Krakow, Poland
Krakow, Poland
Visiting Krakow was like walking through a real-life history book. The second oldest city in Poland definitely lived up to its old stone reputation. The center was filled with Christmas decorations and a beautiful Christmas market that had me drooling over its pierogi!
I had the opportunity to visit this city the last days of November and it was more than I expected. With the WW2 history and with Auschwitz an hour away it really gave an inside look to a historic landmark.
Airport to the City Center
For this trip I went with a group of friends, so transportation was split between 5 girls. We took a taxi from the airport to the center and it was about 95 Polish Zloty which for was about 50kr each. If you don’t come as a group to split cost the bus is a cheaper option however carry cash on you because the machine for the tickets don’t always take card. Krakow is a cheap location to visit in Europe, so transportation wasn’t that much of a worry. We were dropped off right in the middle of the center and our Airbnb wasn’t to far either.
The City
Since it was late November-early December the center was decorated and the Christmas market was lively. If you have the chance to visit, try as much of the food you can in the market. Poland is inexpensive and well known for it’s Pierogi, we ate it until we had a food coma. Highly recommend trying it when in Krakow. After filling our stomachs, we explored the city and watched the beautiful architecture. A few places we saw in Krakow was the Jewish Quarters, the Centrum Turystyczne, and the Wawel Royal Castle. Each location has their own charm and history.
Auschwitz
One of the big reasons for the trip was to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau. For anyone that knows the history of WW2 visiting the camp was a surreal experience. Some tips I do consider prior to visiting the camp:
Book a guided tour that provides transportation. It’s an hour ride to Auschwitz and it would take longer through public transportation.
Bring snacks to eat on the way and after.
Dress warmly if you go during the cold season since you will be outside most of the time.
Go early in the day there is less people at the camp. When our group arrived, it was 7 in the morning and the camp wasn’t as crowded.
Seeing a piece of history that affected many people was an experience I cannot put into words. From seeing the living quarters of the victims, to the display of belongings, to the destroyed gas chambers. There’s a lingering presence that stayed with me even after visiting the camp.
