If you think that KRAKOW, POLAND is an unlikely destination for a travelling family…think again!
Fire-breathing dragons, walk-ability, bike-ability, a castle, Salt Mines, friendly people and good food make this medieval town a fabulous family friendly destination.
Home to the largest medieval square in all of Europe…replete with horse-drawn carriages, charming cafes and great people-watching…this historic town is great fun and was a perfect place to spend the last couple of days of our Greek Island Vacation.
Huh? Or rather…‘Athens to Krakow?’, you may ask. What were we thinking? Actually the frequent flier gods guided us to Krakow when I had to do some creative routing to make our connecting flights in Germany work. Krakow is just a quick one and a half hour flight from Munich and there are tons of budget airlines flying in and out of Krakow (especially from the UK, which explains the large groups of tipsy Brits out for a quick, fun, affordable weekend!).
Krakow is just being ‘discovered’ as a cool destination – much like Prague was 20 years ago. In fact there are some striking similarities between the two cities: an astoundingly beautiful open square overflowing with people and cafes; light and laughter and budding tourism juxtaposed with an old Jewish Quarter replete with soulful cemeteries; and an old castle on a hill. And…oh…yeah…they also are just coming out of the darkened corridors of communist rule and the new energy of freedom is palpable. Since Krakow is still affordable (until they join the EU) I suggest you go now before tourism and rising prices overrun this lovely town. Affordability allowed us to stay in a pristine five star property (The Sheraton Krakow www.sheraton.pl/krakow) with views of the lovely Wisla (aka Vistula) river. From our enormous picture window, we could watch people biking, strolling and jogging along the narrow, winding river. We could also see WAWEL HILL above the riverbank, home to the defining landmark of the city: WAWEL CASTLE and it’s fire-breathing dragon who completely and totally captured my son’s fancy and imagination. A 200-foot long cavern (known as ‘SMOCZA JAMA” meaning The Dragon’s Cave) is the area’s oldest residence dating back to the Stone Age and is part of the legend surrounding the genesis of the city of Krakow.
Legend has it that a humble cobbler named Skuba (or a guy named Krak, the city’s founder, depending on who is telling the story) conquered a fire-breathing dragon who apparently had a hefty appetite for livestock…and virgins. The king promised one half his kingdom and his daughter’s hand in marriage to the guy who slew the voracious beast. Soooo cliché, eh? Anyway…knight after knight tried and failed until the cobbler came along and tricked the dragon into eating a lambskin laced with a cocktail of sulfur and salt. The dragon of course went crazy with thirst and rushed into the Vistula River and drank and drank and drank until he exploded! Anyway…the poor departed Dragon’s den attracts tourists in droves and is marked by a bizarre modern dragon sculpture that shoots real fire into the air. Jacob couldn’t get enough of it.
Just nearby the Dragon are some little kiosks selling dragon ‘things’ like necklaces and stuffed animals that are both fun and very affordable gifts. More significantly, this fire-breathing guy is just outside the Wawel Castle walls and the castle is a must see. (www.wawel.krakow.pl) The castle, Gothic Cathedral and bits and pieces of medieval defense walls sit atop a Jurassic limestone hill. A cobblestone road leading up the hill is grand and the enormous castle grounds are a great place for kids of all ages to run around in. You may run into a crowd of people at the northwest corner of the courtyard, with their head, backs, hands and heels against the wall. This point is thought by many Hindus and by esoteric thinkers worldwide to be one of the seven major chakra points on the planet (it is in good company with Jerusalem, Rome and Mecca). Regardless of your beliefs, the views from the hill are great and you can see most of the city from there. Wawel is wedged between the two main parts of Krakow: old town (Stare Miasto) with its giant medieval square and Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter. Both parts of town are striking in their own way.
Kazimierz, made famous by Spielberg’s ‘Schindler’s List’ (which was filmed here), is home to soulful synagogues and cemeteries. It is also the very heart of Krakow’s edgy arty scene, filled with cafes and restaurants where you can have a coffee or a beer and a good bowl of borsht while listening to some Klezmer folk concerts and/or some good jazz. We really enjoyed just wandering the streets filled with ‘real life’… peeling building facades, wooden shutters and all. Peeking down little alleyways, we discovered quaint shops and unexpected little outdoor restaurants. After a light lunch we wandered into the marketplace of Plac Nowy, filled with people shopping the green market stalls and fetching water from a hand pump that has probably been there for centuries. Jacob loved pumping the water and devouring a fresh watermelon that the fruit seller let us cut up with her knife. We also happened to be there during the annual Jewish Festival (www.jewishfestival.pl) and every corner was plastered with colorful posters advertising the many concerts, lectures, workshops and other events going on in Krakow and environs. The Kazimierz district is definitely ‘happening’ and is emerging as a cutting edge destination. This old Jewish district is also rife with ghosts and if you are travelling with older children, you may want to introduce them to the history of Poland’s Jews. Oskar Schindler’s former factory is here and the Old Synagogue and cemeteries tell stories of the past. Of course, Poland’s Jewish past is iconically represented by AUSCHWITZ. The famous concentration camp is a day trip outside the city and in this writer’s opinion a must see. We handled the delicate nature of having a toddler with us by planning carefully. We hired a private driver and a private guide and planned the tour exactly at Jacob’s naptime. When he finally woke, one of us would stay outside the buildings, which just look like ordinary brick buildings while the other went in with the guide and then switched. At age 14, every child in Poland is supposed to visit Auschwitz (www.auschwitz.org.pl). It is a memorable thing to do.
On a much lighter note, you CANNOT go to Krakow and not visit the biggest medieval square in Europe, RYNEK GLOWNY. I let out an audible gasp as I turned the corner and walked into the loveliest main market square I’ve ever laid eyes on. Jacob stood by my side, transfixed by the horse drawn carriages, street musicians, the giant sculpture of a head and the just general goings-ons in this café-lined wonderland. Sit anywhere and have an ice cream or whatever and watch the parade passing by…day or night. We found a WONDERFUL Italian restaurant right on the square. They have lovely tables outside and an intriguing castle-like cellar below. The place is family friendly and has delicious food. We ate there twice. Ristorante Da Pietro (www.dapietro.com.pl) 012.4223279. If you want to experience ‘real’ Polish peasant food, I highly recommend Chlopskie Jadio, which has more than one location, but the one just off the square at sw Jana 3 is really great and kid friendly, even though the waiters are ‘cranky’. It’s a bit of a show I think, they eventually really warmed up to us. Bring your appetite and an adventurous stomach.
If you want to walk off all that food…no problem…this city is MADE for walking. Krakow has defined walking ‘routes’ on all the tourist maps and the most ‘kid-friendly’ one is THE PLANTY, which is a ring of greenery (like a park) that encircles the Old Town. History buffs would be happy to know that this is where 13th Century walls and a moat once stood. Bike it or walk it. Speaking of bikes, there are rental places all over the city and biking around town looks like fun, although we did not rent bikes when we were there. Maybe next time. Also, maybe next time we will have time to take a side strip to the WIELICZKA SALT MINE (say THAT 3 times fast!). The poor miners of old, spent most of their lives underground, toiling tirelessly…thus the expression ‘like working in the salt mines’. Since they didn’t have much to do, the miners began carving everything from chandeliers, to a chapel out of the salt and so the mines are like a great underground art treasure trove. (www.krakow-info.com/wielicz.htm)
In fact, our whole visit to Krakow was like unearthing a treasure. We had no expectations of this small town with the big square by the Wisla. Each corner we turned, each café we sat in, each person we met was just a piece of the great treasure of Krakow, the little Polish town that could, and did, and does.
So: Run, I mean, walk, I mean bike, I mean…just go to Krakow. You and your travelling family will love it.
Bike Rentals and/or tours:
www.krakowbiketour.com
www.dwakola.neostrada.pl
www.retrobikes.pl
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See Google map below for Krakow Live!
