Dearest sweethearts,
Today I thought I might do something special with you: take you on a ride of 30 Typical Things One Could Do In Krakow 🙂 if ever you are in the area. These things are something that I do quite often, things that a local (a Cracovian) would do, things that you should also try (at least once) in order to feel the vibe of the city. So without further ado… here is the list:
1. Enjoy the view of the Barbakan (The Barbican) – the fortified outpost is a great spot to take many lovely pictures or just rest on a bench in the Planty area (the green park/circle around the Old Town). #DidYouKnow it is one of only 3 such fortified outposts still surviving in Europe? And it is also the best-preserved one!
2. Start the Royal Tour on the Royal Road that links the Barbakan – Brama Florianska (St. Florian’s Gate) – Florianska Street – Main Square to Grodzka – Wawel Castle. If you live in Krakow you probably lost count of how many times you want by foot on these cobble-stoned roads.
3. Enjoy the little entrances and pieces if unique architecture on the Florianska street – don’t just look at the shops (they will stay there for the next time you will pass through), but raise your eyes to the first floor or even above and see all the beautiful bits and pieces from the facade. These buildings have survived centuries and have so much to tell!
4. Make sure you get in front of the Mariacki Kosciol (St.Mary’s Church) a few minutes before the hour strikes and you listen to the Hejnal – it does have it is own legend 😉 so make sure to read it! When the trumpet stops paying, wave to the man in the tower – if he waves back it brings good luck!
5. Go inside the Mariacki Kosciol and listen to the ceremony. You might not understand it, but if you sit quietly and you pray, you might want to look up to the sky (that is… the ceiling). The ceiling is all blue, like the sky at dawn, and there are hundreds of sparkling stars on it. It was painted by the great Polish Painter: Jan Matejko.
6. Do not feed the pigeons! Only the foreigners, the visitors do that, and it is something that is very much frowned upon nowadays. They are called “Flying rats” as they love to spread the diseases…
7. Get on the 1st floor of the Sukiennice (The Cloth Hall) – the entrance on the Mariacki Church side, close to the middle. Take the stairs/lift up to the 1st floor and enjoy a szarlotka (that is Polish for apple pie) at Cafe Szal. The view is AMAZING!
8. If you are at the Main Square at lunch, you need to drop by the Pod Sukiennice and have a traditional meal. Sundays the specialty of the house is rosol (that’s is Polish for chicken soup/broth with noodles).
9. If you are around the Main square at breakfast time you can queue for something really nice at Charlotte, on Plac Szczepanski. The place does not take reservations and it is always full so you will have to stand in line… but they do have homemade goodies!
10. You should take a small detour to the Jagiellonian University quarters and listen to Gaudeamus Igitur and typical Polish song played by the clock inside the Collegium Maius courtyard. It plays at 11, 13, 15 o’clock each day. Not many know about it, it is a hidden gem. It is not like the Prague astronomy clock but still, it is worth your time 🙂
11. If the weather outside is gloomy, raining, or freezing cold… I always like to head over to Nowa Prowincja. It has the best hot chocolate in town! They come with whipped cream and sour cherry alcohol inside!
12. Many locals also prefer the Pijalnia Czekolady Wedel when they wish for chocolate or they have a sweet tooth. You can order chocolate to go, or you can have it on the spot at the Main Market Square or in Galeria Krakowska.
13. As we are still on the topic of food, I believe it is worth mentioning one of the best homemade food places in Krakow: Babcia Malina (that is Polish for Grandmother Raspberry). There are 2 places: one on Slawkowska and one just in front of the Juliusz Slowacki Theater. You can always order take-away (we do that often…). They have the best deep-fried meat pierogi & the best zurek in town!
14. Have a look at the only baroque church in Krakow: St. Peter and Paul’s Church (Sw. Piotr i Pawla) on Grodzka. The front always remained me of the Vatican DO let me know if you get the same vibe from it 🙂
15. Go visit the “Kings of Old” – The Wawel Cathedral holds the tombs of all the Kings and Queens of Poland. It is worth your while, just for the history lesson alone.
