Kraków and the parts of Poland that I was able to visit were a huge and pleasant surprise. In my behind-the-times mind, Poland was a dreary, funless place crawling out of the strictures of communism. I expected bland food, vodka with everything and, perhaps above all, stern people with closed minds.
What I encountered in my ten months in country was the remarkably inspiring opposite of that. Poland has used its membership in the EU – and the resulting influx of funds – with strategic foresight. It has built the infrastructure – social, economic and civic – to enable a jet-like propulsion away from the stultifying times of foodlines and coal-fueled smog. Poland now has the fastest growing economy in Europe, spends more money on defense than any other NATO member, is filled with young people who are sprinting happily into the future, and is just plain fun.
And while at first glance the Poles do look a little hostile, once you make contact, they verily light up and engage quite happily. Just don’t be saying hello to them randomly on the street! They’ll wonder what you want.
So, visit. If you do, begin with Kraków, and read this definitive guide to Adrian Pratt’s Kraków. (The hyperlinks here are to earlier posts I’ve written or to the establishments mentioned.) There’s something for everyone, but believe me I’m not claiming this is all there is to do, see, eat, and drink in Kraków. Just Amy and my greatest hits.
Touristin’
The big two in and around Kraków are Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Salt Mines.
A visit to Auschwitz is a must. Yes, it’s overwhelming. Devastating even. But Jewish history is a crucial part of Polish history. Three million of Poland’s 3.3 million Jews were killed during World War II. An additional 1 million were brought in from other countries to be murdered. Jewish history is not just in the past, though. The Jewish population in Kraków today is growing at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world outside of Israel and this is an important story. I tried to capture this bifurcation after my first visit to Auschwitz.
The Wieliczka Salt Mines, too, are quite something to behold. They tell the story of the sheer scale of things man’s labor can accomplish. Salt was what made this part of Poland wealthy, but the beauty and audacity of the sculptures – and the cathedral – made of salt subterraneanly is breathtaking.
You can actually take a tour that will guide you to both of those sites in one day. I don’t recommend it. You’ll need some quiet time to process your visit to Auschwitz.
The other big sites – which can be with a guide or solo – are Old Town Kraków, Kazimierz, the former Jewish Quarter, Wawel Castle and Schindler’s Factory.
Old Town
This is a town filled with history and mystery that you can read about it any guidebook. So, I won’t go into all the details of an Old Town tour, but you must behold (and behear?) the Bugler of Kraków and learn the wonderful tales from the glorious main square.
Wawel Castle
Wherever you are in Kraków, Wawel Castle beckons. The city’s royal crown jewel is perched above the Vistula River. This sprawling complex of towers, chapels, courtyards, and dragon legends was once the seat of Polish kings and queens.
Entry to the castle courtyard and grounds is free. If you want more, book tickets in advance for the State Rooms or Royal Tombs. The Royal Tombs are Poland’s equivalent to Westminster Abbey. Here lie buried Władysław I the Elbow-high (Łokietek), Casimir III the Great, Władysław II Jagiełło, Jan III Sobieski, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Józef Piłsudski, Władysław Sikorski, Queen Jadwiga, Sigismund III Vasa. A positive who’s who of Poland’s heroes.
Kazimierz
Many people take tours of Kazimierz, home still to six synagogues, most of them no longer in use, and some of the most poignant stories of World War II. From here, the Jewish population that wasn’t murdered as soon as the Germans arrived, was moved into the Kraków Ghetto. Those that survived were shifted into the Kraków-Płaszów Concentration Camp and from there onwards to Auschwitz or another nearby concentration and extermination camp, Bełżec. Key scenes from Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List were shot in Kazimierz.
As mentioned earlier, Kraków today is a reasonably upbeat story; its Jewish population is growing and is safer here than perhaps anywhere else in Europe. And Kazimierz itself has been revived into a real artisanal district, full of speakeasies, truly unique bars and clubs as well as record stores, thrift stores, and artists’ galleries. It is both moody and uplifting today.
At the heart of Kazimierz is the round building of Okrąglak – meaning, literally, the round one – in Plac Nowy. Look up any foodie on Youtube in Kraków and this will be featured. During the day, there’s lots of (flea) market activity, including WWII memorabilia, and food. But at night it comes alive with streetfood vendors, particularly the famed Zapiekanka, Poland’s version of pizza, except it’s served on baguette-like bread.
