Kraków kept coming up in my searches with round trip flights averaging €40 per person when I was looking for places to go for Easter Break. The price was great, which enticed me more but I was very unfamiliar with this city. I mentioned to a good friend of mine who is from Poland that we were searching for places to visit and after she mentioned Kraków to be one of her most favorite cities in the world, my decision was made. Thanks, K!
Our hotel, Karmelicka Old Bakery Boutique Apartments, was great with helping in arranging taxi service to and from the airport. In the airport, we were “those people” with a driver holding up our name on a sign ready to pick us up. The attendant at the hotel reception desk was very welcoming but did not speak English. Thankfully our taxi driver helped in communicating everything we needed to figure out since our room wasn’t ready. He even went the extra mile in waiting for us to situate the luggage we were storing there and offered to drive us to Market Square (city center). Just like that, we were off to a great start and on our way. He pointed out popular city sights, explained how there’s nothing as good as Polish food and assured us we will want to come back.
We only had two full days in Kraków so if you know me, I had our adventure meticulously planned. We were fortunate enough to be in Kraków at the start of their Easter Market. It is amazing enough for us to be able to experience different cities in Europe, but it is even more exciting to be able to experience the cultures – especially during the holidays. The Polish have a tradition of using dried out flowers and grasses to make colorful, ornate bouquets called “Easter Palms.” They were everywhere and really brightened the market. Poland also takes coloring Easter eggs (“pisanki”) to a whole different level by drawing on the eggs with melted wax and then dipping them into dyes resulting in beautiful creations. So neat.
And who goes to Poland without eating pierogi?! What’s a pierogi you say? It’s a dumpling stuffed with whatever goodness you choose and usually boiled.
Our first pierogi stop for lunch was at Pierogarnia Krakowiacy and we were extremely lucky with our timing. The line started building at the door the moment we sat down. I was so excited to finally see this place in person after looking at all the pictures I could find online while planning the trip. Everything about this place made it feel so authentic. From the decor/theme to the traditional folk costume the servers wore. I also loved how you couldn’t even see the kitchen from the counter where you ordered. Instead there was this hand that just kept feeding plates of pierogi from a small cutout in the wall.
After lunch, we strolled around the Grazyna Park making a stop in a tucked away playground that was on our way to the Wawel Royal Castle. We did not do any of the tours that went inside but the cathedral, Sandomierska Tower, architecture and gardens that circled the Italian-style courtyard was breathtaking in itself. When we decided to have a cup of coffee to enjoy the scenery before heading to our next adventure, our friends from Berlin who also moved here from the same county we lived in Florida (true story) – caught us by surprise and joined us for a nice chat. We later met them for €2 beers at Gospoda Koko. This cool, underground restaurant they found before heading back for our delicious dinner at Zielona Cuchnia near our hotel.
We knew our last day was going to start off early at Wieliczka Salt Mine. Of all the different tours and sightseeing options in Kraków, we thought this would be the best option with a child. You walk down 380 stairs taking you 64 meters underground to start the two-hour tour. Wieliczka is one of the oldest operating salt mines and continuously produced salt until 2007. It was funny to watch other people lick the walls or try the very salty water flowing through some parts of the caves. The Chapel of St. Kinga, located 101 meters underground, was the most impressive part of the tour. The crystal chandeliers and intricately carved salt floors and walls were indescribable. They actually hold Mass in this chapel every Sunday and there is space for about 400 parishioners. It can also be booked for private events and weddings. I can’t imagine what the cost of hosting something in such a breathtaking, unique location would be.
After the tour we headed back up to the rest of the world and were pleasantly surprised by the weather. It was just perfect. We routed our walk through the Old Jewish Quarter on our way to lunch. It’s definitely a different atmosphere there. You could just feel the history. I later found out this is where Steven Spielberg filmed “Schindler’s List”.
Lunch for day two? More pierogis! This time at the Vincent van Gogh themed restaurant, Pierożki u Vincenta.
There was a line in front of the restaurant we could see as we were coming down the street and I was afraid my squad would try to convince me to pass. But the pierogi gods were with me. It’s like they knew how much time I spent scoping out must-dos and must-eats. I walked in thinking I had to put my name on a list but the lady who greeted us informed us it was open seating. She said they were full, but I spotted a two-person table in the corner and made a beeline for it. I sat my daughter on my lap and informed her “this will work”. Thankfully the waitress was cool about it and went back behind the restaurant somewhere and came out with a folding chair for Annalina. Score! I’m glad I made the quick move to sit down because holy pierogi! These were the best I’ve tried. They didn’t skimp on the fillings and the fried options for dessert will truly make your mouth water.
Annalina was being an awesome sport keeping up with our current 10-mile walk for the day. We couldn’t believe she was still hanging! We decided to surprise her with another playground after lunch and walked along the Vistula River on our way back to Main Square. We sat on the grass, enjoyed the sun and talked about our favorite moments of this awesome city.
After resting and recharging for a couple hours at the hotel, we decided to head back out one last time to the Easter Market and enjoy our last Polish beer. I thought we had eaten enough for the weekend, but I was wrong. We couldn’t ignore the smells of deliciousness around us and decided to grab a few more Polish faves.
First was “obwarzanek krakowski”. Throughout our weekend there, I kept seeing these little stands on streets where this hybrid of a bagel/pretzel was sold out of a glass case so I had to get one. Next was “oscypek“. There was always a crowd of people around this grill so I finally got close enough to see what it was. They were bite-sized pieces of grilled sheep’s cheese that had this cool design imprinted into them. Then you could choose to grab the ones wrapped in bacon or dipped in jam. Krokiety, a meat filled crepe, battered with bread crumbs and then fried. And of course, traditional Polish sausage and kebabs big as your arm.
Kraków was amazingly clean, everything was so cheap, people were extremely nice and it’s just so gorgeous. The food was amazing, the sights were picturesque everywhere we went and two days was not enough. Our six-year old asked if we could move here, my husband said it tops all the cities we’ve ever visited in Europe. Our taxi driver on that first day was quite prophetic, we will definitely have to come back again.
How fun!! Great pictures! 🥰