Krakow…..A city whose wealth came from salt, where legends of dragons are alive and well and the history of WWII still hangs heavy in the air. Once upon a time, the city of Krakow was the capital of Poland. The oldest cloth market of Europe is still up and running in the main square where a trumpeter plays 4 times every hour on the hour from the tower of Saint Marys Basilica. If this isn’t enough to make you want to visit, there are perogies on almost every menu.

Getting There

Whoever said getting there is half the fun had half a brain…. Regardless, I find that a lot of the most worthwhile and interesting places are more challenging to get to. Perhaps that’s what keeps them interesting??? To get to Krakow from New York I had to first fly 8.5 hours to Warsaw, then another 1 hour flight to Krakow and then hop on a train (heading to Krakow Glowny) to reach the old town. It’s easy to find. Just follow the signs when you exit the airport. You can buy tickets at machines right on the platform and the train ride is a quick 20 min. An 8 minute walk brought me to the entrance of the old city.

Things to Do

Take a Free Tour of the City– One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new city is take one of the free walking tours offered. Basically, you take the tour for a few hours and then give the guide whatever you think the tour was worth. The tours I have taken have always been amazing and I give them a well deserved tip! I took the Krakow Old Town Free Walking Tour with City Walks Krakow. Actually, the tour was so good that I also took their World War II in Krakow : Jewish Quarter and Ghetto Tour!

Visit Wawel Castle– Going in search of dragons might be at the top of my list of must do adventures, so when I heard about the legend of Smok the Dragon (short for Smoczka) I had to find out more! Apparently, Smok took up residence in a cave under the Wawel Castle until the citizens of Krakow got fed up with his dragon-like behavior ( apparently breathing fire and eating the locals were frowned upon). Legend has it that a local shoemaker fed him sulfur which caused him to explode. Move over, Brother’s Grimm.. I can’t help but feel like poor Smok was misunderstood….targeted because he was different and Judged because he was anti-social. Clearly he wasn’t a people-person, but I can relate. You can go dragon-hunting at the castle and visit Smok’s lair for a mere $5. You can also choose from a variety of self-guided tours of the castle. I opted for the interior and underground tours which were both really cool and included a tapestry collection, ornate rooms and the ongoing excavations of the original castle. The Wawel Cathedral can also be visited which includes a climb to the bell tower! $6. Cathedral ticket. prices vary for different castle tours.

Plunge down over 1,000 feet to explore the Wieliczka Salt Mine– The tour starts with a dizzying climb down 50 plus flights of stairs and ends with the most terrifying elevator ride of my life…A rickety “cage” , overpacked with tourists pulls you up over 1,000 feet in what feels like a wind tunnel. Way scarier than Smok the Dragon. Interested yet? Other than the traumatic decent and ascent, the mine is fascinating to visit and includes an amazing collection of salt sculptures created by miners. The most impressive sculpture is an entire underground chapel that is actually still in use. I would pray to survive the elevator ride at the chapel if I were you….The train from Krakow old town takes about 25 minutes to reach the salt mine. It is a really simple trip with the caves as the last stop. Even I could figure it out. $35. tickets are timed

Take a day trip to Zakopane and Slovakia– There are several tours that go to the Zakopane mountains about 2 hours from Krakow. I took one with Get your Guide On that stopped at a small wooden hut where we ate sheep cheese grilled on an open fire and sampled vodka…breakfast of champions! Then we took a funicular up the mountain to hike for a bit. We actually ran into a shepherd and his flock of sheep. We also explored the town of Zakopane, shopped for leather and ate polish sausage. $80. Pp including hotel pick up.

Explore the underground museum, Rynek- Under the Cloth Market, there is a really cool museum displaying how the people of Krakow lived throughout the centuries. The original basements of the first market have been excavated and can be seen along with a cemetery and ancient tools. The museum was well worth an hour or two. $. $12. tickets sold on site

Visit Schindler’s Factory– If you ever watched Schindler’s List, you would understand the importance of his factory and his role in WWII . The museum itself is not as much about him as it is about the Nazi invasion of Poland and the effects WWII had on the country. The museum had such an incredible amount of information displayed throughout including Nazi propaganda, movies, artifacts, etc. $20. admission

Shop at the Cloth Market– The Cloth Hall is in the main market square. It’s considered one of the oldest markets in the world still in existence, dating back to the 1500s. You can find Polish Pottery, jewelry, slippers and a variety of other crafts and souvenirs.