Amy and I were told that we might have been the only people ever to eat Zapiekanka sober. It is, indeed, good food to sop up the alcohol if you’ve had a few too many.
Drinkin’
Speaking of alcohol, Kraków is home to some of the most wonderful bars. Places that you’ll never want to leave again, where everywhere you look you see something else to marvel at. There are scores of such marvelous places. I’ve written about a few of my favorites, but will add a couple more here.
The most magical, to me, is Cellar under the Rams or Piwnica Pod Baranami. Founded by Piotr Skrzynecki, the flamboyant revolutionary – and I mean that – cabaret frontman, the Rams was for years in the literal underground fighting the communist authorities with its satirical art. Today, the cavern-like subterranean bar is a cross between art gallery, a revolutionary’s hideaway, and a highly illegal and therefore dangerous speakeasy. A place indeed to behold.
Well, actually, the Rams is not the most magical. That title would go to Tawerna Wilczy Dół or Wolf’s Pit Tavern, which is themed after The Witcher. Here you can literally get drinks that are potions you must mix yourself according to a spell – call them directions if you must – you are given. There is dry ice involved, adding to the ambience, and waitresses with elfin ears. While the drinks were good, I ended up with a finger stained blue for a couple of days. I must have incurred the Witcher’s wrath.
I return, time and again, to Kazimierz. You just have the sense here that you are walking with history. Here there are some atmospheric bars that will take you back in time and also weave spells. Speaking of potions, the next bar on the list of not to be missed is Alchemia in Kazimierz. Famous for the concert hall in the basement and where, Narnia-like, you walk through the wardrobe to the backroom. You can sit here drinking and imagine yourself in an older, simpler time without all the knowledge of the terrible things to come. As a vacuous aside, the bar food there, surprisingly, is not bad.
Just along the way is the Singer bar where, according to our first guide, the tables are scuffed into shabbiness by the dancing on them (always occurred after my bedtime, apparently!). Dozens of Singer sewing machines, a symbol of the Jewish culture present before the war, adorn the tables and the floorboards creak with ghosts. It’s a gem of a place.
Finally, for my Kazimierz bar recommendations is Eszeweria, a bohemian speakeasy that wraps itself around you like a seer’s cloak.
During the day, in the right light, it is a photographer’s dream. At night, hazed in the smell of incense, it takes you back to times imagined. It’s a place that echoes with stories, a place where you should place your fingers against the walls.
Moving back to Old Town, there are a couple of other favorites that were, shall we say, unusual. The first is The Herring Embassy where, yes, they serve herring in various forms, but also a potato casserole with bacon that should just be illegal. And it’s an Embassy, so you know it’s well set up for visa-tors. (I apologize and withdraw that comment.)
I’ve also written often about Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa. It’s a throwback bar for those with a little pang for the bad old days of communism when, at least, the beer and the vodka shots were cheap. There are four of these kommunistalgia bars in Kraków wallpapered with old newspapers and providing a vast array of cheap, home-made vodka shots. Good fun.
Eatin’ and Dinin’
So, I suppose it’s time to talk about food. When I first arrived in Kraków, a friend of mine said, “I’d love to give you recommendations for restaurants. The truth is, I’ve been out dozens of times and we haven’t had a bad meal yet.”
And that is true. In all the months we lived in Kraków, I only ever had one average meal; the rest were all great. And varied. Whereas a decade ago, Kraków was a wasteland as far as foodies were concerned, today you can get everything from Michelin starred to vegan Asian fusion and almost all things in between. (I was not able to find haggis and most of you probably view that as a plus rather than a minus!)
Obviously, we began trying to find our favorite Polish food. Poland has a long and mostly tragic history. So, it makes sense that the best Polish food is comfort food personified. Food is where families and friends find each other. You will never go to a house party in Poland where the guests don’t bring a dish. Food is love.
After a weird sideshow promotion by Netflix to do with Emily in Paris (Krakow), I went on a wild pigeon chase for gołąbki and found it happily in Tradycyjne Polskie Smaki. Now, while I loved the food here, I know there’s a hundred places like this in Kraków. But this place has friendly people and is in the heart of Old Town.
We stumbled across another wonderful Polish-food-serving place by accident. On a night out, we stupidly thought we could just pop by a Michelin-recommended restaurant without a reservation. When they were done looking down their very snooty noses at us and we had taken our spanking, we set out into the night and randomly came across a place called Sąsiedzi (Neighbors).
