Fancy a winter break to Poland’s second largest city?
For the New Year, we decided to visit Krakow in Poland. A place that’s been on our bucket list for quite a while now. After looking at prices to stay in England and then places abroad for the new year, it seemed like a no brainer to start 2020 in a new country whilst saving some money.
So if you fancy visiting Krakow or interested to see whats on offer, read on!
Accomondation and Travel
We booked with Jet2 holidays and stayed in the 4* Avena by Artery hotel. About 10-15 minutes walk from the main square. Which was ideal for saving money on taxis. When we did need to get one, they were very cheap. The city uses Uber so if you already have the app, then it’s ideal. Some excursions are a taxi ride away and 20 minutes in an Uber was only around £4/5. We got a taxi to and from the airport and that cost us £20 each way too.
Tip – We went over the new year so do bare in mind the cold temperatures. Be prepared to wear thermals and layers upon layers!
Places to eat in Krakow
You don’t have to look far to find a nice restaurant in Krakow. On the main square itself there is dozens on restaurants of all cuisines. Including Polish, Italian and American.
If you decide to eat in the main square, it can be a little pricier than other places. A lot of them on the front are A La Carte so you’re paying for quality. Plus the Christmas markets were still around if you go between Nov – Jan. You could get burgers, churros crepes, hot dogs for cheap!
The day we arrived we went to Szara Ges. A beautiful polish restaurant just opposite the Cloth Hall. We looked through the window at the amazing Interior and knew we wanted to try here first. Inside each room has beautiful ceiling art with funky prints and a table cloth service. I ordered a Chicken dish and Bob chose Lamb. The meals were lovely and the hospitality was exceptional. It was even good value for money considering we went to a multi-award winning restaurant.
On New Year’s Eve we reserved a table right next door at The Spaghetti. An Italian restaurant. We sat outside with twinkle lights and a fire. We shared a meat and cheese board to start. And for mains, Bob ordered Spaghetti Bolognese and I opted for a Steak. Finished with a chocolate cake. Another lovely meal with flowing drinks. They did add a service charge for NYE but was still reasonable for a three course meal and a bottle of wine.
Throughout our visit we also went to the likes of Little Britian for a cheap full English Breakfast and Moo Moo Steakhouse for a burger and steak. Everyone seems to go here when their in Krakow and its another place I’d recommend. Bob got a T-bone steak for £20! Plus KFC, Subway and Mcdonalds are very cheap compared to the UK if you fancy a quick bite.
Drinking in Krakow
If you’re looking to have a tipple or two in Krakow there’s also plenty of bars in the area.
At Bubble Toast you can drink cocktails and champagne in a fun environment. Upstairs there’s ball pools, baths and unicorns to take photos with.
You also have to visit Wodka Bar while you’re there. You can buy any flavour vodka shot you can imagine. From Salted Caramel to Pear and Raspberry. It worked out £1 a shot! It’s really small inside though, we often saw people waiting to go inside! Other than that we stumbled upon bars. There’s Irish bars, jazz bars so there’s plenty to choose from.
Things to do in Krakow
So aside from the eating and drinking, you tend to do on city breaks, there’s actually lots to do and see in Krakow. In the main square itself, there’s Christmas fayre’s (late November-mid January) and the Cloth Hall. This is the central feature in the square and is one of the oldest shopping centres. When we went they had Christmas gifts, homemade toys, hats and scarfs.
Also in the main square are horse and carriage rides. It’s a little pricey but a nice treat to have a look around Krakow and the likes of Wawel Castle. We ventured up to the castle and the view of the city was stunning. We both said it reminded us of something out of Hogwarts!
If you’re looking for something fun to do with a group of mates or even as a couple, we did the Cracow shooting range. The first time we both held guns and shot at targets! Was a little scary at first but definitely gets your heart racing! We both did quite well at hitting the targets too!
Not far from there, you’ll also find Schindler’s Museum. We opted for a tour guide and we’re glad we did. We learned a lot about Krakow as a city throughout World War 2 and the invasion of German’s. It was good to learn all this as well as the story of Oskar Schindler himself and the jews.
Towards the end of our stay, we visited Auschwitz and the Birkenau camps. We went for a guided tour and would fully recommend it. It gives you a real insight into what happened in these two camps. A lot of people who had been previously recommended us to go at the end of the holiday. We’re glad we did due to the emotions you feel. A must visit but its a lot to take in.
