Krakow Travel Guide | My Life Trips

Krakow

Information

Krakow is one of the oldest and largest cities in Poland, as well as one of the country’s cultural, artistic and tourist centers. In the past, it was the capital of Poland and in 2014 it had a population of 762,508 inhabitants.

The old town of Krakow has a rich architecture, with some Baroque and Gothic buildings. The palaces, churches and mansions of Krakow have beautiful colors, architectural details, stained glass, paintings and sculptures. In our opinion Krakow is the most beautiful and picturesque city in Poland and if you had to visit only one city then it is definitely Krakow!

The Polish Zloty is Poland’s currency and 10 Polish Zloty equals to approximately 2,4 Euros. For the latest updated currency rates visit the XE Currency Converter page.

What To See...

Central Square

The most central and beautiful square of Krakow with some main attractions located here. Some of them are the Church Of Our Lady and the most characteristic building of the square, which is a huge hall where you can find fabrics.

Barbican

Barbican along with the Florian Gate is the northernmost part of the city’s fortifications and is a Gothic building with seven towers.

Wavel Castle

Wavel Castle is a fortified architectural complex on a hill on the left bank of the Vistula River. The architectural complex consists of several buildings and fortifications, with the largest them The Cathedral Of Krakow. You can also visit the caves below the castle with at a very small price of 3 Euros per person.

Kazimierz

The Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz is one of the most beautiful places in the city! Here you will find many contrasts, such as demolished houses since the Holocaust, but also many restaurants and bars which are the heart of the city today.

Nearby Excursions

From Krakow there are two great options for a one day excursion. The first is the Auschwitz concentration camp where some horrible crimes were committed against humanity and the second in the famous salt mine in Wieliczka.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, as its full name is, is one of the most exciting trips we have ever made in our lives and an experience you will never forget.

Inside the camp you will experience the horrors that 1.5 million people lived and then died there in various ways. Unbelievable atrocity of the Nazis that human mind can not uderstand ! Gas chambers, ovens, mass executions are some of the ways in which man showed his ugliest face, really a disgraceful period for humanity. Inside the camp you will find various information that describe all of the above but you will also be guided to buildings that still until today, are like a day never passed since then.

From the center of Krakow you will find many options for this trip as it is by far the most popular in Poland. The trip costs about 30 euros per person for the whole day and is more than just a simple experience that you have to live…

The Wieliczka salt mine is located in the homonymous city of Poland and only 15 km southeast of Krakow. It is a cultural monument and has been included since 1978 in the UNESCO World Heritage list. From the center of Krakow, many excursions are organized at a price of 20 Euros (89 zloty) per person and the opening hours of the salt mine are from 08:00 to 17:00 in the afternoon.

What To Eat

There are several restaurants in Krakow that serve very good food and mainly dishes from the tasty Polish cuisine. We’ve reviewed some of them and will recommend you the best. Behind the main square of the city is the restaurant Morskie Oko where you will find traditional Polish cuisine at its best! The restaurant is underground and has really amazing food, incredible decoration with traditional wooden tables, even some small waterfalls! In the evening there is also live Polish music of which we are not the biggest fans! Everything we tasted here was delicious, from traditional pierogi, goulash, potato pancakes and many more were all great and at extremely good prices. For a full meal of two people with 6-7 dishes we paid around 25 euros!

How to move

Krakow is not a huge city, and as always in such cases we recommend choosing to walk around, see and feel the city as much as possible. Its main attractions except from the castle are around the central square and the most beautiful parts of the city are located in the surrounding alleys, so it is quite easy to see them in a very short time without any means of transport.

Where to stay

Accommodation in Krakow, as well as in almost all Polish cities, is extremely cheap, in fact in Poland you can find some of the lowest prices in Europe in terms of accommodation! Take advantage of that and stay in the Old Town so that you are very close to all the sights and points of interest within a few minutes. A double room in Krakow costs around 30-50 Euros for excellent rooms in the city center. You can make your reservations via Booking.com

Booking.com