I will try my best to share my experiences. I love discovering the differences between us and it just fascinates me how culture makes us react to different things. I am really tolerant and I believe it makes my life between people easier.
Going on a City Break
The possibilities offered by Balice airport, located just minutes from the city center, are beyond imagination. Tourists from all over the globe, can grace the local residents with their presence, at any time of year or day.
The perfectly connected part of the road between the airport and the heart of Krakow is a great privilege for the tourists coming here. Those who wish, may use the elegant services of Krakow VIP transfer and feel like a real king, visiting the former seat of the kings of Poland. After all, such is the history of today’s capital of Malopolska. If someone does not care so much about royal comfort, the city offers public transport, trains, cabs or individual services Krakow airport transfer.
Colorful weekend in Krakow
Not only is Krakow’s main square, the representative part of Krakow, bustling with life, enchanting with atmosphere and fascinating with monuments, but it is also the center of major cultural events for which this city is famous all over the world.
Charming Kazimierz, where in the maze of streets amazes multiculturalism, distinguishing the district for centuries, attracting young people with its beauty and abundance of nightlife, partying.
Podgórze, with its intimate character, free from the crowds of tourists and urban noise, allows you to move for a moment to the picturesque Milan of Krakow. Today it is a rapidly developing place, transforming its former industrial character into fashionable and creative spaces gathering people who value individuality and unconventionality.
Nowa Huta, once an icon of socialist patterns, now pulsates with energy and flourishes, turning its distinctiveness from the rest of the city into an asset. This part of Krakow has now become a place for seeking alternative inspirations and creating new trends.
Even more attractions…
First of all, when you visit Krakow, it is mandatory to see the bustling city center. It’s the fastest way to do it, even if it’s already starting to get dark. I think all cities are different at night. Sometimes they seem deserted, but not the royal city. The heart of Malopolska is an original medieval pearl. You can go on a walking tour on your own or take advantage of the organized sightseeing tours offered in Krakow.
One way of touring the city for the more lazy ones is Melex – an electric car that can be driven almost anywhere. The second option is a horse-drawn carriage. You can find them around the main square. It’s such a tradition, especially for those in love. If you’ve seen the Polish movie “No lie, my love”, you know what I mean. The carriages are beautifully dressed and the ride both in summer and winter has its own unique charm.
For those who love music and art
Above all, lovers of festivals cannot complain about being bored in this city! It is hard to find a gap in the calendar without cultural events – there are international festivals of music, theater, film, literature and contemporary art. Names such as Sacrum Profanum, Divine Comedy or Krakow Live Festival, but also Krakow Photomonth, Krakow Film Festival or Festival of Jewish Culture speak for themselves and have been creating a recognizable brand for years. Apart from these, smaller events are also organized, not counting exhibitions in Krakow’s museums and galleries, which are always open.
However, those who want to experience the charms of night-time Krakow after the festival will not be disappointed. Fans of long parties and dancing to their favorite music will feel like in heaven here. Hundreds of jazz and dance clubs, pubs and bars resound with multilingual buzz every night. In every corner, even after dark, there is a vibrant music and social life. All these events create the evening picture of Krakow, drawing on the magic of the city and contributing to it.
A tour of Krakow from the Main Square…
An attraction for tourists is the bugle call played every hour – a warning song from St. Mary’s Church. It reminds that in 1241 the Tatars invaded Krakow. In the center there are also the famous Cloth Hall, and under them a museum representing the undergrounds of the old city. Walking further along Grodzka Street you will reach the heart of Cracow, that is Wawel Castle and the Wawel Dragon guarding it. It is the symbol of Cracow. An underground way leads to the Dragon’s Cave. Outside on the Vistula River there is a huge statue of the Wawel Dragon breathing fire. All this is located right next to the Vistula River that divides the city, on which you can take a boat or kayak.
Excursions from Krakow
One of the most popular excursions from Krakow is the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Such a beautiful place! There are also several attractions around Krakow that are said to be worth visiting. I think they will fulfill your stay in this beautiful city. One of them is located a few kilometers from the city in Wieliczka. It is a magical underground kingdom of salt. Not without a reason, it is one of the oldest salt mines listed by UNESCO.
As you enter the dark corridors, you’ll see a beautiful still salt lake, narrow staircases and human-powered wheels… It’s a museum that shows how the first people tried to separate salt from water and how they did it in the Middle Ages. Underground, where it was never safe and no one was sure if they would return home, superstition mixed with the Christian religion. People did what they could to survive.
Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps
It is worth mentioning another place that is really worth seeing. Maybe it is not something we can call an “attraction”, but surely if you wonder what to see in Cracow, this is the answer. For those who are interested in history, it will be an amazing experience. The former Nazi concentration camps at Aushwitz are extremely shocking, depressing and moving places that are forever etched in your memory. You can’t really compare what you learn from the book with what you see there. Pills with skulls, skeletons of children in baby carriages, pictures of “prisoners”… In my opinion, it was a mockery of humanity. Nazi doctors experimented on living creatures, and prisoners from Germany suddenly became guards, because there weren’t enough soldiers in the camps. I hope that this place will be a warning to people around the world so that history will never repeat itself again
Culinary conquests of Krakow
The culinary attractions of the city are also worth mentioning. It is in Krakow that a true culinary culture has developed, based on the former Austro-Galician synthesis of cuisines of Central European countries and nations. Seafood from the Adriatic, Hungarian goulash, Jewish specialities and Austrian schnitzels were eaten here a century ago – just as they are today.
Today, however, due to the influx of people from all over the world and globalization, in Krakow you can taste cuisine from every corner of the globe. The restaurants are run by chefs from our country as well as from China and India. Perfectly trained, sharing their passion, they invite everyone to their four corners.
Summary
All this makes the city an ideal place for both lovers of crazy adventure and quiet rest in intimate surroundings. The unique combination of the beauty of Polish tradition with modernity and openness to the world makes Krakow a must for anyone planning to immerse themselves in the culture of the Vistula River. I hope that I have encouraged at least some of you to go on a walking tour of Cracow. It is an interesting place full of legends, mysteries and hidden places. Discover it for yourself and see the best things to do in Krakow.