Krakow, Poland - Budget Travel, Quality Experiences

 I'll be the first to admit that I have a serious case of the travel bug - I can be back from a trip somewhere and before I have even unpacked my suitcase, I'm already planning my next one. So shortly after I returned from my birthday weekend in Amsterdam, I began planning my next adventure. Unfortunately however, with the new expense of having bought a house and having to pay for food, bills, and other essentials, I wasn't quite as free as I'd been in the past to plan a trip without a serious budget in mind. I therefore started looking for some more budget-friendly destinations, which is when I decided on Krakow, Poland. I visited with my mum who is also super savvy, and we were incredibly pleased at the end of the trip when we realised that we still had change in our purses!

I've never visited Poland before and I really did not know what to expect, but whatever expectation I had was absolutely surpassed, as it was incredibly beautiful. 

In this post I am going to share my four-day itinerary for Krakow, my tips for travelling, and of course how much I spent.

Day One - Home to Krakow

Our flight to Krakow was at 9.30am which was great as it meant we would have plenty of time once we arrived to settle into our Air BnB before heading out to explore the sights. It wasn't the greatest flight of my life, as I was sat in front of a kid who was kicking the back of my seat the entire time, but luckily I had my Airpods and a book that I had picked up in a charity shop a few days before. I admit that I love reading but I very rarely commit enough time to sit down and really enjoy a book, so flights are always a good opportunity for me to lose myself in a book. The book that I chose, The Tattooist of Auschwitz also preludes tomorrow's day trip, but of course today was all about getting to know Krakow.

When we arrived at the airport, we got a £5.00 single train fare to Krakow Glowny, the main station and from there walked just ten minutes to our Air BnB which was conveniently located just a few minutes' walk away from Krakow's main square. 

Once we'd stored our cases at the apartment, we headed over to the main square and I don't think I was really prepared for just how beautiful it would be.

The main square is presided by St Mary's Basilica, a stunning 13th century church with gothic spires and an imposing tower. The church is often only open for private prayer and no photography is allowed inside, however it was incredible beautiful.

Across the square lies the Cloth Hall, a stunning building which is home to lots of market stalls that sell everything from traditional Krakovian folk dress, to Christmas decorations, to Amber jewellery (something Krakow is renowned for) to souvenirs. 

As it was now late afternoon, we seated ourselves at an outdoor restaurant on the main square for a glass of wine and a pizza, while we watched the horse-drawn carriages drive passengers up and down the cobbled streets. My first impression of Krakow was of just how beautiful it was and how glad I was to have chosen it for this trip.

Day Two - Auschwitz-Birkenau

Reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz on the plane was made evermore harrowing knowing that Day Two was going to be spent visiting the memorial sight, where around 1.1 million people died. I had decided that I was going to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau on an organised tour which I booked through TripAdvisor and looking back, I'm really glad I did it this way. Our driver picked us up from our accommodation before then picking up another couple who were on a trip to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. On the way there, our driver explained what would happen when we arrived at Auschwitz, before then putting on a documentary video about the liberation of the camp in 1945. The video was of course an uncomfortable watch as they showed what some of the prisoners looked like when the Russians liberated the camp, but I think it's so important that the holocaust is forever remembered, and a few moments of discomfort does not even touch upon what these people endured.

When we arrived at Auschwitz, our tour guide took us through to security before we met our tour guide, Anna. Anna was an incredible tour guide whose own grandparents had been prisoners in the camp. She was incredibly informative, and we passed through each section of the tour having learnt something new. 

The tour was very somber however, passing through hallways with the photos of prisoners on the walls, and passing through rooms which contained thousands of shoes, suitcases and eyeglasses that we removed from the prisoners. Probably the most emotional part of the tour however was seeing the wall that prisoners would stand in front of before being shot by Nazi soldiers. The wall now however is adorned with flowers and candles in memory of the prisoners who lost their lives in this very spot.

Once the tour of Auschwitz had finished, we then had a short break. Our driver had messaged the previous night advising that because the break is very short that he would be happy to order us packed lunches, so that we didn't have to queue at the shop in Auschwitz to buy anything. My packed lunch was £7.00 but included a massive baguette, a chocolate bar, a big bag of crisps, an apple, a banana, an apple juice, and a big bottle of water so I think it was really good value for money. After ten minutes, we then got back into the minivan and drove over to Birkenau where we started the second part of the tour.

