What's up, everyone? Welcome back to the channel and welcome back to another video.
Have you ever wanted to visit Krakow?
Well, today you're in luck because I'm going to be explaining my three-day itinerary of Krakow
for two people which you can use to adapt to create your own itinerary
when you decide to buy that plane ticket.
And you should buy that plane ticket.
So, we technically spent 3 nights and 4 days in Krakow,
but the last day was more like a travel home day,
so that's why I've condensed this itinerary into three days.
And I'm also going to be tallying up the cost of the entire trip
to give you a rough idea of how much you need to budget for 3 days in this beautiful city.
This cost will be the cost for 2 people,
but just half it and you have your cost for one.
So, I might be in the tropics
tanning myself and sipping on exotic juices,
but let me take you back to the beginning of november
on a cold winter's morning in London.
The air was chilly and our breath curled up in front of our faces.
We had an early wake-up call at 3 a.m.
making sure we had enough time for the 1.5 hour journey to the airport.
I'd fully recommend getting the earliest flight you can,
so that the first day there is a full day.
The trip there was painless, we payed £33 for the airport car park
and took a 10-minute shuttle bus to the airport terminal.
We headed straight for security and walzed through without any issue.
I would always recommend an online check-in to avoid queues at the desk.
We stopped at a cafe so that Rob could grab a coffee and do her make-up
before heading to the gate board.
The only entry requirements for UK citizens to enter Poland at the time
were to be fully vaccinated and to fill out a passenger locator form, which was super easy.
The sunrise on the way, though, absolutely priceless.
The flight was just a short 2 hours before touching down in Krakow
and it was £35 each return.
A bus took us to the terminal and getting through passport control was breezy,
we just had to show our vaccine QR codes.
The first bit of top-quality travel advice I'll give
is to get the bus to the Old Town, and not a taxi.
The taxi driver came to us and offered us a taxi to the centre for 10€,
but the bus ticket is only £1.07 for a 60-minute ticket.
Oh, by the way, I'm converting this on Google at the time of recording,
which is around... 1Z is £0.18,
or about £1 is 5.61Z.
So we rode the bus to the outskirts of Krakow Old Town
and picked a stop which would be an easy walk to the center.
The Old Town border is basically one big park, which I thought was a nice touch.
Also, to note, public transport is pretty easy here if you use Google Maps to plan your trips.
Trams run around the outside of the Old Town
and further out into the city and are simple to use.
You just need to buy a ticket and stamp it in a machine when you get on.
After walking to the Old Town, we spent some time exploring and enjoying the sites
before we went on the hunt for a snack.
We found a nice little place called Zarowka Cafe that had some heating on,
we both got a juice and I got myself a tasty polish bagel.
Rob couldn't anything on the menu, so afterwards she went to Starbucks to get herself a vegan Shoarma.
With some food in our bellies, we went out to explore more
and found an old ornate church that was absolutely beautiful
called the St. Peter and Paul church.
Entry is free, and you can even dive into the catacombs underneath
where there are a bunch of tombs and informational signs.
Walking further out took us to the Wavel Royal Castle and cathedral complex,
which you can purchase tickets online to go inside,
but we couldn't, as they were sold out that day.
If you do decide to go here, there are a lot of museums and buildings to explore.
Head down the hill on the other side and you'll reach the riverfront.
This area is lovely for a walk or to relax,
and you will also find Smok Wawelski,
a statue of a dragon with many heads.
We took a long walk along the river
and discovered that there are multiple maps across the city, which are handy for tourists.
Also, you can hire golf buggy tours,
which should take you around the Old Town as well, but we didn't do this.
It was then time to walk to our apartment for check-in.
We stayed in the flower residence apartment building
and had a studio apartment to ourselves,
which was perfect for that short city break.
This accommodation cost us only £120 for 3 nights.
Rob had been wanting to go axe-throwing in the lead up to this trip,
so she booked it for this evening for about 180 zlote or £33 for an hour and a half.
Bad Axe Throwing was less than a 10 minute walk from our apartment,
and a place that I can fully recommend.
The guy working there was an absolute hero,
spoke incredible English and was a top teacher.
He explained the technique like a pro, would correct our errors
and would be on standby whenever we needed him.
It was also "bring your own bottle".
We both had an awesome time hitting and missing,
we played two games,
one where the goal was to reach certain amount of points first, like darts,
and the other involved more precision where you had to hit certain areas of the target
in a particular order.
Safe to say I won every game.
At the end, the guy taught us a few trick shots
and made us look badass when we managed to hit the target with them,
and thus concluded our axe-throwing experience.
We left Bad Axe throwing and went in search of our first night’s dinner.
Rob found a place called Farmer on Happy Cow,
and I got myself a sub, Robyn got a burger,
and we shared poutine and a couple of drinks for 88Z/£16.32.
