36 Hours in Krakow, Poland
- Megan Connor
- Jul 19, 2017
- 5 min read
I visited Krakow in January of this year. This is what I did and would recommend doing if you are visiting Krakow.
Day 1
St Mary's Basilica: This church is located in the Old Town, looking over the main square. It is open every day and costs around 10 Zloty to enter the church, then an additional charge of 15 Zloty if you wish to enter the tower. It is worth paying the extra money and climbing the 239 steps to the top of the tower because the views you get at the top are spectacular. The basilica itself is stunning. The interior is decorated with brightly coloured paintings and chandeliers hang from the ceiling which is bright blue and covered in hand painted stars, so don't forget to look up!
Explore the Main Square: The main square in the old town is picturesque and lovely to walk around. There are many attractions in the main square; the Rynek Underground museum, the Town Hall Tower, Cloth Hall and the Gallery of 19th Century Polish Painting. There are also a number of restaurants and cafes surrounding the main square.
Lunch at Cafe Loza: The menu here offers light lunches and coffee alongside an extensive cocktail list. Staff are friendly and speak good English. There are tables outside for those who wish to dine al fresco. In the winter, these remain outdoors but enclosed in a perspex room with a fireplace in the centre to keep customers warm.
Walk through Planty to Wawel Hill: Planty is Krakow's city park. It surrounds the Old town and extends into the Wawel and Kazimierz districts. There are many attractions situated at different areas around the park, including the City Defence Walls, the Church of St Anne and the Palace of fine Arts. A walk through Planty will lead you to Wawel Hill where the Royal Castle and Cathedral are located.
Wawel Royal Castle and Cathedral: This attraction offers hours of entertainment. Entry fees vary seasonally. The castle offers free admission before 12 noon from April til October and before 3pm on a Sunday from November through to March. If you cannot make it either of these days, Prices vary from 7-25 Zloty depending on the time of year. You can tour the castle, treasury, armory, gardens and cathedral. If you want to do it all in one day, I would start early.
Dinner at Da Pietro: I ate here on my first night in Krakow. I was drawn to this restaurant because I had come across it when exploring the Old Town Square earlier in the day and realised it was located underground. The underground setting of the restaurant creates a really lovely atmosphere. There are exposed brick walls and lots of candles. The food here was excellent. I recommend the Napoli Bruschetta for starter. We were also given bread with homemade black olive tempenade as an appetizer. This was offered on the house and really was the cherry on top of the wonderful meal I received here. The restaurant offers a wide variety of food however this did not affect the quality of my meal. Everything I ordered was delicious and I would eat here again, should I return to Krakow.
Day 2
Day Trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine: I booked this day trip through Viator and would recommend it highly. My visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was haunting but educational, I have written a seperate blog post on what I experienced and learned here. If you are interested in reading this post, it can be found in my recent posts, or under the 'review' category. The tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau lasted for around 3 hours. After this the driver took me to the Salt Mine in Wieliczka where I went on another 2 hour tour through the salt mine. The salt mine offers two different tour routes: the Tourist Route and the Miner's Route. I explain more about these in the post I recently published on the attraction which can be found in my recent posts or under the 'review' category, alongside the Auschwitz-Birkenau post. I am glad that I booked the tour through Viator because it worked out a bit cheaper than booking each attraction individually and the price also included lunch and transport to and from the attractions. My driver was excellent. He was from Krakow and had travelled quite a bit himself. It is a long drive from Krakow to the attractions and he really kept me amused with stories of his travels as well as giving me bits of information about Krakow as we drove through the city on our way to and from the tours.
Dinner at Manzana: This is a really excellent Mexican located in the Old Town. They have a small menu but there is still plenty of choice and nothing is terribly expensive. They also serve drinks and cocktails including some classic Polish cocktails as well as Margaritas and trays of shots. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and the food and drinks are presented in a modern and visually appealing way.
Day 3
Schindler's Factory: The Schindler's Factory is a museum whose exhibits depict what it was like to live in Krakow during WWII, when the city was governed by Nazi's. The museum also tells the story of Oscar Schindler, a Nazi, who took ownership of the previously Jewish-founded factory and used it to product ammunition for the Nazi army. Schindler employed Jews from the Krakow Jewish ghetto to produce these products for him, ultimately saving their lives. Of course, many of you may already know his story, as portrayed by Liam Neeson in the famous 1993 movie: Schindler's List.
Lunch at Singer Cafe: This is the cutest cafe I have ever seen. The tables here are re-purposed vintage Singer sewing machines. The cafe has an old-fashioned vibe with vintage decor. The coffee here is also very good.
Galicia Jewish Museum: The Galicia Jewish Museum contains exhibitions dedicated to Jewish culture. The main exhibition is a series of photographs commemorating and celebrating their unique culture. The images are beautiful, some of the most memorable are of decorative synagogues and quiet cemeteries. There are other exhibitions, but this was the stand-out exhibit for me and I would definitely say it is worth a visit.
Corpus Christi Church: Some people may think it is silly to visit two churches when you only have 36 hours in a city, however the reason I am suggesting this is that this church is very different to St Mary's Basilica. This means that it offers a look into a different side of Polish culture. It also allows you to see a building created in a different time period, with a completely different style of architecture. Stepping into this church is like stepping into a treasure trove. There are more gold embellishments in this building than I have seen elsewhere in my life. Corpus Christi was the first
Dinner at Qrudo Food & Wine: If you want to sample good, Polish food then this is the place I would recommend. Qrudo offers traditional Polish meals with a modern twist. The menu is limited but the quality of the food on offer is excellent and it arrives at your table well presented. The waiters here are very helpful and friendly. Most Polish food is based on some kind of red meat, however vegetarian options are available.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
As a side note: When walking through the streets of Kazimierz, the Jewish District, keep your eyes open for the many interesting works of art that adorn the exterior of it's buildings.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Comments