Time was short on this trip to Poland. We had 3 whole days to see everything that was important to us so we decided to make use of the time effectively.

The train system in Poland was as good as any other part of Europe however a trip from Gdansk to Krakow would have taken us over 6 hours. So we decided to fly. 

Jump to:

1. Flying into Krakow
2. Wieliczka Salt Mines
3. Kraków old town
4. Lunch
5. Rynek Główny 
6. Wavel Hill
7. Jagiellonian University
8. Dinner

Flying into Krakow

The national carrier, LOT, had several domestic flights at very affordable rates. A flight from Gdansk to Krakow was only 45 minutes long. Even if we factor in the 2 hours pre flight time at the airport it would still be quicker than taking the train and cost just about the same. We had an early breakfast and checked out of Hampton Inn Gdansk airport and walked right over to the boarding area. It was the small plane that we flew across the country to arrive at Krakow in the late morning.

Wieliczka Salt Mines

This is a 7 century old salt mine that’s about 300 metres underground with numerous passages, caverns, sculptures and even an underground lake. It’s on the circuit of almost every tourist that arrives in Krakow. It was fascinating to see chandeliers made of salt crystals and caverns carved out below the ground with their walls glistening in the lights from the salt crystals that have formed from the up-swelling brine.

Salt has been mined here since the neolithic times from naturally up-swelling brine. The salt (sodium chloride) is one of the purest and has been produced commercially until 2007 after which the production was stopped due to rising production costs and cheaper market value of salt. 

We decided to go here directly from the airport. We booked with Dydko for transfers. It cost us roughly 350 PLN for transfer from airport to the salt mine and back to Krakow that was payable only in cash. Sadly we did not have any zloty on us and we decided to withdraw at the airport. That was a big mistake! The exchange rate was very poor and on top of it they charged us additional fees. 

We were met by Daniel and we rode a large van out into Krakow and to the salt mines. Krakow had the feel of a small town in central Europe. The roads winded through the country side before arriving at the salt mines where we stood in the line to book for a tour in English. One can visit the mines only through tours as each tour takes us roughly 300m underground. There were many tours available and we tried to book the next tour in English. Unfortunately it was sold out. There was one 30 minutes later and we decided to grab some ice cream and drinks while we waited for the tour to start. 

We were further south and the weather here was hot! It was only early June but the sun was out in full glory and the mercury had climbed to well over 30º C! However the temperature underground was said to be around 17-18º C and we decided to carry a light jacket.

The tour began sharply and we had to climb down 380 steps to reach the start of the tour. The guide then explained about the mines, safety and other essential information and we started walking through the corridors. The guide took us to beautiful chambers, halls, caverns and even an auditorium all of which was beautifully decorated with salt crystals and had beautiful statues carved out of salt. The highlight was St. Kinga’s chapel that was approached by a grand staircase. There were chandeliers and sculptures (including that of da Vinci’s The Last Supper) made from salt. 

The entire tour took us 3 hours with rest stops in between. At the end we arrived to see a large restaurant with chandeliers and glistening walls just like we had seen in St. Kings chapel. We were transported back to the surface by a super fast elevator. Daniel picked us up just outside the exit and we went to our accommodation in downtown Krakow

Kraków old town

We booked to stay at Apartment House Grodzka which was right beside Rynek Glowny, the main square of Krakow. It was on old building and we took our keys from the reception and made our way up a winding staircase to an apartment with its own kitchen, living space and bedroom. We were glad to escape the mid day heat and took some time to relax and refresh and then made our way out for lunch.

Lunch

We walked through the Rynek Glowny to Milkbar Tomasza. Milkbars are a thing in Poland. These were developed through the mid century at the time of war to serve affordable and quick food to its citizens. There are several milkbars serving delicious and affordable lunches and dinners. We chose Tomasza as they had very good ratings and we were not disappointed.

It was a small cafe that could probably seat about 30-35 people. There were ample vegetarian options and we ordered at the bar before finding a table to sit down. This was the first time I was trying pierogis and they were the best I had in my entire trip to Poland! I chose them to be fried instead of steamed and they were served with some sour cream. They were fried crisply and weren’t too oily. Others tried fried camembert, soups and sandwiches. The portion sizes were huge and they were tasty. After this hearty meal, we returned to our apartment through the main square.

Rynek Główny 

This is the heart of Krakow and a very vibrant and lively place to spend all your time in Krakow, if possible! At the centre of the square is the market hall, where merchandise has been traded since the 13th century. While most of Poland was greatly affected by WWII Krakow was almost untouched so many of the original buildings are still intact.

One corner of the square is flanked by the twin towers of St. Mary’s basilica. Horse drawn carriages carry tourists around the square with the horses’ hooves adding a rhythm to the vibe. Restaurants all around the square mostly filled with tourists during the evenings.  

As we returned from our lunch at the milkbar we decided to spend some time in the square watching people and taking in the scene.  It was quite hot but we didn’t mind the sun warming up our skin, something that we hardly experience in the UK! 

We returned to the apartment for a siesta and decided to go back into the town around 5 pm. This time we took the opposite route to Wavel castle.

Wavel Hill

This little hill is considered the birth place of Krakow with its cathedral and royal castle. As the name suggests it’s situated on top of hill in a fortress right next to the Vistula river. It was built in the 14th century and has been the site of Polish monarchy since then. It was almost time for sunset and visits to the cathedral and castle were closed. So we spent time here enjoying views over the river and admiring the beauty of Poland.

Jagiellonian University

This is one of the oldest universities in the world founded in 1364 and the 13th oldest university that has been in continuous operation in the world.  Its library still holds some medieval manuscripts one of which is by Nicolaus Copernicus. Other than Copernicus Pope John Paul II was also an alumni of this university. 

The sun had set by then as we walked through the park that’s been built on the old moat that encircled the old centre of Krakow. Locals walked their dogs, skated or just sat on benches reading a book or having a conversation. The weather was much more manageable now as walked through the park to the different buildings of the university. There is also a statue of Copernicus.

Dinner

Dinner was pierogis and pancakes at Milkbar Anny 5 which was ordinary.

We walked back through the lit up square after our dinner to our apartment as we were having an early start the next day.

The next evening after our return from Zakopane and the Tatra mountains we had dinner at the Mirror Bistro in the Jewish quarter. There was both savoury and sweet pierogis that were delicious but my favourite remains the fried one from Milkbar Tomasza. We also purchased some delicious filled pastries from Dobra Pączkarnia that we had for breakfast the next day.