Safety
Krakow is deemed to be quite a safe place and is considered to be one of the safer destinations in Europe to travel to. However, this doesn't mean that Krakow is free from crime, if anything it's far from it, with a range of petty crimes going on throughout the city. These crimes are quite well known by tourists from around the world, mostly because the same crimes happen in their city as it's a magnet for unsuspecting tourists. In this section I include some tips regarding how to protect your own well-being and personal safety while in Krakow.
Two Girl Bar Scam
The Two Girl Bar Scam has to be one of the creative and unsuspecting scams I've ever heard of and I have to admit I understand why people fall for it. The scam begins with two girls wondering the streets until they find an unsuspecting tourist and ask them for directions to a specific bar. Luckily it turns out that the tourist can see that this bar is directly opposite them, how convenient. Another way this scam starts is with two girls, both of them being very attractive, asking if you'd like to join them for a drink at a local bar. The two ladies will then take you into a bar, in which the people working at the bar are in on the scam, to which the person behind the bar will offer the person free drinks. Some of the girls will encourage the person they're with to get more drinks, in which they will have to pay for, with no clear prices being stated. After more drinks have been ordered the unfortunate person that had been brought in is faced with a hefty bill, I've heard stories of four beers coming to just over 1000zł (approximately £205). The people working behind the bar will then try and intimidate the person faced with this hefty bill as well as stating that they're not allowed to leave until they have paid the bill. Some bars and clubs will also have bouncers on the door, most in which look intimidating enough to make you pay the bill and extra, who will block the door until you pay. In some cases people have ended up forking out the money for probably the most expensive drinks in their life but other people have just left some money on the counter and ran out. The moral of the story is nothing is ever too good to be true: two beautiful girls wanting to take you to a specific bar or club after "randomly" bumping into you in the street? It's not fate and you will end up going home alone and with an empty wallet. There are also stories of a bill coming to a standard amount with the person behind the bar putting an extra number next to the price and claiming that it's the till number. For example, if I bought four drinks and it came to 90zł then the person behind the bar may put an extra 7 into the price, making it 790zł, if I questioned they would claim that this extra 7 is the till number. This being simply untrue and you will end up paying the three-figure bill. It would also be more appropriate to pay in cash at any bars or clubs since when you use your card, you could be charged anything without any knowledge of it. If you then went to report it then you may be held accountable for your actions since the price clearly comes up and simply no one would believe that you didn't see it while putting your pin in.
Tourist Photos, Street Performances & Living Statues
This is one of the oldest and most popular scams that still deceives tourists whenever they travel to a popular tourist destination such as Barcelona, London and Paris. Some people love having photos taken to remind them of their trip, with some people using a selfie stick and others choosing to take the pictures themselves, some people prefer to ask other members of the public to take them for them. Most people would be more than happy to when asked but some people will go out of their way to ask if they can take the picture for you. As you can imagine this is a scenario that is too good to be true, after taking your Instagram perfect picture the person behind your phone or camera may demand a large amount of money in return for your valuables. If anyone comes up to you and offers to take your picture, decline and instead go up to someone yourself. In this way the chances are slim that a fellow tourist would then hold your valuables at ransom. Street performances and living statues are technically street scams as some people may think that these performances are free for everyone to watch as well as being able to take pictures with living statues for free. I witnessed a group of young girls watching a street performance in Krakow and they were then asked to put money into a small pot in front of the performer. When they declined to my shock the performer went to chase after them and while that happened I slowly ran the other way to stop the same happening to me. Living statues catch everyone's attention and some people think that taking a picture with these people would be fun and they wouldn't feel obliged to pay. I remember once when I was younger me and my friend watched a tourist take a picture with a living statue but the living statue wouldn't let the tourists leave without putting change into his hat. When they put some change into the hat he even had the cheek to say "Is that it?" where the tourists felt obliged to give the person even more money. If you would like to take a picture with these living statues then have some change prepared and stick to your guns, or in this case pockets, don't go into your pocket once you've given money if the living statue has intimidated or made you feel pressured into giving more.
Restaurant Scam
During my time in Krakow I didn't have the chance to eat out at many restaurants since I was only there for a short stay as well as becoming very ill when there. Even though I did venture out to a few restaurants I was very hesitant before stepping into each one since I had heard numerous stories of people being overcharged heavily and their bill coming to a lot more than it should. Some restaurants may offer certain appetisers, that were given to the customer without them asking, which would be assumed to be free as it was not asked for. Sadly this is not the case and after they had been eaten, the staff would add this onto the bill and make the customer pay. Some unfortunate tourists also fall for the deception of a menu stating an item and the price correlating with the weight. In this sense a menu might state that 100g of a specific item is 10zł but the actual weight of the item you receive is 40g you'd end up paying 40zł. Every time this scam happens it's impossible that the restaurant would have exactly 100g of that specific food making it near certain that they will overcharge you. Another sly method that restaurants partake in is filling up drinks that the customer hasn't asked for, so in this way they may expect that these are free refills, once the bill comes you'll see you have been charged for each drink given to you. Once again, since you have drunk them you are obliged to pay the full bill including the drinks that were given to you. When you receive your bill just take a minute to glance over and make sure that everything is accounted for and nothing has been added on unexpectedly. If something has been added on that you're confused or in doubt about, there's no harm in asking the waiter or waitress to explain any discrepancies.
Transport
While travelling in Krakow there may be some instances that you need to travel by public transport or by taxi, either way there are a range of different scams as well as procedures that you need to follow. These procedures relate to use of the buses and trams in Krakow since these travel all around the city as well as being a good mode of transport for getting to the airport. When buying a ticket to use on public transport make sure you buy it from an official vending machines which can be found at busy stops as well as being able to buy when on board. Even though you have already bought your ticket it's essential that you validate these tickets through using an orange machine that prints the date and time onto the ticket. Even if you've bought your ticket from the driver you would still need to validate it since it would stamp the date and time of first use. Many tourists have been caught out by ticket inspectors while travelling on public transport and faced with a hefty fine of 240zł (approximately £50). If you do get stopped by a ticket inspector it's important to make sure that you see identification before handing your ticket over (if you're asked to pay a fine if you've been caught out by these inspectors). I read a story where someone was asked to show identification, in which the "inspector" held at ransom until they paid them a large sum of money to get their passport back. If you claim you have no money these "inspectors" will go as far as to take you to the nearest ATM and make you withdraw the required amount. Travelling by taxi in Krakow is a convenient and cheap option when done properly, in this sense it should be done through a legitimate taxi firm or through a taxi booking app. When arriving at Krakow Airport it can be overwhelming with the amount of different taxis lining up waiting to take tourists to their destination, yet it is very simple to recognise an official taxi. Official taxis will be registered to a specific company which would be clearly visible as well as the prices these companies charge being visible somewhere throughout the taxi. When you get into a taxi be sure to make sure that the meter starts when your journey does as well as making sure that there are either two tariffs shown within the meter: 1 or 2. Tariff 1 is a standard rate used throughout the day and has a specific price registered to each km of the journey. Tariff 2 is registered to a night-time service in which there can be up to a 50% increase in the fare but the meter inside of the taxi would calculate this.
