An Historic Gem-Krakow Poland

My approach to traveling is to find a local person to show me around their city. Over the years I've been pretty lucky and Krakow was no exception.I met a women who lived in this city and volunteered, without any pressure whatsoever, to show me around. For the next two days I had my own personal guide who, of course, spoke Polish and knew her city. What an advantage.

The joy of visiting Krakow is that just about everything you want to see is close by, within walking distance. We spent our first day hanging around Rynek Glowny, Krakow's beautiful market square. The 16th century Cloth Hall dominates the center of the square and there is an extensive craft market on the ground floor. Included in our touring was a visit to St. Mary's Church where Pope John Paul spent much of his early years as a priest. The huge altarpiece (1489) is perhaps the finest and largest sculptural work of Gothic art in Poland. A trumpet call occurs hourly from the church tower; it recalls a 13th century trumpeter, who in the middle of sounding a warning of invasion, was cut down by a Tatar arrow.

Quick Tips:

As Shared above, if you are not part of a tour group, attempt to find a local person to show you around, especially if you cannot speak Polish. My brief experience is that few Krakow residents speak good English.

How do you find such a person? Be friendly, seek out places where you can meet the locals, like bars, pubs,etc. I usually stay in a hostel where contacts can be made quickly. Go to the tourist information center and ask if a local guide might be available. The dollar goes a long way in Poland.

Housing is not cheap in Krakow unless you stay in a hostel and these tend to be overcrowded and noisy.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking is the way to see this marvelous city...there is no other city in Poland that I have visited where you have historic buildings and tourist facilitiesall condensed into the OLD TOWN.

Another advantage of walking is that you meet people and discover places that you were not expecting or planning on visiting-which, for me, is the fun of traveling. The key is to open and flexible to the infinite possibilities of life.

Of course, there is an efficient tram service in the city and taxi service for visits that are outside the Old Town.

A cheap place to find a bed in a city where rooms can set you back but you pay another price for staying here. This place was crowded and very noisy. There was a group of teenagers who roamed the halls yelling all night long.

Breakfast is included in the price and I paid only $10 per night. There is also a luggage storage area.

This place is also located near the train station which was convenient.

My new Polish friend and tour guide took me to this place during our first hour in Krakow-a wonderful introduction to good food in this city. This restaurant is located in a cellar with an outside garden. We chose to eat in the garden since it was a beautiful sunny day.

There was a long table of fresh vegetarian salads at a very reasoable price. We paid by weight-I was very hungry and with beers the bill came to less than $10.

There was also a band playing Polish music. The small tables, with candles, created a warm atmosphere for conversations.

Just south of the Old Town is Wawel, a hill with a castle and cathedral.

Wawel Cathedral, built in 1364, was for four centuries the coronation and burial place of Polish royalty. 100 kings and queens are interred in the various crypts.

There are many beautiful alterpieces inside this cathedral. The Sigismund Chapel (1539) is considered to be the finest Renaissance construction in Poland.

We also climbed up to the bell tower, housing Poland's largest bell. (11 tons)

The 16th century WAWEL CASTLE is another must see. This castle is famous for its 16th century FLEMISH tapestry collection. we were also impressed with the 17th century Piast coronation sword, called the Szezerbiec.

This area became the JEWISH QUARTER, home to Jews fleeing persecution from all corners of Europe.

At the outbreak of World WarII this area was populated by about 70,000 Jews. During the war the Germans relocated the Jews to a walled ghetto and then exterminated them in the nearby Plaszow death camp. Steven Spielberg's film, SCHINDLER'S LIST, tells the story of the Jews living in the area. The current Jewish population is now around 100.

I appreciated seeing a 15th century synagogue which somehow, miraculously survived the war. This is the oldest Jewish building in Poland. Today this building houses the JEWISH MUSEUM. Behind the synagogue is the REMU'H CEMETARY, which has some Renaissance gravestones.

There are a few Jewish restaurants and stores now. Stopping in and walking to the Jewish people was an extremly meaningful experience.

Visiting this salt mine was a highlight of my visit. This mine is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

We visited three upper levels of this unique mine where you go down a small shaft lift to world of chambers, all hewn out by hand from solid salt. We entered a Chapel of the Blessed Kinga, which is actually a good sized church. Every single thing, from chandeliers to alterpieces, is of salt. The Last Supper, with Jesus and his disciples, are carved from salt. It took over 30 years (1895-1927) to complete this underground temple. It is difficult to imagine that everything is made out of salt.

All visits are guided tours and take around three hours. There are bathroom facilties about half-way through the tour so be prepared to keep your bladder rather empty before going down into the mine.

During the summer there are long lines waiting so arriving early is a must. The mine opens at 8 am and closes at 6 pm.

Most of the tours are in Polish and, rather than wait for an occasional English tour, we took the Polish Tour since my guide and new friend spoke Polish - she was also an excellent translator.

This is one place where it is advised that you take a tram or bus - they all depart frequently and are cheap.

By the way, admission to the mine is around $7 per person.