Travels
30 Typical Things To Do In Krakow – Behave Like A Local
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: Rynek Krakow: Sukiennice and MariackiOld Town and its PigeonsRynek Krakow and the PigeonsWalking down Florianska Street – KrakowSt. Mary’s Church – KrakowThe Florianska Street, Krakow, PolandOn Florianska Street – Krakow, PolandOn Florianska Street – Krakow, PolandOn Florianska Street – Krakow, PolandOn Florianska Street – Krakow, PolandOn Florianska Street – Krakow, PolandOn Florianska Street – Krakow, PolandOn Florianska Street – Krakow, PolandThe Royal Route to the Wawel Castle starts on Florianska 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! Vie of Mariacki Kosciol from the Underground Museum in Krakow, Poland 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. Krakow’s Main Market Square and its pigeons 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… The view from Cafe Szal (Sukiennice) – Krakow, Poland 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). They also have a mean Creme Brulee in Charlotte 😉 – Plac Szczepanski, Krakow, Poland 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 🙂 Hot chocolate at Nowa Prowincja – Krakow, Poland 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! St. Peter and Paul’s Church, Grodzka – Krakow, Poland 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 …
Krakow News: New mural at Rondo Mogilskie – WILD
Wild City – Mural in Krakow – Rondo Mogilskie // Photo courtesy of 101 Murals for Krakow The Wild City – The Nature up close The “Wild City” mural is yet another artistic piece in Krakow’s cultural landscape – located on Rondo Mogilskie. The new mural is designed to divert the attention of passers-by from the concrete city and show how various species of wild plants and animals live around us. They are the main heroes of the new work. On the painting you can see, among others wolves, lynxes, bears, bats and bison. We do not forget about the huge threat to the continued existence of these beings in the world. Therefore, the mural is supposed to cause reflection on the place of nature in the city and make the recipients aware that if we give it more space, it will repay us with colors, smells, sounds, fresh air, beauty and unique aesthetics.Agnieszka Słabowska from the project “101 murals for Krakow” Wild City – Mural in Krakow – Rondo Mogilskie // Photo courtesy of 101 Murals for Krakow How did the Mural “Wild City” came to life? The mural created at the Mogilskie roundabout (Rondo Mogilskie) is part of the cooperation of the “101 Murals for Krakow” project, councilor Małgorzata Jantos and the Medicine brand. The project was prepared by graphic designers who design clothes every day – Olga Mulica, Joanna Short, Paulina Czak, and Piotr Jakób. I would like the Mogilskie roundabout to be a gallery under the open sky. Once I organized there mosaics of Wyspiański and Mehoffer, then more murals of Beata Śliwińska, Natalia Rak and Mikołaj Rejs were created. We also want to renew the demolished mural showing poster paints.Councillor Małgorzata Jantos The “Wild City” bag in Medicine Online Shop 🙂 Buy your own “Wild City” bag from Medicine! As Medicine is the sponsor of the lovely mural, you can “buy” a piece of art from their shop – be it socks or cotton bag – with the graphics from the “Wild City” mural. Have a look here. Yours truly, The Twisted Red LadyBug, Bringing You The News In Krakow 🙂
Krakow News: Fast Train to Nowa Huta?!
