Popping in to Poland – a brief look at Kracków and Warsaw (reviewed 2024)

When we grab time together, my son and I attempt to travel to places neither of us has previously visited. This leaves us slim pickings because we both use every opportunity to explore Europe but we eventually established that Poland was a place of interest to us both. This brief guide to Kraków and Warsaw shares our experience and recommendations for a quick weekend there.

Guide to Kraków

My son planned our itinerary which was a new experience for me. He selected lovely 4-star accommodation in Kraków’s Old Quarter at the Hotel Polski – a comfortable old place situated near the ancient St Florian’s Gate with great access to everything we wanted to do and see in the city.

Kraków is beautiful. Having escaped the bombings of World War II, its old buildings are intact and being steadily restored under a government/municipal program that has the specified aim of attracting the tourist dollar. The policies have encouraged significant economic recovery in recent years. We certainly appreciated the clean streets and stations and the punctuality of the transport, and, unlike the major hot-spots of Europe, it was uncrowded and easy to get around.

We decided to use the opportunity of being in quite near the Auswitch-Birkenau Extermination Camps to join a tour. It was a harrowing day and a bleak reminder of the capacity of mankind to de-humanise great swathes of people to justify unimaginable disrespect and cruelty. Even though we knew what we’d see, the experience had a profound impact on us both. I hope the tour guide wasn’t expecting many tips because our subdued group avoided eye contact afterwards and scattered in search of transport home, mutually keen to get far away from the place as soon as we could.

Back in Kraków, we took several hours to cheer up and were extra appreciative of our sundown cocktails overlooking the Main Market Square from the rooftop bar at Hotel Stary (another superb accommodation option) We ambled around the Square afterwards, dodging holidaymakers touring the city in horse drawn carriages, to watch several entertaining bands, dancers, and performing artists. We tried to avoid the obvious tourist dining options and chose a Polish restaurant called Szara Ges. It was located in a beautiful building facing the Square but was hidden behind rows of outdoor umbrellas owned by eateries that appeared to serve Italian and American fare to the masses. The sommelier took a liking to us and produced several unexpectedly fine local wines for our tasting pleasure. Our meals were excellent, especially the veal pierogi (dumplings) I’d attest these are essential eating when in Poland.

The following day we visited the Weiliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage twenty-five minutes drive from Krakow. If salt prices were high enough it could still operate today but it turns out it’s the tourism dollar that keeps this wonderful display going. In a two-hour tour we covered only one percent of the vast labyrinth of tunnels that had been painstakingly carved out of solid salt quartz over many centuries. Miners and artists spent decades sculpturing vast underground chapels; breathtaking in size, stature and sophistication and replete with statues, altarpieces, and massive salt chandeliers. Every Sunday mass is still held in these chapels for those inclined to descend 64metres down a steep stairwell. (If I ever needed another excuse to skip church this would surely qualify) It’s also used as a cool venue for a wedding and thankfully there are lifts operating when its time to resurface.

On our return to the city, we walked the perimeter of the Old Quarter and then escaped the heat for a while in the beautiful gardens of the Planty Park. We passed the Wawel Royal Castle but unfortunately had to flag entering as we didn’t have the two hours necessary to do it justice. We called into the Jewish Quarter where there’s a large synagogue and several cemeteries worth visiting and a lovely square with interesting restaurants offering Jewish cuisine. We didn’t linger as rain set in but instead returned to the Old City for an excellent meal at Ed Red; a Michelin recommended restaurant specialising in slow cooked meat (although I chose the duck and scrumptious veal dumplings – again)

Guide for Warsaw

Early Sunday morning we caught a train to Warsaw. We’d been warned to keep our expectations low because much of the city had been destroyed by heavy bombing in the War but we found it beautiful. We stayed at the Warsaw Sofitel, which was the same as any other Sofitel, but it was well located adjacent to the magnificent Saski Gardens and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also stopped by Hotel Bristol, which exhibits an expertly curated art collection and superior interior decor – this would be our pick of the places to stay in Warsaw.

We walked south along the main street which, being Sunday, was closed to vehicles and then after lunch continued to the National Museum and Warsaw Botanical Gardens. Then we veered toward the river and watched local wake-boarders training on a simple cable system while spectators socialised along the riverbank. The riverfront facilities were surprisingly underdeveloped but will soon be transformed to accommodate the growing influx of tourists.

We were given several Polish dining recommendations to consider; Delicja Polska, Warszawski Sznyt, and Dawne Smoki. After so much good living, wining and dining, the evidence has started to show. In one of my favourite photos of our trip my son is grinning wickedly because at the precise moment the grumpy waiter took the snap he was pinching the excess around my waist. Which reminds me to mention that ‘friendly and attentive service’ was not something the Polish hospitality industry has quite come to grips yet but with the inflow of hospitality workers returning home post Brexit, I imagine this has been remedied.

My daughter recommended a late night cocktail venue she’d discovered on an earlier visit called Weles Bar. We nearly didn’t bother because we’d chosen to dine a fair way away but since she’d been insistent we dragged ourselves there. We found this tiny jewel of a venue tucked in the back corner of a car park behind an unmarked black door. Only the cool kids seemed to know about it but now you too can listen to moody jazz there. Our bespoke cocktails were sublime.

We spent a warm and sunny Monday morning exploring the Old Market Town Square. From the approach along an ancient cobbled street, it looked like we were entering a cardboard cut-out of a movie set. We roamed the streets for hours enjoying the ambience and I’d recommend joining a private walking tour of the area. We overheard several entertaining narratives from guides supplying historical facts about the place and their all-time favourite son Chopin. In fact, even though Chopin left Warsaw young and never returned, his music is performed in concerts every day and several statues and sculptures celebrating his achievements are scattered around the city.

There was much more to be discovered but all too soon we were on a plane returning to real life with these wonderful day carefully packed in my ‘precious memories’ folder. We agreed we’d both definitely recommend popping into Poland.

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