a Michelin guide to Poland and l was enthralled by the history, I almost stole it :-). I really, really enjoyed the city and the food choices were amazing. Th people warm and welcoming. The list is so long but if the right circumstances came up, we would definitely do it again. Sounds good about meeting there :-).

      Reply
    • Thanks for reading. We were pleasantly surprised as well. I didn’t think l would like it nearly as much as Budapest and thought it would be a cheap copy. Glad l was wrong. Glad you enjoyed reminiscing about your trip :-). I love reading about yours too. Boy…you really go deep :-).

      Reply
  3. Krakow is on our list for later in the summer. Always love those Central/East (?) European cities – shame though that like Prague and Budapest it attracts all the young partygoers. We’ve spent 4 months combined in Prague, 3 in Budapest – i know we’d want to spend a bunch of time in Krakow.
    St. Mary’s Basilica looks gorgeous on the inside. What a ceiling. And I like the kids and their traditional outfits.
    Useful guide!
    Frank (bbqboy)

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    • Sure you guys are going to love it. Yeah..the cheap prices for liquor really brings the kids in to party. I love the fact that alcohol is cheap, but l wish kids would drink responsibly..wishful thinking l know. They do it everywhere ;-). The ceiling of the basilica is really cool and glad we went. We were like..oh..another church ๐Ÿ˜‰ till we got in. The kids looked so cute and parents so proud. There were adult singers and dancers as well and despite what they were singing, I kept picturing music from & brides for 7 brothers. The music sounded so, so similar.

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    • Very true. Thieves love copper and bronze. I still smart when l think about two rental properties we had that got robbed of the copper. Bums! :-). Hopefully these are still there thanks to some modicum of decency.

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  4. Yes! Yes! Yes! Krakow is such a cool place. I’ve been at various time of my life. Ahem! However, the last time I went was when Easyjet first started flights to Poland and so I was able to go for free (not including the tax)! Mind you, it was winter, it was snowing and I was inappropriately dressed!

    Anyhoo! I would love to visit again as it’s not that far from Berlin! The castle is so lovely, and the dragons! I’ve just returned from Slovenia, and they had a dragon too. So did Croatia. And apparently, they’ve all taken Our George and his Dragon as their patron!

    Omigosh! Polish food is so delicious. The dumplings. Oh, the dumplings! And the soups. Yum! A great post KemKem. ๐Ÿ˜€

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    • You flew for free? How did you make that happen? :-). I don’t think l would like to be there in the winter. Much too cold, and l am over the real cold..No Way!!! The food was definitely better than l imagined it would be. We indulged and l don’t feel guilty at all because the prices were so fair. I loved the dumplings, even though l think they should come with a sauce of sorts. The soups are insanely good, especially the sour ones that made your mouth pucker. I really, really liked those. If the stars align right, a return visit would be in the cards for sure :-). In the summer..haha!

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  5. Krakow was not on my travel wish list until now…huge oversight on my part. Your post has certainly changed that and has inspired me to visit soon. The architecture looks gorgeous, food delicious, great culture, warm people and friendly prices…what’s not to like? Your guide will be perfect to get me going ๐Ÿ™‚

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    • Federico mesures how cheap a place is by “can a local afford to go out and eat for reasonable prices?” while l think along the lines of “is it cheaper than where we came from for the most part?”. This was the first time that we both agreed that it really is reasonable for everyone. Most touristy places you’re weary of because the food usually is blah and the prices high. Here the prices were very fair and the portions good and the food delicious. We only had one incident where we ordered the special with 3 sausages but were brought the normal menu item of 2 sausages at double the price. He was pissed off, but even that price was okay. The high prices is for mixed cocktails, so better to stick to beer. It really is a great city and very much worth going to :-).

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  6. That’s a fantastic guide! I love places that have historical significance and heritage filled in it! Glad it survived during the war.
    Its unusual that for various chambers of the castle, the ticketing is separate! St.Mary’s basilica is absolutely gorgeous!

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    • Thanks :-). I was surprised also that one fee didn’t get you into every part of the castle. There were about 7 separate prices and it was a bit confusing, especially when you have a hundred people behind you. That basilica really is gorgeous. So glad we went as we were getting jaded from seeing so many.

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  7. Your post gave some very practical tips for visiting Krakow. Especially thank you for the info about Uber. It seems like Uber truly ‘conquered’ Europe. Good to know that Uber in Krakow takes only credit/debit cards.

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    • Yes, it seems they have indeed and l’, so glad. Everyone we knew had been scammed by taxi drivers with “broken meters” so we were a bit worried. Uber is so much better in my book. I love the peace of mind, even though l was surprised they wouldn’t take cash like in Thailand (where they only took cash..).

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    • I hope you make it too as it certainly is a great city. It is more beautiful than l thought and the prices really make it a winner in my book. :-).

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  8. Loved The Castle. The interiors, grounds and the exteriors are all so impressive! <3 Being an architecture and history lover, this is JUST the place for me ๐Ÿ™‚ The buildings are so vibrant. Loved the church too. Gorgeous , intricate ceilings!

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    • As a history lover, you would definitely love and appreciate the castle :-). The ceiling of the basilica was extremely impressive, and yes vibrant. I must say l was pleasantly surprised by Krakow and loved it almost as much as l did Budapest :-). Thanks for reading.

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  9. I loved the little history on Krakow….sad but interesting indeed. And the whole heritage aspect – the castle particularly was quite stunning. I would love to do the Dragon’s den too. You have pushed Krakow up on my list by quite a few notches.

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    • That Dragon’s Den was quite interesting. I would love to know what the true background story is. I’d like to think it was a shady place for criminals and other bad elements :-). Krakow does indeed have a sad history, but a lively one as well. We absolutely loved it.

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  10. Such a useful and well written travel guide! And I am so glad the place survived during the war. I love places that have historical significance and heritage filled in it!

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    • Thanks for reading Dev. We were really excited about the city and the history. It’s nice that everything is preserved and that people are also thriving despite the hardship of the past.

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