I just love Kraków. It is one of my favourite European city breaks. This is a great value trip and I think 4 nights is a nice duration to really explore Kraków as there is quite a bit to see and do and of course, as this trip is in December you must visit the Christmas Markets in the city's huge central square of the Old Town. Some suggestions (of course you can do whatever you want, this is just an idea).
Day 1 (2nd Dec)
After arriving in the evening, check into the Kadetus Hostel (highly rated, with Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence, but also has good reviews on other sites). You will have a private room with private bathroom, so don't worry about the term 'hostel'. Breakfast is also included in this price. If you are willing to share a bathroom, there are other cheaper options available too and if you stay a little further out, say 1-2 miles away there are cheaper options but I think it is good to stay in a central location and the few extra £ is worth it. As it will be early evening, you can get your bearings nearby as you are only a 10 minute walk from the square.
Day 2 (3rd Dec)
I'd strongly recommend devoting a full day to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There are an abundance of tours available, but I'd strongly recommend visiting DIY style and getting there early too where you can have time and space to reflect. The local information office sells some guide books which are informative and allow you to explore this site on your own.
Day 3 (4th Dec)
A trip to the salt mines is well worth a visit. Again, this is easily done DIY style using local buses. I'd say a half day to visit.
Day 4 (5th Dec)
Full day as flight doesn't leave until after 9pm. Aside from the Christmas Markets, there is Oskar Schindler's Factory, the Jewish Disctrict, Old Town, Wawel Castle and some of the free walking tours are really informative too with guides that live in Krakow (different to walking tours in other European cities).
Flights with Ryanair from East Midlands to Krakow - £35.99pp
Hostel for 2 at www.venere.com - £79.87 (use 12% code and make sure you go via TCB for further potential discount)
Transfers - The bus is cheap as is the train. The train is probably easier and faster. Costs 8PLN pp each way (the bus is 4 pln), total 36pln/£5.93
Total £157.78/£78.89pp
Top comments
jamsammy99
18 Nov 1532#15
And as a bonus you get to wake up at the Krakóv dawn.
Sorry. Been waiting 30 years to make this joke.
Crustybeaver
18 Nov 157#21
I love Krakow :smiley:
archer1204
17 Nov 156#2
Nice was there last year tied in a trip to warsaw as well very nice food and very cheap as well
Heres a picture of the local salt mine
Crustybeaver to daddydeals
18 Nov 153#48
1 - Try to avoid saying stuff like "WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY" and "OOOOOOIIII OOOOOOOOOOIII"
2 - Resist the urge to drink to the point where you can't stand up or speak
3 - Remember others might not be quite as appreciative of your "good time"
4 - Refrain from puking in the street, urinating where you see fit and talking derogatory of women
5 - Leave the football shirts at home
6 - Try seeing some sights, there's more to Poland than cheap beer and women
All comments (65)
rachelandgromit
17 Nov 15#1
archer1204
17 Nov 156#2
Nice was there last year tied in a trip to warsaw as well very nice food and very cheap as well
Heres a picture of the local salt mine
rachelandgromit to archer1204
17 Nov 151#3
I have this same picture! One of my friends got married in there too, pretty cool!
tonyjenks77
17 Nov 15#4
head to ck browar for a great brewery pub and decent grub! wheat beer was the best I've ever tasted!
jsoap to tonyjenks77
18 Nov 152#16
srp111
17 Nov 15#5
I love krakow, get the train just oiydidevthe airport takes you straight into the heart of the city fir only a few zlotys.
amazing place.
Jamie200
17 Nov 15#6
Been too, great city.
Auschwitz visit is a must.
AndyPr
17 Nov 153#7
Fantastic city. Beautiful country with lovely people. great price. Heat.
SpeedJunkie
17 Nov 15#8
Having lived in Kraków, which salt mine are you referring to? There is a salt mine in Bochnia and there is the more famous one in Wieliczka. If it is the former, I would advise against going because it isn't all that interesting.
rachelandgromit to SpeedJunkie
17 Nov 15#9
It's the one in Wieliczka, although I found it interesting! Perhaps I'm a bit of a geek....
daletharper
17 Nov 15#10
loved it there, very cheap
winchman
17 Nov 15#11
Can't go wrong for that money, great beer and food, Apple cake/Szarlotka with whipped cream is lovely! As others have said Auschwitz is a must, who ever you are.
SpeedJunkie
17 Nov 152#12
Former was referring to Bochnia. Wieliczka was the latter.