Two Girl Bar Scam
The Two Girl Bar Scam has to be one of the creative and unsuspecting scams I've ever heard of and I have to admit I understand why people fall for it. The scam begins with two girls wondering the streets until they find an unsuspecting tourist and ask them for directions to a specific bar. Luckily it turns out that the tourist can see that this bar is directly opposite them, how convenient. Another way this scam starts is with two girls, both of them being very attractive, asking if you'd like to join them for a drink at a local bar. The two ladies will then take you into a bar, in which the people working at the bar are in on the scam, to which the person behind the bar will offer the person free drinks. Some of the girls will encourage the person they're with to get more drinks, in which they will have to pay for, with no clear prices being stated. After more drinks have been ordered the unfortunate person that had been brought in is faced with a hefty bill, I've heard stories of four beers coming to just over 1000zł (approximately £205). The people working behind the bar will then try and intimidate the person faced with this hefty bill as well as stating that they're not allowed to leave until they have paid the bill. Some bars and clubs will also have bouncers on the door, most in which look intimidating enough to make you pay the bill and extra, who will block the door until you pay. In some cases people have ended up forking out the money for probably the most expensive drinks in their life but other people have just left some money on the counter and ran out. The moral of the story is nothing is ever too good to be true: two beautiful girls wanting to take you to a specific bar or club after "randomly" bumping into you in the street? It's not fate and you will end up going home alone and with an empty wallet. There are also stories of a bill coming to a standard amount with the person behind the bar putting an extra number next to the price and claiming that it's the till number. For example, if I bought four drinks and it came to 90zł then the person behind the bar may put an extra 7 into the price, making it 790zł, if I questioned they would claim that this extra 7 is the till number. This being simply untrue and you will end up paying the three-figure bill. It would also be more appropriate to pay in cash at any bars or clubs since when you use your card, you could be charged anything without any knowledge of it. If you then went to report it then you may be held accountable for your actions since the price clearly comes up and simply no one would believe that you didn't see it while putting your pin in.
Tourist Photos, Street Performances & Living Statues
This is one of the oldest and most popular scams that still deceives tourists whenever they travel to a popular tourist destination such as Barcelona, London and Paris. Some people love having photos taken to remind them of their trip, with some people using a selfie stick and others choosing to take the pictures themselves, some people prefer to ask other members of the public to take them for them. Most people would be more than happy to when asked but some people will go out of their way to ask if they can take the picture for you. As you can imagine this is a scenario that is too good to be true, after taking your Instagram perfect picture the person behind your phone or camera may demand a large amount of money in return for your valuables. If anyone comes up to you and offers to take your picture, decline and instead go up to someone yourself. In this way the chances are slim that a fellow tourist would then hold your valuables at ransom. Street performances and living statues are technically street scams as some people may think that these performances are free for everyone to watch as well as being able to take pictures with living statues for free. I witnessed a group of young girls watching a street performance in Krakow and they were then asked to put money into a small pot in front of the performer. When they declined to my shock the performer went to chase after them and while that happened I slowly ran the other way to stop the same happening to me. Living statues catch everyone's attention and some people think that taking a picture with these people would be fun and they wouldn't feel obliged to pay. I remember once when I was younger me and my friend watched a tourist take a picture with a living statue but the living statue wouldn't let the tourists leave without putting change into his hat. When they put some change into the hat he even had the cheek to say "Is that it?" where the tourists felt obliged to give the person even more money. If you would like to take a picture with these living statues then have some change prepared and stick to your guns, or in this case pockets, don't go into your pocket once you've given money if the living statue has intimidated or made you feel pressured into giving more.
Restaurant Scam
During my time in Krakow I didn't have the chance to eat out at many restaurants since I was only there for a short stay as well as becoming very ill when there. Even though I did venture out to a few restaurants I was very hesitant before stepping into each one since I had heard numerous stories of people being overcharged heavily and their bill coming to a lot more than it should. Some restaurants may offer certain appetisers, that were given to the customer without them asking, which would be assumed to be free as it was not asked for. Sadly this is not the case and after they had been eaten, the staff would add this onto the bill and make the customer pay. Some unfortunate tourists also fall for the deception of a menu stating an item and the price correlating with the weight. In this sense a menu might state that 100g of a specific item is 10zł but the actual weight of the item you receive is 40g you'd end up paying 40zł. Every time this scam happens it's impossible that the restaurant would have exactly 100g of that specific food making it near certain that they will overcharge you. Another sly method that restaurants partake in is filling up drinks that the customer hasn't asked for, so in this way they may expect that these are free refills, once the bill comes you'll see you have been charged for each drink given to you. Once again, since you have drunk them you are obliged to pay the full bill including the drinks that were given to you. When you receive your bill just take a minute to glance over and make sure that everything is accounted for and nothing has been added on unexpectedly. If something has been added on that you're confused or in doubt about, there's no harm in asking the waiter or waitress to explain any discrepancies.
Transport
While travelling in Krakow there may be some instances that you need to travel by public transport or by taxi, either way there are a range of different scams as well as procedures that you need to follow. These procedures relate to use of the buses and trams in Krakow since these travel all around the city as well as being a good mode of transport for getting to the airport. When buying a ticket to use on public transport make sure you buy it from an official vending machines which can be found at busy stops as well as being able to buy when on board. Even though you have already bought your ticket it's essential that you validate these tickets through using an orange machine that prints the date and time onto the ticket. Even if you've bought your ticket from the driver you would still need to validate it since it would stamp the date and time of first use. Many tourists have been caught out by ticket inspectors while travelling on public transport and faced with a hefty fine of 240zł (approximately £50). If you do get stopped by a ticket inspector it's important to make sure that you see identification before handing your ticket over (if you're asked to pay a fine if you've been caught out by these inspectors). I read a story where someone was asked to show identification, in which the "inspector" held at ransom until they paid them a large sum of money to get their passport back. If you claim you have no money these "inspectors" will go as far as to take you to the nearest ATM and make you withdraw the required amount. Travelling by taxi in Krakow is a convenient and cheap option when done properly, in this sense it should be done through a legitimate taxi firm or through a taxi booking app. When arriving at Krakow Airport it can be overwhelming with the amount of different taxis lining up waiting to take tourists to their destination, yet it is very simple to recognise an official taxi. Official taxis will be registered to a specific company which would be clearly visible as well as the prices these companies charge being visible somewhere throughout the taxi. When you get into a taxi be sure to make sure that the meter starts when your journey does as well as making sure that there are either two tariffs shown within the meter: 1 or 2. Tariff 1 is a standard rate used throughout the day and has a specific price registered to each km of the journey. Tariff 2 is registered to a night-time service in which there can be up to a 50% increase in the fare but the meter inside of the taxi would calculate this.
