First time visiting Poland! (Warsaw and Krakow)

It seems like at the end of every year, I always have some spare vacation days left at work. As I only had a few days and limited money, I decided to visit a friend of mine in Poland! If I had the money I would’ve definately picked a place which was warmer but it was also nice to hang out with someone and discover some new places together with someone. So off to Warsaw and Krakow I went!

Warsaw

Warsaw was unavoidable, so I tried to make the best of it with the 1 day I had there. I arrived a bit too early to the hotel so I couldn’t check in yet. So me and Elena walked around the old center and city a bit and grabbed a coffee somewhere. Christmas was just around the corner so the streets were festively decorated. Old city wasn’t that spectacular to be honest. There were a couple of authentic shops and pubs but we just passed by them. We did stop by the enormous Palace of Culture and Science. Apparently this is the tallest building in Poland and eighth tallest building in the European Union. It was build and designed by the Soviet Union as a gift to the Polish people. If you’ve been to Russia before you do see the resemblence in the architecture. The building had an earie and cold feel to it. It was impressive to say the least when you’re standing at the foot of it. We went up to the viewing deck for a 360 degrees view over Krakow. You could see that there’s not that many highrises in the city. Anyway, just 1 day in Krakow and I wasn’t that impressed, as a tourist. Next time I go back I’ve gotta find me a local to show me around the best places.

Krakow

The main attraction was Krakow and you could immediately see that the city was much more different than Warsaw. Krakow has a more tourist friendly vibe to it and there was much more to see and experience as well. There’s also seemingly a lot more history in and around the city.

For starters, we stayed in a Lenin themed hostel located in the neighbourhood of Kazimierz. Also known as the Jewish quarters near old town. Apparently the Old Town was on the UNESCO list of World Heritage and you could see why. The streets and buildings were nicely renovated and decorated for the holidays. It was clean and well-taken care of. The first day mainly consisted of us wandering around parts of the city. Taking in the sights and visiting the Christmas market around the main square. At night I checked out some of the things we could do and there were some free tours around. One was the food tour and the other was the streetart tour.

The food tour took us around some of the places we visited before and to the market and gave us more explanation on some of the typical Polish foods. This could be simple things like bread, pierogi or even smalec (pork lard spread) combined with a shot of vodka. I’ve always wanted to eat what the locals eat and seeing how I’m only here for a limited time, this was a great option.

Asian backpacker - Krakow Christmas market

The streetart tour was amazing as well, taking us deeper into the Jewish quarters Kazimierz and telling us the history of the Jews in the area. All of the streetart had a meaning to them and told a story about the history of the city. The tour ended at Schindler’s Factory Museum. We didn’t go in but weren’t that interested either.

After the tours we walked around some more and went up to the Wawel castle at night. The castle was lit up quite nicely at night and there were still tons of people walking around despite the cold temperature. The view over the river bank were well worth it as well.

Asian backpacker - Krakow view from Wawel castle

On our last night we went to Alchemia, a restaurant which was recommended by a Polish colleague. It was a really cosy and popular place it seemed. Tons of young and trendy people, and it wasn’t anything classy. Felt really… local! It was located around the Plac Nowy where they had tons of little stalls selling zapikanka. Of all the food I tried in Poland, I can say that zapikanka was my favorite. So simple and so delicious!

After dinner at Alchemia we walked around a bit more and stopped by Pijalnia. This places is known for it’s cheap beers and drinks. People often come here for some cheap beer and shots before they head into the nightlife. It’s just more cheaper to get drunk here than at clubs later on. Me and Elena wanted to try the list and just kept ordering and at one point we ended up with 5 shots each. No regrets there because they were delicious and went in so easily.

By now it was already nearing 11pm and I still felt a bit hungry so I went for my second Zapikanka that day! And yes, being the drunks that we were, we searched our pockets for money and realised we could have 1-2 more shots! So we went back to Pijalnia! All in all, it was a quick but “productive” first time experience in Poland. Warsaw didn’t have that much to offer in my opinion. But Krakow is a nice getaway for a city trip of 3-4 days. There’s plenty to see and try out during your stay. There’s some shopping to be done for and tons of history to be learnt if you’re interested. There were also an abundance of little coffeeshops and bars around Old Town. Definately recommend visiting Krakow, even if you’re with kids.