Krakow City Guide - Directory / Index

Krakow Airport Travel Information & Airline Guide

Auschwitz - Birkenau Concentration & Death Camps

Other Polish Destinations & Poland Country Profile

Polish Skiing & European Snowboarding Ski Resorts Guide

Other City & Country Guides In Eastern Europe

Restaurants in Krakow

The centre of the city is Market Square which is the second biggest square in Europe. (St Marks in Venice is the biggest). In and around the square are dozens of cafes and good restaurants where you buy meals from 5 - 15 euro for two people. The only thing that is expensive is the guiness where available.

Especially notable and more expensive places to eat include: The Cherubino (Tomasza 15) which offers a rare mixture of Tuscan & modern Polish Cuisine. La Fontaine (Slankowska 1) a french restaurant famous for it snails in four specialist dishes and its exceptional deserts of which the creme brulee is a joy to sample. Pod Aniolami - Home of The Angel (Grodzka 35) is a good example of the more celebrated type of Polish food - including grilled cheese made out of sheeps milk.

Sightseeing & Attractions in Krakow

This enchanting city dates back to the Middle ages when it was surrounded by a wall and protected by 55 towers. Some section of this remain today. For several hundreds of years it was the Capital of Poland and ofter referred to as the seat of Kings.Its very differing architecture reflects this history there is the Gothic Church - St Mary Basilica and from the Renaissance The Royal Castle (Wawel) to mention just two. It is estimated that Krakow has over 6,000 buildings of distinct architectual interest and in its Churches and Museum there are over two million artefacts. It is listed as 1 of 12 cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It is a very religious city - religious shrines can be found all over the city often bueatifully decorated with flowers and candles. It is profoundly proud of the fact that the Late Pope John Paul came from Krakow. Many of its cultural festivals are religiously linked - The Lajkowik and Rekanka Festivities are the celebration of religious dates. Further information and advice on visiting Krakow can be found using the National Tourist Board link and Official Krakow City Tourist Office link - both of these are at the top of this page.

Public Transport In Krakow

Krakow has a very dependable bus and tram service which runs from 05.00 to 23.00 . There are a few night buses. Tickets for all transport should be purchased from Kiosks. Kiosk selling tickets display the sign ' sprzedaż biletów MPK' One trip tickets cost less 2.5PL, but 3.00PL from the driver. One hour tickets are 3.10PL and one day tickets are 10.40 PL. Monthly passes are exceptional value at 47PL, less than the cost of 5 one day passes.

You must stamp your ticke in the machines provided as soon as you board. You only need to do this once with each ticket.. Plain clothes inspectors watch out for those who abuse the system!

Luggage or boxes over 20 x 40 x 60 require a ticket. Student cards are not accepted.

The main railway station Dworzec Główny is just to the north of the northern tip of the Old Town. There is a underground walkway betweeen these two points. The road above is very dangerous. The station has an information desk and public phones. Immediately outside there is a bus station. The station has local, national and international services. It also serves Oswiecim for Auschwitz.

Taxis with meters are generally reliable but 'tryers' exist outside the train station and hotels. Real taxis have a sign on the roof!

Krakow International Airport Information

Krakow Airport Code KRK

Krakow Airport website

Airport Information Tel: 012 285-51-20

Latest Flight Information

Flight Arrivals / Flight Departures

Airport Facilities:

This airport can become extremely busy and it has only one restaurant and two cafes and a small executive area. Even so it is kept very clean and staffed throughout by helpful friendly people but then this Krakow!

Low Cost Airlines Flying To & From Krakow

Other airlines flying to and from Krakow Poland

-Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Czech Airlines, El Al, Eurolot, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Malev, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Styrian Spirit, Swiss

Travel From Krakow John Paul International Airport To Central Downtown Krakow

Krakow Airport is 11 Klm from the centre of Krakow. Bus routes 192 & 208 from the bus stop by the roundabout outside the passenger terminal cover this jouney in 35 - 40 minutes for 2.80 Plm. Timetables: www.mpk.krakow.pl. By train Krakow is 15 minutes away for 3.80Pln. There are two stations: Krakow Balice about 200m from the terminal - available or a few minutes on foot. Trains operate from 04.40 - 00.10 . Dworzec Station Pkp is 3 minutes away on a free shuttle bus Trains run from 04.00 until 23.07 Both services operate during the day at approximately 30 minute intervals.

A Saint In Waiting

Poland will always remember Pope John Paul 11. Born in Krakow in 1920 he was studying at university when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 who sentenced him to hard labour in a stone quarry. At night in 1942 he secretly studied to become a priest. A year after Poland's liberation and the horror of nearby Auschwitz was discovered he was ordained. In 1964 he became Arcbishop of Krakow. In 1979 he was elected Pope and he moved to Rome. As Pope, he was an enigma he will be remembered for his refusual to approve of the use of condoms in the battle agains aids and his rejection of the ordination of women as priests.

Eight months after becoming the 264th Pope he returned to Poland and advised Poles that their 'future was in their own hands'. The following year he repeatedly expressed his support for the Solidarity Movement which was born shortly after that visit. The communist rule of Poland was doomed but his support of Solidarity Movement resulted in a KGB assination attempt in 1981. He forgave his assain. Undeterred he critised the 'Godliness of communism and the materialism of the west' which he described as the 'entrapment of the human spirit'.

His influence in Poland and neighbouring countries is viewed as being instrumental in the fall of communism which subsequently echoed around eastern europe. Throughout his papacy he actively promoted reconciling the divisions between different cultures faiths especially between Christians, Jews and the Palestinians. Catholicism in Poland is ;a very important part of the country's culture but in Poland Pope John Pauls death is not just a spiritual loss - it is also the loss of one of their greatest national hero's.

Visegrad Summer School

An annual Summer School providing e a forum for the exchange of ideas and to create an alternative learning environment for young people from Central and Eastern Europe. For more information >>>

Crime and Personal Safety & Security In Krakow

Violent crime is rare Be aware of street crime, pick pockets and avoid walking alone late at night in badly lit streets as there have been isolated incidents of muggings in areas popular with tourists

.As credit card fraud is on the increase do not let your cards out of sight. Some tourists are approached by criminals posing as plain cloth police officers who ask for credit card detail as proof of ID.

Thieves hang about ATMs, and on public transport especially at main railway stations.Many thefts occur when you board or leave a train. There is also a high risk of theft on sleeper trains. Do not accept food or drinks from strangers as they may be spiked in order to rob you.

20th Century Krakow

In 1918 -1919 the Treaty of Versailles gave Poland back its sovereignity and a regenerated Krakow grew fast and once againt gained international fame for art and education. During WW2 Krakow like Prague was spared the fate of being razed to the ground as happened in Warsaw.

Oddly enough, many older locals believe that post war communism was more of t a threat to their life style by segrating the working and middle classes. It tried to do this by developing Nowa Huta on the outskirts of Krakow as the main industrial area and housing its workers in dozens of concrete housing blocks nearby. However the fall of communisn affimed that nothing is set in stone!