Krakow and Warsaw Trip (Experience and Advice)
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Why Poland - It’s affordable, tasty, and fun
Must Do
Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau
Swimming at Zakrzówek
Run over to Krakus Mound
Eat Milkbar Tomasza’s spinach feta pierogis
Eat at Molam Thai
Eat a Zapiekanki at Plac Nowy
Drink a Vodka tasting
Must Do
Eat at Pyzy Flaki Gorące
Splurge on Polish wine and food at Muzealna or Alewino
Get a bottle of wine at BRAĆ polskie wina
Go shopping at Bazar Różyckiego
Complaints
Background
We had a wedding in Amsterdam and had a one way flight there since we received the save the date and we debated over what we should do afterwards for months. Croatia, Slovenia, and Albania were mulled over for a while. Then Northern Ireland, Faroe Island, or Berlin trips were contemplated. The real leader was a Norway fjord road trip. But after budgeting it and seeing some reports of large crowds in peak summer, we pivoted to Poland. We eventually booked our flight to Krakow on May 30th, for June 30th.
For planning this pretty last minute trip we found ourselves on a few random travel blogs. We found that somewhat helpful, but also not very helpful. It was decided we would add to the internet and maybe help a few meandering travelers out with their trips to either city. Now, it’s my first travel related post. So I’m going to stick to a format of “Must Do’s” and “Fines” (a handful of extra thoughts on other things we saw). Mind you, we had limited time on our trip, so it’s not like we tried everything, but we can at least tell you some honest opinions of what we did like and what was less impressive. Maybe it’ll help you plan your trip! Also, please forgive me, I’m not going to type inconsistently with the correct Polish accents.
Why Travel to Poland?
Currency - Polish Zloty, their currency, is quite affordable in relation to the US Dollar
Ease of Access - In the Schengen zone of the European Union, it’s pretty easy to find your way there when you’re in Europe
Airbnb - These are weirdly very affordable, mind you they only had fans, not full AC
4 Nights in Krakow cost us $199.82 or $25 per person per night
3 Nights in Warsaw cost us $360.61 or $60 per person per night (this Airbnb had a sweet patio deck)
Food and Drink - Very affordable, as long as you avoid the top rated / touristy places
Friendly and Safe - Seemed that way to us!
Krakow
The second largest city in Poland at 790,000 people, it is a tourist city of two time periods, medieval and World War II. A large old town and castle, and connections to Nazi Occupation and the Holocaust. It can certainly be a bit touristy in places, but it’s very pretty and easy to get around with plenty to do and eat.
Must Do Activities:
Go to Auschwitz-Birkenau
Just a necessary and powerful experience
They allow some limited self guided tours, but that’s the wrong choice, get a guide (we did the standard 3 hour one, I wouldn’t suggest doing any longer unless you’re particularly interested in the history)
If you can swing it, find a way to put yourself on a private smaller tour (ours was a standard museum English tour with a group of about 30, all but a few were respectful)
We booked our trains ahead of time through Intercity PKP, which was a technical mistake; as there are fewer trains and its slightly more expensive than Koleje Małopolskie (they send 3-4x as many as Intercity PKP, and you just have to buy the tickets at the station or on board)
Go swimming at Zakrzówek
The water is nice and cold, perfect for a hot summer day, and the view ain’t bad (plus it’s free)
Get there before opening or just go to the public section with no wait and a similar experience
We arrived at 10:00 and gave up on the line at 10:10; when we returned to check out the line after swimming and lounging around 11:30 and people in line ahead of us still hadn’t gotten in!
The swimming pools weren’t even remotely close to capacity, but they just implement a strong one in / one out policy for some reason at a lower amount than what it could reasonably hold (it’s poorly run)
You can take the trams pretty easily to get there; go to the Norymberska stop, the 11, 18, 52, 62, and 72 run there (it’s pretty easy with a quick Google)
There are bathrooms and changing rooms available
Go to Krakus Mound
It has a good view of the city and is free (compared to the ~$8 for Kościuszko Mound, which does have some cooler history, better infrastructure, and a better view)
Seeing one mound, you kinda get it, so you don’t really need to see both
You can run there like we did or just walk over to it. It also puts you in a different neighborhood, so it makes it easier to explore that side of the river
Gotta burn off calories between meals anyway!
