Kraków is Back and as Good as Ever
“If you think this is beautiful…”
I had arrived in Poland by train from Berlin and was immediately blinded by mile after mile of rapeseed fields. Glistening gold and shimmering in the breeze. It was as if Polska knew I was visiting for the first time and she was showing off.
Before heading to Krakow I first spent some time in the north of the country in Szczecin, Szczecinek and the three northern cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia & Sopot and in each of these places I was told something along the lines of, "If you think this is beautiful, wait till you get to Kraków." After all that I'd seen until this point, it was hard to believe that I could become any more enchanted with this place. Yet I was, and happily so.
The train from Gdańsk was everything I’d hoped for. It’s hard to love rail travel back in the UK after having taken this high speed journey, first class for around £30 where you could get a fresh, cooked meal from a menu that had more than two options.
2022 was to be the year that a great destination such as Kraków was going to bounce back after the pandemic decimated its tourism industry. In fact in the run up to 2020, the former Polish capital was seeing a year on year increase in the number of visitors to the city, over half a million more in 2019 than in 2018. But since the invasion of Ukraine, things unsurprisingly became more uncertain and slowed down growth in the industry with one Kraków hotelier losing 80% of group bookings in three days.
“Sirs, please come to reception at your earliest convenience”
The contrasting types of beauty in the city are most clearly seen when you wander along the city's green belt. A ring of greenery that was created in the early 1800’s in place of the medieval city walls pleasingly called ‘Planty Park’. This chain of thirty gardens of varying designs, peppered with fountains and statues gives a unique feel to walking or scooting around (more on that later). Leonardo Boutique Hotel sits on the south east edge of Planty Park and by virtue of location is in a UNESCO-listed building with a stunning reception.
We checked in late and were met with a young man who sent us upstairs in an efficient manner and settled in for the evening. I took note of the boxes and general debris in the corridor leading to our room but as it was late I didn't think anything of it. The room was big, clean and had air conditioning that worked, something that kept us awake for hours while staying at a hotel in Berlin. That establishment will remain nameless but let’s just say the stay was anything other than easy.
I don’t know if I'm a light sleeper, but if anything was going to make me sit bolt upright in bed at 7am it would be the little ‘bleep bleep’ made as the key card unlocks the door to your room. This happened that sunny Krakow morning and I was met with a man walking into the room holding something that at the time looked like a can of beer but on reflection was probably a tube of sealant. A hazy fear took over me, but before I could do anything the man exclaimed with more terror than I had in that moment ‘Kurwa!’ Slamming the door shut. Turns out, we had been put on a floor that was undergoing renovation and where guests weren’t supposed to be put for the time being. The room we were in was big and being used by the workers as a space for a break, hence why they had access but it was also kept clean.
I include this story because it happened not to shame the hotel. In fact when we went to reception later in the day to mention Kurwa-gate the hotel manager’s eyes widened as she realized who we were, adding 'I've left a note on your door’ asking you to come to reception. We’d clearly been the talk of the steamie all day. She handed us a bottle of (excellent) wine and along with profuse apologies, asked us if we wouldn’t mind moving rooms to the floor above. We did not. Aside from this innocent mistake, the stay was excellent. There were 100 rooms, a full and fresh breakfast buffet and the location was excellent.
Seeing the city
Transport around the city is not in short supply. Buses, trains and trams are abundant and affordable. Like a lot of European hubs you can travel on an integrated ticket across different zones and they’ve been designed with tourists in mind. Electric scooters have become the mode of transport of choice for (particularly young) tourists making their way around the city and they divide opinion. At first I was skeptical. They can go fairly fast and are almost exclusively used on pavements or paths so you see people weaving in and out of groups. One local woman said she’d never ride one again after an accident she was involved in left her shaken. They're not for everyone and discussions are underway about ways to reduce their impact both in movement and when they are stationary as their contribution to urban clutter is significant. They’re gathered together at designated parking spots buy multiple providers including UBER and are put out fresh and recharged every day by a team of people who work through the night to have them ready for the next day.
Are they worthwhile? I want to make a point and say they are fast, heavy and can be dangerous. However, on a trip per trip basis they’re a similar cost to getting a taxi and I can’t think of a better way to nip around the city and take in its sights. I definitely wouldn't have seen or done as much and I enjoyed the experience. Zipping in and out of the parks, round the streets into the breeze in sunny weather was a wonderfully unique way to take in the city. But it’s not for the faint hearted, aside from automated speed limits in certain zones and out of bounds areas they are largely unregulated. They’re fast, they’re cool but they’re risky on the roads.
Eating In Kraków
Where to start with food? Well you would start, as I often do, with Pretzels. The Kraków pretzel ‘obwarzanek krakowski or ‘Kraków bagel’ as it’s also known is a braided ring-shaped bread that’s boiled and covered with salt and sesame or poppy seeds before being baked and can be picked up from stands and conveniences across the city.
