I just spent 3 lovely days (4 nights) in Krakow, including emotional visit to Auschwitz. I’m a solo traveler, and it was my first time in Poland.
HOTEL Tribe Hotel near Krakow Glowny, one block from Barbakan, great location. It was by far the quietest hotel room I have ever stayed in. Once I closed the door, I couldn’t hear a peep from the hip-hop music playing in the hallway, or the cars on my side-street-facing room. The room was small but functional, with a great bed and good water pressure in the shower. Good quality body lotion/body wash. The staff were really nice and helpful. Breakfast was not the best in my opinion. Very limited Western options, and the scrambled eggs were very runny. But they had wonderful salad options and breakfast open until 12pm! One day I went early for coffee, then walked around for a bit and returned later morning and had a salad as pre-lunch 😊.
FOOD: I didn't have any reservations for lunch or dinner and just picked a restaurant near where I was at a particular time and that looked good. Here are a few I remember:
- Pierogarnia Domowa – great pierogi
- Pierogarnia Krakowiacy – also good pierogi, but I think the Domowa was better
- Taj Krakow (Thai) – good and priced well
- Primo Pizza Pasta in Podgorze (had a great lunch set meal with wine and affordable)
- Szalone – it was a very disappointing experience with service and food
- 2 Okna Café in Kazimierz – lovely back patio and latte
- Dobra Pączkarnia Kraków – had the traditional rose paczki with fluffy dough, but not a fan of the filling.
WHAT I VISITED : Krakow is a compact city, and I really enjoyed just walking around early in the morning and in the evenings.
- I listened to the trumpeter at the top of the hour at St. Mary’s Basilica a few times. I timed well to watch the opening of altarpiece. And returned to St. Mary’s on Sunday evening to attend a mass service.
- Loved visiting several churches, including St. Joseph’s in the Podgorze area. I walked around several churches early on Sunday morning, and at the park around Old Town.
- The Underground Museum was not what I expected. It was too dark and hard to follow unguided, and also much larger than I expected. But it was a good respite from the heat, as it happened to be a day in the mid-90s.
- Walkative Jewish Heritage walking tour. It was a brutally hot day, but I still enjoyed the tour very much and felt I learned a lot, and saw more of the Kazimierz area than I would have on my own. The guide made an effort to find places in the shade for the large group. I arrived early and enjoyed a latte at a quaint café near Old Synagogue.
- Wawel Castle grounds. I went on a Sunday, and it was SO HOT and PACKED with tourists that I didn’t enjoy it so much. I think the experience would have been different on a cooler weekday, but I had limited time. I didn’t get a chance to enter the Cathedral because of the wait for a ticket. Did I say it was hot?
TRANSPORTATION
I arrived at the airport on a Saturday at 5:30pm after a connection in Amsterdam, and I was surprised by how small it was. Upon landing, we just walked down airplane stairs and into the terminal/baggage area. I didn’t check a bag, so I just exited and looked for a bathroom. To access the train to town, just go up one level when at the main arrival hall and cross the street. Easy to purchase the ticket at the machine. Trains left every 30 minutes. Within 15 minutes of landing, I was sitting inside the train waiting for it to depart (airport is the first stop). Quick ride to Krakow Glowny, which was only a block from my hotel. Walked around Old Town that evening.
I walked everywhere, but took tram to Kazimierz one day. I learned you can buy the ticket inside the tram and then validate it on a separate machine. A young man helped me as I was struggling to buy the ticket on the wrong machine first.