Accommodation
When researching where to stay in Krakow I wasn't too bothered about the location since most of the trips that I would be going on during my stay would be picking me up directly from my hotel or somewhere close to it. Either way I still searched through lots and lots of different hotels and apartments to make sure that I was getting a place to stay that would be good value for money as well as being not too far from the airport. As I always do I narrowed down my search to find accommodation that included breakfast, something in which I needed since it would keep me going until lunch, especially on the numerous trips we went on throughout our stay in Krakow. After searching through numerous hotels and apartments, I had finally found a place in which was budget friendly, located just a few minutes walk from the Main Market Square as well as including a full buffet breakfast. Too good to be true? In some cases it was, when I arrived at this apartment in particular I was disappointed to find out that the apartments we were meant to be staying at were under renovation. The person working there wanted to move us to another apartment just a few minutes down the road since they were worried we'd be annoyed with the constant sound of drilling going on throughout our stay. Luckily for us, this new apartment we were given was located even closer to the Main Market Square and was in most ways similar to our original apartment. The new place we stayed at was called Boutique Aparthotel & Apartments.
As safety is a key issue for me when travelling abroad I was more than happy to see that these apartments had a lot of security. The front door to get into the actual building needed a key, then after climbing two flights of stairs the door between these stairs and reception needed a key card as well as our actual apartment needing a key to get in (obviously). This making it near impossible to get into the actual building if you weren't staying there. Even though the reception wasn't open for 24 hours, it was clearly stated that if we had any problems we could state what the problem was by circling different images for objects in the room on a piece of paper provided. For example, when our toilet was broken we circled the image of the toilet and stated the problem, we then left this note on the reception desk. By the time we had returned the next day the toilet was fixed, this making it a more convenient option rather than having to keep going back to reception and asking them to fix any problems we had.
The rooms we stayed in, which I assume was a standard double, included a king or queen size bed that was more than big enough for two people. My favourite feature of the room was the numerous charging ports located around the room, allowing me to charge everything I needed for the next day at once. Our room also included a little kitchen area which had cutlery, a mini-fridge, plates as well as cups and saucers, this was perfect for storing bottles of water as well as being able to use the hob to heat up food we had brought back. If we didn't finish a meal at a restaurant we asked for a little doggy bag, which the staff there were more than happy to give, which we put our left overs in and heated up later that night when we felt hungry. This not only saving money but also reducing waste since these portions of food would have been thrown away otherwise. Our room also featured a small table and seating area with a large couch that turned into a sofa bed as well as a large armchair. This cosy little touch made the room feel more like a home rather than a standard apartment. The bathroom had a walk in shower and enough space to walk around in, while not being too big that the space became unnecessary, which included all of the essentials we needed. We were given numerous towels to use, a hairdryer as well as small tubes of shower gel and shampoo which is pretty standard for hotels but I didn't expect it for apartments. The WiFi was very fast with there being three different networks to join to, if one network was down or slow then there would be two other networks to join to. There were a few downsides to my stay which included the room not having a safe, something that made me feel uneasy since I had nowhere to put my spare cash that wasn't accessible. Another problem with the room was that the radiator was constantly on, with no way to open the windows or to turn the radiator off, this was fine when we had just come back from the cold but became a little too hot after a while. Breakfast was included in the price, which was served around less than a minutes walk away in a restaurant called Marmolada. These tokens would be exchanged for a full buffet breakfast and on one day I exchanged the breakfast token for a packed lunch since I would be leaving at 7am that morning to go to Auschwitz-Birkneau.
The original apartments cost 770zł (approximately £160) for three nights, which worked out to be around £26 per day including breakfast (since there was two of us). This price reflects the original reservation for an apartment called Grodzka 21 but doesn't reflect the prices charged for Boutique Aparthotel & Apartments. Either way these apartments are both great value for money considering all of the factors mentioned such as the amenities and breakfast being included with the price. If you're staying in Krakow I'd advise to get an apartment rather than a hotel since there aren't many hotels located in the Main Market Square since most apartments are found above the shops surrounding it. The price was also inclusive of the fact that we were located next to the Main Market Square and within walking distance of major attractions in Krakow.
As safety is a key issue for me when travelling abroad I was more than happy to see that these apartments had a lot of security. The front door to get into the actual building needed a key, then after climbing two flights of stairs the door between these stairs and reception needed a key card as well as our actual apartment needing a key to get in (obviously). This making it near impossible to get into the actual building if you weren't staying there. Even though the reception wasn't open for 24 hours, it was clearly stated that if we had any problems we could state what the problem was by circling different images for objects in the room on a piece of paper provided. For example, when our toilet was broken we circled the image of the toilet and stated the problem, we then left this note on the reception desk. By the time we had returned the next day the toilet was fixed, this making it a more convenient option rather than having to keep going back to reception and asking them to fix any problems we had.
The rooms we stayed in, which I assume was a standard double, included a king or queen size bed that was more than big enough for two people. My favourite feature of the room was the numerous charging ports located around the room, allowing me to charge everything I needed for the next day at once. Our room also included a little kitchen area which had cutlery, a mini-fridge, plates as well as cups and saucers, this was perfect for storing bottles of water as well as being able to use the hob to heat up food we had brought back. If we didn't finish a meal at a restaurant we asked for a little doggy bag, which the staff there were more than happy to give, which we put our left overs in and heated up later that night when we felt hungry. This not only saving money but also reducing waste since these portions of food would have been thrown away otherwise. Our room also featured a small table and seating area with a large couch that turned into a sofa bed as well as a large armchair. This cosy little touch made the room feel more like a home rather than a standard apartment. The bathroom had a walk in shower and enough space to walk around in, while not being too big that the space became unnecessary, which included all of the essentials we needed. We were given numerous towels to use, a hairdryer as well as small tubes of shower gel and shampoo which is pretty standard for hotels but I didn't expect it for apartments. The WiFi was very fast with there being three different networks to join to, if one network was down or slow then there would be two other networks to join to. There were a few downsides to my stay which included the room not having a safe, something that made me feel uneasy since I had nowhere to put my spare cash that wasn't accessible. Another problem with the room was that the radiator was constantly on, with no way to open the windows or to turn the radiator off, this was fine when we had just come back from the cold but became a little too hot after a while. Breakfast was included in the price, which was served around less than a minutes walk away in a restaurant called Marmolada. These tokens would be exchanged for a full buffet breakfast and on one day I exchanged the breakfast token for a packed lunch since I would be leaving at 7am that morning to go to Auschwitz-Birkneau.
The original apartments cost 770zł (approximately £160) for three nights, which worked out to be around £26 per day including breakfast (since there was two of us). This price reflects the original reservation for an apartment called Grodzka 21 but doesn't reflect the prices charged for Boutique Aparthotel & Apartments. Either way these apartments are both great value for money considering all of the factors mentioned such as the amenities and breakfast being included with the price. If you're staying in Krakow I'd advise to get an apartment rather than a hotel since there aren't many hotels located in the Main Market Square since most apartments are found above the shops surrounding it. The price was also inclusive of the fact that we were located next to the Main Market Square and within walking distance of major attractions in Krakow.
