Krakow In Your Pocket
Few cities emerge from their winter hangover as exuberant as Kraków, where all over Poland’s cultural capital at this very moment the beer garden umbrellas are in full bloom, the pigeons are cooing and mounting each other, couples are petting in the
Planty and picnicking on the Wisła riverbanks, while street performers play merry music in
public squares or stand by in silent protest of the clownish antics of costumed tourists. Kraków has its spring buzz on in a big way and there’s no better time to be here than the season of rising temperatures and hemlines. The arrival of spring also brings with it the start of Kraków’s high festival season, plus plenty of holidays and special events including
Easter (April 8th) and its accompanying market on the main square, the
Emmaus festival in Zwierzyniec (April 9th) and the
Rękawka medieval fair (April 10th) on
Krakus Mound which follow it, national celebrations on May 1st and 3rd, the student mayhem of
Juwenalia (May 11-12) and the
Off Camera Festival (April 12-22)–PL’s largest independent cinema showcase. Though most visitors to Kraków don’t get past exploring the highest density of
bars and
cafes in the world (actually most of us who live here haven’t gotten past them either, in fact some of us sit around in sunlight
beer gardens like it’s our job...wait a minute), the city is surrounded by highly unique and historical places to enjoy the outdoors and in addition to the
Leisure section, we’ve highlighted one of the best in our new
Salwator section.
While the excitement of the new season is palpable, for us at
IYP it’s still been business as usual: another month, another milestone as April saw the printing of the
75th issue of
Kraków In Your Pocket - representing of over ten years of refinement and perfection, resulting in the best Kraków city guide on the market. We’ve outdone ourselves once again, with the most up-to-date, honest information on all the
drinking holes,
dance parties and
dining establishments within this densely-packed city, as well as all of the memorable things to do and see between indulgences. As always, let us know what you think about the places you’ve visited by leaving your comments and enjoy Kraków.
A Bit About Kraków to Begin
A city forged in battle, war, conquest and fate, Kraków is in many respects the most Polish of all this great nation’s cities. The ancient seat of kings and intelligentsia comes steeped in legend and myth, and evokes the most fanciful of images, from
dragons occupying the catacombs of
Wawel, to
Tartar hordes repelled at the gates, to an earnest Vladimir Lenin plotting revolution while sitting in the city’s
cafes.
Kraków’s history is the stuff of fantasy.
Back to the future. The budget flight boom confirms this nation’s transition from a country people are queueing to leave, to a country people are queueing to enter – the crowds that rotate around Wawel and fall out of the Irish pubs later on are all the evidence you need.
By day it is easy to drown in culture. The city is an A-Z of architectural styles, and its museums and galleries the home of everything from works by DaVinci to Japanese comics. The district of Kazimierz, once home to one of the most important Jewish communities in the world, is enjoying a renaissance; even the suburb of Nowa Huta, the sooty legacy of the communist system, is now emerging as an off-beat tourist site. Our website features all the tourist sites and museums you could wish for.
As dusk settles the city becomes a haven for hedonists. As you will no doubt learn for yourself, it is all too easy to descend the stairs into one of the Gothic cellar bars, and emerge at daybreak missing both your memory and friends. On these pages you’ll find everything you need to know about Kraków’s restaurants, pubs, clubs and hotels.
Latest Krakow Comments:
Dawno Temu Na Kazimierzu
I have visited Krakow several times and have eaten hear and loved it. We had honey roast lamb and it was perfect....Ogniem i Mieczem
if you want your arteries to clog up overnight or your gallbladder to burst in agony by all means eat here....Pod Papugami Irish Pub
Visited in March, excellent. Visiting again in September. Will definitely be drinking in this pub, ...Irish Pub Nic Nowego
As the comment above says this is a place lacking in the over the top Irish decoration but instead it offers a good clean modern bar with great staff and a nice range of food, beer and sport - give it a go....House Of Beer
At first I avoided this place as I thought it was just one more beer hall for the stag do lads but once I got to know it I became very impressed....Czary
I ate here for my final meal in Krakow and loved it. It was probably the best food I had eaten all week....Polskie Smaki
I found this place by accident and the review above is correct when it says "bored but polite girls"....U Stasi
I came in here for my birthday lunch. I had soup pork rib with cabbage and potato with fried beetroot....Non Iron
The review above sums this place up perfectly. Last night I spent 20 minutes in there in stunned silence along with a hand full of regulars who appeared to be playing "chicken" to see who would break first and actually speak....Gospoda Koko
What a place for 20pln you are eating like a king! The breakfast at 12 pln takes some beating and the basement bar sells pints at 5pln - the place is a must....Asia to Go
Pretty average but just about OK. 10PLN for some noodles sounds about right but nothing special....Ekobistro Papuamu
I had a really nice lunch there today after visiting the Schindler museum about 20 metres away. I arrived about 10 minutes before noon and the main courses wern't ready until close to 1pm but the girl working there was friendly and chatty so not really a problem....Classical, opera, film & tango - The best concerts in Cracow
We have just come back from Krakow and the highlight of the trip was the Royal Chamber Orchestra's performance in the Adalbert Church....Marcello
I cannot suggest this restaurant. Really poor wine, bad service (we waited for a long time and also the order was wrong), fish was not fresh and the taste of Pasta was horrible....Kogel Mogel
I just had lunch there today and really enjoyed it. The menu is only available in Polish but the waitress spoke English so I explained that I wanted some nice traditional Polish food and asked her to choose....