Castles in the air
Krakow, Poland
This was our first visit to Krakow and indeed to Poland.
Despite it being early January we enjoyed clear weather, and although cold it didn't stop us walking the city. And Krakow is a very walk-able city. The four key districts we focused on were Stare Miastro (Old Town), the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, the up and coming area of Podgórze and West Krakow. They were all within a reasonable stomp of each other. But should you feel the need get somewhere a little faster, the trams are cheap, frequent and easy to use.
Our hotel wasn't far from the banks of the Vistula river, and we were overlooked by the very grand and imposing Wawel Royal Castle and Cathedral. It's worth a walk up to take in the city views from the walls.
The nearby walled Old Town is based around the 13th century medieval square of Rynek Główny, which is surrounded by churches and palaces including the very recognisable St Mary's Basiclica.
You can easily rattle off the key sights of the pretty old town in a morning, but you will find yourself returning and that's when you'll probably enjoy the quirkier side streets and what they have to offer. There are lots of excellent restaurants and bars in this area but eating out should in no way be confined to the Old Town.
The historic Jewish quarter of Kazimierz has synagogues, a Jewish cemetery, and museum dedicated to Jewish culture and the Holocaust. The area now seems more focused on the creative arts, and whilst a little rough around the edges it's a great place to find off-beat shops, up and coming galleries and vintage stalls.
There are some great bars here, an example being Singer on the corner of Plac Nowy. Wood burning fires, candles and Singer sewing machines, what more do you need with your Tyskie beer or gin and tonic?! But a head's up some bars still have smoking rooms, this one included.
Across the Vistula River is the area of Podgórze, which is where you'll find Oskar Schindler's enamel factory - key in saving so many lives during the Nazi occupation.
We actually visited on a public holiday so it was closed, and we later discovered that you had to buy tickets at least 3 days in advance, so be warned.....very unlike us for that to slip through our planning but we've already decided we'll be coming back for a weekend or a gig so we'll visit next time.
Podgórze is where the Jewish ghetto was created by the Nazis during WWII in 1941 and a scene of untold suffering for two years before it was destroyed and the 'inhabitants' sent to Auschswitz.
Little remains of the ghetto, but it is worth a walk round Podgórze simply to absorb the history and try to understand what happened here. The buildings are not dis-similar to what existed in the forties, and there is a small fragment of the Jewish ghetto wall remaining on Lowska.
There are several day trips from Krakow, the most important of which I'll discuss later, but as a much needed reminder of the Polish resilience, ingenuity and sense of humour I would heartily recommend a trip to the the Wieliczka Salt Mines. It's an enjoyable labyrinth of underground tunnels & mines complete with chapels, gnomes and saline lakes. To walk the full length of the mines would take three months but the 1% of the tunnels and subterranean chambers they have opened as a tourist trail are a very fun way to spend a couple of hours.
We caught our first tram to Salwator in West Krakow, to check out the Kościuszko Mound which promised fabulous views of the city.
It would have done if it wasn't for the low-lying cloud, and our research didn't flag up the mound was very steep and mildly terrifying. The irony of someone who loves visiting lighthouse being scared of heights! It was a very nice and popular morning walk out though.
A couple of places to recommend. We popped in CK Browar nearly everyday. It's a classic Bavarian-style cellar bar serving it's own beer from the on site microbrewery. Complimented by serving classic Polish cuisine, it's cosy during the day, and healthily raucous of an evening. It's a five minute walk from the old town.
Starka restaurant in Kazimierz is a modern Polish restaurant which boats wonderful service and food, and a great atmosphere. This was one of many fabulous places we found to eat out, and there are some great vegetarian options. They were all very busy, even mid-week in January. So make sure you book.
You can't go to Krakow without visiting the Auschwitz and Birkenau Memorial Museum. It will take up a full day of your time, but is an incredibly affecting experience.
This was our first visit to Krakow and indeed to Poland.