On the way back to our apartment, we stopped at a store to grab a few things for the flat,
like cereal, milk and juice as well as some quick snacks,
and then we went home for an early night to get ready
for the solemn experience we were about to have the next day.
Now, if you've taken time to visit Krakow before,
then you've probably found yourself visiting Auschwitz,
which is where we decided to go on our second day.
The entire experience was very moving and the day was heavy,
but I definitely recommend it to everyone.
I honestly think it's somewhere everyone needs to go at least once.
It pays to remember history,
but honestly I'm not going to delve too much into the history on this video.
I just want to explain the process of how you can get to Auschwitz
and my experience of walking around the camp itself.
Also, be mindful. There are areas that you aren't allowed to film or take photos,
so just watch out for these signs and be respectful of them
and make sure you don't get your camera out in these areas.
I actually ended up filming this day on my phone,
because I didn't want to be walking around with a bulky camera
and it was a lot easier and what I feel to be a lot more respectful
just to have my phone out instead.
After a cereal breakfast at the apartment,
we took a walk to the station located not far north east of Krakow Old Town.
The bus caught left the station at 11 a.m. sharp
and it cost us £7 each for a return ticket through Discover Cracow.
You need to make sure that the tickets are printed, as the driver does not accept a digital copy.
The journey itself took roughly an hour and a half
and took us through a lot of the Polish countryside, which was interesting to see.
Particularly the Polish cemeteries, which are full of flowers on every gravestone.
This is stark contrast to the UK, where only newer burials would look this clean.
We arrived a bit early for our ticket entry,
so we explored the outside of the museum, which had some information boards
of stories and testimonies of a multitude of different families
that had been victims of Auschwitz.
Each story was chilling to read.
Now, you may not know this, but it is actually possible
to get free tickets into Auschwitz through their website auschwitz.org.
These tickets are self-guided only,
which means that you can go around at your own pace
and you make your own way around the camp without a guide.
In contrast, most people do get guided tours,
which are around £15 per person
and they include travel to and from the museum.
You go in a group with a ton of other people
and there will be a guy that takes you around the museum
and will explain to you any information and answer any questions
through a headset as they show you around.
The guided tours are not too expensive,
but we just felt like a self-guided tour and going at our own pace
was more suited to the way that we wanted to visit.
However, you do need to make sure you get a ticket,
the free or the guided tour to guarantee your entry.
The ticket says to arrive 15 minutes early,
so at 1 p.m. we joined the queue to the museum entrance.
It was pretty long and unorganized,
but we finally got through the door, through security and entered the camp.
There were signs posted all around the grounds
that shared information of wha life was like as a victim here.
Most of the buildings have been converted into exhibitions
and we decided to move at our own pace through them all.
The pictures and information they share invoke heavy feelings and thoughts
about the tragedies occurred within the fences of Auschwitz.
For me, what hit home the most was the piles of discarded clothes
and personal items that were confiscated from the victims on arrival.
It put into perspective the magnitude and the amount of people that once passed through Auschwitz.
Also, walking through the gas chamber, seeing the killing wall,
the emptiness of the camp and the multitude of warning signs around
really add to the haunting feeling
as you remember the history and the prisoners that were held here.
And that's all I'm going to say about the experience of walking around Auschwitz.
You need to visit yourself and have your own experience,
as I think you should to grasp the magnitude and depth of the entire situation.
I'm gonna continue this itinerary from after the tour of the museum.
I would recommend 2 to 3 hours here,
but it is also possible to do it quicker and slower
depending on how you want to experience the museum.
We left around a quarter past three, so we took around 2 and a half hours inside.
Although our bus wasn't until 17:10,
we tried to catch a 16:10 bus,
but it only ran from Friday to sunday,
so I definitely recommend researching the timetable before you book your bus tickets.
We took the dark ride back to Krakow
and took a quick explore through the shopping center next to the bus station
before walking to dinner.
Rob found another vegan restaurant called No Bones,
where we got some delicious dinner inside a funky-looking restaurant.
We had udon, fritters, soup and a couple of beers before heading home to chill for an hour.
That evening, we went to a bar Rob discovered called Cosmic Bar,
which was 3 pounds each for entry and a ton of fun.
We got a couple of drinks each and spent hours playing the games
and frollicking in the adult ball pit.
I would definitely recommend this place for a fun couple of hours out.
Our third and final day in Krakow was more like a...
"let's just do what we haven't done today" day.
It was actually our busiest day in terms of activities,
and we were going pretty much non-stop.
The day started by heading to the old square with some bread we'd bought and feeding the pigeons.
As far as I'm aware, this is quite a popular thing to do,
as throughout the trip there were a ton of people and families feeding the birds.
I let Rob had most of the fun while I filmed.
After the pigeons, we took a walk down the market in the center square that was just opening.
The stores here were selling all sorts of merchandise and souvenirs,
and Rob bought herself a magnet, as she always does it for every place she goes to, and we left.
Next on my hit list was...
this place.
Don't judge me.
