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Krakow 13:35 - Jun 24 with 2016 views

SaintNick

Im thinking of going anyone been there and got any tips

Satisfying The Bloodlust Of The Masses In Peacetime

Krakow on 14:40 - Jun 24 with 1957 views

Number_58

Lovely city, great nightlife and fairly cheap for food and drink. We stayed at a budget hotel quite close to the station and it was a great base for wandering into the city centre or getting the train or bus to places outside the city. We visited the salt mines and did all the Schindlers List stuff such as visiting Schindlers Factory which is now an excellent museum, the Jewish ghetto, and of course Auschwitz which is a couple of hours bus ride away. Loads of companies offer tours of the salt mines and Auschwitz but it's much cheaper and more convenient to book tickets and travel yourself. I gather it's well worth going to watch one of the two local football teams, Cracovia or Wisla, but unfortunately neither were playing at home while we were there. There's a waxwork museum in the centre of Krakow that's so bad it's actually quite good apparently.

Krakow on 14:45 - Jun 24 with 1948 views

Buggalugs

Yes and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very compact city so easy to walk around....lots of bars and plenty of really nice and reasonably priced restaurants. I went in December so everything was decked out for Christmas. Obviously you need to do Auschwitz which is just the most surreal and thought provoking place. I also took in a Cracovia game which was a good experience.

[Post edited 24 Jun 14:47]

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Krakow on 15:18 - Jun 24 with 1903 views

SaintNick

Krakow on 14:40 - Jun 24 by Number_58

Did you just get on one of the shuttle buses from the bus station

Satisfying The Bloodlust Of The Masses In Peacetime

Krakow on 16:05 - Jun 24 with 1864 views

Number_58

Krakow on 15:18 - Jun 24 by SaintNick
Did you just get on one of the shuttle buses from the bus station

To Auschwitz yes. The bus wasn't full but it's probably best to book up first. Booking online should have been quite easy, but being an IT dinosaur I somehow managed to book the outward and return journeys the wrong way round, but they gave me an immediate refund and I re-booked straight away. The tours of the camps are quite long, and because it's so busy they do hurry you along, especially at the Auschwitz 1 site. At the end of the Auschwitz 2 tour you're allowed to wander around the site unaccompanied. As someone else said, it's an incredibly thought-provoking place. The memory of seeing the cabinets full of the victims' suitcases, shoes, spectacles and human hair will stay with me for a very long time. Walking through one of the gas chambers and adjoining furnace is certainly a very eerie experience.

Krakow on 01:06 - Jul 2 with 1475 views

TimSaint

Went about 10 years ago and really loved it - totally exceeded our expectations.

We flew to Krakow and took the train to and from the airport and the city centre. Our apartment was about 10 mins walk from the station, but took us ages because of all the sights (and bars) en route.

We booked an organised trip to the Salt Mines - sounds shite but was well worth the visit to see some spectacular underground caverns.

We took the train to Auschwitz and did the Birkinau part as well. A little morbid, but definitely worth the trip.

In the city centre we visited a few markets, a castle, all the Schindlers stuff, a few museums, the city's Dragon symbol (that breathes fire), walked along the river and visited one of the stadiums (no game on when we were there).

We also did a walking tour, which comes highly recommended - we donated under a tenner each and got 90 mins of full on info and got to see areas and places of interest that we would not have otherwise seen.

There were lots of quite cheap restaurants and bars and there were also a few later bars / clubs that stayed open later the 2am curfews we set ourselves (so that we could actually do tourist stuff the following mornings !!).

Most locals spoke some English and were friendly enough. We spoke to a few football fans as well and they were fond of Saints from when we had the likes of Raziak, Bart and Saganowski playing for us.

When are you looking to go ?

I can probably find my AA or Lonely Planet Guidebook and post it to you if you would like it.

TimSaint

Krakow on 06:37 - Jul 2 with 1399 views

City_boy

I visited 18 months ago. Went over for Christmas markets.

Both Auschwitz and Salt mines are a must visit. Both accessible by bus, but check time tables and make sure bus you get stops at Auschwitz, not all busses to Oświęcim stop there. I recommend getting tickets in advance (Just visit bus station in town). I recall a long wait to get back to Krakow and bus was busy.

There is a train to Auschwitz, but station (Oświęcim)is about 2km away. from Auschwitz ( If there are 3 or 4 of you, Uber is an option from Krakow.

Depending on time of year, it may be worth also getting Auschwitz and Salt mines tickets in advance. I think there are different tickets/entry times depending on whether you have a guide or want to go alone ?

Birkenau is about 3 km away from Auschwitz 1. There is a shuttle between 2.

For drinks and eats, the Jewish Quarter is well worth a visit. I stayed between Main square and Jewish quarter (approx 20 mins apart)

[Post edited 2 Jul 6:52]