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Where to visit & What to do
Before travelling to Krakow I had already booked up everything I wanted to see and visit months in advance. Not only had these tours and attractions that I had wanted to visit had been booked up, they had already been paid in full meaning that the only money that I had to bring would be for food, souvenirs and any tips for the tour guides. By booking all of my tours and attractions up, this allowed me to spend my time in Krakow wisely, with time devoted to exploring different areas and visiting a range of different shops while I was there. All of these activities were booked through escape2poland, a company in which arranges tours and transfers for people visiting Krakow and other areas of Poland.
Auschwitz-Birkenau
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Address: Więźniów Oświęcimia 20, 32-603 Oświęcim, Poland
Ticket Prices: Admission is free to the Museum. There are a range of different prices regarding tours of Auschwitz-Birkneau - these tours can range from a large group tour or be bought for a smaller group or a private tour. If you don't want a guided tour then you face some restrictions on the time of entry to the Museum. More information can be found here - https://visit.auschwitz.org/?lang=en Auschwitz-Birkenau, a place that everyone should visit at least once in their life, is the largest Nazi concentration and death camp where 1.3 million people were sent with 90% of these people being Jews. Even though the majority of the people that were sent to Auschwitz were immediately murdered on arrival as they were deemed unfit to work some people who were deemed fit to work were subject to appalling living conditions. The Nazis had taken a Polish army base with barracks that in 1940 was converted to the first concentration camp: Auschwitz I. Within a year the Nazis had realised that Auschwitz I was simply not big enough to hold the amount of prisoners being sent from all across Europe. In 1941 another concentration camp: Auschwitz II (Birkenau) was built 3km away with the size of this camp being 20 times the size of Auschwitz I, it's the largest out of the three camps and held 200,000 prisoners. Auschwitz I When entering Auschwitz we were stopped at the gates into the camp which read "Arbeit macht frei" in which translates from German meaning "Work sets you free". The prisoners entering the camp were fed a cynical lie in which they were told that work would liberate them but this gate had only led to pain and suffering for these prisoners, a cruel feature of irony added by the Nazis. Upon entering the gates there are rows upon rows of brick barracks that had been converted for a range of different functions. For prisoners these barracks would be the place they would spend the last of their days, with no proper furniture or bedding for the first few months led to many prisoners sleeping on straw-stuffed mattresses on the floor. Each of these barracks would house up to 700 prisoners but as time went on they housed as many as 1,200 prisoners. Upon arrival at Auschwitz people were stripped of their freedom with their belongings being taken away, their heads being shaved and before they were murdered they were even stripped of their clothes and what was left of their dignity. Many of the barracks show items of the prisoners who came through Auschwitz, these people were told to bring everything with them since this place would be where they could reside and it would be their new "home". There's a whole room that shows the shoes of prisoners that were collected before they went into the gas chamber, piles upon piles of shoes, it seemed as if it would never end. The sheer amount puts into perspective just how many people were mercilessly killed at the hands of the Nazis, the amount of shoes is only a small fraction of the amount of belongings taken from prisoners. The Nazis went as far as to take the prosthetic limbs from prisoners after they had been murdered as well as their glasses, gold teeth and anything they thought could be used. Certain items would be shipped back to Germany in the use for the war efforts, it really shows the extent to which these inhumane acts went to. There are restrictions on what visitors can take pictures of when looking at the personal belongings of these prisoners, I recall the room that featured the human hair from prisoners was off limits for any photos, this mainly due to respect that this is someone's hair since this belonged to an actual person. Another room was filled with the suitcases that many people brought with them, looking at each suitcase there was a range of different numbers and names on them. Most people were told that they would have their belongings returned once they arrived at the camp, the sad truth is that these suitcases would be ransacked for items that could be sent on and anything they deemed of value. Upon leaving these barracks, one had a corridor full of pictures of these prisoners, the cold stares of these prisoners, unknowingly standing there for an image with a number which would be used to trace who had died in these gas chambers. At a closer inspection of these pictures, it's evident among nearly all of the prisoners who entered these camps many didn't survive the harsh living conditions, the intense labour and lack of food and water that led to their death. It shows the extent to which these people were dehumanised, they were given a number and that's what their new identity would solely be focused on. You never got your story heard, your life, your family and even your experience, you were simply given a number like thousands of other people were. To be stripped of your humanity, stripped of your personal items, stripped of even your own hair and the gold from your teeth after being murdered provokes a range of emotions. At one point my eyes filled with tears but it soon turned to anger and disgust, how could this have happened? There was a stone wall located between two barracks, this had became known as the Death Wall for prisoners at Auschwitz since if a prisoner stepped out of place or simply because a guard wanted to, an inmate would be taken to the wall and shot against it. The wall today has been covered with flowers and candles in remembrance of those who had faced this punishment. This punishment was used as a deterrence for the barracks either side which both had windows so prisoners could see what happened if they dared disobey. These prisoners were taken outside completely naked, these acts are disgusting to think that people could actually partake in, they had taken a human life solely on the grounds that they had reacted to the atrocious conditions that they had to live in. This wall was mainly used during the years of 1941 to 1943 but as these concentration camps became fuller and fuller, the Nazis had found a more systematic way of killing the prisoners through the use of gas chambers. Other barracks such as Block 20 were converted into a hospital, an ironic name for a place that instead of helping people was used as a lab for prisoners to be experimented on. Prisoners were treated like guinea-pigs by Dr Mengele, there's images of naked children who had been subject to these experiments and even the development of non-surgical mass sterilisation of women who had entered Auschwitz. Taking a picture of the children who had been experimented on shows the sick trophy that these doctors wanted to keep, in some form they were proud on what they had done and saw no wrongdoing at all. It makes you feel sick. The sterilisation was performed by Dr Carl Clauberg who had performed this procedure on over 1000 women a day, the procedure in which would eventually make them infertile but would also produce discomfort from severe inflammation. What's even worse is that this doctor had even declared that he was "proud" and had "perfected" the procedure as if it was a fixation of his doings. Another barrack named Block 11 was used as a deterrent for prisoners who dared to rebel, it was used as a dungeon for prisoners where they would stand in a tiny cell to which they could barely move for days upon end. This horrific method of torture led prisoners to die from suffocation, exhaustion or starvation. Auschwitz I has been converted into a museum, with each barrack providing information on different areas of life for the prisoners that were murdered at Auschwitz. There is information as to where prisoners came from and a visual map to really show the extent that people were being sent to Auschwitz from many places in Europe, many under Nazi invasion and control. Information also includes the marks for distinguishing different categories of prisoners, it's indescribable seeing how many people were sent to these camps with no fair trial, no judge, no one hearing their story of how their innocence has been tarnished and destroyed, along with their humanity and rights just because they didn't fit a certain category of what the Nazis approved of. All of this information is hard to hear and absorb, with the lingering and sombre experience that's hard to forget, but it shouldn't. There's a quote on a wall as you enter one of the barracks "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it", could this ever happen again? With a world full of people constantly at war how is there a certainty that these monstrosities will repeat? It's important for everyone to see the impact that this had on people's lives and the sheer amount of people that were murdered at the hands of the Nazi regime, merciless killing that became systematic through these concentration camps and gas chambers. Auschwitz II (Birkneau) After visiting Auschwitz I and walking around the grounds and barracks, nothing could ever prepare me for the scale of which Birkneau was built to. No numbers could describe the sight to which 425 acres, something in which goes on as far as the eye could see, filled with barracks and watch towers. Upon walking to the entrance of Birkneau there's railway tracks still in place which go straight through the entrance of the gates of Birkneau and travel straight down into the middle of the camp. After following these railway tracks right down to where they had ended the Nazis had created a systematic approach to which they would decide who would live and who would die. A human life being able to be distinguished within seconds, whether they'd continue their life or within minutes they'd be standing in a gas chamber surrounded by others thinking they're going for a "shower". The sad reality was that 70-90% of the prisoners would be sent straight to the gas chambers, these prisoners either being sick, elderly or being a child. They were sent just a few paces forward to a gas chamber, which has now been destroyed, to their death. The Nazis had tried to destroy the remains of the camp before the Soviet Army uncovered what had been happening in Birkneau in 1945. Even though these remains still stand it's a horrendous act of cowardliness on the Nazi part, they had spend months planning what they would do in these camps yet they quickly realised the impact and the views from the rest of the world once uncovered. Even though the camp was liberated in 1945 our guide was explaining to us that these prisoners had needed months of medical attention and care, with them being fed small amounts of food each day since their stomach had shrunk due to the lack of food given to them. Unfortunately even though a small majority had been rescued from Auschwitz and Birkneau they had sadly passed away days or months later. Where the railway tracks end, there is a memorial which is an international monument as it is translated in many different languages onto 21 different plaques so people from all over the world can read the message. This message goes as follows: "For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity, where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women and children mainly Jews from various countries of Europe. Auschwitz-Birkenau 1940-1945". This monument was unveiled on Monday 24 March 2003 as this represents the anniversary of the first transport sent by the Nazis to Auschwitz. If you stand where these railway tracks end, it's an emotional experience to stand where many people would be offloaded from one of many carriages and await their fate, unknowing where they are or what's about to happen. Our guide then took us to one of the barracks where women and children both slept, upon entering the barrack it was pitch black and there was only a small amount of natural light from the doorway and a few windows. As our group all stood in the passageway we felt very confined and squashed, with elbows and arms bumping into each other, the reality of what these prisoners went through began to hit us when our guide told us how many people were in each barrack. Considering that these people were deemed "lucky" to be alive they were subject to even worse conditions than the prisoners were at Auschwitz I, I couldn't even fathom to imagine what it was like. There were around 700 people to a barrack, considering a group of 30 had to push and shove to look around, 700 people to a barrack must've been torturous. 5 people would sleep in a single bunk, which looked like just wooden floorboards put together, all unequal and most may have contained splinters. Prisoners were only allowed to go to the toilet for twice a day for 5 minutes with the other 700 people that had shared the barrack with them. Thus leading to unsanitary and conditions for diseases and illness to spread from inmate to inmate very quickly. It was freezing in the barracks, I say this while wearing three layers, jeans, snow boots and a thick winter jacket. Considering these people may have had a thin piece of fabric covering their body, it was unsurprising but sad that many prisoners died within days or months due to these extreme conditions. In November the temperature was just below minus, imagine the life of these prisoners in the snow and the rain. While leaving this barrack I asked our tour guide if many people tried to escape even though there were numerous watchtowers throughout the whole camp, everywhere I turned I saw a watchtower, it made me become paranoid that I felt like I was being watched. Our tour guide replied that many people were shot instantly if they tried to escape and because many people in the surrounding area of Birkneau looked very different in terms of them having passport and a full set of clothes, it would've been easy to distinguish people that had escaped from the camp. Luckily some people did manage to escape with the help of people from underground organisations or prisoners who worked offsite from the camp. Reading the stories when I returned back to London was a sad experience, only 196 people successful escaped from these camps but nearly a thousand had tried. Many people had been recaptured after escaping and were returned back to the camp, these inmates were given clear indication that they had previously escaped and may try again by giving them a specific symbol on their clothes. Next to the railway track is a single railway cart in which was used to transport people from all across Europe to Birkneau in which made the efficiency for the Final Solution possible. In this sense each tiny wagon was packed with up to 150 people whereas there should have only been around 50 people per wagon on the train. There could be up to thousands of people on each arrival coming into the camps in which as many people as possible we're shoved into each wagon. These people had to endure journeys which could be as long as 18 days (transport from the Greek Island of Corfu), when the train arrived everyone had already died. Most journeys lasted on average three or four days where people would have nowhere to sit and have no food available to them. There were two buckets, one which was filled with water and another for using the toilet. Many people had died from suffocation, illness or due to starvation since these conditions were harsh and these people were treated inhumanely. There was no source of ventilation at all as well as no source of heating, this meant during colder periods many people experienced many winter illnesses and the young and old suffered most from this. No sympathy was shown when people were packed into these carts like cattle, old or young, it was just a task to see how many people they could fit on. When you visit Auschwitz do be respectful, if a sign states that photos are not allowed, don't go ahead and take pictures. Some people brought their kids who were running around the camp and making a game out of visiting it. If your child is too young to understand, don't bring them since it's disrespectful and is not the place for a child to be running around. It was hard to walk around this camp and not get emotional, some people even had no respect and laughed at one point. What could someone possibly find funny? Before going watch a film called Schindler's List that portrays the life of what it was like during the Second World War under the Nazi regime and a true account of what one man done to help those labelled outcasts. Books such as Anne Frank's Diary and The Tattooist of Auschwitz are good reads in the sense that they are also true accounts of living during the Nazi regime. Anne Frank's Diary focuses on her life while she was in hiding from the Nazis whereas the Tattooist of Auschwitz is a true story where the person who tattoos numbers onto a soon to be prisoner falls in love. |
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Wieliczka Salt Mine
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Address: Daniłowicza 10, 32-020 Wieliczka, Poland
