Any Krakow restaurants, tours, etc that support local initiatives?

I too am going on an RS Best of I Poland tour this summer. Insofar as the tour ends in Krakow “after breakfast” on Thursday, I have booked a day tour to Auschwitz that day, leaving mid-morning. Just Auschwitz, not the salt mines. I agree with the feeling that it is probably best not to leave for home the next day. I am sure the day will be extremely emotional and “heavy”.

My plan is to leave Krakow early Friday, by train, to Wroclaw. There until mid-day Monday, when I will take the train to Warsaw. Just an overnight and fly home to JFK non-stop. Mid-day.

I found tons to see in Krakow; I spent nine nights there in 2018. Like the other major cities in Poland, it has many excellent museums focused on art and history--especially 20th-century history. I see the tour takes you through the historic center and also out to Nowa Huta; otherwise, I'd have recommended you sign up for walking tours of those areas. I'd still budget time for additional wandering in neighborhoods like Kazimierz. Krakow is really lovely.

Note that Auschwitz can be visited by simply taking a public bus from Krakow. If you opt to do that, you need to purchase a ticket for the camp/memorial well ahead of time. Even seven years ago, online tickets were sold out for the next eight days when I arrived in the city, disappointing many visitors. No matter whether you pay for a commercial tour or travel to Auschwitz on your own, you'll be on a tour conducted by camp personnel.

I was staying in Kazimierz and really enjoyed wandering around this beautiful old neighborhood. Had meals in 4 different places, but this one was special: https://klezmer.pl/en/about-klezmer-hois/
The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was wonderful and then they had a concert in the dining room. Everyone enjoyed this as the musicians were so passionate. For me, seeing these old traditions and style of music being carried on is special.
Right around the corner is a place called "Once Upon a Time" that is like stepping into a time machine, but with delicious food. In this same sort of plaza area is the 2nd oldest synagogue with cemetery, a charming bookstore in an old synagogue, as well as cafes, a museum, and more restaurants.

The underground museum located under their huge market hall was a surprise! The museum is huge and pretty interesting. All text was in English and Polish.

There are many things to see and do in and around Krakow. I'd certainly spend min 4 nights all together. Other day trips from Krakow could be the Trail of the Eagle's Nest Castles or the baroque town of Pszczyna.

You could also consider spending a few days in the Polish Carpathian mountains just south of Krakow to "decompress". I don' think the tour goes there but it is a very important part of Poland, mountain spa towns like Żywiec, Wisła, or Zakopane would be good bases.

Ms.Jo, I stayed there for a week and it’s one of my all time favorite stays. I have been to the dinner and concert there twice and loved both the food and music and would also recommend it to any and all. As far as “local initiatives”, the location is also home to a local publisher of Jewish literature (hence the books stacked everywhere). But you do need reservations well ahead of time.

This is valuable input from everyone! It's the kind of information that I'm looking for to make my decisions. I will most certainly look into exploring Kazimierz and I have saved the suggested restaurants. Klezmer- Hois may be a perfect last meal with friends before they depart home. I will look into Wroclaw, Trail of the Eagle's Nest Castles, and Pszczyna, if I decide to stay longer than 1 or 2 days, .

A little background on sites that support local initiatives: I found visiting sites or places that give back to the community or long-standing local businesses inspiring after difficult history lessons. It's a reminder that people can make a positive difference on others. Our group did this after visiting the Killing Fields in Cambodia and I hope to find 1 or 2 such places in or near Krakow.

JimD - Are you on one of the July tours? We may be on the same tour.

I agree with Ms. Jo and TexasTravelMom that the dinner and concert are not to be missed. We spent 5 nights in Krakow and could have easily stayed longer.

We really "enjoyed" the tour of the Schindler factory. As it happened, a few days later, my son and I got lost and ended up walking around the area that had been the camp for Schindler's workers. There were some signs, but the area was a bit rundown, and as I say, we were kind of wandering. This was in 2018. I would have liked to do a walking tour of that area with a knowledgeable guide.