Hello all, I am writing from my hotel in Krakow, Poland in January. I am currently enjoying a light lunch and some free glasses of champange. Firstly, lets get into why Poland in January. About 2 years ago, I was suppsed to take a trip to Egypt however I was accepted into an accerlated nursing program, so I had to cancel my trip. Part of the trip included a couple nights stay in Budapest, where I was planning to fly into and out of with LOT airlines. I attempted to get my money back but was only allowed a voucher, which is what I used to fly here. The voucher essentially covered the whole flight to Warsaw.
I was a bit nervous (which I never get) because I was travelling alone somewhere so far from everyone and I was travelling on an airline that I have never heard of, which why would I since it is a polish airline. The flight was out of JFK and while the terminal was small, there was plenty of places for drinks and food. Now for the flight, it was a bigger plane and I was fortuante enough to have an empty seat next to me. I was given a blanket and pillow, headphones, and a wipe. I slept the whole flight but the attendant did leave me a sandwich and a snack. The seats reclined back which was nice and it was a smooth ride.
Now, I dont know if anyone caught that I booked a flight to Warsaw but the blog post is about Krakow. I flew into Warsaw because it was about $150 cheaper. I then took a 30 min train into the center of Warsaw and from there took a 3 hour train ride from Warsaw to Krakow. Now I know time is money and I should have just paid for the flight to Krakow, however I wanted to visit somewhere else and the flights back into Krakow from multiple places were not worth it. Since I was alone, I was able to make this decision for myself, however if you were are traveling with others, you may have chosen other options. I did not want to feel rush or worry about missing my connecting flight so I didn’t buy train tickets until I got into Warsaw. The airport was very easy to navigate, they had painted lines to direct where you were going and signs in English and Polish. The train I rode, I bought a first class ticket because on vacation, the limit does not exist. This included a nice seat, a drink and a snack. The honey cake I had was very good, I wish I had another one to eat later.
Once I got to Krakow, I took a cab to the hotel which was only $9 for about 20 minute ride. The hotel I chose was AC Hotel By Marriot, it was a double room with a balcony. I normally stay in hostel but decided a hotel would be nice since it was for 4 nights and again the limit does not exist on vacation. The hotel is on the bus line if you wanted to take the bus and it was a 30 minute walk from Old Town which were I planned on visiting. The first day, I lounged around the hotel since I was tired from traveling and indulged in a bottle of wine. The second day, I walked about 10 miles just exploring. I walked the Wawel Castle grounds and Rynek Glowny. The third day (the day I am wirting this post), I slept in and enjoyed the hotels pool/hot tub, a couple classes of Champagne, wrote this blog, and plan to have a massage later. Tomorrow, day 4 I will be taking a tour of Auschwitz and the Salt Mines, which I booked with Viator for $120 and it includes hotel pick up/drop off and lunch. I will attach at the bottom the itnerary of the places I planned on going to. Day 2 in the itineary I did not do, as I plan on coming back with a friend or two and doing it all over. The Auschwitz portion, I may not repeat, as not everyone is into sites as that but at least I got it done. I will update this once I visited and let you know.
Auschwitz/Salt Mines will be its own post….
Day 1 –
Wawel Castle Grounds
– Wawel Castle
– Wawel Cathedral
– Wawel Dragon
Old Town
– Kanonicza Street
- La Campana Restuarant
– Grodzka Street
– Cafe Mini
Rynek Glowny
– Skinny Creme Cafe
Florianska Street
– Florian’s Gate
– Defense Trail
Day 2 –
Oskar Schindlers Factory
– ticket must be bought prior
Ghettos Heroes’ Square
Kazimierz
Day 3 –
Auschwitz – Salt Mine Tour
11 hours, $120 with lunch
Viator Tour
Wanderlust & bust 
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