Ticket Prices: There are a range of different ticket prices depending on the number of people in your group as well as what specific tour you'd prefer to go on. There are a range of different tours, such as The Tourist Route and The Miners Route. More information can be found here - https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/visiting/visitor-s-guide/check-prices/check-prices-tourist-route Upon arriving at the Salt Mine I was surprised to see that it had a well-known reputation as it holds a UNESCO status. UNESCO represents and aims to build peace through cooperation universally for Education, the Sciences and Culture. As I used escape2poland to book this activity, I was in a group of around 20 people and was thankfully given an audio guide and a set of earphones to listen to my guide. Upon entering the mine I saw what I thought was a couple of steps, when I walked down them I saw another flight of stairs and 350 steps later I finally arrived 135 meters below the surface. I would advise wearing comfortable shoes since my legs were shaking by the time I ended up getting to the bottom. I'd even forgot how to walk down a flight of stairs since I was concentrating on not becoming dizzy from the repetitive nature of walking down flights of stairs that looked exactly the same. I couldn't even see the bottom when I looked over the edge and was praying I didn't drop my phone into the darkness and abyss. When we had arrived at the bottom our tour guide had set out a list of rules for us: when we go through one door and want to pass to the next door, we must wait until the door behind us has fully closed. The reason behind this being so that the flow of air is not disrupted in each space of the mine and everyone can thankfully breathe without feeling out of breath or feeling constrained. We began with the history of the Salt Mine in which excavation began in the 13th century and only ended in 1996 (due to flooding and low salt prices), throughout these years there are numerous processes to which salt was transported to the surface and they had become more efficient and quicker over time. The first statue our guide brought our attention to was to tell the story of the legend of St Kinga which happened during the 13th century. A young Polish prince had decided to get married and for his wife he chose to be a Hungarian princess who had gladly accepted to proposal. The father had asked the princess what she wanted as a wedding present in which she replied salt as she regarded gold and jewellery as possessions to bring unhappiness. The princess visited the mine in Hungary called Marmaros and before going inside she knelt down to pray but she threw her engagement ring inside of the mine. Even though she threw her ring inside of the mine herself she gathered the best Hungarian miners to go inside the mine in Poland and search for the ring after her wedding. The princess didn't only tell the miners to find her ring but to also look for salt, the legend then goes to tell how a miner found a large piece of salt which was then cracked open to reveal her engagement ring. The ring had been supposed to travel from Hungary to Poland by salt deposits. Another statue of importance in the mine is the one of King Casimir who ruled during the 14th century. He was widely and respectfully known as the person who had put into place management for the Salt Mine which included introducing a range of laws surrounding it. Salt then became a huge part of income during King Casimir's reign that there was even a document called the Saltworks Statue which defined and outlined the rules and regulations for selling salt. Throughout this period there was a huge requirement for efficiency as there was a high need for salt from the mine, it originated that people would turn a crank which in turn would lift the salt to the surface. Salt was lifted in large quantities and at one point in time people had to carry it on their back and climb up makeshift stairs to transport it. Over time the use of horses were introduced during the 18th century to lift heavy blocks of salt. Horses were treated very well in the sense that there had stables built in this mine as well as having dedicated miners to look after these horses, unfortunately some of these horses had gone blind due to the constant darkness that they were in but this also applied to some miners working in the mine. The last visit of this Salt Mine was St Kinga's Chapel, the tour guide wasn't lying when she said she saved the best for last, it was simply beautiful. On the way to this chapel we passed through smaller chapels which had dedicated statues to the Virgin Mary as many miners were devout Catholics. However, nothing can explain the amount of intricate detail that went into this chapel which really represents the amount of faith and religiousness that these miners felt as there's even a statue of Pope John Paul II near the exit which took a year to complete. Our tour guide told us that the Pope John Paul II planned to visit the Salt Mine but sadly didn't get to see it before he passed away. The chandeliers on the ceiling had even been made out of salt, even the individual crystals on each chandelier. There's an amazing replica of The Last Supper, which has been carved entirely out of salt, something that must've taken if not months than years since even the smallest details are included. The best part about this chapel is that it can be rented out for special occasions such as weddings, hopefully I can persuade my future fiancé that we should get married in this beautiful place. To take photos of the main cathedral there is a charge of 10zł, which many people ignored, but at a small request for such a magnificent sight there's no need to avoid this charge. As mentioned previously, this is the last visit of the Salt Mine and there is a way out but it's not pretty. Well nothing could really get worse than the numerous steps to get down but being put in an elevator with around seven or eight people being way too close for comfort to get back to the surface isn't fun. Unfortunately for the person behind me they had my hair waving around in their face as we went up for what seemed like forever but in reality was only around a minute. |
Jewish District Tour with Schindler's Factory Visit
Address: Each tour has a different location from where the tour would start.
Ticket Prices: Each tour differs in price - the tour I picked was £27.22 per person which included admission to Schindler's Factory Museum - https://www.getyourguide.com/krakow-l40/krakow-schindler-list-walking-tour-t70226/
Upon beginning our tour our guide stated that we were supposed to have 15 people in the group but after waiting they didn't turn up and we had 6 people join us. For the price that I paid I consider this a great deal since the tour seemed more personal and private, with our tour guide being able to answer any questions and being able to talk to us rather than shout so we all could hear. The first part of our tour was located in the Jewish Quarter where the majority of Jewish people used to live during the Second World War, they had made up around one quarter of the city population for Krakow as there were around 70,000 Jews. While we stood in what seemed to be an apartment complex there were numerous pictures of the Jewish population of Krakow before the Nazis had invaded. They were a huge part of the community both financially as well as having a strong religious presence throughout the city which is seen by the many synagogues that are still fully functioning and standing. While looking at these pictures our guide went on to tell us that a part of the film Schindler's List was filmed here, the location we were standing in was the courtyard in Kazimierz in the scene where the Podgorze Ghetto is liquidated as well as suitcases being thrown off the balconies. The reason that these scenes were shot here is because the area has not changed from the 1940s and would represent the way of living during this period since the buildings haven't really changed.
Our tour guide then led us to the Old Jewish Market in which the building in the middle of the square is a ritual slaughterhouse where people bought Kosher meat. Even though the market is still used by Jewish people, it has become a place for non-Jewish people to produce and sell merchandise, this is seen since around the centre of the market there is now a rise in souvenir shops. The reason behind this being the Jewish district has become more popular over time, with more and more guides offering tours around this area so souvenir shops have an area of interest to sell in. Our guide then told about the different religious dietary laws, Kashrut, such as what animals are considered to be kosher and ones which aren't. Moving on from the Old Jewish Market we then made our way to a synagogue called the Issac Synagogue, in which opened during the mid 17th century. This synagogue holds some interesting history as the person who founded the synagogue had a dream that there was treasure hidden in Prague near the Charles Bridge. He walked for a month to get to Prague and when he finally reached the bridge some soldiers caught Issac. They asked him what he was doing and then Issac thought it would be better to tell them and they could all split the treasure rather than go home empty handed. After explaining the soldiers began to laugh and expressed their dream of treasure being hidden under the furnace of a house of someone called Issac, son of Jacob, the only problem they discovered that there were multiple people with that name so it would be near impossible to find it. Issac then travelled all the way back to Krakow, when he arrived back home he dismantled his furnace and he found the treasure. From this Issac then became one of the wealthiest citizens of Kazimierz and with his wealth he built this synagogue.
