Ela and I drove to Krakow from Lubianka this summer. We took Route 1 basically straight down to Krakow. The traffic wasn’t bad except as we passed through Lodz. My only major complaint about Poland is that they need an efficient highway system that doesn’t stop you at traffic lights in urban centers.
It was the first time both of us had been to Krakow. It is a lovely city and would recommend that anyone going to Poland spend a day there. The 10 acre main square, Rynek Glowny, is extremely impressive and is the largest of all Europe’s medieval cities. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in the south end of the square. Dinner was very good, but a bit pricey.
We stayed at the Hotel Europejski just outside the old town (Stare Miasto) and next to the train station for one night. We were able to get a superior room for the price of a standard room since we arrived late and didn’t have a reservation. That was a nice perk to the trip. The included breakfast was very good and offered scrambled eggs in addition to the standard European breakfast fare.
The following day we spent touring the Rynek Glowny. We climbed the tower of the Bazylika Mariacka which gave spectacular views of the city. The stairs leading up to the top are only big enough for one person at a time. So for people to pass you must wait on a landing. The staircase is made out of wood so if there was a fire the entire interior of the tower would be gutted.
Afterwards we walked down Grodzka, the main street, through the old town to the Wawel (castle). We took the tours of the royal chambers and royal private apartments. Both were very interesting. There are no pictures of the tours as photographs weren’t allowed. Following the tour of the Wawel, we head lunch at lunch at a small Greek restaurant on Grodzka as we headed back to the car.
Below are our photos from Krakow. Those that start with DSC* are from Ela’s camera and IMG* are from mine.
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