2 Day Itinerary for Krakow

So, in November (I know what the f**k have I been doing for the past 4 months) we headed to Krakow for a little two day trip. Before boarding our flight we got to head to the 1903 Airport Lounge at Manchester Airport for some VIP pre-flight treatment. You can hear more about the lounge here. If you have already read that post then you are already FULLY aware of how ill I was during our time here. I had what I am convinced was the flu and we very, very nearly cancelled our whole trip. I persevered though and we ended up on the plan to Krakow. We landed past midnight and had a slight palaver trying to get into the hotel. An hour later and things were resolved meaning we could get into the apartment and it was straight to sleep before our 7AM start the next day. 

Day 1

For day 1 we took a guided tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau. Whilst this isn't something that a lot of people choice to do, I felt it was a very important trip for us to take. I studied both GCSE and A-level history and learnt of the atrocities in great detail. I felt it was important that both of us took the guided tour to pay our respects to those who lost their lives and I believe continuing to learn and educate yourself about how things progressed in Nazi Germany and the occupied countries will ensure that the same mistakes are never made again. 

We, of course, did not take any photographs during our time at Auschwitz or Birkenau. THIS is something I feel so strongly about. Unless you are there to professionally photograph the camps for educational purposes or are making a documentary then you shouldn't take photographs and certainly not for Instagram. We actually spoke to a group of tourists taking photographs on the railway tracks and requested that they didn't do so as their attitude (jumping and posing in ways that were just not suitable) was very disrespectful. This was done very quietly and in a polite manner but I felt it was important to say something as it had really upset members of our tour group. 

The tour is very emotional and informative. There were several areas of the camps that really affected me, but seeing the children's shoes piled up and being informed that any babies born into the camp were murdered was heartbreaking. You do learn an about awful things and truthfully, I left the tour feeling very uneasy. It is very hard to put into words but you instantly feel as if you shouldn't be there, the atmosphere can only be described as heavy and the experience will affect you for years to come. I still think about our tour and having spoken to other people it is a life changing experience. Afterwards, I found myself more tolerable and making an effort to be 'kinder'. I can't properly describe it nor put the experience into the correct words but I do think this is a guided tour that you should do if you can. I believe the guided tour cost us £40 each and we booked prior to going to Krakow, although there are places where you can book a guided tour throughout Krakow and your hotel will be able to point you in the right direction. 

After the tour, our guides dropped us off in the town centre and we had a little walk around. The town centre was bustling with people all taking photographs and horse and cart rides were the main attraction. The town square has places to eat and drink all around it and we were going to head into one of the pubs for a beer. 

We then stumbled across the Wodka bar on our way to an English pub and we decided that a beer perhaps wasn't going to cut it after the experience this morning and we hit the shots. Perhaps not the correct way to deal with the emotional affects of the morning, but it did help. 

Wodka bar is situated off the first side street from the town square. It's on the very end and takes around 5 minutes to walk to. This little place can get very busy and in order to have the sharer boards you need to have a table to sit at. We were very lucky and found a larger table with two seats in the corner. We then let other people perch/put their drinks on the table so they could have the share boards. We met some amazing travellers whilst here and some brilliant people who had us laughing for ages. It was so funny seeing people down the shots thinking they had no effect and then leaving as they were too drunk. We went through the whole menu and the share boards were very reasonably priced at £7 each. I absolutely adored the chocolate and hazelnut vodka shots. So much so, that we purchase hazelnut vodka regularly and having Polish co-workers they always tell us the best places to purchase from and any offers. Funnily enough, Amazon is your best bet at the moment although stock does run out very quickly!

We must have stayed there for around 3 hours and as the shots were slightly smaller and we were sipping on them we didn't really feel the effects until we were outside! Lets just say that we went for food and were very conscious that we were 'drunk'. We managed to have our food with no incidents and after having  glass of water we managed to find our way back to the apartment where we were staying. This was at around 11pm so it was a very early night for us (I was so ill that we didn't manage to take many photographs and I wasn't really thinking of getting photographs to make a blog post). 

Day 1 was a really interesting, emotional and then positive day. We met some great people and got to experience traditional Polish food and drink. 

Day 2

We were up bright and early as we needed to check out of our apartment and we wanted to explore the old town and town centre in a bit more depth. First we headed to a lovely little park which you could walk around and enjoy some traditional architecture. The buildings are just simply beautiful and we stopped off for a little bite to each of a toasty and a cup of tea. 

We then decided to head up towards Krakow castle and have a look at the views from around there and experience a bit more culture. The food served in the little cafe at the top was very traditional indeed and we tried some dumplings which were wonderful. I had another cup of tea as the late nights, flu and busy day had caught up with me and I was beginning to struggle. 

We then headed back to the Town centre to walk around the indoor market. The crafts and items that can be purchased in there are so beautiful and it was a lovely, bustling atmosphere where everyone was selling crafts and lovely items at rather reasonable prices. We stumbled across a gorgeous lamp that I would have loved to purchase but unfortunately we knew we couldn't get it home in one piece!! 

After exploring the market we stumbled across a Jazz bar that really is a hidden gem. The entrance to the bar is down a side alley and has the below sign which really intrigued us. We hadn't seen many people head down the alley way as we walked past it and we weren't sure if it was open. You go down a spirally staircase and walk into the most beautifully decorated and intriguing bar we have every come across. 

I had a gin cocktail, which I think the bar tender just created on the spot for me as there was a slight language barrier, and it was delicious. It was sweet and refreshing and just perfect after a day of walking around and exploring.  The bar was quite busy and played jazz music with the walls filled with memorabilia and jazz records. They even had videos showing the Krakow Jazz Festival which looked really interesting. 

We headed for some food and visited one of the Italian restaurants in the Town Centre. It was a lovely meal and the service was exceptional! I had a salmon pasta and Andy had a Pizza. They thought I didn't like it as I truthfully didn't eat an awful lot of it, but I was just so ill that I couldn't even finish it despite it being delicious. We took one last look around the town centre and then headed to find a taxi to take us to the airport.

We wanted to take a cute selfie by the big Christmas tree, but my face refused to co-operate and he best we managed to get was me hiding away in Andy's shoulder! Still quite cute though. 

We walked up from the town centre and headed towards the tourist centre as there were a few taxis lined up there. We managed to get a very good deal and it cost us £20 to get to the airport which was brilliant value! Our driver was lovely and played all sorts of traditional music and some newer tunes as well. He gave us a little tour as well which I thought was lovely of him as he didn't have to and he kept us informed on how long it would be until we got to the airport. 

I must admit that although we had an amazing time, I truthfully was so happy when we got on the plane to come home. I literally slept from when we took off, in the taxi on the way home and until around 8am the next day as I was just exhausted. We would love to go back and re-live this trip but where I can actually enjoy it and fully immerse myself into the culture. We'd also love to visit the salt mines as they have been very highly recommended to us and unfortunately, we couldn't squash that in. 

I hope this little 2-day itinerary has given you an idea of the things you can do in Krakow whilst on a very very tight time budget. Krakow is certainly the most budget friendly places we have ever visited and I cannot wait to go back! 

Until Next Time 

T 

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