I stayed outside of the center at Hyatt Place Krakow. It was a bit of a jaunt into the center, but I needed a name-branded hotel after my spicay, distrusting stay in the Gran Canaria.
There was a tram stop right out front of the hotel, but most trams only accept coins in their machines- there is a sticker on the outside, above the door that shows coins or card. I swear it looked like a card and the machine only accepted coins. I sat on board, ashamed I couldn’t comprehend a simple picture until a ticketing person said I needed to use an app, which I didn’t do. I just got scared and got off at an earlier stop.
Another time, I rode 12 stops like a thief. If you saw the amount I was sweating, you would know why I can’t even take a sample grape from the supermarket. I ended up over-paying for my bus back to the airport because I felt really bad about those 6zt (€1.40).
I didn’t take out cash because I was using my Wise credit card and most places accepted card other than the odd tram and this one Polish woman who was guarding the public toilets like a dragon- she wouldn’t accept my €0.50, only 2 Polish monies. My bladder was not amused.
I spent 17.00zt (€4.00) to enter the University Library. I adore olden books in cases, especially when you get to enter through a Door. You know what I’m talking about.
eat.
Czarna Kaczka/ Black Duck was decent. It was expensive (142 zloty- €33.50) by Polish standards and in my absolutely not humble opinion the duck was slightly dry, but the sauce and tower of wine made up for it. They also gave a pate and olive snack to start. I do love a complementary snack.
Mirror Bistro – Pierogi Bystro (49zt- €12) was YUM. They don’t offer fried pierogis, but don’t let that deter you. They let you do 1/2 one filling and 1/2 another filling + choose your dip + they had cider (which I got x2) = happy Corrine. I think I just solved the equation for happiness. I know, right?! I’m so smart.
There was an outdoor food space called plac Nowy with Okrąglak having some top ratings that wasn’t really bumping (everything was shut) when I walked through so I didn’t get anything.
There is this whole milk bar scene in Poland. They are cafeteria style joints that yada yada insert history of milk bars. I went to Bar mleczny “Pod Temidą” in the old town. It was fine. Relatively cheap, but a bit greasy.
cheap.
On certain days, the museums around Krakow are free. Look it up because I don’t have the energy to open a new tab.
For Schindler’s Factory the free entrance day is Monday. I arrived 5 minutes before the 0900 opening time and the length of the line spooked me. About 25 minutes later, I held a golden (free) ticket. You could pay for a guide booklet, but you shouldn’t if you want to save money. I spent about an hour in the museum, reading the signs and overhearing a few bits of information from the paid guides (the route is quite narrow in some spaces, so I used it to my advantage).
Another classic case of not paying entrance fees is the Remah Cemetery. It is part of a synagogue that you need to pay to enter so I just peered through the holes in the fence/ barricade and called it a day.
Krakow New Jewish Cemetery is free to enter. Anyone else like overgrown nature tombstones? Just me? Cool, cool, cool.
The best view of the castle contraption is from the other side of the river. On g-maps it labels it as Schody Czesława Miłosza.
travel.
Booking.com sometimes gives me these credits or some bs that I should probably question more than I do- so I booked a Auschwitz tour through that since it was cheaper than taking public transport and paying for a guide. You need to have a guide to enter the concentration camps, so if you book it on your own, make sure the train time lines up with the guided tour. Just from how it was set up, I wouldn’t recommend buying tickets on the spot. To get between Auschwitz and Birkenau, you can walk it, but give yourself some time between the tours.
The tour I booked was with AT Cracow, the night before they messaged me my pick up time. Since my hotel was “outside the center” I had to travel a vast distance to get to the pickup point. When I asked them if I could meet them closer to my hotel, they said no.
I got picked up at 0750 from Kiss&Ride near Mercure Hotel. Bolt/ Uber is SUPER DUPER cheap in Poland so I would suggest taking that in most cases, instead of public transport. You need to bring ID (they checked it at the entrance to Auschwitz).
Not going to lie, it was a rough experience. If you walked through the places, without knowing what happened, you would feel an unnatural heaviness. I have no idea how the guides could give the tour day in and day out since it looked like it pained him every time they spoke- “the only escape was through the chimneys.”
If that doesn’t make you lose faith in humanity, I don’t know what will.
By 09:30 we arrived at the entrance to Auschwitz for our 09:50 timeslot, 13:30 we took the bus to Birkenau and by 15:00 we were back in Krakow. Most people stayed on the bus to go to some salt mines, but it wasn’t my jam.
