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| Main square in Krakow |
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| The Barbican sits just outside the old city walls |
Next stop, Krakow, Poland.
Poland has been at the top of my list since I was kicked off the train en route to the country 30 years ago. That's a whole other story.
And I must say, Poland lived up to my expectations.
Krakow like Prague is quaint and historical. Unlike Prague, Krakow was destroyed in World War 2. It has been rebuilt to look exactly like it did before the war. The Poles like the Czechs have been governed by many different countries and the architecture, food and culture reflect that mix.
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| Wawel Castle |
The old city is small walkable area from the main gate to the castle. There are carriages with horses and a nice trolley system to get around. We stayed at the
Hilton Hampton Suites Krakow . The hotel served a wonderful breakfast, clean rooms and secure location and the best part is it costs just 5,000 Hilton points per room per night. If you pay for a room, it costs just $75 per room per night including buffet breakfast.
The one negative is that this hotel is NOT walking distance from the old city. It is on a trolley route that leads directly to the old city and train station.
But if location is key for you then this may not be the right hotel. The trolley is very inexpensive and runs often. Food in Poland is cheap as well. Polish food is very good and there are lots of inexpensive Polish restaurants.
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| Locks on the bridge near the Jewish Quarter |
For teens, I highly recommend the Wieliczka Salt Mines. It's approximately a 3 mile walk deep underground through the mines. Parts of the mines have been formed into huge ballrooms, pools with monuments and much more. You can
book your tickets online and take the train or bus from the Glowny main train station. They are having reduced train in Fall 2017 so you can
check this website for updates.
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| Inside the main ballroom of the Salt Mine |
By Cezary p at the Polish language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2810301
The other day trip from Krakow is a visit to Auschwitz. Auschwitz was the main concentration camp during World War 2. The tour is approximately 3 hours long and the bus ride is 1.5 hours each way so this is an all day excursion. It is sold as a day tour from Krakow, but you can easily do this one on your own and save a ton of money.
I recommend buying your
entry tickets online in advance so you get the time that you want and you don't have to wait in line at the entrance. You will choose your time and language when you buy tickets. The tour guides are trained for at least 1 year so they are very knowledgable. The tour is heavy, but moving and really, everyone should visit at least once.
You can reach
Auschwitz by public bus from the bus station behind the Glowny train station. The cost is about 15-20 Zloty.
Poland is off the beaten track and wonderfully affordable. That's how we do it at almost free family travel.
