Whenever someone mentions about Poland, first thought is usually that of pity and remorse. Our history books have painted quite a picture of WWII for us, but the Poland of today is completely 180 degree from that emotion. With city squares bubbling with energy of people hanging out, local sellers negotiating sale with a haggling customer, classical music concert in churches and amazing mountains to satisfy the wild explorer in you, Poland has so much to offer. Not forgetting to mention the night clubs/pubs scene (which was my first ever Pub crawl experience)
This blog shall cover my 3 day trip to Poland, the first country of my month long solo backpacking journey through Eastern Europe. I will cover the places I visited, the experiences I had and also the expenses I incurred during this journey.
Read more about which all places I covered during this time here.
For the ones who have not read my previous blog, I was on a student exchange trimester in the city of Marseille, France, as a part of my MBA program. I took a cheap (~50€)Ryanair flight from Marseille to Krakow.
Now, for anyone who is flying to Krakow, (long live Ryanair) should note that the Airport is about 15km from the city centre. There are 3 ways to reach the city centre from the airport:
1. Take a private taxi : ~ 90-100 zł, the most convenient but of course the most expensive one
2. Train- From Airport to Krakow Glowny : 12 zł, the fastest mode of transport; only catch - it doesn't run from 0030 hrs to 0400 hrs. Check the time table here. So, if you are reaching Krakow late in the night just like I did, you have the third option
3. Bus - From Airport to Krakow train Station : 4.6 zł. There are three bus lines - 208, 252, 902 (night) and the frequency is hourly.
Be sure to withdraw Polish Zloty (zł) before leaving the airport. Euros are not accepted anywhere. You can with withdraw zł using your ATM or exchange through airport currency exchange counter. Exchange rate as on November, 2020: 1€ = 4.6zł
Now the Krakow city as such is quite big, but the main tourists attractions are in and around the much smaller area of Old Town also known as Stare Miasto in Polish. the Old town is surrounded by Planty Park where the Medival city walls used to stand until the early 19th century. The entire area is pedestrian friendly and one can easily cover all the major places on foot.
Once done with the stroll around the old down, the best place to head towards is Rynek Główny- the main market square. This place is full of life and energy. You can find restaurants full of people, street vendors selling souvenirs and other merchandise and live musicians who create an ambience filled with joy. Its lively street life was a major factor in the inclusion of Kraków as one of the top off-the-beaten-path destinations in the world in 2016.
The main square is the principal urban space located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century, and is the largest medieval town square in Europe
Few places to see/visit in the main market square:
1. Cloth Hall - built in Renaissance style
2. Town Hall tower
3. Adam Mickiewicz Monument
4.St. Mary's Basilica
One can easily spend a few hours in this area.
As you walk from the the Old town towards Kazimierz, you will pass by the Wawel Castle. Built on Wawel Hill , it was the seat of Poland’s rulers since the 11th century. It consists of a number of structures from different periods situated around the Italian-styled main courtyard.
Wawel Royal Castle Complex is the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland and was one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world. Must visit!!
Associated with Wawel castle is the legend of the Wawel Dragon. Legend says that the dragon was a beast which lived in a den under Wawel Hill and terrorised all the inhabitants of King Krak’s town. Until a poor shoemaker outsmarted the dragon and as a reward was married to King Krak's daughter wanda. To commemorate the vanquishing of the Dragon, Bronisław Chromy designed a sculpture of the beast which now stands by the river at the foot of Wawel, near the Dragon's Den.
No tour of Krakow is complete without a visit to Kazimierz. Numerous cosy art cafes, pubs, galleries and antique shops, paved street, synagogues, wall graffiti and monuments of Jewish culture draw tourists with a magnetic force. I would recommend another Free walking tour to explore the place.
Once you reach the city centre, you have a plethora of options to stay. Since I was backpacking, my go-to place were hostels, which I had already booked via HostelWorld. Trust me, HW is an amazing place to not just search for affordable hostels but also, know about a lot of interesting places and theme based hostels. Just so you guys know, I added a city to my itinerary simply because I had read rave reviews about a hostel( I shall write about it in another country's blog, till then surprise :D)
Another tip, if you are travelling in off- season (autumn/fall season) like I did, accommodation in Eastern Europe can be really affordable.
As for myself, I stayed in B Movie Hostel, Krakow, where it cost me around 8-9 € per night for a dorm bed.
Now that we have a place to keep our luggage, let me now take you to a wonderland named Krakow :)
Next day........
One of the easiest thing one can do to familiarize with the new city is to talk to a knowledgable local and one of the easiest ways to find them is through Free walking tours. Krakow city is booming with these young local guides who are passionate about their history and love talking.
I got this tip and a few walking tour brochures from my hostel's receptionist. There can be different starting points for these tours but the most popular one is Rynek Główny - the main market square of the old town. You can identify them with their distinct color umbrellas. I was fascinated by the yellow umbrella of Walkative Free walking tours. Their tour guide Goldie (I forgot his real name :P) was sure entertaining, informative and of course talkative! I went on a Free walking tour of the Old town. There are other walking tours too, such as Jewish town walking tour, Cathedral tour among many.
The best part about walking tours is that you can immerse into the history of the town and meet fellow travellers. Few pictures fro the walking tour-
Should you feel hungry, there are plenty of eateries around the main square, but they are obviously expensive. For budget backpackers I recommend the following.
If you are near Rynek Główny, you can walk down to Milkbar Tomasza, a very popular and budget friendly brunch place in Krakow. I tried their Spanish Omelette, banana pancakes along with Kompot
If you are on your way to Kazimierz - Krakow’s historic Jewish quarter, you can try out Polakowski Restauracja , an authentic Polish cuisine restaurant serving since 1889. This is very famous among the locals as well as tourists. I tried their soup and pierogi - dumplings. I did not like it personally but I was worth a try.
If you are in Kazimierz, you have to try out Zapiekanka - the open-face sandwich. It is an all-time favourite Polish street food. I am feeling short of words to describe its beauty. See for yourself below.
Make sure you visit the historical pavilion at the center of Kazimierz, Plac Nowy. You can find trinket and craft and antique stalls setting up shop right throughout the week here, along with an enticing farmers market every weekend. And this is the place where you can have the amazing Zapiekanka, mentioned above.
If you want to go beyond river Vistula you can visit the iconic Schindler's factory (Yes, you heard it right. The same factory from Schindler's list)
Speaking of Oskar Schindler’s Factory, Krakow has many other museums for every taste. right from the art museums to modern technology museums, Krakow has it all. Click here to know more about Museums in Krakow.
If you are thinking there is nothing much to do in Krakow post sunset, then you are very much mistaken. Krakow has one of the finest nightlife in Europe with underground pubs having young crowd bustling with energy. Tapping the opportunity, there are various pub crawls which guide tourists through city's most amazing pubs whilst serving unlimited drinks during the power hour (Yeah!!! that's crazy and amazing).
I went ahead with Karkow Crawl and trust me, going for a pub crawl was one of the highlights of my Euro trip. I made a lot of friends some of whom I am still in touch. When it comes to party safely with amazing company, you must go with a Pub crawl.
To sum up, Krakow is a city full of history, culture, experiences, youth and energy. Poland is usually not the must visit place in Europe itinerary of people but believe me when I say, it should.
Well I was in Poland for three days, two out of which were in Krakow. I have summarized both those days into this single blog. The third day I took a day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp which in my opinion deserves a blog of its own. Click here to read my experience.
So stay tuned for my upcoming adventures during this trip. The journey has just started :)
Do follow me on instagram @storiesinbackpack for more photo stories.
Until next time...........