At the start of 1941 there was an establishment for the 'Jewish Housing District' which became more commonly known as the Jewish Ghetto in Krakow. The Jewish people living in Krakow faced restrictions of what they could do while living in these conditions which restricted their civil rights more and more with each regulation introduced. For example, a restriction was brought originally on the parks, Jewish people weren't allowed in them, Jewish people were angry at this but didn't care for it since they didn't want to use the park. As they allowed this one rule, it began to grow into restrictions such as Jewish people being denied the right to own a business, this led to full scale restrictions on what the Jewish people could do. The housing in the Jewish Ghetto was very overcrowded with five or six families being under one roof and having to share facilities and live their life in these conditions. There was over 16,000 Jews originally moved to this area where 3,000 previous residents had to move out and be rehoused, to make matters worse another 6,000 Jews had been sent to the ghetto, this making daily life unbearable. In remembrance of the people who suffered and were deported from the ghettos there is the Ghettos Heroes Square. There's 70 chairs, each representing 10,000 lives that were taken, it really makes you evaluate mankind's cruelty towards others and the sheer amount of people being transported to concentration camps from just this area. It's a very simple but imaginative use or architecture to make everyone stop and look when walking past it. People have put flowers, flags and even poppies on these chairs to show their respect.
Upon arriving at the Oscar Schindler Factory I immediately recognised the exterior of the building and the gates which are from the film Schindler's List, I would recommend watching this film before visiting. Upon entering the factory has a clear layout in which is easy to follow. However, the factory focuses on the invasion of Krakow and it being under Nazi invasion rather than a focus on Oscar Schindler himself, even though there are items such as his desk which are on display. It tells the story of the lead up to the German invasion, then moving to occupation and annex of the area, it then leads to the formation of the ghettos and the death camps. I'd recommend saving money and refrain from getting a tour guide since the information is clear and precise, even though there's a lot of it throughout the whole building. It took me about 2 hours to see everything and walk through at a steady pace, with a lot of different portrayals of information - there are interactive exhibits such as stamping cards or walking through an area made to replicate the concentration camps. I would recommend getting there early since there are quite large school groups that take over most of the exhibits and make it hard to get through easily. Additionally I would advise getting the app Uber and getting a taxi from the factory back to the main city centre rather than getting a taxi waiting outside since they will be very expensive. A lot of people will come up to you and ask if you would like a tour, just simply decline or say you've been on it already and they'll leave you alone. I got an Uber from Oscar Schindler's Factory to the Main Square and it cost me the grand total of 11.36zł (£2.36), which is a very cheap option as well as saving me walking 30 minutes in the freezing cold.
This tour was very insightful and can be purchased without the ticket for Schindler's Factory, which has a specific time for entry on it, if you prefer to do it in your own time or not visit at all. There are a lot more places that our tour guide took us to as well as a lot more information being given to us, most of which are not included here since if I named everything she spoke about in two hours then there would be no point in others going to this tour. The tour goes in a direction that focuses on the life of Jewish people before and after Nazi invasion as well as the life for Jewish people: what aspects make up their religion and their practices.
Ticket Prices: Each tour differs in price - the tour I picked was £27.22 per person which included admission to Schindler's Factory Museum - https://www.getyourguide.com/krakow-l40/krakow-schindler-list-walking-tour-t70226/
Upon beginning our tour our guide stated that we were supposed to have 15 people in the group but after waiting they didn't turn up and we had 6 people join us. For the price that I paid I consider this a great deal since the tour seemed more personal and private, with our tour guide being able to answer any questions and being able to talk to us rather than shout so we all could hear. The first part of our tour was located in the Jewish Quarter where the majority of Jewish people used to live during the Second World War, they had made up around one quarter of the city population for Krakow as there were around 70,000 Jews. While we stood in what seemed to be an apartment complex there were numerous pictures of the Jewish population of Krakow before the Nazis had invaded. They were a huge part of the community both financially as well as having a strong religious presence throughout the city which is seen by the many synagogues that are still fully functioning and standing. While looking at these pictures our guide went on to tell us that a part of the film Schindler's List was filmed here, the location we were standing in was the courtyard in Kazimierz in the scene where the Podgorze Ghetto is liquidated as well as suitcases being thrown off the balconies. The reason that these scenes were shot here is because the area has not changed from the 1940s and would represent the way of living during this period since the buildings haven't really changed.
Our tour guide then led us to the Old Jewish Market in which the building in the middle of the square is a ritual slaughterhouse where people bought Kosher meat. Even though the market is still used by Jewish people, it has become a place for non-Jewish people to produce and sell merchandise, this is seen since around the centre of the market there is now a rise in souvenir shops. The reason behind this being the Jewish district has become more popular over time, with more and more guides offering tours around this area so souvenir shops have an area of interest to sell in. Our guide then told about the different religious dietary laws, Kashrut, such as what animals are considered to be kosher and ones which aren't. Moving on from the Old Jewish Market we then made our way to a synagogue called the Issac Synagogue, in which opened during the mid 17th century. This synagogue holds some interesting history as the person who founded the synagogue had a dream that there was treasure hidden in Prague near the Charles Bridge. He walked for a month to get to Prague and when he finally reached the bridge some soldiers caught Issac. They asked him what he was doing and then Issac thought it would be better to tell them and they could all split the treasure rather than go home empty handed. After explaining the soldiers began to laugh and expressed their dream of treasure being hidden under the furnace of a house of someone called Issac, son of Jacob, the only problem they discovered that there were multiple people with that name so it would be near impossible to find it. Issac then travelled all the way back to Krakow, when he arrived back home he dismantled his furnace and he found the treasure. From this Issac then became one of the wealthiest citizens of Kazimierz and with his wealth he built this synagogue.
At the start of 1941 there was an establishment for the 'Jewish Housing District' which became more commonly known as the Jewish Ghetto in Krakow. The Jewish people living in Krakow faced restrictions of what they could do while living in these conditions which restricted their civil rights more and more with each regulation introduced. For example, a restriction was brought originally on the parks, Jewish people weren't allowed in them, Jewish people were angry at this but didn't care for it since they didn't want to use the park. As they allowed this one rule, it began to grow into restrictions such as Jewish people being denied the right to own a business, this led to full scale restrictions on what the Jewish people could do. The housing in the Jewish Ghetto was very overcrowded with five or six families being under one roof and having to share facilities and live their life in these conditions. There was over 16,000 Jews originally moved to this area where 3,000 previous residents had to move out and be rehoused, to make matters worse another 6,000 Jews had been sent to the ghetto, this making daily life unbearable. In remembrance of the people who suffered and were deported from the ghettos there is the Ghettos Heroes Square. There's 70 chairs, each representing 10,000 lives that were taken, it really makes you evaluate mankind's cruelty towards others and the sheer amount of people being transported to concentration camps from just this area. It's a very simple but imaginative use or architecture to make everyone stop and look when walking past it. People have put flowers, flags and even poppies on these chairs to show their respect.
