Krakow

[longside72]

Just booked for me and the mrs , this sunday -till thursday. Going to go aushwitz but looking for any tips on other things to do places to visit etc.. We are Staying in the Old Town.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Salt mine is also a must
It's amazing to see

[Herts Clarets]

Auschwitz is a must, did it last year and such a moving experience to be stood where mass murder on an industrial scale took place. Important that it is never forgotten and must not be allowed to happen again. Salt mines are incredible, we also did the Schindler factory. There is a great vodka bar to visit in the old town but be prepared to queue, it's tiny and very popular.

[Tribesmen]

Do Auschwitz as soon as you can , after enjoy yourself.

[Silkyskills1]

Just to reiterate what's already been mentioned. Went 2 years ago and the visit to Auschwitz was one of the most moving experiences of my life. Birkenau followed Auschwitz and again an incredibly emotional experience.
Lively city centre and very polite and hospitable people happy to see visitors in their city. A walk around the ghetto area is also worthy of consideration.

[Claret Till I Die]

Do Auschwitz as soon as you can , after enjoy yourself.

Agreed. Awful place but somewhere that I feel everyone needs to see.
Get a guided tour around the Jewish Qtr. Wodka bar is great. Loved the place as there's so much history

[NZ_Claret]

Agree, the salt mine is amazing as well. Schindler's museum also worth a visit

[bigbillysboots]

Do the golf cart tour definitely worth it

[Commy]

Trip to Zakopane is a must. It takes a couple of hours to get there but is well worth the visit. The Schindler Factory is now a WWII museum. Last time I looked online they had one day where tickets were free, although I can't remember which day of the week it was. There are plenty of places to get nice food but if you like steak go to Moo Moos at the bottom of the small square. There are three but that is the best one. You have to book.

[ISpeds00]

Just booked for me and the mrs , this sunday -till thursday. Going to go aushwitz but looking for any tips on other things to do places to visit etc.. We are Staying in the Old Town.

Went last week for 4 days - cant wait to go back
Stayed in Kasimiriez (Jewish Quarter - 15 min walk from centre/castle)

No need for ZLOTY cash - dont need any anywhere, as everywhere takes card
Use UBER for taxis - cheaper than local firms, and pretty much pick you up within a minute or 2 (we used these a lot to get around in the cold/rain)
Same from and to the airport - use UBER

Auschwitz - Make sure it's a GUIDED tour, you simply need to understand what's going on in the locations they take you are around. Some people we spoke to looked lost, but the tour guide we had, was amazing. stayed with us for the full 3 hours or so
Auschwitz Birkenau - The 2nd location you visit down the road from Auschwitz is undergoing construction at the main gate (The railroad track going in) so you cannot access the front (You can see it from the back once in). Very eerie place is Birkenau (Wear appropriate footwear as it gets manky)

Main Square Xmas Markets - Food is sensational and very very cheap
Was told to avoid the restaurants in the main square as they are quite pricy - load of ********, there is nowhere pricy in that main square, we lived like kings (Fillent Steaks job lot for £15/£20). Absolutely everywhere is cheapb
Lots of pop up heated glass huts all over the place - get in one of them and you simply dont need to move. Local ale is superb and very cheap again.

We are definitely going back next year

[bigbillysboots]

As others have said definitely Auschwitz and the salt mines, they do trips to both in the same day but don't be tempted Auschwitz is about a hour and half coach drive away when you have been there it will be enough for 1 day, and the salt mines are about 20 mins from Krakow we just got a uber there.

[ISpeds00]

Trip to Zakopane is a must. It takes a couple of hours to get there but is well worth the visit. The Schindler Factory is now a WWII museum. Last time I looked online they had one day where tickets were free, although I can't remember which day of the week it was. There are plenty of places to get nice food but if you like steak go to Moo Moos at the bottom of the small square. There are three but that is the best one. You have to book.

