When you have 48 hours in Krakow

I’d be honest. I made a trip to Krakow because I’d wanted to visit the Auschwitz Concentration camp. I was so focused on sorting out travel arrangements to the camp from the city that I missed out on checking its sights. It makes a pleasant surprise though, when I arrived and discovered what a pretty city Krakow is.

When you have limited time in this 2000 European Capital of Culture like me, there are still a handful of places to see if you do some quick planning.

First though, a piece of advice. Always find out exactly how to get to where you’re going in the city. I thought I could rely on the map we picked up from the train station and figure our way to the hostel. Turns out not all maps are up-to-date.

The husband and I took a train in from Prague and arrived in Krakow early morning. The map we had had chunks missing from it. Taking a bus to our hostel proved a challenge thanks to language barrier. The Polish doesn’t speak much English and we speak no Polish, so we decided to walk to the hostel instead. We read on the hostel’s website it’s not too far from the train station.

We got terribly lost. We asked around shop vendors and passers-by but most started shaking their heads at us when we were only half-way through our question. To say it was an exasperating situation is an understatement. Then out of nowhere, I spotted a monk, who just stepped out of the monastery to get a paper at a shop across the street. We made a beeline for him and shoved our hostel’s address in his face and asked for directions. Thankfully, although his English wasn’t good, his gesturing was. He waved for us to follow him, and he led us to a map on a signboard further down the road, and found the address. We were so grateful we thanked him repeatedly. He smiled at us, pointed to his robe and said “ I am monk. I help.” I may not be religious, but on that day, I looked up to the heavens and thanked the man upstairs.

Back to the sights of Krakow. There are three main sights I managed to squeeze in during my short trip to this once Stone-Age settlement.

The Auschwitz concentration camp

50 km from the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, folks come to Krakow to get to the camp. I read on my hostel’s website that they arranged for tours to the camp and booked it.

I watched The Schindler’s List when I was an impressionable teenager, and it made a huge impact on me. We’ve all studied about World War II, but I never fully comprehended the cruelty of the Nazis until the movie’s chilling portrayal of life in the concentration camp. I knew I had to visit it one day.

Before going, I read extensively about it to steel myself for the experience. I thought I was all set. The truth is, nothing could ready you for a visit to Auschwitz. It was a three-hour long emotionally draining walk through this abysmal encampment.  The most harrowing sight was the gas chamber- a small musky, dingy room with a chimney. I stared at the room for a full minute, unable to imagine the pain and suffering that went on here for three years.

The stories, the photographs and more significantly, the devastating evidence left behind at the camp are stark reminders of the dark days that consumed lives of over one million, and not something I’ll ever forget. Images of adults and children fighting for their survival dwarfed my insignificant discontent with life, and made me very ashamed. The visit was a sobering experience. I’d like to think I came home a different person.

Read about my experience of the tour at Auschwitz concentration camp.

The Rynek Glowny Grand Square

If there’s one place you have to visit in Krakow, it has to be this. Dating back to the 13^th century, this square right in the city center counts itself as one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe. It also has one of the most lively street life.

 

The main square is more rectangle than square-ish and is enveloped by historic town houses and churches. Dotted around the square are buskers of different kinds, and all are entertaining.

The center of the Square is the Cloth Hall, a Renaissance building said to be the world’s oldest shopping mall, in business for over 700 years. At the height its prime, the hall sold exotic imports from the Far East, like spices, silk, wax and more. Today, it sells souvenirs and intricate handmade crafts.

The stand-out structure in the Square is the St. Mary’s Basilica, two Gothic towers rising above the Square to a height of 80 meters. Built in the 13^th century, it was rebuilt in the 14^th century and  served as an architecture for Polish churches erected abroad.

The best way to soak in the Square’s atmosphere is find a café, get a seat facing the square and have a drink or a meal and just watch the sights in front of you, both people and architecture. In my short two days in the city, I sat at different cafes three times, to drink in the Square’s sights. You get plenty of food options at the restaurants here, from traditional Polish dishes to more common Western fare.

Tip: Engage with folks at the other table. In a historic city like this, you never know what kind of stories you’ll hear.  A young man next to us asked why two Asians are keen to visit Krakow. I shared my interest in the Concentration camp, and he in turn, told us about his Great-grandfather,  who escaped death at the gas chamber by crouching by the corner in the room, and breathing slowly and through a small hole at the bottom of the wall, holding his shirt to his nose. What a story.

Wawel Castle

It’s impossible not to visit an old city like Krakow but not make a trip to its castle. In this case, it’s the Wawel Castle, a Gothic style castle that was the residence of the kings of Poland for centuries. Today it’s a museum that houses some of the country’s most important relics.

Tip: I really recommend going here early, of if you can’t, at least buy tickets early. I went mid-morning and stood in line for slightly under an hour to get entry tickets.

There’s a bit to explore around the castle compound, get a map and start strategizing. Exploring the area is like a throwback to the past. I felt like I was in a period movie. My favorite part about the tour in the Wawel Castle is its dungeons. You have to take this narrow winding stairs down and it’s a little cold and musky. It reminds me of all those medieval movies I watched where the dungeons are secret passage-ways to escape the enemies.

Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

I spent my last few hours in the city on a hop-on hop-off bus, which took us to important sights around the city, mostly churches, memorials dedicated to the Jews who perished in the war and most significantly, the Oskar Schindler museum. I didn’t have time to get off and explore the museum, which is my biggest regret. Later on, onboard our train bound for Budapest, a fellow traveller shared that she spent four hours in the museum, looking through the extensive coverage the place dedicated to Schindler’s efforts to save innocent lives.

To me, the best part about Krakow is just going around and exploring. Every corner turns up something interesting. I enjoyed just roaming around the old town, passing by churches, old buildings with interesting architecture and food stalls hawking Polish snacks. As I looked around the quaint and relaxing atmosphere it exudes, I felt the perseverance of  the Polish, for being able to pick themselves up after the devastation of the wars.

If you wish to have a dash of Old World charm, Krakow delivers, and more.