Krakow Hotel and Warsaw hotel

With 5 nights in Krakow, you might appreciate an apartment/apart-hotel rather than a standard hotel. I stayed in this apart-hotel and loved it. Great location a 1/2 block from the main square, all the comforts of a well appointed apartment, and budget friendly (at least it was in 2014). Krakow For You Apartments.

I really liked Hotel Wentzl on Krakow's main square. The window in my room opened to the square, which was great.

http://wentzl.pl/en/

We wanted to be near the main square in Krakow but not on it due to music, noise. We were very happy with our hotel, Hotel Amber Design, a short walk away from the square. The staff were so helpful arranging airport pickup and a day trip to Auschwitz for us. We chose the design wing with larger rooms that looked over a green space in the rear.

Do you have a budget that you'd share to get appropriate recommendations?

Nancy,
Budget would be anywhere from $150 to $225/ night

We stayed at the Hotel Saski in Krakow about a 3 - 5 minute walk from the Main Square. Rooms are clean, a good size, and included breakfast was delicious.

Nancy - are the Krakow for You apartments air conditioned? I'm having trouble finding that on their website.

Thanks!

I stayed in Hotel Maltanski in Krakow, which is just across the road that rings the Old Town and the park. It is well inside your budget and had a very nice breakfast that included Polish specialties. The staff are so helpful with any sights you'd like to see or bookings you'd like to make for activities. It is a few minutes walk from the castle and 8-10 minutes from the Old Town square. Note that it's on the opposite side of the Old Town from the train station. With luggage, you'd probably want a taxi.

My choice for Warsaw would be Hotel Bristol although it is quite expensive. If your stay is over a weekend you may find the rates for many of the big 5 star Western chains to be very reasonable as during the week they cater primarily for business guests and drastically reduce prices on the weekend.

I've stayed at The Westin, Marriott and Sofitel hotels all within walking distance of the Old Town. My most recent stay was 2 nights at The Westin (voted best 5* hotel in Warsaw) and return flights from London with British Airways all for £135!

We just checked out of Hotel Wawel in Krakow yesterday and it was very nice and well located (right near Wawel Castle hill, near main market square). Just a note on Warsaw---wish we had skipped but you don't know until you go. Krakow was really fantastic and we could see ourselves coming back to spend a couple of weeks in an apartment in the summer. Keep in mind we are here in the winter (due to a trip for Christmas markets) and May should be wonderful. Warsaw just seriously underwhelmed me after Germany and Krakow, although the Museum of the History of Polish Jews isn't to be missed.

We stayed at ApartHotel Maria (Ul. Długa 8, Old Town, Krakow, 31-146, Poland). Very close to the center of town, very good breakfast with good character.

A few years ago we stayed at The Hotel Wielopole in Krakow. It was very nice. The breakfast was huge, the staff were helpful and the room was comfortable. The bathroom was the absolute cleanest, sparkling, shiny place I have I ever seen...it made quite the impression! The staff helped arrange door to door tours of both Auschwitz and the salt mines. It was an easy walk from the train station through the Planty with luggage and very close to the main square. Highly recommended for convenience, location and friendliness.

Warsaw just seriously underwhelmed me after Germany and Krakow

This is a valid point. The two cities are very different. Krakow escaped WWII relatively unscathed and therefore retains much if its historical charm, Warsaw was not so fortunate and is much more modern outside of the rebuilt old town. However, one should consider that cities are not there for foreign tourist indulgence but rather places where the natives live and work and the country operates. As such, Warsaw is an incredibly vibrant and dynamic city, constantly brushing aside the shackles of its past. The food, drink, art and other cultural aspects are flourishing and makes places like Krakow look very staid in comparison.

As much as I enjoy Krakow I find Warsaw far more exciting and interesting, you just need to look beyond the facade a bit more and acknowledge that places, particularly capital cities, do not exist as some form of touristic theme park but rather as constantly evolving and exciting places. Not only that but Warsaw has some of the best restaurants I've eaten at, there's a palpable buzz about the city and this is reflected in many of the new and up and coming eateries popping up everywhere.

I love both cities but they're very different. The fact that I've been to Warsaw more times than Krakow speaks volumes.

Thanks for all the input. e booked our Warsaw hotel at the Chopin Boutique B&B. Next I'll review all comments on the Krakow hotels. We may go to Zakopane...and if we do we'll probably stay there at least 1 night.

We stayed at the Hotel Wielopole in August, 2018. While the location is very good and the front desk staff friendly and helpful, the room was tiny and very dark, even during the day with all the lights on (maybe because it was at the back facing a courtyard, so not much natural light coming in, maybe the rooms at the front are not so dark) and the bed uncomfortable (I woke up every morning with a backache). We also found the AC very loud and the carpet was gross - lots of stains. But I agree about the bathrooms - huge and very clean (I would have rather had less bathroom and more room). With so much choice of hotels in Kraków I wouldn't stay there again.

In case you're still considering options, we'd highly recommend Hotel Mamaison Le Regina for Warsaw - the location is a short walk from the Old Town and we had a very nice stay there last May.

For Krakow, we stayed at Hotel Polski Pod Bialym Orlem - it was a nice hotel but the staff member were somewhat indifferent. Our room was comfortable though. The location was right at the edge of the Old Town.

Good choice in Warsaw! We love the Boutique Hotel Chopin. The breakfast was outstanding and we love the repurposed furniture.

May I suggest booking the Downtown Apartments in Krakow? We stayed there last year for three or four nights. They were in a great location near Stary Kleparz and a great bakery next door!) and the owner was great. Easy walk to Rynek Glowny and the town square. The apartment was so nice and modern with a good kitchen and a washer and dryer! It was a great bargain and sold me on staying in apartments for longer stays.