Krakow: food and sights
I am heading to Krakow for a quick weekend in Feb. with friends. Does anyone have any recommendations for restaurants? What sights are MUST see and which are overrated? We get in on Friday morning and leave on Sunday morning.
Kristen
Rome, Italy 1/28/12
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Nothing overrated come to mind, but the city center probably has more chapels, churches and cathedrals per square mile than any other city. The guidebooks only have room to list a few of them, but during your sightseeing visit any you come across...they're all stunningly beautiful! You probably won't have time to visit the salt mines just outside of the city, but they're a good option if the weather turns bad. They're a short taxi ride away.
I would think Auschwitz is a Must see.
We looked at this site when we were thinking of traveling to Krakow:
http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/krakow
Kristen,
Check out the restaurants in the Jewish Quarter which feature a live Klezmer music performance in the evening.
Very moving experience.
The castle complex and cathedral are must-sees and the main square where the Cloth Hall is located is one of the great public spaces in Europe I think.
Ciao,
Ross in Denver
The Oskar Schindler Factory Museum.
We also enjoyed visiting the Jagiellonian University (Polish: Uniwersytat Jagiellonski). It dates back to 1380 and Copernicus studied there.
Typical Polish restaurant is Morskie Oko - close to Rynek Glowny. They even have folk music band playing there.
I totally loved Wawel castle. There is supposedly an "energy center" in the corner of one of the courtyards. It's completely "unauthorized" by the people who run the castle but you see people meditating near this special area. I'm a bit of a skeptic but there was something going on there. Rick mentions it in his book. It's free and worth a look.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Though I am really looking forward to going to Krakow I am wondering now (as I am sitting in Rome after one freak snow storm and awaiting another one) why it is that I am headed to Poland in the winter. :)
Makes sure you free sometime in the evening, about an hour, for a concert in the many churches in the center area. Flyers all over the place. Very reasonable. I sit an imagine how it might have been centuries ago.
With just a weekend you won't have the time, but one of the great sights near Krakow is the Wieliczka Salt Mine. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it's incredible. That and Auschwitz would be my two top must-sees in the Krakow area.
Hi Kristen,
Don't worry too much about being in Krakow in winter. For one thing, it's less busy, and with the snow, quite serene. (Well, it was when I was there about 6 years ago) Plus, they are used to dealing with snow so they keep things cleared so it's easy to get around. Here's a link to a live camera shot of the main square so you can see (hopefully) how clear they keep it even with fairly constant snow.
http://krakow.pl/multimedialny_krakow/3222,artykul,widok_z_ul__brackiej_na_rynek_glowny_.html
Enjoy your trip! Krakow is my favorite city...but Rome is up there, too :)
Had a fabulous visit to Krakow...with snow and everything! Thank you for your suggestions!