About Krakow
Krakow is the second largest city in Poland, and it was the capital of the country until 1596. The Old Town was the first UNESCO world heritage site with plenty of history and quite a laid-back atmosphere, compared to Warsaw. It was one of the few cities in Europe that escaped serious bombing in the war, so its historical buildings have remained intact. It is also a university city with cobbled streets, busy bars and an abundance of places to eat.
Getting to Krakow
There are numerous budget flights to Krakow, the airport Krakow Lotinsko, from all over Europe and there is a 20-minute train connection to Krakow Glowny main station. The ticket price is 12PLN (2.65€). There is also a regular bus connection.
However, I was travelling by train from Warsaw, a comfortable 3-hour journey through the Polish countryside. My Airbnb today was in Dietla street about 25 minutes from the station. I picked up the keys for the apartment at a nearby shop and settled into clean and somewhat spacious accommodation on the first floor.
Krakow Station
After dropping off my bag, it was time for cold drink on very warm day! A 3-minute walk over the road and into the former Jewish quarter for a beer in Pub Propaganda (Miodawa 20). It is an old bar with a very cluttered feel (some would say run down), lots of posters and old wooden furniture. Music memorabilia adorns the walls and varied musical tastes are catered for including rock and alternative but never too loud to stop thought. The drinks are relatively cheap and the atmosphere relaxed.
I was looking for somewhere to have something to eat and walked on another 10 minutes to Zazie Bistro (Jozefa 34).
The bistro is right on the corner of the street on 2 levels (including a cellar) with a reasonably priced menu. The horse meat tartare was not for me but the pork belly in soy sauce was good for 29PLN (6.50€) with a beer (50ml) at 10PLN (2.2€).
The next day was a visit to the Oscar Schindler factory on the other side of the river Vistula, passing through the Ghetto Heroes square. The chairs are a permanent memorial to the victims in the Jewish Ghetto who had to abandon their possessions in the street before being imprisoned or transported. It was hard to think of anything else for much of the day.
Ghetto Heroes Square
On the way back to the apartment, I stopped for a Zapiekanka (Polish street food), a traditional sandwich on a long loaf of bread with mushrooms and cheese. Delicious!
Had a couple of beers in Strefa Piwa (Jozefa 6) with its large selection of draught beers (18) and bottled beer from all over the world. The bar is in a cellar with what appears to be beer family trees painted on the ceiling. There are bar snacks but no food if you are hungry.
However, on the way back to the apartment, there was the Warsztat café (Bozego Ciala 1) just around the corner. There is outside seating and inside the décor is quite a basic café style, the portion sizes are big and the food tasty. Great value for money and a good selection of traditional Polish food.
The next day it was a 30-minute walk to the Old Town square visiting the Wawel Royal Castle on the way. You can pay for admission into the castle itself there is a pleasant walk through the grounds with some excellent views over the river and across the town.
The Old Town square must be one of the biggest Medieval squares in Europe. The architecture is stunning especially St Mary’s Basilica and the Cloth Hall. There is a covered market area and a huge number of restaurants and bars around the periphery. You can take a 30-minute ride in one of the many horse-drawn carriages for about 35€.
Lunch was Sour Bread soup which was enough food to last me the whole day. The afternoon was spent sitting in the sunshine with a beer before heading back to Hi Fidelity (Podbrzezie 6) to pick up some vinyl before having my last
Sour Bread soup – a meal in itself
evening in Krakow at BroPub by Brokreacja (Stradomska 11). Very much a burger, pizza and craft beer pub, there is a selection of up to 15 draught beers on tap. A good atmosphere when it is busy.
The visit to Krakow was sometimes disturbing but very memorable and I would never hesitate to return and explore more of the history of the town and the surrounding area.
