4 (or 5) nights in Krakow...questions !

Posted by bucephale (Montréal, Canada ) on 02/21/25 02:04 PM

Hi !
We are a family (2 adults and 2 teens) from Canada. We are making a 35 days road trip in Central Europe in july-august. Before going to Krakow we will be in Slovakia, in the high Tatras region. After Krakow we are heading to Hungary (with a stop in Kosice, Slovakia).

We are trying to figure if we would have 4 or 5 nights. We want to go to Auschwitz and Wieliczka salt mine. I guess we coul enjoy evening to see Krakow itself. We would alos like to tke some time to go in Nowa Huta.

Since we will have a car we are trying to find an airbnb that got parking. That would mean to stay outside old town or Kazimierz. Are we losing a lot by staying ''outside'' Krakow ? What would be nice locations that can give us easy access to tourist must see by tram ?

Is there any nice daytrip to make from Krakow ?

Many thanks in advance !

Posted by Craig

Chicago

02/21/25 02:55 PM

611 posts

I visited Krakow in 2015 and 2022. I loved it.

Kazimierz would be a great place to stay. The neighborhood is historic and has a lot of flavor. Make sure to see Oskar Schindler's nearby factory -- better yet, read Schindler's Ark,v the book that inspired the movie -- Heroes' Square and the famed pharmacy. The Jewish cemetery and old synagogue are moving to see. There are some great kosher eateries and a wonderful bookstore nearby. I used the tram, too, to get back and forth to the Old Town. The tram is easy to learn.

A great day trip from Krakow is Zakopane in the Polish highlands for hiking. Katowice is a fascinating industrial town with great eateries. It's near Auschwitz. The concentration camps is sobering. Be prepared.

Posted by G3rryCee

Bellingham, WA

02/21/25 05:49 PM

614 posts

If you search on AirBnB for a place with parking, you'll see that there are places in Kazimierz. It may be that the parking is off-site. We stayed here:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/881687?source_impression_id=p3_1740159219_P3fpf7FE1X71MQC2
I wouldn't necessarily recommend this place. It was fine. The location was amazing. And it had a on-site parking space and two bathrooms.
Just across the pedestrian bridge from Kazimierz is Podgorze, which is a very charming area. Also, to the east of Kazimierz is a mall called Galleria Krakow that has a very nice, large supermarket that we walked to and from with groceries. There are apartments nearby there that I can see on AirBnB.
I second the Schlinder factory tour. I would also suggest visiting one of the mounds. The Krakow Mound is south of Podgorze. We walked at least part of the way there. We got lost and ended up in what used to be the camp for the Schlinder workers. I would have loved to have had a guide for that. We also went to the Kosciuszko Mound west of Krakow. Very nice facilities there. There are several other mounds in the area. These are generally memorials, and you can walk to the top.

Posted by SJS

Southeast of Seattle

02/21/25 08:59 PM

739 posts

We had a car and stayed in Kazimierz in an airbnb. It was at the end of Hieronima Wietora next to the river. It had a parking space that we happened to be lucky to get. Then we walked everywhere or took trams.
I would say 5 nights as there is much to see in Krakow itself, plus you seem to have at least 3 day trips planned which doesn’t leave much time for Krakow and it is a wonderful city. Definitely try to see Schindler museum. Auschwitz is a must see as well as Birkenau-we found it much more moving than Auschwitz itself. Usually a tour will include both.
We did not go to the salt mine or Nowa Huta.