4 Perfect Days in Krakow

I have to admit, when S suggested Poland for a summer break, I was less than enthused. Upon reading about Krakow and then seeing for myself, I could not recommend it enough for a family holiday. It was great! Budget-friendly, walker-friendly, tourist-friendly, and there's so much to absorb just by wandering around.

We spent 5 days and 4 nights, and didn't run out of activities. And there were so many things I wanted to go back to!

Day 1:
We arrived late in the evening with a shuttle (they were great & even brought car seats!), so took it easy during our first morning at the lovely vrbo we stayed at (ahhh, glorious central a/c!). We took a meandering midday stroll to the Cloth Hall in search of trinkets - and found a few pretty Polish pottery pieces while taking in the beauty of the Krakow old town. We picked up a very salty Obwarzanek pretzel for the little ones as we searched for lunch at the Milkbar Tomasza. We ordered way too much food but it was no problem - the restaurant was happy to pack it, and everything was delicious! It is small inside, and got very crowded at lunch. Luckily, they move fast with service so you can get in and out quickly.

After naps, we headed to the fun little Museum of Municipal Engineering, right around the corner from our apartment. The kids loved climbing in and out of old streetcars, and had a blast with the hands-on area. It was really hot inside, but playing air hockey and trying out the car simulator among other activities, was so fun that we weren't stressed about the weather. We wandered a bit in search of food, finding a food truck area, a ton of kid-friendly restaurants, and a restaurant we saved for our last night in town. After an easy dinner at home, a few of us headed to the Secrets of Krakow free night tour and a walk over the bridge to the Jewish ghetto. The bridge was pretty by day, and absolutely gorgeous lit up at night.

Day 2: 
Two of us got up early for the Saturday flea market at Plac Nowy (we quickly learned that Sunday is in fact THE day to come here). Though we didn't find much, we took a nice stroll around the quiet city - even restaurants serving breakfast didn't open until 9 am. The plan was to visit Wawel Castle and we should have used the early morning time to buy tickets in advance. Instead, we waited in a long queue around 10:30 am, and faced a limited selection of tickets. We chose the State Room tour with audio guide and the dragon's den. Due to the long lines, we skipped the den walk in favor of kid naps, but the state rooms were really cool.


On the way home, I stopped by the Produkty Benedyktynskie shop for honey (gifts) and beer. It was time for a rest up ahead of our afternoon golf cart tour of the Jewish Quarter, the Jewish Ghetto, and the Schindler factory. In two hours, we learned so much (and, the little one finally fell asleep!) - it was so educational and interesting.

The evening was quiet for me (kid duty) while our friends enjoyed a 3 hour food & vodka tour of the area. While the little ones and I walked over to (finally!) see the fire-breathing dragon, went home for dinner via some excellent ice cream, and called it an early night (ok, some Paw Patrol was involved...), our friends learned about where the best eats were in the city, and tried some tasty Bison Grass vodka!

Day 2 was so packed, but somehow, we had energy to keep up the fast pace on Day 3. Probably because of flea markets!

Day 3: 
I woke up early to see the flea market at the Hala Targowa. It made a nice destination for a 4-mile run before the hot sun kicked in, and I enjoyed wandering through the antique knick-knacks. Somewhat randomly, they had an awesome pair of kids' adidas in just the size of my 2 year old for about 4 euros. Double win!

We convinced the kids to bring a soccer ball outside near the Plac Nowy flea market, and switched off kid duty with flea market browsing. Though mostly clothing and shoe stalls (no toys or antiques), it seemed to go on and on - there were so many treasures. Everyone got 'new' shoes, and I was proudly trying out bargaining in Polish! Fun way to spend the morning, capped off with zapiekanka for lunch.

Before we headed back to the flat though, we realized we were missing a phone! Thank goodness for Find my iPhone (turn it on!) - it was forgotten in the park where we kicked around the ball. Whew!

After midday rest time, the kids picked up a tasty takeaway from Curry Up (the chicken was a bit sweet but the mango lassis right on point), while S and I headed out for the Secrets of Krakow by night tour, followed by a tasty outdoor dinner at Alchemia. We had a glass of wine at Bar aWino, but since the outside tables were full, found it a little too bright and warm inside to stay for another - heading home after another full but lovely day in Krakow.

Day 4:
We did a bit of a split on Day 4, so two adults could explore the Salt Mines (highly recommended), and the rest of us could relax a bit on our last day. We wandered around the Jewish Quarter, played a little soccer in the square, walked over the bridge, took naps, and ate ice cream.

In the evening, we bought loads of small cookies at a few different cukiernias for gifts, walked to the old town for a last taste of the musical atmosphere, and ate more ice cream. What a lovely city - I wasn't ready to leave, and could see myself bringing the kids back when they're older to explore some more!