More than 100 million PLN is needed for the Fast Agglomeration Railway in the direction of Nowa Huta (7 stops). This cannot be built without EU subsidies. Councillors will therefore appeal to the prime minister, ministers and the EU commissioner for transport to provide financing for this investment from EU funds planned for 2021-2027.News via KRKNEWS.PL (Polish News Site) The SKA Project: Balice – Nowa Huta line – Krakow, Poland Fast Railway is a priority for Krakow Public Transport The development of the Fast Agglomeration Railway is one of Krakow’s transport priorities. One of the variants assumes the extension of SKA by the Balice – Nowa Huta Przyczesości line. There are 7 stops to be built along the route: Prądnicka, 29 Listopada, Prądnik Biały, Jagiełły, Kocmyrzowska, Lubocza and Nowa Huta Przyside. Over PLN 100 million is needed for their construction. EU Help Is Needed! “Further development of the SKA network in Krakow depends on the city’s ability to raise funds for the construction of new stops. That is why it is fundamental to place this task in the new EU financial perspective for 2021-2027” – we read in the motion for a resolution which will be adopted by the Krakow City Council at the next session. The project was submitted by the councilors of the Platforma club. Modern Civic Coalition. Construction of railway stops is not the task of the city. But Krakow co-finances their construction as part of Integrated Territorial Investment Strategies for the Krakow Functional Area. This is how stops are built in Swoszowice, Prądnik Czerwony, and the estate Piast. The cost of their construction is about 82 million PLN, 70% covered by the EU subsidy from the Regional Operational Program of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship for 2014-2020. Yours truly, The Twisted Red LadyBug Bringing You The Latest Krakow News
Krakow News: Electric Scooters New Regulations
In Krakow, there are mobility points where it will be possible to rent and put away electric scooters. However, there are still no national regulations that are supposed to sort out the issue of riding e-scooters.Info taken from Gazeta Krakowska (Online News Page in Polish Language) Currently there are no e-scooter regulations in Krakow There are still no nationwide regulations on using electric scooters. Therefore, among others there are dangerous situations with their usage in the public places. E-scooter riders can now drive at any speed, and sometimes pedestrians are hit. The issues that the inhabitants of Krakow point out, among others, is the fact that in Krakow people leave the scooters anywhere: on sidewalks, in rubbish bins, etc. You can even trip over them and get badly injured! That is why the officials of the City of Krakow have decided not to wait for nationwide regulations, but rather take the matter into their own hands! New regulations for e-scooters in Krakow will come soon! There are several companies in Krakow that rent scooters. We have consulted with them on the provisions that are to make the capital of Małopolska safer.Sebastian Kowal from the Public Transport Authority There are even Tours in Krakow – e-Scooter Tours – that give you the option to drive safely (helmet included) and learn more about this Magical City 😉 What would the new regulation entail? Speed Limit The new regulation includes limiting the speed at which it will be possible to travel in places with heavy pedestrian traffic. “This includes Planty, where you will be able to drive at a maximum speed of 15 km/hour. Most scooters have special devices installed, thanks to which – if someone exceeds speed in such a place – the vehicle will automatically slow down” – emphasizes Kowal. Mobility Points In addition, there are so-called mobility points – “there will be over 150 in total, and maybe more. Locations mostly duplicate those where Wavelo bicycle stations used to function (no longer available in Krakow). They have already been designated in Śródmieście, but they will be in every district. It will be possible not only to rent but also to leave an electric scooter” emphasizes Kowal. Thanks to this, scooters should disappear from sidewalks, rubbish bins, lawns, etc. Special Application for the e-scooters in Krakow The user of an e-scooter must have a special application downloaded to use it. This is where we find a map that will show where the nearest point of mobility is. “We hope that if we set the mobility points, the problem with the clutter in the road lane due to scooters will be eliminated” – officials are acknowledging. Still waiting on nationwide regulations We still have to wait for nationwide regulations. “Due to the increasing popularity of personal transport devices (such as scooters) in road traffic, the Ministry of Infrastructure is working on legislative work to define road traffic rules for these devices” Ministry of Infrastructure The draft regulations assume that the scooter will be rideable at a maximum speed of 25 km/hour. Scooters are to be treated as bicycles. Have you ever took a ride on a e-scooter in Krakow, or anywhere else in Poland? Have you also noticed them lying anywhere the rider stopped? I also find it rather infuriating… I wonder of the developments fo this new way of public transport… Yours truly, The Twisted Red LadyBug, Bringing You The Latest Krakow News