Zakopane is on the list next time - every taxi we got in whilst in Krakow mentioned it
If you fancy it, speak to a local taxi driver (Guy called Marcin on PLUS 48 501 357 251 we spoke to) will take you there and stay with you for the day and bring you back (And give you the tour). Again, costing next to nothing

I am going to be using this guy on our return

[gc14]

Saw on Facebook yesterday ..
" Found a Burnley bar in Krakow , Owned by a Burnley fan named James Eastwood , his family owned a brewery in Huddersfield !
The bar is named Tea-Time ..

[Sheedyclaret]

A wonderful place enjoy..

[Dressinggown]

Tea Time Brewpub owned by a mate of mine.

Head out of the old town and it's a 15 minute walk. It's next to one of the main bridges crossing the river.

A range of beers on tap and some Burnley FC memorabilia inside.

[Ampth7]

A beautiful city, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip around Poland! As already said, the mine which has a bar at the bottom and Auschwitz are a must, but Auschwitz is a really emotional and heart wrenching place to visit. I don’t mind admitting that I felt sick to the core walking around there so definitely do it either early or at the end of your trip.

[Dressinggown]

If you want to enjoy the 'authentic' Polish drinking experience then I would suggest paying a visit to one of these 'vodka & herring' bars.

There are numerous of these scattered about the city and vodkas, shots, beers and food are about a quid.

All of them tend to be completely tiled inside and open 23 hours a day. The other hour is used to hose the place down. Spending a couple of hours in one of these place bars can be destructive. My wife and I met up with some interesting tourists and locals one evening. We later struggled to locate our hotel and missed our flight home the following day.

[Dressinggown]

Krakow has a stunning old town. Flights, accommodation, food and drink are extremely good value.

Another consideration for a short break is Gdansk on the Baltic coast of Poland.

Again, flights from a number of UK airports.

[Tricky Trevor]

Tea Time Bar is the red dot on map below.
Wawel Castle worth a visit and then walk along the riverside to see the fire breathing dragon.

IMG_4646.jpeg (1.12 MiB) Viewed 2677 times

[IPAclaret]

As others have said, Krakow is a beautiful medieval old town. It's is simply stunning to wander around the cobbled streets. There are endless inexpensive bars and restaurants and the Polish people I spoke to were always friendly and helpful. I've been to several European cities and Krakows probably my favourite.

[TheFamilyCat]

Krakow's a great city, as others have mentioned.

Definitely go to the salt mines, they are stunning.

A walk round Podgorze, the Jewish ghetto is interesting, and if you've time, a walk up Krakus Mound gives great views on a clear day, including the land (think it was a former quarry) that was used as the set for the concentration camp in Schindler's List. The watch towers and other buildings are still standing.

The pinball museum is a fun place to spend a couple of hours. You pay an entry fee and can play all the machines for free.

It's few years since I've been, I'm talking myself into going back writing this.

[BobLordsPencil]

Schindlers factory is superb. Tells you the history of the Nazi invasion of Krakow. Also if you want a few cheap drinks, banluka bar is well worth a visit.

[longside72]

Thanks for all the info / tips, will try fit as much in as we can ( will leave the vodka bars till late at night )
Will defo go tea time bar and give them some burnley stuff, Dressinggown do you know what size tshirt your mate/owner is ??

[Dressinggown]

Thanks for all the info / tips, will try fit as much in as we can ( will leave the vodka bars till late at night )
Will defo go tea time bar and give them some burnley stuff, Dressinggown do you know what size tshirt your mate/owner is ??

Strange question but I reckon that the owner's T-shirt size would be a Medium. He does running, fitness and all that health related crap.

An alternative trip could be Energylandia, a massive theme park located between Krakow and Katowice. The park provides a dedicated.retum coach service from Krakow for about 6 Euros. Admission is less than £30 and there are hundreds of attractions including a couple of the top rated rollercoasters in the World.

[Loyalclaret]

Strange question but I reckon that the owner's T-shirt size would be a Medium. He does running, fitness and all that health related crap.