Despite it being early January we enjoyed clear weather, and although cold it didn't stop us walking the city. And Krakow is a very walk-able city. The four key districts we focused on were Stare Miastro (Old Town), the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, the up and coming area of Podgórze and West Krakow. They were all within a reasonable stomp of each other. But should you feel the need get somewhere a little faster, the trams are cheap, frequent and easy to use.
 |
| Wawel Royal Castle and Cathedral, Krakow |
Our hotel wasn't far from the banks of the Vistula river, and we were overlooked by the very grand and imposing Wawel Royal Castle and Cathedral. It's worth a walk up to take in the city views from the walls.
The nearby walled Old Town is based around the 13th century medieval square of Rynek Główny, which is surrounded by churches and palaces including the very recognisable St Mary's Basiclica.
You can easily rattle off the key sights of the pretty old town in a morning, but you will find yourself returning and that's when you'll probably enjoy the quirkier side streets and what they have to offer. There are lots of excellent restaurants and bars in this area but eating out should in no way be confined to the Old Town.
 |
| Stare Miastro (Old Town), Krakow |
The historic Jewish quarter of Kazimierz has synagogues, a Jewish cemetery, and museum dedicated to Jewish culture and the Holocaust. The area now seems more focused on the creative arts, and whilst a little rough around the edges it's a great place to find off-beat shops, up and coming galleries and vintage stalls.
There are some great bars here, an example being Singer on the corner of Plac Nowy. Wood burning fires, candles and Singer sewing machines, what more do you need with your Tyskie beer or gin and tonic?! But a head's up some bars still have smoking rooms, this one included.
 |
| Podgórze, Krakow |
Across the Vistula River is the area of Podgórze, which is where you'll find Oskar Schindler's enamel factory - key in saving so many lives during the Nazi occupation.
We actually visited on a public holiday so it was closed, and we later discovered that you had to buy tickets at least 3 days in advance, so be warned.....very unlike us for that to slip through our planning but we've already decided we'll be coming back for a weekend or a gig so we'll visit next time.
Podgórze is where the Jewish ghetto was created by the Nazis during WWII in 1941 and a scene of untold suffering for two years before it was destroyed and the 'inhabitants' sent to Auschswitz.
Little remains of the ghetto, but it is worth a walk round Podgórze simply to absorb the history and try to understand what happened here. The buildings are not dis-similar to what existed in the forties, and there is a small fragment of the Jewish ghetto wall remaining on Lowska.
 |
| Salt Chandelier, Wieliczka Salt Mines, Krakow |
There are several day trips from Krakow, the most important of which I'll discuss later, but as a much needed reminder of the Polish resilience, ingenuity and sense of humour I would heartily recommend a trip to the the Wieliczka Salt Mines. It's an enjoyable labyrinth of underground tunnels & mines complete with chapels, gnomes and saline lakes. To walk the full length of the mines would take three months but the 1% of the tunnels and subterranean chambers they have opened as a tourist trail are a very fun way to spend a couple of hours.
 |
| Salt Gnomes, Wieliczka Salt Mines, Krakow |
We caught our first tram to Salwator in West Krakow, to check out the Kościuszko Mound which promised fabulous views of the city.
It would have done if it wasn't for the low-lying cloud, and our research didn't flag up the mound was very steep and mildly terrifying. The irony of someone who loves visiting lighthouse being scared of heights! It was a very nice and popular morning walk out though.
 |
| Bakery, Krakow |
A couple of places to recommend. We popped in CK Browar nearly everyday. It's a classic Bavarian-style cellar bar serving it's own beer from the on site microbrewery. Complimented by serving classic Polish cuisine, it's cosy during the day, and healthily raucous of an evening. It's a five minute walk from the old town.
 |
| CK Browar, Krakow |
You can't go to Krakow without visiting the Auschwitz and Birkenau Memorial Museum. It will take up a full day of your time, but is an incredibly affecting experience.
I wrote about our trip here.
We had a wonderful, enlightening first visit to Krakow.
And at only two and a half hours flight time from the UK it's an excellent place to spend a (very) long weekend....we'll be back.
We had a wonderful, enlightening first visit to Krakow.
And at only two and a half hours flight time from the UK it's an excellent place to spend a (very) long weekend....we'll be back.
Comments
Post a Comment