Standing at the gates of Birkenau where millions of passengers arrived to by train, I really felt the impending dread of what was to come. Of course the Nazis destroyed a lot of the wooden huts that originally housed the prisoners of Birkenau, but this didn't take away from the horror of seeing the remnants of it all, surrounded by tall - and what would have been electric - fences. One thing that struck me was just how vast Birkenau was as well and how this place was purpose-built by the Nazis to execute millions of people. 

At the far end of the camp, lies a memorial to the prisoners with the same text translated into multiple languages. We took a few moments to reflect here, before moving on to what was, but had now been destroyed, one of the gas chambers. 

We ended the tour of Birkenau by visiting a recreation of one of the huts, which was built to house tons of people with no thought of comfort or safety in mind. The picture below shows the beds that prisoners were made to sleep in - with an upper, middle and lower bunk that would ultimately sleep six people per unit. 

Our guide Anna also explained that due to the cramped living conditions, if one person in each hut were to be ill, it was only a matter of days before everyone in the hut became ill. It was also said that temperatures in the winter could plummet to -30 degrees celsius. Shockingly, one of the things that really disgusted me, was just how much graffiti there was in the reconstructed hut. Why people think they can make their mark in such a sacred place I will never know, but it shows that some people just do not have any respect for anything. 

It was then time to say goodbye to Anna, our amazing guide. We left Auschwitz-Birkenau feeling very somber but very grateful that we were able to visit such a special place where we could pay our respects to the millions of people who were imprisoned there. 

We then returned to Krakow and said goodbye to our driver and the other couple who visited with us, before heading into The Old Town to try some traditional Polish food at an amazing restaurant, The Black Duck. We ended our day on a more light-hearted note with some local cuisine in a lovely setting.

Day Three - Wawel Castle and Kazimierz

We got up nice and early on the third day and set our sights on seeing a little bit more of what Krakow had to offer. Our first stop was Wawel Castle, with entry tickets for two exhibitions (1.5 hours' worth of experiences) being just £10.00 each. I'm really not a castle person, and I must admit neither of us were really that impressed with the exhibitions here. I really wanted to like it, but a lot of it was just art that had actually been imported from the Netherlands and Italy, without much information about the Polish Royals or anything else for that matter.

The exterior of Wawel Castle however is incredibly beautiful, and it's worth visiting even just to sit in the gardens.

We then headed to Kazimierz, the former Jewish Quarter. Kazimierz is littered with cheap vintage shops where you can get some amazing secondhand items. Unfortunately Kazimierz is also littered with, well, litter. I really hate to say this because I don't like to be negative, but I can't be dishonest and say I liked it if I didn't. It might have just been the part we found ourselves in, because I've seen some gorgeous photos of Kazimierz but I just found the whole area very run-down, dirty and inhabited with very sick looking pigeons who were constantly pouncing on food that had been dropped on the ground. When researching Kazimierz, I remember it being described as bohemian and quirky but honestly the only word that comes to mind for me is dilapidated. That being said, Kazimierz is home to the Schindlers Factory, as well as lots of restaurants serving traditional Jewish cuisine. Unfortunately I just couldn't get past the exterior of it all, so did very little exploring here and I am a little bit disappointed about that.

We headed back to The Old Town and headed down the historic street of Florianska, which is home to a mixture of high-street and independent shops. I bought some Krakow gingerbread as a gift for people at home, and then - feeling rather unadventurous - headed over to our haunt of from the first night for pizza, wine and panna cotta on the main square.

We had planned to go to the Cosmic Mini Golf Pub that night, but after realising it was in Kazimierz we didn't fancy the walk back over to the district so headed back to our Air BnB for the night, ready for an early start the next morning.

Day Four - Zakopane

I had booked a second day trip through TripAdvisor for our fourth day, this time visiting the mountain resort of Zakopane. Our driver picked us up from our apartment at around 8.40am before we then got on to a coach headed for the very South of Poland. The coach trip was a lot of fun as there were around 25 of us on the tour, with everyone being a mixture of British, Irish, American and Canadian. The journey there was absolutely beautiful and very reminiscent of my trips to Switzerland, with towering pine trees and wooden huts in the mountains, this alpine backdrop was not at all what I would have envisioned Poland to look like before visiting.

The first stop on our trip was to a quaint little Shepherd's Hut, where we were served with a local delicacy of smoked sheep's cheese with a cranberry dip. This was then paired with a shot of Cherry liquor, which was not what I had imagined drinking at 11.30am but hey, you've got to get into the spirit of things. We then had a group photo taken with our tour guide, before getting back on the coach and heading to Zakopane.