Must Do Food:
Pierogis
It’s obviously not a trip to Poland without pierogis. We tried them at multiple restaurants (Restauracja Smakołyki, Przystanek Pierogarnia, Ciepło, Pierogi MR Vincent, and Milkbar Tomasza).
Of those all, there’s only one pierogi I would truly recommend as a must have. The spinach feta pierogis at Milkbar Tomasza. Not far from the old town square, this chaotically crowded but very friendly establishment just served the best pierogis. Unfortunately, we only stumbled upon it at the end of our trip. The salad and schnitzel we got there were also good, but didn’t blow our minds like the pierogis. If you only want to try pierogis once, this one was best.
If you want to go for a true medley of madness. Go to Pierogi MR Vincent for their crazy mixed combo of 30 pierogis across 8 types (for the meat version, they also have vegetarian and sweet). It’s a tiny restaurant, but very cutely decorated and the meal is utter chaos. It’s the best way to try a bunch of different kinds.
Molam Thai was the best restaurant we went to in Krakow. Every dish we ordered was spectacular. The laarb was particularly good. It was a weeknight and we got a reservation a day before, but it was pretty spacious with plenty of walk in availability.
Plac Nowy and its Zapiekanki sandwiches are famous we didn’t know that at the time, but we stumbled upon this and its crowds and figured we had to give it a go. It’s baffling that there even is a difference between all the stands, they all look identical as far as I’m concerned. They all have pretty slow and surly service. So just read the menus and find a combo that appeals to you and go for it. Some places have a small version, which is smarter if you want to try multiple, but doesn’t give the same joyous messy experience as the standard/large one that is kinda ridiculous.
We tried Endzior, which turns out is sort of the “famous” one . We ended up there because it had the largest crowd. So we figured why not. As a sandwich guy, I do recommend this for a meal. It was very tasty and enjoyable. But that said, I have no idea if it’s really better than anyone else’s.
Vodka tasting at Wodka cafe bar. The staff is really nice, and the outdoor seating is great. They have a large selection of ridiculous flavored vodkas. And it’s an easy way to do a chaos flight tasting. I’d suggest going with the stranger flavors and nothing you’re familiar with. Gooseberry and hazelnut were our favorites. Elderflower just tasted like St. Germain, and cherry and strawberry rhubarb tasted like medicine. You could do this anywhere I’m sure, but worth doing at least once while you’re in Poland.
Which brings me to Zabka. It’s basically the Polish version of 7 Eleven, but they’re absolutely everywhere. I kid you not every two to three blocks is not an exaggeration. You will always stumble upon one. And it’s the best way to get drinks (and ice cream) and stay hydrated in the summer. It’s not a must do, but it’s just something that I had to mention since we went so often. My credit card says we went a dozen times…
Mediocre / skippable:
Restauracja Smakołyki
Nice ambience and space, enjoyable meal.
Przystanek Pierogarnia
Fine… skip it.
Ciepło
Fine, but at least some of the funds go to Ukraine refugee relief.
Dolabella Due
Decent pizza in Old Town if you’re craving it, the staff are really friendly.
Bunkier Café
Bad service, and just a bit of a mess all around… skip it.
St. Mary's Basilica
I’ve just been to one too many churches in Europe, so unless you’re craving a church, you can skip this, the interior is beautiful though.
Wawel Royal Castle
See above, just one too many castles already, nice to look at, but I didn’t need to go in again (after going over a decade ago).
muWi Stained Glass Museum
If you like a niche museum, this could be fun for you. It’s pretty short and a bit overpriced, the exhibits are pretty lackluster, but some aspects of it are very cool. We did buy our only souvenir there, so that is saying something.
Kościuszko Mound
A bit more impressive than the free and more convenient Krakus mound, but not that much better to make it worth the trek or price. Definitely enjoyed learning about Tadeusz Kościuszko, he is a really interesting guy.
Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory - Museum of Krakow
You need to go in knowing that this is a museum about Nazi occupation of Krakow, not Oskar Schindler. I was pretty disappointed, that there was essentially only one room about Schindler. Even the Nazi occupation, the layout, and design of the space was mediocre at best, but it’s possible I’m just more versed in the era than the average visitor, so I may be a bit harsh in my review.
That said, upon further contemplation, it may be less about Schindler simply because he may not have been that good of a guy. I wish they discussed that more at length, but alas, they gave you a basic Wikipedia intro article on him.
Mattos and I speculated that an alternative version of the Oscar winning film should be made that focuses only on how he was motivated by Capitalism.
We did not have tickets, just showed up a half hour before opening and got in with the first wave of people they let in.
Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow (MOCAK)
This is by no means a bad museum, in fact, we liked it much more than the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej), but it is modern art, so it can be hit or miss for people.
I particularly enjoyed Dorota Mytych’s: At the Back of the Mind exhibition. Her work was very impressive.
Warsaw
The largest city in Poland, this is a large metropolitan, with layers of development. With pre-war, Soviet, and contemporary styles interlaced throughout the city. I’d say our best recommendations are restaurants!
Must Do Food / Drink
Restaurants
Pyzy Flaki Gorące, this was the best restaurant we went to in Warsaw. It was cheap, friendly, and delicious. Everything is served in cute jars. An absolute must.
Alewino was a hard one to get a reservation for but we had a lovely time. It’s hidden away from the street, with a beautiful outdoor space. We ordered tapas style and everything was delicious.
Muzealna is the sister restaurant to Alewino, same vibes and quality in the rear of the museum, without the necessity of a reservation. It’s another beautiful spot that we really enjoyed.
Moss Cafe had a stellar and superior take on the Jagodzianki (national blueberry bun pastry) and the drinks were good too.
Sambal Restauracja Indonezyjska, if you’re going to eat in Old Town, go here, the food was pretty darn good, no reservation needed, go early because they apparently close early sometimes.
Polish Wine
BRAĆ polskie wina, huge collection, helpful staff. We got a great pét-nat that we drank on our rooftop balcony.
Vintage Clothing Shopping
Bazar Różyckiego had a lot of cool stuff, but you do need cash or PayPal or Revolut (?). Worth a gander.
Mediocre / skippable:
There are a few of these newly repurposed / renovated food hall facilities throughout like Centrum Praskie Koneser, Food Hall Elektrownia Powiśle, Hala Koszyki, and Nocny Market. They were all just okay, with a similar modern sheen to all of them. I’m sure some are better than others, but I wasn’t really taken with any of them. I also think food halls need to reinvent themselves as tapas places. What’s the point of going to a food hall if you can’t try everything. They need to go more bite sized and allow people to overpay for small bites and try a few different spots.
Museum of Modern Art was fine. Cool building, mediocre art.
National Museum in Warsaw was fine. Classic art, but nothing very memorable.
Old Town is fine. It’s nothing compared to Krakow, so we just wandered through, grabbed a drink and a meal, and never went back.
Complaints
Weirdly some strange payment issues kept occurring. It happened just a bit too frequently to feel random. I won’t call out the establishments in case it was just a slew of genuine errors. But all sorts of versions of payment issues occurred. From charging us a bottle of wine instead of a glass, double charging us claiming the first payment didn’t go through, misleading information that led to an incorrect booking then not allowing us to exchange, and charging us for items we didn’t order. Often they just ignored us and shrugged. Weirdly for two of the situations they paid us in cash the difference and another they sent me money to my PayPal account. Lost a bit of money, since we never used all the cash, and PayPal took a fee… not much, just a few issues.
Crosswalks, I guess this is good and bad, but I found myself pacing and cursing that I couldn’t cross the road. Both drivers and pedestrians are really good about stopping and using the crosswalks, and it just drove the New Yorker in me nuts. This may be more of a me problem.
Gnats / bugs, there were weirdly a ton of “gnat clouds” along the waterfronts and parks. It is probably just typical nature, but it was pretty gross accidentally swallowing or breathing them in. And we just generally got bit by a lot of bugs.