Krakow is a city that we unexpectedly fell in love with! We wanted to visit this place mainly to see and learn about a city that went through so much during WW2. We were pleasantly surprised to find that not only is this city full of history, but it is also very safe, walkable, extremely affordable, has many beautiful landmarks, and to our surprise, some of the most AMAZING food we’ve had so far on our trip!
We stayed in the Jewish Quarter which I would HIGHLY recommend.
Here is the link to our studio Airbnb which was absolutely perfect: Krakow Airbnb. There was an area right across from us full of food trucks. We loved the convenience and the food was awesome!
If you are looking for a nicer sit down place here were tons of great restaurants scattered all over the Jewish Quarter.
One that we had the best meal we’ve had so far on our trip was a short block away from our Airbnb. If you are in Krakow you have to visit Zalewajka!
We got the soup that was named after the restaurant, stuffed cabbage leaves, and potatoes pancakes with wild boar. Everything was amazing! Especially the potato pancakes. We are still craving them. We also got drinks and our bill came to only $30. Like I said, we fell in love with this city.
The Jewish Quarters were covered with art to acknowledge and remind us what this area stands for.
Many of the buildings paint a clear picture of what the city has been through with their rough edges.
Krakow is a unique city in this part of Europe, especially in Poland. The city itself made it basically untouched through WW2 while most of the Polish cities nearby were virtually crumbled to the ground.
It was taken over early in the war by the Nazi’s and surrendered without a fight.
It became a main headquarter for Germany during the war. They changed the plays and performances in the theater to German.
They took over the public areas and buildings. Jewish people were not allowed in the parks. Polish people could go into the parks but were not allowed to sit on benches.
There were a small group of Jewish men who stormed into this cafe and killed 13 German officers.
Eventually the ghetto was built enclosing all Jewish people to one run-down, crowded area. Then they were sent off to Auschwitz where most of them were killed. Check out our blog post from Auschwitz if you missed it: Auschwitz Concentration Camps
One movie we watched before visiting Krakow was Schindler’s List. I think that is a movie everyone should watch. It took place in Krakow and while it is of course Hollywood’s take, Oscar Schindler saved 1,600 Jews.
There is a museum where you can visit his factory while you are in Krakow. We did a guided tour, but if we did it again we would walk through on our own. They had some interesting historical artifacts like Schindler’s desk.
The city center in Krakow is called Stare Miasto. The horse drawn carriages and old colorful buildings gave the area a historic feel.
The city square dates back to the 13th century. Beautiful churches, outdoor restaurants, and shops line the street.
St. Mary’s Basilica is impossible to miss in this area. The church was built in 1397, with the towers being added a few years later. The towers are noticeably different heights. According to legend, two brothers built each tower and were competing with each other to build theirs better. One brother grew jealous and killed the other brother.
Another structure that you will notice immediately from just about anywhere in Krakow is the Wawel Royal Castle.
The castle is situated up on a hill right near the river. The combination of many different designs caused our tour guide to call the building “an architects worst nightmare.” I like all the colors and shapes though.
This was where the rulers of Poland lived since the 1500’s. The Germans took over the castle during WW2. A Nazi officer and his wife acted as though they were to be the new King and Queen of Poland.
We felt a bit like we were playing life size Mario walking under the gates.
Another spot that was very interesting to learn about is the oldest university in Poland which was discovered in 1364: Jagiellonian University.
There have been some incredibly important people to study here. Mathematician and astronomer, Nicholaus Copernicus, was a student here. He is credited in discovering the earth rotates the sun, rather than the other way around
Another well-known student was here was Pope John Paul II. He was a student at the university during the beginning of WW2 when the university was secretly being run underground against Nazi orders. After WW2, John Paul II was asked to become archbishop of Krakow by the Communist leaders at a young age.
They chose him believing he would be easy to control. They were very wrong and he caused them lots of trouble. In 1978 he became the first non-Italian to become pope since the 1500’s. When he visited Communist-run Krakow as Pope, 2 million people came to see him. They realized the amount of people supporting him meant they were all unhappy living in a Communist run country. His visit is credited with the beginning of Poland’s rise against Communism.
It wasn’t until 1989 that Poland was rid of Communism and had their first democratic election in recent history.
One of my favorite ways to discover new cities is going on runs.
I find areas I never would have seen by just finding a path and throwing some tennis shoes on.
There were miles and miles of beautiful paths along the river in Krakow.
I absolutely loved running around this beautiful city.
There were tons of restaurant boats lining the river as well. A great place to go for dinner, drinks, or to sit nearby and hang out on the river.
I have two final recommendation while in Krakow. Yes- they are food related. First, visit Pub Wrega while in Krakow. Amazing traditional Polish food situated in a cute beer garden. The homemade Perogi’s were wonderful!
Second, make sure you eat a Paczki!! Yes, I know it’s not Fat Tuesday, but these were the most amazingly fresh Paczki’s I have ever had! If you don’t know what this is, it is similar to a fruit/cream/flavor filled glazed donut. We tried caramel and pear which were both incredible!
We are continuing our way north- thank you for all the notes with recommendations you’ve been sending! Let us know if you have any recommendations in Sweden, Finland, Scotland, and London.
Chasing Summer 