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That is the actual origin of the name of Kraków founded by Prince Krakus. Three days was just barely enough for the highlights but I've got a schedule to keep. Arrived today in Slovakia in the High Tatra Town of Horný Smokovec (easy for them to say with a straight face). Will climb Mt. Rysy (8114'😉 tomorrow and Gerlachovský štít (8711'😉 Saturday followed by sort of a rest day Sunday then 2 train rides Monday to Vienna via (and skipping) Bratislava.
$1 ≈ 3.3 Polish złoty (zł)
Accommodation and Food Reserved 3 nights at Soul Hostel on hostelbookers.com for the bargain price of 40 zł per night in a 6 person dorm that was never full. The place was newly opened at the end of 2010 and looks great. A basic breakfast is included (with tea and instant coffee but good coffee or espresso can be bought at the minimart right across the street for 1.99 zł). Aside from being convenient to a coffee stand, the hostel location is great, ~10-15 minute walk from the bus or train station and another 10 minutes to the northern edge of Old Town. The staff is very helpful with Kraków information and
Florian's Gate
Kraków city walls. sorting out travel plans. For dinner I headed to the food court at the Galeria Shopping Center where Polskie Smaki serves surprisingly tasty cafeteria style Polish food for 2.99 zł per 100 g of anything on offer. Figure a full plate of salad, meat, and a side runs ~$4. Just south of the Powstańców Śląskich Bridge on Bohaterów Getta Square near Schindler's Museum, Jadłodajnia has set meals for 16.50 zł including soup and compote (basically fruit juice containing actual pieces of fruit). The cheapest, really good place (but most difficult to order because everything is in Polish and you can only see the cold soups and salads behind the glass door fridge so minimal ordering by pointing) is Pod Filarkami. It is a communist era milk bar, or canteen, a bit of leftover nostalgia. Borscht, cucumber salad, potatoes, and chicken cutlet cost 13 zł and change. Downsides are flimsy, plastic cutlery and lack of a bathroom.
Transport I left Kraków for the High Tatras in Slovakia and it was a bit of a production since it was out of season (i.e., not skiing or trekking seasons). First took a 10:15 am bus from Kraków for 19 zł arriving in
Barbican
Fortification just outside city walls, Kraków. Zakopane at 12:20 pm. Apparently having just missed a minibus to Łysa Polana and the border with Slovakia, I ate a couple of hot dogs (4 zł each with shredded cabbage, mustard, and ketchup) while waiting until 1:20 pm for the next minibus costing 10 zł and arriving at the border 2:05 pm. Walked from the bus stop 100 meters to Slovakia (no border controls, both countries part of Schengen Zone) where I caught another bus for 2 € at 2:30 pm to Horný Smokovec, my ultimate destination where I arrived at 3:30 pm. Kind of an arduous journey to cover a fairly short distance. In summer there are direct buses from Zako to Poprad passing through several Slovakian High Tatra towns.
Free Walking Tour: Old Town and Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz) The Old Town tour starts at 11:00 am at St. Mary's Church in the main square. Plan on 2½ hours walking north to the ancient Florian's Gate then south to Wawel Castle where the tour ends on the edge of the Vistula River. The Kazimierz tour starts at the same church at 3:00 pm and finishes at Oscar Schindler's former factory (now a museum, 17 zł entry, free
Just North of Old Town
My home for 3 nights in Kraków. on Mondays) at 6:00 pm. The guides are working solely for tips. 10 zł per person per tour seemed about right.
Auschwitz-Birkenau Tours are mandatory between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm but well worth the 40 zł price. Our tour guide was excellent although I'm not sure how she could have led this tour almost every day for 10 years as she told me. Frequent minibuses leave from the main terminal in Kraków for 12 zł taking ~1½ hours depending on traffic. Leaving on the 9:20 am bus will get you there in time for the 11:30 am English speaking tour (every hour starting at 10:30 am). The tour was 4 hours long and afterwards there are regular minibuses returning to Kraków.
Wieliczka Salt Mines Easy to do on your own in ~4 hours round trip from Kraków. Catch a minibus from the Galeria staging area at 9:00 am for 3 zł and you should arrive in time for the 10:00 am, 2 hour English tour costing a whopping 68 zł. Getting back was more interesting as there was a bus pulling out of the parking lot just as the 2 of us passed by so we asked
St. Mary's Church
Kraków main square. the driver if he was going to Kraków. He told us to hop aboard and a conductor printed us tickets for 3.20 zł each. I thought it was a bit strange that the 2 of us were the only passengers on the bus and my suspicions were further raised when we exited the highway and passed through a village only to be dropped on a patch of dirt in the middle of nowhere. The conductor then escorted us off the bus to a very remote, barely visible, local train station and we were back in Kraków by 1:00 pm. There is a proper bus stop near the entrance to the salt mines but the buses there are infrequent. Buses in the center of Wieliczka are probably best for returning to Kraków. There may be buses from the Galeria direct to the mines. Interesting journey or not, I didn't think the 2 hour tour was worth $20 especially compared to the Auschwitz tour and the 2 free walking tours in Kraków. If you are in a rush to get back to Kraków as I was, get to the mine lift as soon as possible as it is slow going returning all
Town Hall
Kraków main square. the tourists to the surface as the tour starts with a 300 foot descent below the surface and proceeds even further underground.
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