On that particular night we went to the upscale part of their menu, but returned a couple of times to just try their regular Polish fare. It was awesome.The delightful part about dining out in Poland is it is truly, truly affordable – especially compared to the U.S. and the rest of Europe.
One last must-do for an amazing Polish food experience: the blue Kiełbasa van. These guys have been doing this for 30 years and attract a hard core – but very silent – crew of fans. Truly worth it – both financially and culturally.
I know it’s strange to write about Kraków in particular and Poland in general and not mention pierogis. There’s nothing to say but that the pierogis here are wonderful and no one who dares serve them messes them up.
We had two other restaurants at which we serially offended.
Szara Gęś (“Grey Goose”) is a bit more upscale and sits proudly at Rynek Główny 17 on the main square. We loved getting a table upstairs by the window and looking out at the main cathedral. The food is great and reasonably priced and the coup de grace is their bird’s nest dessert. The nest is made of cotton candy and, perched inside, is a white-chocolate egg filled with a mango sauce yolk. Ridiculous! As is – in a gloriously Tim Burton sort of way – the decor up there. Birdcages and wildly clashing colors abound.
Our other go-to place was Boscaiola, a charming Italian restaurant at ulica Szewska 10, just off the main square. It has great Italian food and a cool subterraneansection that underscores just how old Kraków really is. And they were always nice to us.
Coffee shoppin’
Kraków is also blessed with scores of wonderful coffeeshops that inspire lingering. My favorite, though, are a little different. Top of the list is Massolit Books & Cafe. It was opened in 2001 by three Americans and features many English titles of books focused on Eastern European history and topics. (It was here I was so happy to find a copy of Jan Karski’s Story of a Secret State: My Report to the World.) The name “Massolit” references “МАССРолит” (Massolit), a sardonic nod to the “Massolit” (Mass Literature) union in Soviet times — an organization for writers and intellectuals.
It’s a multi-room place. You buy your coffee – or even a vegan treat, if you’re so inclined – and settle in for the afternoon.
“You can imagine Trotsky in one of the back rooms hatching plots,” my friend Bob said after his first visit to Massolit.
It’s true. It’s a place for ardent people to throw about ideas.
Located on ulica Felicjanek 4, it’s a 5-10-minute walk from Old Town.
Also a great place to wile away some time in a fin de siecle bohemian atmosphere, imagining plots of a decidedly non-Trotskyesque manner is Café Camelot (ul. Świętego Tomasza 17). It’s a beloved gem in Kraków’s Old Town. My friend Ela recommended it to me on my first day in town. The mismatched furniture, vintage mirrors, peeling paint, and elaborate ceiling fresco remind of Camelot’s origins as a brothel.
During a temporary closure, it was used as the film-set for the 1960s cult classic Awantura o Basie . It’s beloved for its rich apple cake (szarlotka), thick hot chocolate, pasta dishes, and cozy ambiance. A marvelous place for a weekend brunch.
Galleryin’
One of Kraków’s many claims to fame is that by a beautiful twist of fate and the passion of a Scottish-descended Polish aristocrat the city is home to “Lady with an Ermine.” This is one of only four remaining female portraits painted by Leonardo da Vinci. (The Mona Lisa is one of the other three.) It’s housed at the surprisingly impressive Czartoryski Museum.
Another favorite gallery of mine is the Kraków branch of the National Museum on the Main Square in Old Town. It is cheap, conveniently located and home to some of Poland’s most triumphalist – and ginormous – paintings.
Fun doin’
Though nothing to compare (yet) with Wrocław’s pretty little people – it’s sculptures of fun dwarves depicting various parts of that city’s history – Kraków’s dragon trail is becoming a thing. I had so much fun cycling or running all over the city to track these little beauties down. (Check it out at the official dragon trail map.)
The big daddy of them all, of course, is the Wawel Dragon (Smok Wawelski). Installed in 1972 to symbolize the origin story of Kraków, this 20-foot tall sculpture stands at the foot of Wawel castle and breathes fire every five minutes, much to the delight of visitors.
While it’s under the headline of ‘Fun doings,” I personally did not enjoy the next thing I’m about to suggest. Being unnerved by heights, I was a little perturbed by the lack of guardrails. Still, the Kościuczku Mound is beautiful and atop a wonderful museum to a true Polish-American hero.
