Travel Blog – Kraków

Sometimes, we all just need a holiday. I often find myself browsing Skyscanner, putting ‘everywhere’ as the destination, in a desperate search for a cheap few days away. Last term, during a particularly heavy essay session, I stumbled across some £50 return flight to Kraków, Poland, and despite not even knowing that it wasn’t a capital city, I booked them. When you think about it, £50 is only really the equivalent of a pair of Topshop jeans and a few coffees so the holiday was actually pretty cheap, right…?

On top of this, Poland is renowned for being really cheap so our AirBnB was only £15 each a night! How could I not?

I’d fully recommend taking advantage of flying out of school holiday time if you can – most unis finish a few weeks before the prices shoot up so go then if you can, particularly to places that require minimal spending money like Eastern Europe.

I’m a huge fan of AirBnB. Their ‘live like a local’ idea has always worked out so well and you get to stay in some amazing homes without all the fuss and expense of hotels. The beautifully stylish studio we stayed in was like a little bubble of ethereal calmness perfectly situated between the busy Main Square and the indie Jewish Quarter. Despite being called the ‘Oh Deer’ apartment, that definitely wasn’t my sentiment when we arrived. The slightly shabby looking buildings around were deceptive as we soon realised that this is pretty standard for Kraków and the interior made all the difference. The ceilings were high, the bed was huge, and the whole thing was irresistibly Instagram-able.

Old Town

The Main Square (Rynek Główny) is pretty much the tourist hub of Kraków, and although we were there out of peak season, there were still a fair few magnet-buying, cap-wearing, selfie-stick-wielding families around. The whole city centre is surrounded by a banner of green garden called the Planty which makes walking to the square even nicer. It’s supposedly the biggest square in Europe and, to be fair, it is huge, although a large part of the space is taken up with The Cloth Hall, a big covered market building in the centre, where you can buy a whole array of traditional Polish goodies, from beautiful crockery to hand-painted dolls. It’s a great place to chill if you fancy soaking up the relaxed atmosphere of Eastern Europe, admiring the stunning 13^th century buildings and watch the flower sellers or row of horse-and-carts draw in tourists from all over Europe.

(If you hadn’t guessed, the final picture was taken on a different, much sunnier day, showing just how beautiful and warm Poland can be!)

Kraków is famed for its unique architecture and if you make it to the castle you’ll understand why. Situated at the top of a hill and featuring a beautiful cathedral, it’s pretty spectacular. I can’t claim to have spent long looking into its history but I can certainly vouch for it being very beautiful. There are a host of different architecture styles that look like they’ve almost been built on top of one another, creating a beautiful effect. The fact that the decadent cathedral is an active place of worship also adds an extra dimension of interest to this attraction.

For me, the highlight of the main city, the section enclosed by the Planty, has to be the tower in the square. Whilst the attraction itself contains some reasonably interesting historical information, the main attraction of this 14^th century tower is the view from the top which allows you see the whole city from 3 different angles. We were lucky enough to do this on an unusually warm and clear day which made for some great photos.

Jewish Quarter

Although the main city was spectacular, I’d say that my favourite area of Kraków is the Jewish Quarter, which was a few minutes’ walk from our apartment. Filled with cool shops, cafés, restaurants, and outdoor markets, it felt like the much edgier side of the city. The Plac Nowy, a little suntrap of a square is a definite must if you want to find some nice bars and restaurants as well as ice-cream and cool market stalls. Whilst there are plenty of places I could recommend, the Singer Café (pictured below) and Alchemia restaurant to name a couple, I’d suggest that you walk around and see what takes your fancy; there’s so much to choose from and discover there. We even came across a pop-up fashion market and a bunch of food stalls selling everything from chips to authentic Polish pastries.

There’s also some pretty cool graffiti around this quarter if you’re interested in street art so take a wander round and you won’t be disappointed.

Industrial Area

Whilst this doesn’t sound like the most exciting of areas, I’d recommend spending an afternoon exploring Kraków’s industrial area south of the river. It’s home to some incredibly moving monuments like Schindler’s factory, the inspiration for the famous holocaust film, Schindler’s List, and the haunting Ghetto Heroes Square, a square full of empty chair statues to represent those killed in the holocaust.

(Top tip: Schindler’s factory closes earlier on Mondays but you can still purchase tickets for after it has closed so beware of turning up with tickets and it having shut early.)

Also, if you haven’t had enough of beautiful, quirky architecture then there’s plenty more of that in this area too.

Surprisingly, one of the most beautiful and remarkable parts of the industrial zone is the journey there. The Kładka Ojca Bernatka, a footbridge which crosses the river is decorated with amazing acrobatic sculptures, thanks to artist, Jerzy Kędziora. The iron sculptures defy gravity and sway in the wind, creating an open-air sculpture gallery out of the bridge. The exhibit is only there until the 12^th December 2017 so get down there soon!

Top Restaurant: Hotel Copernicus

This amazing restaurant, popular with Prince Charles, offers a tasting menu of 5, 7, or 12 courses, starting at 180 PLN (£37) each and provides attentive service and complementary amuse-bouche and post-dinner chocolates. The menu is changed every week and the food is to die for so if you fancy a treat without breaking the bank then I’d say it’s an absolute must.

Top Bar: Sababa, Jewish Quarter

Beautifully quirky and embracing of its Jewish roots with cocktails names like Rose of Jericho, Sababa has the feel of a 1920s speakeasy thanks to its edgy architecture and hidden location about Hamsa restaurant. If you’re a fan of cool décor and even cooler drinks then you’ll love it.

I have to say, Kraków isn’t a city I ever thought I’d go to, but it’s now somewhere I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a beautiful, budget getaway. Happy travels!

Love,

Izzy