Upon arriving at the Oscar Schindler Factory I immediately recognised the exterior of the building and the gates which are from the film Schindler's List, I would recommend watching this film before visiting. Upon entering the factory has a clear layout in which is easy to follow. However, the factory focuses on the invasion of Krakow and it being under Nazi invasion rather than a focus on Oscar Schindler himself, even though there are items such as his desk which are on display. It tells the story of the lead up to the German invasion, then moving to occupation and annex of the area, it then leads to the formation of the ghettos and the death camps. I'd recommend saving money and refrain from getting a tour guide since the information is clear and precise, even though there's a lot of it throughout the whole building. It took me about 2 hours to see everything and walk through at a steady pace, with a lot of different portrayals of information - there are interactive exhibits such as stamping cards or walking through an area made to replicate the concentration camps. I would recommend getting there early since there are quite large school groups that take over most of the exhibits and make it hard to get through easily. Additionally I would advise getting the app Uber and getting a taxi from the factory back to the main city centre rather than getting a taxi waiting outside since they will be very expensive. A lot of people will come up to you and ask if you would like a tour, just simply decline or say you've been on it already and they'll leave you alone. I got an Uber from Oscar Schindler's Factory to the Main Square and it cost me the grand total of 11.36zł (£2.36), which is a very cheap option as well as saving me walking 30 minutes in the freezing cold.
This tour was very insightful and can be purchased without the ticket for Schindler's Factory, which has a specific time for entry on it, if you prefer to do it in your own time or not visit at all. There are a lot more places that our tour guide took us to as well as a lot more information being given to us, most of which are not included here since if I named everything she spoke about in two hours then there would be no point in others going to this tour. The tour goes in a direction that focuses on the life of Jewish people before and after Nazi invasion as well as the life for Jewish people: what aspects make up their religion and their practices.
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Travel
While in Krakow I was picked up by a guide when travelling to places such as Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mine which was included in the price I paid for entry and a guided tour. When visiting Oscar Schindler's Factory I used a taxi service to get back to the Main Square but I had originally walked there with a guided tour. Krakow is a city that's easy to explore by foot, which led me to walk around the city centre and to other parts by foot since it simply saved time and money. However, I know some people may rely on public transport for a number of reasons as well as it being more efficient in getting from one place to another.
Buses & Trams
In Krakow there's an integrated bus and tram system in which is the most common form of transport around Krakow with easy access all around the city as well as to areas outside of main Krakow. This system runs from 5am to 11pm with a night service but this comes with a reduced and less frequent service for buses and trams. After getting on your chosen method of transport make sure that you punch your ticket with the time and date, to avoid getting a fine, which you should keep with you until you finish your journey.
This is the list of the bus & tram passes available in Krakow - http://www.krakow-info.com/transpor.htm
This is the list of the bus & tram passes available in Krakow - http://www.krakow-info.com/transpor.htm
- 20 Minute Ticket - 2.8zł
- 40 Minute Ticket - 3.8zł
- 60 Minute Ticket - 5zł
- One way ticket travelling outside the city limits - Bus Numbers 200-304 - 4zł
- Unlimited travel on both buses & trams for 24 hours - 15zł
- Unlimited travel on both buses & trams for 48 hours - 24zł
- Unlimited travel on both buses & trams for 36 hours - 36zł
- Unlimited travel on both buses & trams for 48 hours - 48zł
Transfers to and from the Airport
Travelling to and from the airport can be a long and tedious journey if not planned and researched in advance. There are many options of getting to and from the airport to your hotel or accommodation:
- Bus 208 and 252 during the day & 902 at night - There are two lines during the day and one line at night that run from a range of stops throughout Krakow for the small price of 4zł for a single trip. Tickets can be bought at a wide variety of locations such as at the ticket machine either in the airport or at the bus station as well as on the bus (exact change only). It's important to note that these buses are Agglomeration Bus lines since it extends beyond the City Zone. Since this service runs throughout day and night it's a useful and cheap option as well if you don't mind a longer journey.
- Train - There are a variety of options when travelling by train into Krakow or to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, both come with a different fare but both are equally inexpensive. If travelling from Krakow Airport to Krakow Main Train Station it'll set you back 9zł and only taking 20 minutes. If you decide to travel from Krakow Airport to Wieliczka Salt Mine it'll set you back 12.50zł and takes around 45 minutes. These trains are air conditioned, have plug sockets and have WiFi available, there's also ticket machines on these trains as well as having the option to pay the conductor of the train when you get on.
- Taxi - When arriving at Krakow Airport or returning to the airport there are a range of different options regarding taxi services. Upon arriving at the airport there's a machine that can call a taxi from inside the airport, this is handy if you arrive late or are unsure of what taxis are real and what ones are fake in the sense that they'll overcharge you. A taxi ride from Krakow to the city centre may cost anywhere from 40-100zł depending on the time of day and the distance from your accommodation to the airport.
- Shuttle Direct - Shuttle Direct offers private transfers from Krakow Airport to the city centre for as little as 35zł per person, which is a much more affordable option but it would mean that you have to arrive on time or your driver may leave. If you're arriving late at night or early in the morning it would be a sensible option to get a private transfer to reduce the stress of trying to get a bus or taxi into Krakow. There are a range of different companies that offer private transfers, if you are determined to get a great price it would be a good idea to search around and enquire with different companies.
Apps to Download
Uber
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Uber is a taxi service which is online only, which provides private or shared taxis in a range of countries. Luckily for me Uber is supported in Poland and was a very cheap option when travelling back to the Main Market Square. As you can see it cost around 10zł for a 10-15 minute car ride, something in which came to be only around £2.36, as you can guess I was more than happy to leave a big tip for such a cheap and lovely service.
As you're booking from your phone you're given a range of information about your driver, the number plate of the car they're driving as well as the route your driver is likely to take. Uber is a very safe app and made me feel a lot safer while in another country. |
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Google Maps
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Google Maps is an app in which you can get directions, save locations and even check the reviews of restaurants. While in Krakow this was the app I used the most since I wasn't prepared to walk around in the freezing cold trying to find a place to eat dinner. I would recommend the restaurant on the right hand side, it's amazing! I thankfully found it to be a few minutes walk from my hotel and the reviews were right in being promising.
I also used Google Maps to mark the location of my apartment, this making it easy to find my way back to my hotel especially after dark. Considering this app is free and without advertisements, it's a handy app to download. |
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Krakow Travel Guide Offline
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Krakow Travel Guide Offline explains itself, an app that can be used to travel around Krakow without the need for WiFi or any form of internet connection. The app gives information regarding the city, history as well as the geography & climate. If you have a few minutes spare and want to know more, this app is perfect.
If you're travelling to Krakow and unsure of what to see or do if you're only staying for the weekend or three days, then this free app has itineraries ready for the duration of your stay. These itineraries cover some places of interest that have been overlooked or in some cases places that you wouldn't have thought to visit while visiting Krakow. |
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