For excellent traditional fare, Morskie Oko is a city institution that from the outside looks unassuming but goes underground and this wood-lined wonderland gives you the traditional Polish dining experience. Would a Pole call it truly authentic? No it’s heightened for tourists but as these kinds of places go the quality and service was excellent. To start, Traditional Polish soup (Żurek) with egg and sausage, served in bread followed by Highlanders Potato pancake with beef goulash and sheeps cheese (Placek po zbójnicku). Something about soup in a bread bowl is quite exciting, I didn’t think the soup experience could be improved but it was. This warm, joyus food spoke to my heart and made me want to swear off bowls forever more.
For a quick and satisfying treat as you wander around enjoying the architecture in Kraków or a late night snack to feed the next day's hangover, the snazily named Pizzatopi is a great stop. They aim to make your affordable pizza in three minutes or less and have locations in Kraków, Wrocław and Poznań. Love Poland but fancy a bit of Czech on your visit? Hospudka U Nas is a friendly bar with a wide selection of beer and traditional food from Czechia that quenched my thirst on a sunny day. In the shadow of St. Joseph's Church on the edge of Rynek Podgórski is the family run Wiệtnam that's been Serving excellent Vietnamese cuisine since 2019. A great wee find on the final day of my trip.
Aside from the obvious beauty and culture, there are other reasons to fly into John Paul II Kraków-Balice International Airport. Millions each year come to this part of the world to visit and pay their respects at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. It’s an extremely worthwhile but difficult experience and everyone should go.
Walking around the city, you are approached by people with golf carts offering you tours of the city and they seemed popular but there were many of them and were quite costly. That said, like the scooters, a cart is probably a good way to nip around the city quickly and take in the surroundings on a short visit.
A truly glorious way to see some of the city's striking elements is by boat tour. We booked early to go on the last tour of the day (about 8pm). As the sun began to set on the Vistula river. This was a truly stunning experience. Sitting in a small, quiet boat with only a few people, sipping on a beer and watching the sky cool into night-time as the city flows past you along with stunning views of Wawel Royal Castle. Aqua Fun ran the boat tour we went on and it only cost around £10 for the hour or 55.00pl.
The Castle is a must-see also and is free to enter. You can enjoy a walk around the grounds as well as the views from the turrets. Tickets are available for entry into different elements of the castle, like the Dragon's Den, a cave underneath the castle that formed millions of years ago.
You can also pay for entry to the separate, but on the same complex, Wawel Cathedral. This 1000 year old Roman Catholic cathedral used to be called ‘Royal Archcathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus’ and was the coronation site of Polish Monarchs. Not exclusively however. Rulers were also crowned in Poznań and at Gniezno Cathedral, wherever was convenient. Polish Coronations used to happen speedily after the funeral of the previous sovereign as “osoba umiera, korona nie umiera” or "the person dies, the crown dies not" in the words of Joachim Bielski. The stunning cathedral is vast and impressive as is the The Sigismund Bell, the largest of the five bells hanging in the Sigismund Tower. It’s only used for religious festivals; it was cast in 1520 and it is said that if you whisper a wish while under the bell it will come true soon.
Do you like salt? Odd question, but if you do or even if you don’t, you have to go to The “Wieliczka” Salt Mine. It’s not often you get to walk around something that dates back to the 13th century. It’s incredible to walk around 135 metres underground and visit a church made of salt or underground lake. The guide actually encouraged us to lick the wall and it tasted of SALT. It’s a truly baffling and unique experience. There is a legend about how the mine was discovered involving ancient kings and queens and mythical happenings that is dramatically displayed using salt sculptures and lighting. At the end of the tale our tour guide paused and said “That is the story of how this mine was discovered, but of course you must take it, with a pinch of salt.”
If you fancy dancing your nights away at an LGBTQ club you could start your night at the Lindo Bar near the edge of the Old Town, the music’s good, the drinks are cheap and the staff were delightfully friendly and efficient, especially given their extensively sweet cocktail menu. For dancing, Club Papuga did the trick. The colourful design choices mixed with the underground venue made it feel like a Pride party in a bunker, which I suppose it was in a way.
I don’t know if it was because I was more tired than I realised or that making my way to the final destination on my trip made me melancholic, but as the train moved further south and the summer sun gave in to night, I drifted off. It was dark when we pulled into Kraków Główny and the first thing you are met with are signs in Ukrainian advising people displaced by the war where to go for help. I felt near something that I’d had the luxury of only experiencing as a news story. I was genuinely questioning if it was right to be on holiday here, was it (at best) in poor taste?
On my visit to Poland, I had learned of the kindness and hospitality of its people, that same warmth I had received is what has met over 2 million refugees fleeing devastation. Poland has taken in more people than any other country and as a nation whose people and street names carry the heavy memory of wars past, their kindness is no surprise. So, as others have suggested, visiting Kraków, Warsaw or Gdańsk and spending your time and money in local places is a way of helping, and what better way to help than by enjoying pierogi?
On the topic of dumplings. There’s a type of pierogi in Poland known as ‘the Ruskie’. It’s traditionally filled with cheese and potato. While in Szczecinek, this was on the menu at Dom Woźnego Pierogarnia, the place known for having the best dumplings in town. I can vouch for that.