Krakow News: MPK – Public Transport in Krakow – Price Rise to 40%
The 20-minute ticket, which now costs 3.40 PLN, will be converted into a 10-minute ticket for 3 PLN. A 50-minute ticket for 4.60 PLN will be replaced by an hourly ticket for 6 PLN. However, a monthly ticket for all lines on the Krakow Card, which has so far cost PLN 69, will cost PLN 96. Gazeta Krakowska was the first to write about the fact that officials will consider increasing the ticket prices in June. Now they know the details.Info taken from Gazeta Krakowska (Polish Site for News in Krakow) MPK_Tram-line-for-11-November_Krakow_Poland There is no topic today. This is a city council topic, and they also need data. I don’t think anyone would want to talk about the new fare today. It is known that tax revenues dropped in April and May, but we must see what June frostbite will look like.Łukasz Franek, director of the Public Transport Board, told Gazeta Krakowska firmly in June when they asked about increases. Officials are thinking about increasing the ticket prices From Gazeta Krakowska’s unofficial information from several sources, it appears that officials were considering the issue of increasing ticket prices. These would cover season tickets. The idea of eliminating tickets for one line or even two comes back. Single tickets would also increase in price or stay at current prices, but with less time. Gazeta Krakowska now has confirmation of this. The New MPK Ticket Fare Proposal – Krakow, Poland New Ticket prices – see below The single ticket for 6 PLN (now 4.6 PLN)10-minute ticket for 3 PLN (now 20-minute ticket for 3.6 PLN)90-minute ticket for 8 PLN (now 6 PLN)There will be no more monthly tickets for 1 or 2 lines!Current monthly ticket for all lines (with Krakow Card) in Strefa I = 69 PLN. It will cost 96 PLN (Strefa I) and 110 PLN (Strefa I and II). This is a preliminary proposal, for now, nothing binding. Councilors will make the final decision, they will be able to agree on different variants or not. We do not impose any variants Sebastian Kowal from the Public Transport Board, who prepared a preliminary draft of increases MPK – Trams in Krakow – The Valentine’s Special Tram New ticket proposals – see below A new feature that may appear is the possibility of buying a half-year ticket for all lines on the Krakow Card (i.e. for people paying taxes in Krakow) for 480 or 550 PLN (Strefa I and II). Zone III is also to be a novelty – these are the farthest regions outside the city, where now public transport is coming from Krakow. A monthly ticket for the 1st zone, excluding KK, will cost 128 PLN, for the 2nd zone – 96 PLN, for the third – 69 PLN. On the other hand, a ticket without Karta Krakowska for Strefa I and II will cost 146 PLN (the same for zones II and III), and for all zones 166 PLN. Additionally, the tariff will include a monthly social ticket for 30, 50, and 70 PLN (for zones I, I and II, I, II, and III) and an activation ticket for the unemployed for 50 and 100 PLN (zones I and II and II). MPK_Trams In Krakow_The New Lajkonik Tram – Poland Why will the prices increase? Officials explain that increases are necessary because of the coronavirus epidemic that plowed urban transport systems. April data shows the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the ticket sales – only 4.12 million PLN, compared to 23.76 million PLN in April 2019. It was a bit better in May – 8.89 million PLN (over PLN 16 million less than in May last year). Now data from June is available. At the end of the second quarter, monthly revenues from ticket sales (this applies to both one-time and network tickets purchased this month) in Kraków amounted to 13.2 million PLN. It is over 4 million PLN more than in May, but it is still very little. In June last year, this amount was 22.7 million PLN. We estimate that by the end of the year, the revenues from tickets will be at the level we forecast, i.e. in autumn they will reach 70 % of the amount before the pandemic and we will lose 100 – 140 million PLN by the end of the year. Łukasz Franek, the director of the Public Transport Board Already in this year’s city budget, a public deficit of PLN 300 million was planned for public transport. If the above assumptions are met, then at the end of the year the budget hole in public transport will start to reach half a billion zlotys. MPK will also move from the cash payments slowly – KRAKOW NEWS Current prices in other Polish cities A resident ticket for all lines would increase in price from 69 to 96 PLN (for Strefa I), by almost 40 %. The people of Krakow are under shock and already started to