I have this thing where I try Mcdonald's in every country
and then compare them all. Sue me.
After my cheeseburger, I walked down the road and met Rob at Starbucks.
We walked northwest to the museum of photographic history,
but unfortunately you couldn't just turn up and go in.
You had to book a time slot, so we didn't manage to go in.
It is free, though.
After this, we paid for and hopped on the tram
and took the 20-minute or so journey to the Jewish quarter on the other side of the city.
When we arrived, we went to the Jewish square, which we explored a bit,
and then went into an old synagogue that had been converted into a bookshop.
It was interesting here and displayed books and CDs from all different languages.
We came across an Israeli hummus bar and stopped here for lunch.
I had a homemade hummus and pita plate which was gorgeous,
and Rob got herself a raspberry lemonade.
We demolished lunch like ravenous wolves,
explored the square some more and then bimbled over the bridge to the Jewish ghetto,
a place where the nazis used to exploit the local jewish polls during the 2nd World War.
Again, I'm not going to delve into too much of the history in this itinerary.
After a quick visit to a segment of the Jewish ghetto wall which was still standing,
we headed to the nearby schindler's factory.
In a couple of days leading up to this,
we did try to get tickets to schindler's factory,
but we couldn't find tickets anywhere.
I think it's only open on certain days,
so you need to research this before you go.
There are a bunch of people all outside taking photos and reading the information boards,
but no one seemed to be going in the museum.
We caught a tram back to where the bus station was
and then grabbed the traditional Polish donut
and we stumbled across a cat cafe that Rob forced me inside.
It was nice enough here, there was no entry fees, but we did buy a drink,
although the cats did what cats do and kept themselves themselves
and as per the rules we weren't allowed to bother them unless they came to us.
Which they never did.
Rob grabbed some lunch at a vegan burger place called Krowarzywa,
treating herself to a wrap and some nachos,
and then we paid to climb the clock tower.
It was a very tight squeeze climbing up the stairs with people coming back down,
but on the way up our floors were small exhibitions
that depicted the history of the Old Town square.
When we reached the top, you got panoramic views of Krakow,
which was stunning to see,
and the clock tower bell mechanism sat in the middle of the room.
I'd recommend coming up here just to see all the vistas of Krakow.
The climb back down was steep,
but once out ,we went to an entertainment place to walk past on the first day.
It had a mirror maze,
VR roller coaster and a room full of lights.
It was a bit of a gimmick, but actually we had a lot of fun here for £5 each,
and I would recommend it.
We managed to squeeze in one last touristy thing on this day
and visited Rynek Underground Museum.
We actually discovered that you could get the underground museum
and the clock tower in a combo ticket
if you just went to the ticket office outside the old square market.
It made it a little bit cheaper, but unfortunately we missed out on this
because we'd done the clock tower earlier.
Rynek Underground Museum is an interactive and educational place that lies under the old square.
It surprised me to learn that the square was actually excavated
in 2009 and the relics and foundations found underneath were converted into this museum in 2010.
It's 100% worth a visit.
On the way to dinner, we stopped at a vegan bakery and got some snacks
for our journey home the next day.
And then we went to a place to try some traditional Pierogi,
which were absolutely delicious at a place called Pierogi? To Tu!
I would recomment to come here to try them, and they do vegan ones as well.
On the last evening, we tried to find a rooftop bar and failed.
We found a lesser known one in the Krakow music academy building,
but it shut 30 minutes before we got there.
So we found a nice craft bar in the Jewish quarter for a quick beer
and stopped in a funky pub called "The Dog in the Fog"
before heading home and calling us a night.
Day 4 consisted of us getting two buses back to the airport and flying home at around 11 a.m.
And that concludes our 3-day itinerary in Krakow.
There are other things to do here, such as schindler's factory,
the salt mines and a multitude of other museums,
but I feel like we managed to see most of Krakow in just 3 days,
and this itinerary is a good basis for you to start building yours off
if you're planning a long weekend here.
We tried to cover some popular locations as
as well as some lesser known locations as well.
Tallying up the cost of this trip, we spent...
£428,
or 2310 zlote for three action-packed days in Krakow.
So around £214 each for this trip.
Now, by no means did we do this cheaply,
and we also didn't splurge too much,
but it's obviously possible to spend much more or say
if you're drinking or going to more expensive restaurants,
and you can still do it a lot cheaper as well
if you go to the convenience stores or the supermarkets,
buy food there, take it home and make your own meals throughout the day.
But I think we found a nice middle ground between expensive and cheap.
So, I really hope you found this video useful for your upcoming trip,
and I've added some value, because that's what I always like to try and do on this channel.
Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter,
and DM me any questions you may have, because I'm always happy to answer them.
But for now, it would really help me out if you subscribed,
maybe hit the like button and left a comment for me,
as I'm always hanging around the comments section and Ilike to reply to them all.
In the meantime, I hope you have a great day
and I'll see you in the next one.