Cracow

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Contents 1 Introduction 2 Welcome to Kraków 3 COUCHSURFING ACTIVITIES 4 PLACES OF INTEREST 5 TOURIST ATTRACTIONS 6 ATTRACTIONS NEARBY KRAKOW 7 PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT 8 DINNING 9 SHOPPING 10 PUBLIC TRANSPORT 11 GETTING TO KRAKOW FROM 11.1 Berlin 11.2 Bratislava 11.3 Budapest 11.4 Lviv 11.5 Prague 11.6 Vienna 12 LEAVING KRAKOW FOR 12.1 Berlin 12.2 Bratislava 12.3 Budapest 12.4 Lviv 12.5 Prague 12.6 Vienna 12.7 Polish Cities 12.7.1 Lublin 12.7.2 Warsaw 12.7.3 Wroclaw 12.7.4 Zakopane (Tatra Mountains) 13 USEFUL LINKS

Introduction

Wikipedia guide to Krakow

Right, well...I suppose we'll leave it to the tour guides and guidebooks to give you a proper overview of the history and heritage of Kraków. Last time we checked, the average CouchSurfer doesn't travel exclusively for that purpose. We're here for the experience and the people, right?

Good, that's what I thought. So to all of you CouchSurfers out there who are thinking of only coming here for a night or two just to party and see Auschwitz: beware. You may find yourself staying here for a long time. Some come because they have heard that the women are gorgeous (true). Others come for a fantastic nighlife(also true). Still others are here to study or to work...but if you stay, we bet it will be for a pleathora of reasons more than these. Kraków is a place that has more allure and charm in it than an unopened Christmas gift. There's something here for everyone. So open up, enjoy.

Welcome to Kraków

How should this beautiful city be spelt and pronounced? Cracow-Life [1] a local guide site, gives us the choice "Krakow, Cracow - call it what you will -" there are choices, it's one of thos cities like London, Paris, Munich Warsaw that depends on what language you are writing

how to pronounce it ... should it be CraCOW (as in "Moo")

Cracooove ooove as in "groovy"

Krakow is wrong if you are writing Polish because it misses an accent over the o it should be Kraków - the ó gives the "ooo"

For foreigners who want to show that they know it has different spelling it is forgiveable to leave out the accent (how many people know how to find the ó symebol anyway

if you are going to Kraków or "to Krakow" its more complex as Polish grammer kicks in - it becomes "do krakowa" and "to Kraków" shows an ignorance of the language... because it's ungrammatical...

If your German its Krakau, if your French its Cracovie... Italians say Cracovia - I think

However you spell it or say it, you are welcome

This is a very special city that pulls people in from all over the world. Couchsurfing just improves a place that already had a lot to offer. Cosmopolitan, cool, cultured, yet also on a small scale and provincial, with more bars and clubs than you can imagine, but also the heart of Poland's long and sometimes troubled history, culture and religion. Cracow has something to offer everyone.

Some say its like Hotel California.. "you can check in any time you like but you can never leave". I've been here since the 1990s, and seen many cases of people staying for a week, coming back for a month, staying for a couple of years, then leaving "for good" and then guess what - they are back

COUCHSURFING ACTIVITIES

Every Wednesday there is a CouchSurfing meeting in Krakow. There attends 10-30 people every week. Some of them are local ones, some foreigners. You will always feel free to come here and enjoy staying with Krakow community. In time of writing (September 2009) meetings have place in Jazz Faust Club (Szewska 21 street, very close to the main square).

Once a year the big CouchSurfing event has place. It is Krakow International Gathering. It takes place about one weekend before Berlin Beach Camp. In 2009 about 300 travellers participated in all of Gathering attractions (like dancings, picnic, tram-party, etc). You are obligated to be there!

It often happens, that there is a weekend meeting for party or moving outside the city. Everything is always wrote on the [group].

PLACES OF INTEREST

Kraków is overflowing with stuff to do and places to see. We highly recommend you come to one of our CouchSurfing meetings to meet some of us and to get a real Krakowian's (and some imports') opinions of what to do here.

In the meantime, have a look at our map on Google. We've tried to mark all the location of all the good places to eat, drink, hang out, and shop.

Here's the link: google map

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Ask for free maps in an tourist information office. The easiest tourist information office is in solitary tower in the Market Square.

Places to see:

