I spent February the twenty fourth to March eleventh of 2019 in Krakow Poland. I stayed in two different hotels in two different parts of town. First the Hilton Garden Inn near the castle which is a twenty-five-minute walk from the old town center. The second hotel Fiorella and I stayed at was the Hampton Inn which is located in the same building as the DoubleTree. We didn’t stay in the DoubleTree because they charge eighty Polish dollars a night for the dog. The tram which picks up near the hotel stops in the perfect Kazimierz location in about fifteen minutes, the neighborhood is perfect for exploring and the best cafes.
In The service at the Hilton Garden Inn was hit or miss, some service was phenomenal while other service was not. It was great to have a washing machine and dryer onsite. The Hampton was very weird, we had days go by between room cleanings. Otherwise the service was mostly good, a little odd at times, some of the people were weird. The gym and pool area are shared with the DoubleTree, both amenities are incredible. The pool and hot tubs are large enough for many people. There is a steam room which can seat twenty people and two saunas with enough room for ten.
The restaurants in the center of the old town have outside seating with heaters in the winter. We tried a couple for the atmosphere, but like most tourist areas the quality of food and service wasn’t satisfactory. Krakow is a great city for walking around, but if your destination is too far to walk there is a tram service which stops throughout the city.
My friend Fiorella joined me during my last week while staying in the Hilton Garden Inn. Fiorella is a vegetarian, but she had no trouble finding delicious food in every restaurant we chose. The Polish have many lovely vegetable dishes. She of course fell in love with perogies and the potato dumplings I love so much, the kluski slaskie are similar to gnocchi in texture, but bigger. They are amazing covered in butter and eaten along with everything.
Entertainment is easy to find, there are Chopin concerts nightly, folk shows, theatre, ballet and more museums than we had time to see are available year-round. There is an airplane museum near the DoubleTree/ Hampton Inn and plenty of World War II museums to entertain the history buff. If you have a group you can see the SŁowacki Theatre. The Wawel Castle has a cathedral with a Mammoth bone at the entrance. The bone was assumed to be a dragon bone for many years. according to folk lore a king needed a dragon killed to protect his home. A peasant was able to kill the dragon and obtain knighthood. The bone was placed in the cathedral in remembrance. There are shops with amber, ceramics, art and clothing shops around the city to enjoy. Poland is known for its amber jewelry. There is an indoor market in the square and there are several indoor and outdoor markets in Kazimierz.
Graffiti fans will enjoy hunting down the city’s murals. There are several fun one, the Polish have a lovely sense of humor. The ballerina ornamented Bernatek Footbridge crosses the river to the Ding Dong Dumb mural and the part of town where the famous Shindler’s factory can be explored. St. Joseph’s church is a sight! It’s a beautiful church which is also on the same side of the river as the Hilton Garden Inn.
If you’re looking for a restaurant experience be sure to try the Resturancja Wierzynek inside of a building from 1364! Since we work from the hotel we ate delivery a few times and had some hotel dinners. The last night in Krakow was raining so we enjoyed the Double Tree restaurant. The Double Tree restaurant is dog friendly so Onawa was invited to sit with us. I finally tried the Sour Rye Soup, it was good, but I wouldn’t eat it again.
The popular street food is a bagel shaped bread called Obwarzanki. Kiełbasa can be found in many food trucks around the city. It’s much better over here than what I’ve ever had in the US, or England. Yum! The pqczki are delicious large deep fried doughnuts stuffed with my favorite version of rose jam, it’s thick and not too sweet.
The restaurants in the center of the old town have outside seating with heaters in the winter. We tried a couple for the atmosphere, but like most tourist areas the quality of food and service wasn’t satisfactory. Krakow is a great city for walking around, but if your destination is too far to walk there is a tram service which stops throughout the city.
My friend Fiorella joined me during my last week while staying in the Hilton Garden Inn. Fiorella is a vegetarian, but she had no trouble finding delicious food in every restaurant we chose. The Polish have many lovely vegetable dishes. She of course fell in love with perogies and the potato dumplings I love so much, the kluski slaskie are similar to gnocchi in texture, but bigger. They are amazing covered in butter and eaten along with everything.
Take a look at my Trip Advisor to see some of the places I loved eating at and be sure to follow on Instagram and Facebook. Happy exploring!