Finally, one of the most fun outings we had was a retro-tour of Nowa Huta, the communist model mega-city that was Stalin’s dream of showing Soviet superiority to capitalism. Nowa Huta is now part of greater Kraków. Our guide from Crazy Guides picked us up in an East German-made Trabant 1.1 Universal from the 1970s. We had a blast learning about this foundational piece of Polish history, while eating at a throwback communist milk bar and also drinking vodka.
Cemeteries
One thing I will never get over about Poland is the sheer beauty of its cemeteries. They stirred something deep in me, as did the devotion of the people who make them so lovingly maintained. Families care for their forebears with a loyal tenderness that not only touched me profoundly but also offered an unexpected sense of peace when I thought about the afterlife. If you’re fortunate enough to be here on All Souls’ Day, November 1, make time to visit a cemetery. It’s an experience that lingers. All day long, families—children home from university, siblings reunited from other towns—gather to tend the graves of their loved ones. And when night falls, the glow of thousands of candles lights the paths like stars scattered across a silent galaxy. What’s remarkable, though, is that this isn’t reserved for special occasions. You can visit any cemetery any day and find the same exquisite care, the same tender love. In Poland, the dead remain a part of the family.
Runnin’ and Cyclin’
I wouldn’t describe Kraków as a cycling city, not in Dutch terms anyway. There are bicycle paths, but they sort of peter out and you’re either delivered into the middle of a busy road or are faced with a barricade and have to turn around. Still, you can rent a bike and navigate yourself along the river. On one side, you can get a pretty decent ride out to Tyniec Abbey. At over 1,000 years, it’s Poland’s oldest. Nearby is Benedictine Beer House Tyniec (Benedyktyński Dom Piwa), a pub offering lots of places to park your bike and have a cold one. Depending from where you start, it’s a 15-mile out and back along the Vistula.
The other beautiful thing about Kraków is the Planty. It is a 2-mile, tree-shaded green belt around the Old Town. Much of it replaces the city walls that were taken down by the Austrians between 1807 and 1810. It’s best for a jog earlier in the morning before it gets too busy. The Planty is one of the town’s great assets and lots of families with strollers and cyclists use it, which is not necessarily an ideal mix. So go early.
Matching the Planty, and my favorite place to exercise, is the Błonia. It’s a 2.2-mile “loop” – actually a sort of elongated ellipse. It’s a vast meadow just west of Kraków’s Old Town, covering over 48 hectares. When Pope John Paul first came to Kraków, he preached to more than 1 million of the faithful here. The paved path around the meadow is split into a bike lane and one for pedestrians, runners, and rollerbladers. It is watched over by Kościuczku Mound. It is a truly great place to exercise – and people watch.
Festivalin’
There seem to be one or more festivals every week in Kraków. Some grand and historic, others niche and weird but endearing. They are held all over town and can be hugely entertaining or a trite excuse for the same food vendors to sell the same over-priced kiełbasa. (You can check at the official cultural calendar of the city or at the official tourism site.)
My favorite was the Rękawka festival. It’s held on the Tuesday after Easter and is said to have Slavic pagan origins that drew on the spiritual powers of Krakus Mound. There’s swordplay and a dramatic reenactment of the legendary battle ending in the expulsion of the Czechs from Kraków by the Vistulan tribe.
My favorite Monty Pythonesque event was the Sea Shanty Festival, because who doesn’t enjoy a good snort of rum and belting out sea shanties? (Although, you have to bring your own rum; these folks seemed very serious about their brief!)
These festivals reflect Kraków’s rich cultural blend of history, art, and tradition. The summer’s Jewish Culture Festival in Kazimierz draws global crowds with concerts, workshops, and open-air celebrations of Jewish heritage. Wianki, held on the Vistula riverbanks around Midsummer, mixes pagan roots with modern music and fireworks. Food lovers flock to the Pierogi Festival in August, while cinema fans pack the theaters during the Krakow Film Festival and Etiuda & Anima.
And, of course, the big mamma of them all is the Christmas Market, which takes advantage of the town’s gorgeous main square and infuses a wonderful dose of holiday spirit into attendees.
Kraków is an amazing place. We had ten months there and, truly, barely scratched the surface. The Poles are wonderful people and great hosts, as long as you’re respectful. I hope this guide proves useful. I’d appreciate added suggestions in the comments – or email me. I’ll add them in and make this a living, breathing document to guide folks through a city I have truly come to love, even as I sit in North Carolina.
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