• The Old Town – the most touristy part of Krakow containing the most precious ancient monuments: Barbican, Our Lady Church (Kościół Mariacki), Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Jagiellnian University Collegium Maius, St. Anna Church, Franciscan Church, Dominican Church, St. Peter and Paul Church, St. Andrew Church, Kaninicza Street, Wawel Hill, Pauline Monastery ‘Skałka’, etc.;
• Kazimierz Jewish District – former Jewish town, today entertainment and nightlife place. The most attractive buildings: Synagogue and cemetery Remuh, Szeroka Street, Old Synagogue, Tempel Synagogue, Izaak Synagogue, Kupa Synagogue, New Jewish Cemetery, etc.;
• Podgórze – former Austrian Town, lung of Krakow. Places to see: former Nazi Ghetto, Krakus Mound, lime quarries. To get there go on food or take one of following trams: 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 24.
• Salwator – places to see: Norbertans Convent, , St. Salwador’s Church, Kościuszko Mound;
• Przegorzały – a district west from the center. Places to see: Kamaldoli Monastery, ZOO garden, Piłsudski’s Mound. To get there take bus no. 134 to the ZOO garden or go to Salwator district on food or by trams no. 1, 2 or 6). Then take a bus going farther. Leave the bus in ‘Aleja Wędrowników’ bus stop;
• Zakrzówek Lake – quarry lake near the center. To get there you can go on food or take one of following trams: 18, 19, 22. Get off the trams near Tesco and ask for the road.
• Tyniec – Benedictins Monastery. To get there go to Grunwaldzki roundabout and take a bus no. 112;
• Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Łagiewniki – to get there tak trams no. 8, 19 or 22.
• Nowa Huta Communist District – city build from the ground during communist period. Places to see: neo-renaissance style blocks, Cistercians Monastery, Wanda’s Mound, Jan Matejko’s house, Arka Pana Church. There is lots of bus and trams going there.

ATTRACTIONS NEARBY KRAKOW

• Wieliczka Salt Main
• Ojcowski National Park
• Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration Camp
• Wadowice and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
• Zakopane and Tatra Mountains
• Szczawnica and Dunajec River Gorge
• Paulins Monastery in Częstochowa

PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT

DINNING

SHOPPING

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

There are buses and trams operating as public transport in Krakow. For using public transport you need to buy a ticket. You can buy tickets in kiosks, machines staying near the bus/tram stops or ask drivers (however ticket bought in the car is 50 groszy (15 cents) more expensive than in kiosks or machines. Besides, driver hardly ever has other than single tickets. After getting the bus punch the ticket!!! Even if you boungh the ticket from driver, also validate it!!! There are following types of tickets:

• single – it lets you go once with chosen bus/tram and as long as you need to get to the destination point. Remember, punch the ticket!!! Cost 2,5 PLN (about 60 cents);
• one hour – you can use all buses and trams during one hour. Punch the ticket once while entering first bus/tram. Cost 3,1 PLN (about 80 cents);
• 90 minutes - you can use all buses and trams during 90 minutes. Punch the ticket once while entering first bus/tram. Cost 5 PLN (about 1,2 euro);
• 24 hours - you can use all buses and trams during 24 hours. Punch the ticket once while entering first bus/tram. Cost 10,40 PLN (about 2,5 euro);
• 48 hours - you can use all buses and trams during 48 hours. Punch the ticket once while entering first bus/tram. Cost 18,80 PLN (about 4 euro);
• 72 hours - you can use all buses and trams during 72 hours. Punch the ticket once while entering first bus/tram. Cost 25 PLN (about 6 euro);
• 7 days - you can use all buses and trams during 7 days. Punch the ticket once while entering first bus/tram. Cost 38 PLN (about 8 euro);
• 15 people group ticket – it lets your group (max 15 people) go once with the chosen bus/tram. Remember, punch the ticket!!! Cost 21 PLN (about 5 euro);
• 20 people group ticket – it lets your group (max 20 people) go once with the chosen bus/tram. Remember, punch the ticket!!! Cost 24 PLN (about 6 euro);

There are also reduced tickets but valid only for Polish citizens and foreigners having Polish students card.

There is no fee for luggage.

Above mentioned prices are valid only within the city. Going to neighboring towns buy special ticket (bilet strefowy) which is a bit more expensive that presented above. Agglomeration buses are marked by numbers ‘2??’, for example 201, 202,203… etc. You can take them as well, remembering to get off before leaving the city. Agglomeration bus to Wieliczka has number 304.

Timetable (in Polish): http://www.mpk.krakow.pl/

GETTING TO KRAKOW FROM

Berlin

• Hitchiking
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Bratislava

• Hitchiking
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Budapest

• Hitchiking
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Lviv

• Hitchiking
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Prague

• Hitchiking
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Vienna

• Hitchiking
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

LEAVING KRAKOW FOR

Berlin

• Hitchiking - take a tram going to "Bronowice Małe" (trams no. 4, 8, 12, 13) and get off on the tram stop "Balicka Wiadukt". Ask for Makro shoping center and follow that way. On the roundabout ask for the highway to Katowice. Write "Wrocław" and "Berlin" on the paper and wait.
• By plane - only ‘Airberlin’ bounds Krakow and Berlin. For details check: http://www.airberlin.de

However, there is good connection between Krakow and other German cities. For details check here: http://www.krakowairport.pl/

• By train - there are two direct connections, both expensive:

eurocity: Krakow 7:23 – Berlin 17:19;

fast train: Krakow 19:45 – Berlin 8:06;

Cheaper solution: buy ticket to Kostrzyn, cross the border on food and then go by bus or train to Berlin. For details check: http://rozklad-pkp.pl/

In Polish site, ticket from Krakow to the border in Kostrzyn costs about 70 PLN (17 euro), in German site, ticket from the border to Berlin costs about 10 euro