Longside72 may produce Burnley related merch

Great thread, as we are planning to go later this month

[evensteadiereddie]

Off to Krakow on Thursday from East Mids and missed this thread first time round.
Some very interesting and useful info on here, thanks to all who have contributed.

[Croydon Claret]

One site not mentioned yet is Plaszow (pronounced like Pwashov) concentration camp. It was the setting for the film Schindlers List.

You can see Amon Goeth's house (camp Commandant) backing onto the camp, the former SS headquarters building, plus some very moving monuments. There's not really anything left of the original camp, it's mostly just brushland now, but a new museum has been recently added

You can get there easily by tram and then it's just a short walk https://search.app/Nn76MCo9TtXrWrB87

[Tricky Trevor]

One site not mentioned yet is Plaszow (pronounced like Pwashov) concentration camp. It was the setting for the film Schindlers List.

You can see Amon Goeth's house (camp Commandant) backing onto the camp, the former SS headquarters building, plus some very moving monuments. There's not really anything left of the original camp, it's mostly just brushland now, but a new museum has been recently added

You can get there easily by tram and then it's just a short walk https://search.app/Nn76MCo9TtXrWrB87

Thanks for the link. I’ve never managed to find it myself even though I heard about it a while back.

[Loyalclaret]

Booked salt mines and plan Zakopane spa. Accommodation is next to the Banksy themed exhibition, will have a look even if there are no original pieces.

Looking for a restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday, if anyone has a recommendation?

[Croydon Claret]

One site not mentioned yet is Plaszow (pronounced like Pwashov) concentration camp. It was the setting for the film Schindlers List.

You can see Amon Goeth's house (camp Commandant) backing onto the camp, the former SS headquarters building, plus some very moving monuments. There's not really anything left of the original camp, it's mostly just brushland now, but a new museum has been recently added

You can get there easily by tram and then it's just a short walk https://search.app/Nn76MCo9TtXrWrB87

It's been a few years since I went there but it seems that the museum is inside the former SS headquarters.

The former Amon Goeth house is just a couple of hundred yards further up the same road, on the right. You can get round the rear of the property but it's not as per the film as there's a hill between the house and the camp

[what_no_pies]

Came to mention Energylandia too. I have been wanting to head out to Krakow but my main motivation is this park. They have so many incredible looking rollercoasters. A few very well travelled theme park nerds rate Zadra as the best rollercoaster in the world. It looks insane.

This thread has got me more interested in the trip myself and will be following plenty of the recommendations made in here.

[Dressinggown]

Came to mention Energylandia too. I have been wanting to head out to Krakow but my main motivation is this park. They have so many incredible looking rollercoasters. A few very well travelled theme park nerds rate Zadra as the best rollercoaster in the world. It looks insane.

This thread has got me more interested in the trip myself and will be following plenty of the recommendations made in here.

Energylandia is a strange place. I think that it has been largely funded through European grants.

Since opening a decade ago the park has gone from introducing a shed load of secondhand kiddies rides to a genuinely top class theme park.

It boasts a grand total of 19 rollercoasters including 2 of the best:

Hyperion:
A giant, much taller than the Big One at Blackpool and way better.

Zadra:
Is the ultimate coaster experience in Europe. Designed by RMC, it is one of a few bespoke coasters around the world that continue to be rated in the top ten.

Hell's teeth, it's fast, intense and never lets up. The Zero G stall is remarkable. I would advise doing the long walk from the entrance as most visitors tend to go straight to Hyperion.

[Dressinggown]

Back in 2020.

[Dressinggown]

[Dressinggown]

Our version.

[ŽižkovClaret]

If you like Duck this place is great

https://czarnakaczka.pl/en/menu/english/

[Corway]

Go to Hero’s Square in Podgorze part of the ghetto for two poignant reasons
There’s an Empty chairs memorial to those who left from there never to return and away from the river is
The Eagle pharmacy museum where a non Jewish pharmacist Tadeus Pankiewicz saved as many lives as Schindler at great risk to his own
It’s not far from Schindler’s factory.
Worth googling them first.
We did the horse and carriage trip from the main square.