Once we'd parked up, we then got on the funicular to the top of the mountain, which offered a vista of the beautiful Tatras Mountains stretching over this Southern part of Poland and into Slovakia. The Tatras Mountains are home to a lot of alpine wildlife, including marmots, red deer, lynx, grey wolves, and even brown bears. We took some time to visit some market stalls at the top of the mountain and then sat down to have a drink. After already breaking my sobriety for the day, I decided to have a glass of Prosecco but when my mum came back with it I was pleasantly surprised to find that for £3.00 they had given me a PINT! I must admit that for a skiing holiday or an alpine hiking experience, Poland would make a really great, more budget-friendly alternative to Switzerland or Austria. We actually met a lovely couple who were newlyweds, who were visiting Poland on their honeymoon and I really think as a honeymoon destination, it's a great choice.

Once we'd enjoyed the mountain scenery with a drink, we headed back down the mountain on the funicular to another set of market stalls. My mum enjoyed the sheep's cheese at the Shepherd's Hut so much that she actually bought some from one of the stalls. I even managed to bag myself a Christmas table runner from one of the stalls, which my mum embarrassingly made me haggle for (I only paid about £2.00 less haha). 

We then headed back to the coach and set our sights on Termy Bukowina, home to around 20 thermal indoor and outdoor pools. My mum was very nervous about this part, because she can't actually swim but needless to say she gave it a really good go, got in the pool and enjoyed herself. I was a bit braver than my mum and ventured to one of the outdoor pools and even found myself a sun lounger. If you had told me at the start of this year, I would have been sunbathing in Poland in October I would have thought you were crazy, but I like to call it a form of cryotherapy.

 After around two hours at Bukowina, we then got back on the coach and back towards Krakow. As each member of the group got dropped off at their stop, we said our goodbyes and when it was our stop, headed back to the apartment.

It seems to be a recurring theme that I can't visit any European city without having pizza and a glass of wine at least once a day, so that was our plan for the evening before we packed our bags, ready for our eye-watering 7am flight home. We were back in my mum's house having coffee at 10am that morning, and had lots of amazing memories to recount as our trip had come to an end.

So what are my top tips for visiting Krakow?

- If you go on any day trips, I would highly recommend going on an organised tour. I've found myself in train stations in Italy at 5.30am with no idea that I'm getting on the right train. I've found myself getting on the wrong side of the train in Switzerland and heading miles in the opposite direction to where I want to be. I've found myself jumping on buses to ask if drivers speak English in Austria, just to find out I'm pronouncing Bad Ischl incredibly wrong and I'm on the wrong side of the road for the bus anyway. With an organised tour, all the thought is taken out of it and all the work is done for you. You don't have to worry about transport, tickets, what to see and do - it's all done for you. I think next time I'm visiting a country where I'm not familiar with the transport system, I will definitely go on another tour.

- Pack light! We went with only hand luggage and honestly it was perfect. We didn't have to re-wear anything, but if you have any apartment you can always wash your clothes as you go along and even wash and dry them before you leave, so you can just store your clothes away when you get home. We didn't have to bother with baggage reclaim and we weren't burdened with huge suitcases for a four day trip.

- Visit in Autumn. Not only are there fewer crowds and everything is a little bit cheaper, but Autumn in Krakow is stunning.

- Find both a local restaurant and a familiar restaurant. The Polish love to eat pork, however for myself, who doesn't eat pork, and my mum, who is a vegetarian, it's not quite as easy to embrace the local cuisine. The Black Duck, which serves traditional Polish and Eastern European food, was absolutely amazing and we really enjoyed it. If however you are fussy, or like me and my mum might be limited on what you can eat from a menu, then do try to find a restaurant serving more familiar cuisine. It's not adventurous, but if you return from a day trip then the last thing you want to do is be searching TripAdvisor for somewhere to eat if you are starving. We had pizza and wine most nights and of course if you were there for a week, it might become a bit monotonous but it's great to know of at least one place you can get a meal you will enjoy. 

... and how much did I spend?

Flights - £37.00 per person (return)

Air BnB - £165.22 for four nights

Auschwitz- Birkenau Tour - £76.28 per person 

Zakopane Tour - £74.20 per person

Total = £270.09 per person for four days and five nights

We also took £150.00 worth of spending money each to spend on food and drink, souvenirs etc. and we both found ourselves buying unnecessary coffees at the airport in order to get rid of our change before we came home!

So, if you are on a budget and you're looking for a European city break that embraces culture, history, natural beauty, beautiful architecture, amazing food and drink, and a lot of fun, then consider Krakow.