Best decision I ever made was to hire Andrew to take us around Krakow! He is recommended in Rick Steves ' book, and what a find he is! Andrew is the most pleasant, knowledgeable tour guide! I engaged him to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel, with a couple hour get acquainted time in Krakow. On our way to the hotel, he showed us the mound honoring a famous Pole who had actually fought in our revolutionary war, and a beautiful view of the city! Then a tour of town, the market, churches, places to eat, always filled with history. We had reserved tickets to Shindler's museum, so Andrew took us there, after a tour of the Jewish Quarter, and then even came back to pick us up and return us to the market square. He had previously purchased tickets for us to the Salt Mines and Auschwitz, so said he would pick us up at 8 the next morning for a full day.
He was right on time and away we went to the salt mines, He put us right up front, and we were off. upon exiting the tour, Andrew was waiting for us with cold water, donuts and pastry and a bag full of candy!! (yes, he won us over!) Then off to Auschwitz, we stopped for lunch in a great local diner, and ice cream. Andrew escorted us to the start of our tour, and was there waiting when we were done. He then returned us to our hotel. But don't forget the wealth of information this man has! It is like traveling with a history book, who is funny and informative at the same time. Andrew bid us farewell with a special bottle of Polish Vodka, and a big hug! The price for all of this? His time was about 250 USD. Plus the cost of the tickets. This is money so well spent for your own private guide to Krakow and Poland I cannot recommend him enough! This man became family to us. Andrew is also available to drive you for trips to Prague, and anywhere you need. Andrew Durman without a doubt made our visit to Krakow! I only hope we have the opportunity to spend time with him sometime in the future!
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7049 posts
On our way to the hotel, he showed us the mound honoring a famous Pole
who had actually fought in our revolutionary war,
Which one - Kościuszko or Pułaski? There are many streets, bridges, monuments, etc. named after these two in the US (I'm thinking of NY and DC).
It's great you had such a positive experience with your guide, he seems to have a v. good reputation with the Rick Steves crowd. Do you happen to know what his (educational) background is? History..or something else?
Posted by
Ind., United States
317 posts
My sister and I also had the good fortune to be able to contract with Andrew as a guide while in Krakow last fall. Our experience was very much like yours. As we were planning our trip we saw Andrew mentioned in our RS guidebook. We emailed him right away doubtful that he would be free to help us since he was was well enough to be listed in the book. We were thrilled when he returned our email in less than 24 hours and he was free during the time we were there. He spent our first day touring Krakow and showing us places that we might want to spend more time. The following day we had on our own and did just that. The next day he picked us up at our apartment early and we did the trip to the salt mine and to Auschwitz ( he had pastry for us too). He was a great guide with a treasure trove of knowledge! His English is suburb (he lived in Chicago for several years), and he knows how to get where you want to go. He also works with anyone wanting to trace their genealogy. We considered having him help us with that but decided that we would need more time than we had. Anyone that is looking for a guide in the Krakow area, you sure can't go wrong with Andrew!!
Posted by
OP
Olympia, WA, USA
7 posts
to Agnes, it was Kościuszko, and I think his background is living life! And loving the history of his country
Posted by
12 posts
Sounds amazing I am after a guide how do I contact him? I am needing a guide for Krakow and aushwitz