Visit the Czartoryski Museum- This is a fantastic museum if you enjoy artwork. There is a famous DaVinci (Lady with an Ermine) as well as a Rembrandt and a huge variety of other artwork and artifacts. $15. but Tuesdays are free!!!

Listen to Classical Music in a Church– The church of St Peter and St Paul offers classical orchestra concerts every night (Vivaldi, Mozart, Bach to name a few) of the week from 8pm to 9pm. The church is on the street leading from the main square to Wawel Castle.It is such a magical experience to listen to violins, guitars and harps playing Mozart while ancient statues and their ominous shadows surround you. Unfortunately they did not serve alcohol, so much like those statues…we were stone cold sober. $12. tickets can be bought on site

Climb the Town Hall Tower-It’s a sketchy climb up 110 uneven steep stone steps with nothing but an ancient chain to hold onto as you climb….I love old Europe. Old school. Unlike Americans who put helmets on their kids to play ping-pong, Europeans just say; “Here’s your ticket to the volcano crater, just cross the Tetanus Bridge and turn left. Remember, the volcano is still active, so watch your step near the edge….enjoy!” The views from the top of the tower were amazing and there were several small exhibits to see on the way up. The Town Hall Tower is right next to Cloth Hall in the main square. $7. tickets sold on site

Tour Auschwitz and Berkenau-I feel like this is a must when visiting Krakow. It is emotionally exhausting, educational and simply unbelievable. The barbed wire, gas chambers, cremation ovens and gallows are all there as a reminder of the horrors that took place when the Nazis tortured, starved and murdered around 1.5 million people (most of them Jews). It’s a dark and haunting place. You can opt for an organized tour with hotel pick up, or buy a ticket online and make your own way there. Either way, you must have a ticket to enter. Plan ahead as they sell out in advance.I took the train to Oswiecim from Krakow Glowny station. The train took a little over an hour and buses run outside the station to Auschwitz every half hour (The M bus). I think the bus was about $1. dollar and the train was about $7. I would recommend going with a guide. They give so much information that would be missed otherwise.

Where to Stay

Holiday Inn Krakow-This hotel is in a great location, literally steps from old town and a 7 minute walk to the main train station. There’s a good restaurant on site and a bar as well.

Where to Eat

Baloton Restaurant – I still think of the chicken goulash served on a potato pancake with shredded cabbage and carrots on the side. Wow. Dinner with wine was appx. $16. USD. This Hungarian restaurant is housed in a quaint 1300s building.

Smak Ukrainski– This is the most adorable, cozy little Ukraine restaurant where waitresses wear traditional Ukrainian dresses and the perogies are heavenly. Another $15. dinner.

Fable Cafe– My favorite breakfast place in the old city. The absolute best avocado toast.

Cafe at Czartorvski Museum– The best salad (even though I ordered the prosciutto salad and was served the beet salad) .

HEVRE-A repurposed synagogue in the Jewish Quarter. I had an amazing twist on an eggs benedict. The atmosphere is incredibly memorable.

Things I Wished I Had Time For

St Mary’s Basilica– The tower which can be climbed for fantastic views (or so I’ve been told) was under construction when I was there. I skipped the view of scaffolding…I see enough of that in NYC.

Visit to the Shooting Range– The hotel offered this tour which included several different shooting packages including the “Dirty Harry”, the “Terminator”, and the “Lethal Weapon” . Weapons include A-K 47s , uzis, and glocs oh my!

Taking a Boat Ride on the Vistula River-There are several different boat rides to choose from including party boats, scenic river cruises and dinner cruises.

Additional Info and Fun Facts

Poland is not on the Euro. They use the Polish Zloty. At the time of my visit, 100 zloty was equivalent to $24 USD

Public restrooms charge about 2 zlotys. Carry change

Public transit is immaculate, safe and incredibly efficient. Even I found it easy .

Don’t jaywalk! My friend and I got tickets for jaywalking!!!!!! I immediately had images of being featured on the show Locked up Abroad as officer Krumpky wrote out our summons and demanded our ID. My friend said we should have run away from him….obviously she is unaware that I failed gym in school.

Suggested Reads

The Boy in The Striped Pajamas written by John Boyne

The Tattooist of Auschwitz written by Heather Morris

So……if you find yourself on an airplane and the pilot announces that you are about to land in Krakow…make your way to Wawel Castle, but not before stopping for some perogies. Be on the lookout for Smok (perhaps he survived the explosion and is living under an assumed name) If you find that people -eating , fire-breathing dragon, tell him I have a job for him and he will never be hungry again!!!