• By bus - there are 4 – 5 buses daily and cost about 160 PLN (38 euro). For details check: http://euroticket.pl/
• Other ways

Bratislava

• Hitchiking - take a tram going to "Borek Fałęcki" (trams no. 8, 19, 22) and go to the end. Then take a bus going farther or go on food until you cross the highway (HWY no.4). There are two gas stations. Stay there and ask. People usually drive to one of the destinations: Zakopane, Chyżne (border town) or Bielsko-Biała. Preferably take lift to Chyżne (the shortest way). If people go shorter, ask at least for Rabka-Chabówka, where is the crossroad to Chyżne;
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Budapest

• Hitchiking - take a tram going to "Borek Fałęcki" (trams no. 8, 19, 22) and go to the end. Then take a bus going farther or go on food until you cross the highway (HWY no.4). There are two gas stations. Stay there and ask. People usually drive to one of the destinations: Zakopane, Chyżne (border town) or Bielsko-Biała. Preferably take lift to Chyżne (the shortest way). If people go shorter, ask at least for Rabka-Chabówka, where is the crossroad to Chyżne.
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Lviv

• Hitchiking - take a tram going to "Bieżanów Nowy" (trams no. 3, 9, 13) and get off in “Prokocim Szpital” tram stop. Write "Rzeszów", „Przemyśl” and/or "Lwów/Lviv" on the paper and wait;
• By plane - unfortunately there is no direct conection to Lviv, hawever, there is connection to Kiev by http://wizzair.com

Remember – the flight is not from main Krakow airport Balice but Pyrzowice near Katowice!!!

• By train - there are two direct connections, at 13:40 and 22:39. Both trains carry only sleeping couches. Another way is to go to Przemyśl and there change the trains. There are two daily connections from Przemyśl to Lviv, at 19:24 and 2:45;
• By bus -
• Other ways - there is lots of trains going to the east. Take a train to Przemyśl. In Przemyśl take bus or small bus (minibus) to Medyka and cross the border. In Ukrainian site wait for buses to Lviv. Remember – sometimes is difficult to cross the border on food cause the custom officials count the passage as road crossing. In Ukraine part of the border you will be asked to fill in a paper called ‘taloncik’. Ask anybody for help, preferably not officials. In the field ‘address’ write whatever, possibly a hotel name.

Prague

• Hitchiking - take a tram going to "Bronowice Małe" (trams no. 4, 8, 12, 13) and get off on the tram stop "Balicka Wiadukt". Ask for Makro shoping center and follow that way. On the roundabout ask for the highway to Katowice. Write "Wrocław" and "Praha" on the paper and wait.
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Relatively cheap way is to go by bus from Krakow to Cieszyn, then cross teh border on food and catch the train to Prague. First check: http://www.rda.krakow.pl and look for some text on the left site of the page: "Polskie litery: Ą Ć Ę Ł Ń Ó Ś Ź Ż" above there is a text field. Write: Cieszyn and below set the time: data (pl) = date (eng); godzina (pl) = hour (eng) Buses bound Krakow to Cieszyn every 1 - 1,5 hour

In Czech Republic.

The train station is about 10 minutes walking from the border. Just after crossing the border go all the time ahead until you get the railway. About 200 meters to the left there is the station. For the connection look: http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlakyautobusy/spojeni/

In the text field 'Odkud' (departure) write: Cesky Tesin in the field 'Kam' (arrival) write Prague set the time and hour.

Vienna

• Hitchiking - take a tram going to "Borek Fałęcki" (trams no. 8, 19, 22) and go to the end. Then take a bus going farther or go on food until you cross the highway (HWY no.4). There are two gas stations. Stay there and ask. People usually drive to one of the destinations: Zakopane, Chyżne (border town) or Bielsko-Biała. Preferably take lift to Chyżne (the shortest way). If people go shorter, ask at least for Rabka-Chabówka, where is the crossroad to Chyżne.
• By plane
• By train
• By bus
• Other ways

Polish Cities

Lublin

• Hitchiking
• By bus

The cheapest are private buses. Normal ticket is about 40zl and it takes about 5 hours to reach Lublin. Check these ones for timetable: [1] [2]

Warsaw

Wroclaw

Zakopane (Tatra Mountains)

• By bus

There is plenty of coaches going to Zakopane everyday, and you can catch one of them every about one hour. Travel is provided by few companies, but all (probably) of them have the same prices. All of them departure from Rejonowy Dworzec Autobusowy (Regional Bus Station) in Krakow - it is just by the main Railway station, and arrive to city centre of Zakopane. Travel takes about 2 hours. Ticket price (September 2009) is: 17zł normal ticket, and 15zł student ticket.

Here is a link to Bus station website, so you can check departures: [2]

• By train

Travelling by train is not recomended, because it is more expensive than by bus, and also takes longer time.

• By hitchhiking

You need to take tram to Borek Fałęcki and leave on the last stop (with rails loop), then you follow up with the road, and after about 200m there is a plain outside the city, where you can try catching a car.

USEFUL LINKS

Official city page: http://krakow.pl/en/?chl=EN