16. Go see the biggest bell in Krakow (probably of all Poland!): Sigismund Bell. It rings only on special occasions. The Bell used to ring when a King would die or when a new one would be coronated; it also did for the death of Pope John Paul the 2nd. It is said that if a young maiden touches it, then luck will come upon them and they shall be married within the year! The bell takes at least 4 grown men to start moving it…
17. If it is summertime, take a stride in the inner garden and courtyard of the Wawel Castle. In springtime, when the magnolia blossoms, it is indeed a sight for sore eyes!
18. If you are a yoga/pilates enthusiast, you might like to know that one of the 7 chakra points in the world is located inside Wawel’s Castle inner courtyard. There are many people who come visit, lean against the wall, touch it, stroke it, and “get inspired”!
19. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love museums. Every Sunday the Krakow National Museum branches are open for free. Mondays they are usually all closed down, resuming the activity fresh Tuesday morning. Visiting museums for free, on Sunday’s, is a very local thing 😉
20. If you are in love with paintings, you should know that “The Lady With The Ermine” by Leonardo Da Vinci (his second most famous painting after the “Mona Lisa”) can be found at the National Museum in Krakow. And you can see it way more up-close-and-personal than the Smiling Mona. It is not crowded and miles away!
21. In love with history and especially ancient history? Then you should definitely drop by and check out the mummies (including one of a cat!) & read parts of The Book of Dead at the Czartoryski Museum.
22. A stroll along the Vistula River is always a very pleasurable thing to do. You can admire the sunset over the water and feed the swans or the seagulls.
23. Visit the Kładka Ojca Bernatka – the “pedestrian bridge only” in Krakow. It also is named Love Locks Bridge as people tend to put locks and throw away the key (in the name of love). At nighttime it is very colourful and the artistic sculptures/installations make it even more attractive.
24. Do go and pay your respects at the Plac Bohaterow Ghetta (The Square of The Heroes of the Ghetto). #DidYouKnow that each chair there signifies 1000 of people that were killed in the labor camps of Auschwitz and Plaszow? Do not sit on them – it is disrespectful!
25. If you enjoy StreetArt, Krakow has some amazing pieces to offer for the eye – most of them are in Old Town, Kazimierz, and Podgorze. Take the stroll along the Vistula River, as I have mentioned, and you will for sure see the floating pink pig on the waters… funny thing 😉
26. A very local thing to do, when going out to part in Kazimierz, is to drop by and eat sausage from the communist blue van. Located in front of Hala Targowa, the van can be found during the weekends – it is hard to miss out on it, just follow the people queueing in! They may not be the best ones, but they are a 40+-year-old tradition. The place has been there since the 80s!
27. Partying in Kazimierz is a must, and the fast-food of choice is always the same: zapiekanka at Plac Nowy. That is kinda like a pizza… a baguette sliced in half – the long way – and with a lot of toppings. People say that Endzior makes the best, but I have found that others in Plac Nowy make great ones too. Also… when you are hammered… they all taste the same!
28. There are 4 mounds in Krakow – Polish people name them Kopiec. My favourites are Kopiec Koszciuski and Krakusa – pick one that you would like and make sure you get there before sunset. Sunset on Kopiec gets you a large view of the city and peaceful surroundings where you can enjoy the sun setting down – great photo opportunities also!
29. Enjoy one of the smaller movie theatres and forget those Multiplex, Multikino, Cinema City huge spaces. Go local and enjoy a more intimate space, smaller and different from the rest you can choose from Kino Ars, Kino Pod Baranami, Kino Agrafka, Kino Kijow… They show European selection of movies as well 😉 in Kino Pod Baranami I was even able to see Romanian movies with Polish subs!
30. Shop locally – at least while in Poland, make sure you try out the local markets. Don’t go buying things from big chains (Carrefour, Auchan) but support the local economy by purchasing products from the local farmers. Make sure you have change though, as you cannot pay by card there. In Krakow, I recommend 2 markets very close to the Old Town: Stary Kleparz and Nowy Kleparz. In Kazmierz you can try Plac Nowy or Hala Targowa.
Yours always sincerly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug That Loves Krakow 🙂
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