Kraków
What to do in Krakow?
Often considered the most beautiful city in Poland, the one even Hitler couldn’t bring himself to bomb, Krakow is an incredible place to visit. The city is marked with beautiful 14th - 16th century architecture from when Poland was the largest country in Europe and Krakow was her capital. And it all sits around Wawel Castle, where a dragon is rumored to live - visit the cave and see the literal fire-breathing sculpture - we never miss it.
For a taste of Krakow, our Welcome Drinks will be in the heart of the oldest neighborhood, “Stare Miasto” or ”Old City,” and during our Bar Crawl afterwards we’ll take you through some of our favorite areas including the Jewish neighborhood, Kazimierz, now the hippest part of the city, and filled with history.
Kazimierz, marks where the Jewish Ghetto stood during the war. Decades later artists started moving in for the cheaper housing, and with artists comes murals, music, and life. Now, Kazimierz exudes that life. It’s the best place to see where locals hang out, eat and drink, and has phenomenal vintage clothing shops. You can easily spend days just exploring a just one of these neighborhoods in Krakow.
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Krakow is in the south of Poland and is the most visited city in the country. It is a hub of art, shopping, museums, and nightlife.
For those interested in history and architecture, we strongly recommend visiting Wawel Castle, the crypts under the cathedral, and the synagogues in Kazimierz.
For art, be sure to see Poland’s Leonardo de Vinci, the Lady with the Ermine, in The Prince’s Czartoryski Museum. For a great taste of Poland’s art, also visit the The Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art at Sukiennice. It’s above the 14th century Cloth Hall and gives you a beautiful view of the Old Town main square.
And the one “MUST” Ella and Piotr recommend is taking a tour of Wieliczka Salt Mine. It will be one of the coolest places you’ll ever see.
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Krakow is known for delicious varied cuisine. The best quick traditional food here is Zapiekanki, a Polish open-faced sandwich. We’ll be sure to take anyone that joins us for the Bar Crawl Saturday to our favorite spot in Kazimierz.
Besides great Polish food in the classic Milk Bars - traditional Polish food cafeteria-style restaurants - and pierogi shops, it also has great middle eastern representation. Ella has had some of the best Shawarma in her life here. Think about trying some of the vegan shops too. The best way to enjoy Krakow is to just wander around and pop in what looks interesting. You really can’t go wrong.
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Krakow is Ella and Piotr’s favorite city. The squares around the city are often filled with different fairs and festivals that pop up. If you want the best Polish food and atmosphere, try to find a pop-up fair and grab some potatoes and gulasz. It’ll probably be the best you’ve had.
Our last bit of advice: while Auschwitz is close and we recommend everyone see this vital piece of history at some point in their life, we strongly don’t recommend going immediately before the wedding. It’s much more than a simple museum tour. Try to book a visit after Tuesday if you can.