Spartan88
17 Nov 15#13
Was there three weeks ago, great city. Found Hotel Atrium to be decent and close to the centre. The free walking tours are well eorth doing. If you like a rock club try the Jazz Rock Cafe.
rachelandgromit
17 Nov 15#14
Oh yeah.... I think I need to sleep!
jamsammy99
18 Nov 1532#15
And as a bonus you get to wake up at the Krakóv dawn.
Sorry. Been waiting 30 years to make this joke.
hypermind to jamsammy99
18 Nov 151#22
This made my day. Funniest comment I've seen in a while!
MisterZoo
18 Nov 15#17
Fantastic place to visit. Heat.
dewonderful
18 Nov 151#18
Auschwitz and visiting salt mines in December? You guys sure know how to have fun :smirk:
winchman to dewonderful
18 Nov 15#50
Salt mines are relatively warm, and standing out in the cold for an hour or two at Auschwitz will bring it home to you how hard it was all those years ago with just a pair of stripped pyjamas and a thin blanket, was there last Dec...
cheaperbythe12
18 Nov 15#19
Thanks for the tips everyone. I'm heading there tomorrow to meet up with some friends for a long weekend. Never been there so really looking forward to it despite the fact it may well rain the entire time. Oh well, more time to drink the Polish beer and food! :sunglasses:
aninginaneana
18 Nov 15#20
Agree,amazing place. Culture! There are some great museums in walking distance near the market. Ethnographic museum has child friendly displays, very bright and colourful with mock ups of rooms in old houses and farms. There's a transport museum full of old trams, cars and motorbikes; next to this is a history of printmaking with the most beautiful wooden presses and social info on life in the middle ages. There are regular concerts in the Old Synagogue and churches. Nearby, in the Jewish Quarter is a rather sombre but moving history of Jewish people in Poland. Then there are great pubs to cheer you up!
Crustybeaver
18 Nov 157#21
I love Krakow :smiley:
vesdekis
18 Nov 15#23
More poles over here than in Krakow.
khoolasice to vesdekis
18 Nov 153#24
And at these prices there will be more Brits over in Krakow than polish!
Fantastic!
alex_3000
18 Nov 151#25
I would highly recommend excellent city to visit, people are really friendly and the beer is great and cheap as chips! :sunglasses:
naughtybunnies
18 Nov 15#26
I believe the 'ladies of leisure' are reasonably priced there too.
ant1g
18 Nov 15#27
I visited Krakow earlier this year, food and beer is very cheap! On average about 1/2 the UK price
Sadzik
18 Nov 15#28
Good idea is to bring back 5 or 6 boxes of Marlboro or LM cigarettes. At the moment £1=6PLN!!! You pay for the box max £22 and if you sell them in UK for £40 you can get around £100 back!! Always bring cigarettes from Poland!
ukros
18 Nov 152#29
That's illegal!
stfun84
18 Nov 15#30
Krakow is definitely a city worth visiting, especially just before Christmas. Check out the food market's when you are there!
subbafer
18 Nov 15#31
I don,t know what citi is on the pic not Krakow mos def.
subbafer to subbafer
18 Nov 15#32
Comment *city
jsoap to subbafer
18 Nov 15#40
Dresden
subbafer
18 Nov 151#33
Comment totally legal. Up to 800cigs (in theory;) )
e_heald
18 Nov 15#34
Fantastic place I went a few years ago and did a recommended tour via crazy guides.com - also take UK pounds over and exchange there.
hajabi
18 Nov 15#35
You will get 6 Polish Zloty for 1 Pound right now so it's a right time to go.
Proper lager in top pub shouldn't cost more than £2 - £2.50 even much cheaper in most of the pubs.
Food cheap as well
You have to try Hot Drinking Honey - really tast strong alcohol:)
hajabi
18 Nov 15#36
ukros
18 Nov 151#37
Totally legal to bring them in, but not legal to sell them.
patscorpio
18 Nov 151#38
well... it's illegal if cigarettes are for sale. Please read https://www.gov.uk/duty-free-goods/arrivals-from-eu-countries . Brits are in UE (still?) and there is no limits bringing cigarettes to uk from ue. I have been stopped with 20 packs and customs officer could not do anything. Just be prepared and nice stay in Poland.
subbafer
18 Nov 15#39
Comment who's talking about selling?:wink: still a bargain if you are smoker.
ukros
18 Nov 15#41
The post that I replied to suggested selling the cartons for £40 each.
archer1204
18 Nov 152#42
Also not far away is zakopane definitely worth a day out
Trude
18 Nov 15#43
My son is going there on Friday with school currently in Berlin, looking at the pictures and comments am feeling rather envious
keenan316
18 Nov 151#44
Going by the picture I thought this was a pizza deal... :wink:
aibon
18 Nov 15#45
Is that based on 6 males sharing one residence? :wink:
andreasuk to aibon
18 Nov 15#53
id pass on that:-)
KapA
18 Nov 151#46
Not sure about Krakóv but when your there you can definitely Krakon in more ways than one :sunglasses:
daddydeals
18 Nov 15#47
Going here in on a stag do in June, any tips would be most welcome!
