Kraków aka: Krakow, Kracow, Cracow

Krakow is romantic and cheap. I love this city, even though it gave me a very non-romantic food poisoning.

So old… Eastern Europe is so different than Western Europe. It has it’s own beauty.

What I hope from Krakow is for it to be everything that Warsaw wasn’t and leave me with a better opinion of Poland.

I never really considered going to Poland, but after a recent trip to the Czech Republic, I was told ‘if you like Prague, you’ll love Krakow’, so naturally it I had to see for myself.

The old town is very compact; the medieval main market square (Rynek Glowny), complete with pigeons, is a hive of activity, and I spent all day just wondering around and enjoying the cafes, restaurants, shops and street performers, and then in the evening just party the night away. There was even a Christmas market what added a nice touch.

All building that surrounds the square tells a fairytale, from the old post office to the most famous restaurant in Krakow Wierzynek that comprised of three houses.

Some of the things to see are: Cloth Hall, this building was originally a covered market with stall and shops selling textiles; now it sells souvenirs whilst upstairs has a museum; the Statue of Adam Michiewicz (a poet) is more of a meeting point however at present it was being renovated; the town hall located inside the tower and at each end churches – St Adalbert Church (a small and oddly shaped) and St Mary’s Church.

Krakow is a pretty city, though it doesn’t look very appealing in the rain. Of which we had a lot. Sadly. But when it was dry, Krakow was worth a visit. It’s a pretty little town and the people are mostly very friendly. Though Krakow is now marketed as ‘The New Prague’ I wouldn’t compare the two yet. In Prague there is lots to see and do. In krakow, there is lots to see, but not so much to do (or at least not when it’s raining). The best thing to do in Krakow we found was go to Kazimierz and visit one of the nice pubs there. And eat great sushi at Edo’s sushi place.