protest the incoming changes. How are they to blame for the Global Pandemic?! Why should the prices rise and were there any changes brought by MPK to the Public Transport of Krakow? Of course there are a couple of new trams and investments are being made, but does that reflect the huge changes in the prices of the tickets!? In Poznań, for a monthly ticket for all lines within the city limits you have to pay about 150 PLN, in Wroclaw 90 PLN, in Gdańsk 99 PLN, in Łódź 96 PLN. In Warsaw, as in Krakow, residents can count on a discount – they pay 98 PLN for a ticket for the near and distant zone, while the standard ticket price for zone 1 is PLN 110. What do you think of these incoming changes? Would love to hear your thoughts on this! Yours truly, The Twisted Red LadyBug, Bringing You The Latest Krakow News
Krakow News: MPK Plans to introduce a passenger counting system
District I Council – Old Town passed a resolution with a request to introduce an electronic passenger counting system in public transport vehicles. Councilors argue that such a solution would be very helpful during the coronavirus pandemic.News from Gazeta Krakowska.PL (News site in Polish Language) The new Lajkonik trams already have an electronic passenger counting system. Hence the idea to use it in other public transport vehicles in Krakow. This would help in these times of pandemic, where there are restrictions on the number of people who can ride trams and buses. One could display how many seats are available in vehiclesJacek Balcewicz, the councilor from the District I Council – Old Town, initiator of the resolution in which councilors from the first District requested the Public Transport Board (Zarządu Transportu Publicznego) to implement an electronic passenger counting system in public transport. MPK – Trams in Krakow – The Valentine’s Special Tram How could this help? “Such a system in trams and buses would also help a lot in creating timetables. Based on the data, it could be determined what number of vehicles is needed on given routes to meet passengers’ expectations” – adds Councillor Balcewicz. In his opinion, it is better to spend money once to install an electronic passenger counting system than to commission such tests every time. “It should be borne in mind that manual counting of passengers by employees may be affected by an error. It is not always easy to accurately count the number of people getting on and off eg a tram when there are many passengers. For this, you still need to employ people controlling whether people to count passengers do it in accordance with the contract. Later, such results go to analysis, everything lasts a long time, and having data from electronic counting you can react faster” – emphasizes Councillor Balcewicz. How could it help in the case of a pandemic? In the justification of the resolution, the councilors from District I emphasized that the lack of a passenger counting system was apparent during the restrictions imposed by the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. “It happened that the police intervened by ordering the number of passengers to leave the tram. In turn, passengers getting into the vehicle were not aware of exceeding the allowed limit, because no one informed them about it, and the individual counting of passengers inside during a short stop at the bus stop was practically impossible” – stressed councilors from District I. MPK Special Tram Line for the 11th of November – Krakow, Poland How could it help the Municipal Transport Company – MPK? “An efficient passenger counting system will also contribute to the rational management of rolling stock and substitution of vehicles with the capacity expected by passengers, and thus the rationalisation of the costs of public transport, which is a priority in the current budget situation.” What do officials say? At ZTP, we were told that they would “work out a position in this matter”. In the Municipal Transport Company, which buys new trams and buses, they admit that some of these vehicles are already equipped with an electronic passenger counting system. Technically, this means that sensors are installed in the door that records how many people get in and out of the vehicle at a given stop. “More than 120 buses are equipped with this type of system. As for trams, such a system is in new Lajkonik vehicles and one NGT6 tram” – informs Marek Gancarczyk, spokesman for MPK Kraków. As for the new Lajkonik trams, 50 such vehicles are expected to reach Kraków – 35 this year and 15 in the first quarter of 2021. Six copies of Lajkonik have arrived so far (the seventh is on the way), and four are already driving on Krakow’s tracks. What do YOU think of this measure? I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings on this topic. Please do reach out on my Facebook Page or just post a comment in the section below 🙂 Sharing is caring! Yours always sincerly, The Twisted Red LadyBug That Likes Public Transport in Krakow