Crustybeaver to daddydeals
18 Nov 153#48
1 - Try to avoid saying stuff like "WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY" and "OOOOOOIIII OOOOOOOOOOIII"
2 - Resist the urge to drink to the point where you can't stand up or speak
3 - Remember others might not be quite as appreciative of your "good time"
4 - Refrain from puking in the street, urinating where you see fit and talking derogatory of women
5 - Leave the football shirts at home
6 - Try seeing some sights, there's more to Poland than cheap beer and women
winchman
18 Nov 15#49
That looks a lot nicer than it did a few years ago #RAF
andreasuk
18 Nov 15#51
thats not illegal at all but its surely not good for your health:-)
andreasuk
18 Nov 15#52
you give it to your friends and they pay for it
that's legal:-)
ukros to andreasuk
18 Nov 15#54
From the government customs website:
"Arrivals from EU countries
You don’t pay duty or tax on goods you bring in from the European Union (EU) as long as you:
transport them yourself
will use them yourself or give them away as a gift
have paid duty and tax in the country where you bought them"
andreasuk
18 Nov 15#55
Who cares about that?
you dont legally sell it..im sure you understand it your just being picky
If you behave like that your just making your life harder for yourself:-)
Im the one who likes making it easy!
ukros
18 Nov 151#56
I really don't care what people do.
I'm not being picky - I was just concerned that someone suggested selling imported cigarettes at a profit on a public forum.
GolfBravo
18 Nov 15#57
In case on your way back you're catching the local train to the airport from the main Krakow train station, and you have checked luggage and want to bring some alcohol home: probably the cheapest and most convenient place to stock up is the Carrefour supermarket, top floor of the train station/shopping mall building. Last time I went there they had 1 litre Johnnie Walker/Ballantines whisky and Wyborowa/Zubrowka/Finlandia vodka for 56 zloty a bottle (£9.20 at today's exchange rate). Just make sure you wrap the bottles in towels/clothes.
Cigarettes are also very cheap there.
My wife likes this stuff, around £3.50 a bottle (500ml), hazelnut and cherry are very nice.
BTW, last time we flew to KRK from Heathrow via Frankfurt for £35 return (June)
aljack
18 Nov 15#58
Excellent city but like most eastern European cities just have your common sense and whits about you, especially around the main square at night if you are a group of guys. I've been twice and just about seen every scam in action over there. More so around the main square than in the more hip area of the Jewish quarter. It's a great place for history and architecture and the young Polish guides during the day a helpful. Just be careful at night :smiley: Enjoy
aljack
18 Nov 15#59
just to add briefly,
1) You can't get away with rowdy disrespectful behaviour there, if police are called then there is zero tolerance you will not be able to compromise with them like in UK.
2) Local women are probably Russian Catholic who see loads of **** up brits week in week out. We put ground work in when we met women in the day time :wink:
3) Never buy a girl a drink without checking how much it will cost first, a well known scam that her drink will end up costing £80....Just don't buy them drinks lol
4) Do you research on the best strip club if you are going to one. Some have nasty reps and especially do not use credit card to buy drinks or dances.
4) At night break up into smaller groups to avoid being turned away from bars by doormen... Some bars will not have the space for 15 lads anyway.
5) If drinking in large groups then check your bill. Even the nicest bars have a habit of adding a few extra drinks to the bill in hoping that it won't be noticed.
6) Enjoy, it's a great place just have a bit of common sense and keep your whits about you and you'll be fine. Remember if someone feels not right then it probably isn't!
7) Google is a man's best friend :wink:
joneeboy
19 Nov 15#60
4 nights in KRAKOW £78.89pp?, so 14 nights £7.88pp?/ 28nights free and £78.89 cashback pp?
rachelandgromit
19 Nov 15#61
I'm confused!
