Krakow for three nights. Things to do please.

[EachandEveryone]

We will book a tour to the camps when we get there. We are doing the underground museum and a walk of the Jewish district which is where we are staying. I do t think we can fit in the salt mines. It’s my birthday on Friday would like good food and cocktails if anyone knows the area. Thank you! Ps is there anything good to bring home?

A friend of mine is going soon and said that the tours book up, so I'd suggest you look at booking in advance. It would be very disappointing to miss out.

The Philharmonic?

krakow-info.com/Krakow-philharmonic.htm

Schindler's Factory.

The main square is stunning. Loads of restaurants there to choose from. It's a lovely city.

We went for three nights last year and booked a day tour that took in the salt mines followed by Auschwitz. Booked private transfer as that was all that was available, essentially had a taxi at our service. We didn't do a restaurant stop, just grabbed a coffee and sandwich at salt mines. It was an amazing day and we got back about 7pm and spent the evening exploring the vodka bars (found the camps harrowing, the trip back was almost in silence). The salt mines were well worth seeing .. think we went on Sunday and booked the night before at one of the agents by the vodka shot bar.
Kraków is fantastic. Try a shot of potato vodka .. amazing lemony after taste

those things youve suggested will be plenty imo. The saltmines is a day out. Auschwitz is a harrowing day out, but important. The Jewish quarter can be combined with just mooching around Krakow. The main square is lovely. Eating pierogi

I don’t think we will tbh. We arrive 1030pm Tuesday I’m hoping my companion will fancy a night cap!

There are lovely bars in the Jewish Quarter. One I remember with singer sewing machine as bases. I think you could fit the saltmines in.
Also the church in the main part has classical music concerts. Was lovely.

Old Town attracts the hens and stags so just be mindful of that. But it’s beautiful

It’s mid week not the weekend so might be quieter

Im flying tomorrow. Cant wait!

You can do the Salt Mines and Auschwitz on the same day - most of the tour companies carefully schedule their tour departures to accommodate this. Do Auschwitz in the morning, the Salt Mines in the afternoon; sometimes the Auschwitz tour can be a little late visiting Birkenau and you may find yourself there in the dark (Take tissues, I’ve been seven times and cried every visit).
Schindlers Factory is interesting as is the underground museum. I’d recommend Wawel Castle, although the Polish communists striped their castles more thoroughly than the Czech Republic. That will probably keep you busy enough across three days as you’ll still want time to wander the old town. Listen out for the bugler at 11am in the Rynek and look up to St Mary’s Church. If you head up towards the Old walls, walk towards the Railway Station and you’ll find the Galleria. It’s a very good size and has a Sephora (prices are similar but there are some brands Boots doesn’t stock).
Other stuff: there is a Wawel Chocolate cafe on the main square which is nice if you have a sweet tooth. Try pierogi (dumplings, both sweet and savoury), schabowy (like pork schnitzel), Bigos (stew), or Gołąbki (cabbage leaves wrapped around a meat filling, usually pork) with tomato sauce. Wait until you get there to do your exchange from the Kantor. I’ve not been to Krakow for two years so can’t recommend any restaurants but if you need something cheap and cheerful, most malls will have a Express Kuchnia Marche - a buffet restaurant of Polish food where you pay by the weight of the food. Good if you’re a visual person and want to eye up your food before you order it.
Drinks are cheap, almost everyone under 40 speaks some English, and it’s very safe. I’ve walked back to my hotel at 3am and not attracted any attention.
DHs cousin is from Krakow and it’s my second favourite city in Poland

Oh, my Dad loved his communism tour in a Trabant
www.crazyguides.com/krakow-tours/

Queenofthenowhereverse - which is your favourite city, if you don't mind me asking?

Planning on Poland in October.

Wrocław 🙂 We’re there 3/4 times a year. Not as many tourist attractions, but nice and easy to get around, plenty of nice restaurants etc. If you’re going there with kids, I recommend the zoo - one of the best (better than London!) and the waterpark near the university is good. During the summer they have some great bars in the parks run out of shopping containers (no drunken louts, just sitting out chatting and nice background music).

Poznan I’ve been to half a dozen times as BIL and his family are there, mostly in winter - Christmas markets are good, old town is ok, but not a huge amount of tourist stuff.

Gdańsk I like better in the summer (but Christmas again is nice). Lots of walking by the harbour, bit of history (WW2 etc) but we usually head out to enjoy the summer near Hel or Utska. They have a great music festival each year, Opener, in Gdynia. I’ve been only once but nephews love it - actually gets good acts (Strokes, 1975, Nick Cave, Smashing Pumpkins, Kylie, Radiohead, Artic Monkeys etc).

Szczecin is pleasant but boring. Not a lot to see, place somehow seems deserted, very clean, but boring. Only been once, wouldn’t rush back.

I’ve not been to Warsaw or Łódź but DH is Polish so I’ll get there eventually.

Where are you staying? Old Town or Kazimierz?
I love sitting in the main square in one of the many restaurants and watching the world go by. Few cocktails and generally people watching. For a wilder night out head to Plas Nowy (make sure you get a zapeikanka) and head for the vodka bars.

If you want to do Auschwitz and the Salt Mines in one day book before you go. I would spend one day in the Old Town and the castle, walk along the Vistula and see the dragon. Another day visiting Auschwitz and the final day around the Jewish quarter - the ghetto and roll call square should be visited along with the New Jewish Cemetery

A PP mentioned the bar with the sewing machines - that is in- Szeroka the Jewish Square. There is also a bar there called Krokodiles which is great and you can get some amazing kosher food from the restaurants there.
One of my favourite cities

Staying on the crossroad between the old town and the Jewish quarter. Listened to some fab jazz music last night in Harris bar, it’s not as cheap as I thought it was going to be but not expensive either.

I enjoyed ot but. Wouldnt rush back. Four nights was more than enough.

QueenoftheNowhereverse - thank you so much! I'm sorry I didn't reply earlier. I've been working the past few days and completely forgot I'd asked you - didn't mean to be rude. Thanks for the summing up of the different places. There's a few places I'd like to see in Poland. Hoping for Krakow in October. Thanks again.

Im glad you enjoyed it.
I think i was there 4 days too and I think that was plenty, although I wouldn't mind going back again as I just loved the vibe and it was such a good value break with eating and drinking out being so cheap

It wasnt as cheap as I thought it would be. The vodka is! Because we went in the week the bars were fairly quiet. I would like to see it over Xmas.