"KOLOURFUL KRAKOW"
So, I've just arrived home from a few days exploring Krakow and thought
I'd get stuck right into a blog post about it!
I'd get stuck right into a blog post about it!
Krakow is such a beautiful city, it offers some much history,
from the buildings to the war to the funky little markets they have daily… and
of course how it’s incredibly cheap to buy pretty much anything!
from the buildings to the war to the funky little markets they have daily… and
of course how it’s incredibly cheap to buy pretty much anything!
Where Did I Visit?
MAIN SQUARE
In the centre of Krakow, you'll find the main square, it has different
stalls set up daily as well as the having the famous Cloth Hall located in the
middle, this is another indoor market, selling souvenirs different jewellery
and a lot of homemade wood work. You'll also
see numerous bread stalls dotted throughout the city selling the traditional
Polish bread for as little as 30p.
stalls set up daily as well as the having the famous Cloth Hall located in the
middle, this is another indoor market, selling souvenirs different jewellery
and a lot of homemade wood work. You'll also
see numerous bread stalls dotted throughout the city selling the traditional
Polish bread for as little as 30p.
With many cafes and bars its the perfect spot to grab a drink and chill out.
ST MARY'S BASILICA
Known for its beautiful stain glass windows the Gothic Church is beautiful looking inside and out.
SALT MINE
Being over 800 years old, the Salts Mine is a true example of the
tough work miners had to complete centuries ago with very basic tools. Tourists are taken a maximum of 135M
underground however this is only the start of Level 3, there are in fact 9
levels... so you can only imagine how deep it really is. What surprised me was
the architecture in the mine, parts of it are of course like your typical mine with
wooden corridors and low ceilings, however it wasn’t what I expected at all,
you walk into many different chambers which turn out to be hugh rooms with very
high ceilings filled with massive chandeliers. Inside them are skilfully crafted sculptures that were made by
the miners themselves 100s of years ago. Because of the isolated environment underground, everything is preserved as if it was only made yesterday. People
even get married in such chambers like the huge church in the pictures below!
tough work miners had to complete centuries ago with very basic tools. Tourists are taken a maximum of 135M
underground however this is only the start of Level 3, there are in fact 9
levels... so you can only imagine how deep it really is. What surprised me was
the architecture in the mine, parts of it are of course like your typical mine with
wooden corridors and low ceilings, however it wasn’t what I expected at all,
you walk into many different chambers which turn out to be hugh rooms with very
high ceilings filled with massive chandeliers. Inside them are skilfully crafted sculptures that were made by
the miners themselves 100s of years ago. Because of the isolated environment underground, everything is preserved as if it was only made yesterday. People
even get married in such chambers like the huge church in the pictures below!
Cost: approx £30pp this included Private Transport from Hotel +
English Tour Guide + Private Transport Back.
English Tour Guide + Private Transport Back.
Where to book: As tickets were sold out online before our trip we booked
at a ticket stall in Main square
at a ticket stall in Main square
Total time (approx 4hrs) Pickup 10AM - 2PM
If anyone’s going to Krakow Auschwitz is a must!
While it’s not the most pleasant experience its one that will make you
come back feeling a lot more thankful for what you have, personally I found it
very hard to comprehend what horrible things people must have went through and
how it only happened around 75 years ago is mind blowing. One thing that shocked
me was walking into a room filled with 2 tonnes of women’s hair, of course no pictures
were allowed to be taken out of respect for the victims but it really put into perspective
the scale of horrendous things that occurred.
come back feeling a lot more thankful for what you have, personally I found it
very hard to comprehend what horrible things people must have went through and
how it only happened around 75 years ago is mind blowing. One thing that shocked
me was walking into a room filled with 2 tonnes of women’s hair, of course no pictures
were allowed to be taken out of respect for the victims but it really put into perspective
the scale of horrendous things that occurred.
From seeing the torture cells to hearing the stories of what went on
Auschwitz it’s definitely somewhere that’s shows in a very raw way how awful
and deceptive humanity can be.
Auschwitz it’s definitely somewhere that’s shows in a very raw way how awful
and deceptive humanity can be.
Cost- Auschwitz itself is free admission, therefore it costed approx
£30pp hotel pick up, free lunch, Transport between Auschwitz and Birkenau,
English tour guide and return Transport.
£30pp hotel pick up, free lunch, Transport between Auschwitz and Birkenau,
English tour guide and return Transport.
Total time (approx 7hrs) 8.20am pick up 2.30pm return
Where to Book? Auschwitz Tours
WAWEL CASTLE
ZALEW ZAKRZOWEK
A little out of the way you'll find this gem, to
get here you need to walk about 40mins from Krakow Main Square, this includes
walking up a dirt track and trying to actually locate where the lake is (lol)
there isn’t any signs in English or directions on signs once you start the dirt
track so have google maps on you to find the lake!
get here you need to walk about 40mins from Krakow Main Square, this includes
walking up a dirt track and trying to actually locate where the lake is (lol)
there isn’t any signs in English or directions on signs once you start the dirt
track so have google maps on you to find the lake!
Once you
make it however, the view is breath taking!! The water is an extremely bright
bluey green colour and very clear and clean. There's also a diving rink as you
can see in the right-hand side of the picture below, if I to returned to Krakow
it would be first on my list to do!
make it however, the view is breath taking!! The water is an extremely bright
bluey green colour and very clear and clean. There's also a diving rink as you
can see in the right-hand side of the picture below, if I to returned to Krakow
it would be first on my list to do!
These were all the main highlights of where I went when in Krakow, there
are also some fab bars and restaurants around Krakow I’d definitely advise
checking out!
are also some fab bars and restaurants around Krakow I’d definitely advise
checking out!
Has anyone else ever been to Krakow? I'd love to hear any cool places you’ve
found! x
found! x