BLR
19 Nov 15#62
Hey I wanted to book this and have found flights, although only one side was £35.99 but for the hotel with venere all the coupons I have found are for UK based hotels and theres no promo box option at checkout..does anyone know how you get round this?? just am desperate for a holiday x
rachelandgromit to BLR
19 Nov 15#63
Make sure you go on Venere direct not through trivago or similar. The code is on hukd and shows up at the payment screen.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
Day 1 (2nd Dec)
After arriving in the evening, check into the Kadetus Hostel (highly rated, with Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence, but also has good reviews on other sites). You will have a private room with private bathroom, so don't worry about the term 'hostel'. Breakfast is also included in this price. If you are willing to share a bathroom, there are other cheaper options available too and if you stay a little further out, say 1-2 miles away there are cheaper options but I think it is good to stay in a central location and the few extra £ is worth it. As it will be early evening, you can get your bearings nearby as you are only a 10 minute walk from the square.
Day 2 (3rd Dec)
I'd strongly recommend devoting a full day to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There are an abundance of tours available, but I'd strongly recommend visiting DIY style and getting there early too where you can have time and space to reflect. The local information office sells some guide books which are informative and allow you to explore this site on your own.
Day 3 (4th Dec)
A trip to the salt mines is well worth a visit. Again, this is easily done DIY style using local buses. I'd say a half day to visit.
Day 4 (5th Dec)
Full day as flight doesn't leave until after 9pm. Aside from the Christmas Markets, there is Oskar Schindler's Factory, the Jewish Disctrict, Old Town, Wawel Castle and some of the free walking tours are really informative too with guides that live in Krakow (different to walking tours in other European cities).
Flights with Ryanair from East Midlands to Krakow - £35.99pp
Hostel for 2 at www.venere.com - £79.87 (use 12% code and make sure you go via TCB for further potential discount)
Transfers - The bus is cheap as is the train. The train is probably easier and faster. Costs 8PLN pp each way (the bus is 4 pln), total 36pln/£5.93
Total £157.78/£78.89pp
Top comments
Sorry. Been waiting 30 years to make this joke.
Heres a picture of the local salt mine
2 - Resist the urge to drink to the point where you can't stand up or speak
3 - Remember others might not be quite as appreciative of your "good time"
4 - Refrain from puking in the street, urinating where you see fit and talking derogatory of women
5 - Leave the football shirts at home
6 - Try seeing some sights, there's more to Poland than cheap beer and women
All comments (65)
Heres a picture of the local salt mine
amazing place.
Auschwitz visit is a must.
Sorry. Been waiting 30 years to make this joke.
Fantastic!
Proper lager in top pub shouldn't cost more than £2 - £2.50 even much cheaper in most of the pubs.
Food cheap as well
You have to try Hot Drinking Honey - really tast strong alcohol:)
2 - Resist the urge to drink to the point where you can't stand up or speak
3 - Remember others might not be quite as appreciative of your "good time"
4 - Refrain from puking in the street, urinating where you see fit and talking derogatory of women
5 - Leave the football shirts at home
6 - Try seeing some sights, there's more to Poland than cheap beer and women
that's legal:-)
"Arrivals from EU countries
You don’t pay duty or tax on goods you bring in from the European Union (EU) as long as you:
transport them yourself
will use them yourself or give them away as a gift
have paid duty and tax in the country where you bought them"
you dont legally sell it..im sure you understand it your just being picky
If you behave like that your just making your life harder for yourself:-)
Im the one who likes making it easy!
I'm not being picky - I was just concerned that someone suggested selling imported cigarettes at a profit on a public forum.
Cigarettes are also very cheap there.
My wife likes this stuff, around £3.50 a bottle (500ml), hazelnut and cherry are very nice.
BTW, last time we flew to KRK from Heathrow via Frankfurt for £35 return (June)
1) You can't get away with rowdy disrespectful behaviour there, if police are called then there is zero tolerance you will not be able to compromise with them like in UK.
2) Local women are probably Russian Catholic who see loads of **** up brits week in week out. We put ground work in when we met women in the day time :wink:
3) Never buy a girl a drink without checking how much it will cost first, a well known scam that her drink will end up costing £80....Just don't buy them drinks lol
4) Do you research on the best strip club if you are going to one. Some have nasty reps and especially do not use credit card to buy drinks or dances.
4) At night break up into smaller groups to avoid being turned away from bars by doormen... Some bars will not have the space for 15 lads anyway.
5) If drinking in large groups then check your bill. Even the nicest bars have a habit of adding a few extra drinks to the bill in hoping that it won't be noticed.
6) Enjoy, it's a great place just have a bit of common sense and keep your whits about you and you'll be fine. Remember if someone feels not right then it probably isn't!
7) Google is a man's best friend :wink: