Krakow Review

One American Tourists experience

I decided to write this because before I left for Krakow I could not find this kind of information online. I went to Krakow because I wanted to see Auschwitz for myself. Pictures are linked in the text of this rant.

One of the first things I had to decide was whether to stay in the town right outside Auschwitz or in Krakow . I stayed in Krakow and this is the better choice. Having driven through the city around Auschwitz there is almost nothing there. Krakow on the other hand is a tourist mecca, you can fly directly to it and it is only 1.5 hours from Auschwitz by tour bus. I had zero problems at the airport with passport control. I did not have to bribe anyone the whole time I was in Krakow and I felt as safe there as I did at any American Amusement Park . I flew in via LOT airlines and I have no complaints about them.

I really enjoyed my time in Krakow . A couple of things I will say from the start, I am an out of shape American who speaks no Polish. Despite this I had no serious communication problems or transport issues.

My first suggestion is stay at the Hotel I did, the Cracovia Hotel. It was only 20 pounds a night for me, the rooms were nice and clean, and the service and food were great. They have an onsite Casino if that is your thing, as well as a bar and restaurant. The biggest perk though is the hotel tours pick up stops end here, meaning you won't be annoyed stopping at other hotels to pick up other tourists. Plus, it is also the first place you can be dropped off. On top of that it is an easy 5-minute walk to the city centre.

The whole 3 days I was in Krakow I never used a taxi or Buss other then to get to and from the airport. There is a green belt that surrounds the city that passes close by all the major attractions, so there is no need to hire transport to go anywhere.

The exchange rate was 7 to 1 to the pound while I was in Krakow . So this is an excellent place to buy gifts for people. There are a lot of local crafts you can buy cheaply.

The best thing I saw while in Krakow was the Salt Mine Tour. You might be thinking so what a mine. I was too, but I had some free time and decided to go to kill time. Well it was well worth it the Salt sculptures are amazing and going into a mine is a good life experience. They also have an elevator ride to get back to the top.

Overall I really enjoyed my time in Krakow and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see a little bit of Eastern Europe , a lot of medieval churches and, a cool salt mine. You also can easily make the time to see Auschwitz while you are there. I have a lot more photos. Although, I don't want to ruin your own exprience of seeing them first hand for the first time (especially Auschwitz and the Saltmine).