Has anyone been to Krakow, Poland

[dawndevil]

I'm going to Krakow shortly for 5 days i've got a trip booked for Auschwitz, and plan to visit the castle, the salt mines, oskar schinder's factory and possibly plasnow has anyone been there? and can anyone give me any tips on what to see, where to eat and shop
thanks
:)

[thugulike]

I would recommend a look in Lonely Planet. There are 2 fantastic out of the ordinary churches in Krakow, one is Art Deco and unlike anything I've ever seen in the world and the other is Rococo and divine. We lunched in Chimera which has great food at low prices, really tasty. You sit shoulder to shoulder with friendly local people. It's in a cellar but worth the effort of finding it. Krakow is easily walkable, take your time and enjoy. You shouldn't need to go on organised and expensive tours of Auschwitz and the salt mines, there is local transport available.

[RATTER15]

yes, lots of people!!

[dawndevil]

thank you both, the trip i booked isn't expensive it just saves me the bother of trying to get there myself, i will try and make my own way to the salt mines hopefully! i want to see as much of krakow as i can! :)

[koster]

I could add some information on getting from the airport to the city. Outside the airport there is a free shuttle bus which takes you to a train station. Actually it's hardly any distance at all, down one country road, and you could easily walk to the train station if you just had a backpack and fancied stretching your legs after the flight.

The airport train station is a single track dead end with one platform, so it's a surprise when a very modern train turns up. You buy your ticket on the train.

[jno]

the further you eat from the main square the cheaper it is. We had a meal right on the square - it was expensive, the food was cold, and a lorry came and parked in front of us and blocked our view the whole time.

But the square is very scenic and so is the castle area, and the route between the two.

[Bobbisox]

yes I have, it was lovely, the town square is alive and vibrant, we went to Auschwitz, a must, not a bird flies there, very eerie, I found the people to be lovely too

[slinkycat]

Agree with all the above,especially with using local transport, its so cheap to get to places although the trains are very,very slow! The coaches are great, would recommend a trip to Zakopane if you have time, very picturesque mountain scenery and you can get the funicular (is that the right word?) train up to the top. We went in november last year and sat in t-shirts on one of the bar terrcaes overlooking the mountains:-)
Wouldn't bother with Schindlers factory,unless they have opened it up more in the last year, its really just a very small museum at the site,containing not much more than huge amounts of reading, located in the middle of an industrial estate.

[MarkRae]

You must understand that the visit to Auschwitz is going to be traumatic...

They have gone a certain way to try to desensitise it, but there's no escaping the past and what took place there in the 1940s...

I certainly hope that you will come away with an even stronger resolve that nothing like that must ever be allowed to happen again - it's not Disneyland...

[ummmm]

Who is comparing it to Disneyland Mark?

[MarkRae]

> Who is comparing it to Disneyland Mark?

Nobody who's ever been there...

How did you find it...?

[zzxxee]

i dont think i could bring myself to visit Auschwitz. A friend went and said it affected her more than she ever thought possible, she said she would never go back , still its everyones choice as an individual.

[MarkRae]

IMO, every European should be required to visit one of the concentration camps - it's all too easy to dismiss the holocaust...

[ummmm]

I haven't been. Not a place I would want to go to be honest. I just didn't understand your Disneyland comment. You think people look at it akin to a theme park?

[zzxxee]

I dont dimiss it mark at all !!!! x

[zzxxee]

*dismiss

[ummmm]

No. Why should I shut up? How bloody rude of you. You feel the need to point out to people that it's not Disneyland and you have the cheek to tell me to shut up. Just because many of us do not live up to your high standards please don't treat us like we are thick.

You're a right tool Mark...

[MarkRae]

> No. Why should I shut up?

Because, by your own admission, you've never been there so you can't possibly know what you're talking about.

So shut up...

[MarkRae]

> Mark. Every Zionist should be frog marched into the place.

Indeed. And so should you...