7-Day Poland Itinerary

Are you looking for the best itinerary for 7 days in Poland? You’re in the right place! The top attractions and activities in Poland are all included in this weeklong itinerary.

Although you will have enough time to see all the major features and one week in Poland is the ideal amount of time to get a flavor of the nation, it is obvious that the more you spend in a country the more you learn about it.

Poland has so much to explore! Its past and history is amusing and it is something you can see while going through the cities. Even Though they have been mostly rebuilt after World War II, they are exactly the same as they were.

The nature is incredible, the food is delicious, and the people are friendly and speak English. There is no justification for not connecting with locals! We are hoping you’ll fall in love with this nation in central Europe the way we did!

What is this 7 days itinerary about?

Even Though it is actually 9 days, the first and the last day were for traveling to Poland. Even Though we are from Spain and it is quite near, for our work schedule and the prices that we found at the moment of purchasing the flights, we chose to arrive at night and to leave yearly in the morning. Thus, there are only 7 days for tourism.

This 7 days itinerary covers both Warsaw and Krakow, the two most famous cities in Poland, and the two capitals, the political one, Warsaw, and the cultural one, Krakow. In addition, it covers some other amazing cities that will get you to enjoy deeper Polish culture, these are Gdansk, Poznan, Wroclaw and Zakopane.

Besides seeing the typical tourist things in each city, we also added some famous tours in our trip such as Auschwich and the Wieliczka Salt Mine, among others. In addition, to get to know more about the traditional Polish culture, we went to the mountains of Zakopane where we could enjoy a visit to the typical cheese farmer hause.

We traveled in December so there was a lot of snow everywhere and traveling with a car was never an option. It is true that in summer it can be quite nice to have a car to travel through Poland, however, for our experience, the trains in Poland are both affordable and comfortable so we would recommend you to mix with the locals and use the public transport.

Day to day itinerary

Day 1 Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital of Poland and its largest city. It was destroyed during World War II and, yet, the old city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. By 1945, 85% of the historic buildings were already destroyed, taking more virulence during the Warsaw uprising (08/1/44).

During the declaration of the Republic of Poland (2/01/45) by the Russians a office was created to faithfully rebuild the city thanks to images and art from before destruction.

🏨We were sleeping at Hotel Gromada Warszawa Centrum and we highly recommend it. However, in our post “where to sleep in Warsaw” you can see other options. Depending on where your hotel is, you can modify your route and start at another point.

We decided to follow the Royal Route which starts at the Castle square. Before arriving at the Castle Square, we could see some other curious things in Warsaw that were outside the route.

The Royal Route (Polish: Trakt Królewski) is a famous and prestigious historical walk in Warsaw. Since the 16th century it has been used by the Kings of Poland to move from its official residence, the Royal Castle, in the old neighborhood, to its summer residences in the outskirts (at that time) of the city: the Ujazdów Palace, the Palace on the Island in the Łazienki Park and the Wilanów Palace.

Currently, the entire route is located within the city and passes through different streets and avenues. Although the route was initially used for aristocratic purposes, today it primarily serves as a tourist and commercial focus of Warsaw. In its tour there are numerous constructions representative of the different stages of the city’s history: splendid buildings, elegant palaces and historical monuments worth visiting.

Nicolaus Copernicus monument

The day started leaving the hotel and heading to the Nicolas Copernicus monument which is quite impressive for its complexity. Its location is ideal to start the day and, if its the case, to eat something before starting the route.

The statue itself was unveiled in 1830 and has seen its fair share of adventure. During WWII the Nazis placed a bronze plaque insinuating that the great man was in fact – gasp! – a German. In 1942, a boy scout called Alek Dawidowski ducked the guards and removed the plaque. Boiling with fury, the Nazis removed the statue, hid it in Silesia and dynamited a few other surrounding monuments for good measure. The statue was recovered in the years following the war, while Dawidowski has entered Polish folklore as a result of his bravery.

Holy Cross Church

We decided to eat something at the Costa Coffee near the Nicolaus Copernicus monument before going on with the day. After having breakfast, we entered the Holy Cross Church which is just in from the Costa Coffee and 1 minute from the Nucleus Copernicus monument.

The Holy Cross Church (in Polish: Kościół św, Krzyżha o Koźciół świętokrzyski) is a Catholic church in the centre of Warsaw. Situated on the street Krakowskie Przedmieście, in front of the main campus of the University of Warsaw, it is one of the most important Baroque churches of the Polish capital. It is currently administered by the German missionaries of St. Vicenç de Paül.

The actual church was constructed between 1679 and 1696 in the location of a previous church constructed in 1526, a time outside the limits of the city, also built in place of a wooden chapel and dedicated to the Holy Cross. The church was seriously deteriorated during the Warsaw insurrection of 1944 and a continuation of the German rebellion. It was reconstructed between 1945 and 1953 but in an architecture simplified. The interior was also reconstructed but sensed the frescoes and the baroque policromia. The main altar was rebuilt between 1960 and 1972.

Presidential Palace

Following the route we will encounter the University of Warsaw which we just passed through. We headed directly to the presidential palace which cannot be visited inside but it is quite interesting to look through the barriers when you know the history of its function during history.

Together with the Belweder Palace, the Presidential Palace (Polish: Pałac Prezydencki) is the official house of the Polish head of state and president in Warsaw, Poland. It was initially erected in 1643 as an aristocratic palace, and during the course of its history, renowned architects renovated and altered it multiple times. In 1818, the present-day neoclassical palace was finished.

The palace served as a location for significant historical occurrences in Polish, European, and global history throughout its existence. Authors and supporters of the Constitution of May 3, 1791, the first modern European constitution, were housed in the building in 1791. The palace started its long existence as a governmental building in 1818 when it was designated as the Viceroy’s (namiestnik) of Congress Poland.

St. Anne’s Church

At this point we were already at the center of Warsaw. It’s important to not only go from monument to monument but also to enjoy the views and the streets of this beautiful city.

If you want to enjoy a panoramic view of Warsaw, you can actually go up to the St. Anne’s Church’s tower. We didn’t since it was snowing and the sky was quite cloudy and it would have been a waste of time. However, if your day is sunny, we highly recommend it.

St. Anne’s Church (Polish: Kościół św. Anny) is a church in the historic center of Warsaw, Poland, adjacent to the Castle Square, at Krakowskie Przedmieście 68. It is one of Poland’s most notable churches with a Neoclassical facade. The church ranks among Warsaw‘s oldest buildings. Over time, it has seen many reconstructions, resulting in its present-day appearance, unchanged since 1788. Currently it is the main church parish of the academic community in Warsaw.

Castel Square and Sigismund’s Column

After enjoying the views in the St. Anne’s Church we turned around to enjoy our surroundings. The center of Warsaw is quite small so everything is at the same place. We were at Castle Square which was incredibly wide and beautiful with a lot of colors.

Since it was already Christmas in Poland, there was a market that started at this Square, if you are traveling during this time of the year, we highly recommend to go through it since there are tons of typical foods and clothes that you can bring home as a souvenir.

Castle Square (Polish: plac Zamkowy) is a historic square in front of the Royal Castle – the former official residence of Polish monarchs – located in Warsaw, Poland. It is a popular meeting place for tourists and locals. The Square, of somewhat triangular shape, features the landmark Sigismund’s Column to the south-west, and is surrounded by historic townhouses. It marks the beginning of the bustling Royal Route extending to the south.

Sigismund’s Column, or Kolumna Zygmunta in Polish, was built in 1644 and is one of Warsaw, Poland’s most well-known landmarks as well as the first secular monument in the shape of a column in modern times. King Sigismund III Vasa, who relocated Poland’s capital from Kraków to Warsaw in 1596, is honored by the column and monument.

A sculpture of the King, standing 2.75 m tall in archaic armor, is mounted on the 8.5 m tall Corinthian column that was once made of red marble. Sigismund’s Column is currently 22 meters tall and has four eagles on it. The king is armored, holding a sword in one hand and a crucifix in the other.

Rynek Starego Miasta

We decided to lead the way to the Rynek Starego Miastra, also known as the Market Square. In our case there was a market inside so we could not enjoy the square as it usually is. However, it was one of the most beautiful parts of Warsaw without doubt.

Warsaw’s Old Town Market Place (Polish: Rynek Starego Miasta) is the center and oldest part of the Old Town of Warsaw. Immediately after the Warsaw Uprising, it was systematically blown up by the German Army. After World War II, the Old Town Market Place was restored to its prewar appearance.

The current buildings were reconstructed between 1948 and 1953, to look as they did in the 17th century when it was mostly inhabited by rich merchant families. The Warsaw Mermaid, a bronze sculpture by Konstanty Hegel, has stood as the symbol of Warsaw since 1855.

Marie Curie’s House

It was very cold and since we had already had a lot of time before lunch, we decided to go to see Marie Curie’s House from the outside and to drink hot chocolate after.

The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Museum is a museum in Warsaw, Poland, that is dedicated to the life and work of Polish double Nobel laureate Maria Skodowska-Curie (1867–1934), who discovered the chemical elements polonium and radium.

A cultural center of the city of Warsaw, the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Museum is jointly run by the Polish Chemical Society. Maria Skodowska-Curie and her family-related educational and cultural initiatives are carried out by the organization.

The Museum is located in the 18th-century tenement home where Maria Skodowska was born, at 16 Freta Street (ulica Freta 16), in Warsaw’s “New Town” neighborhood, which dates back to the 15th century.

From the outside you can see some of the tools that she used to use during her research and if you have the opportunity and are a science lover’s we highly recommend to go inside.

📌The door next to the museum is a cute coffee shop full of Polish people. We drank hot chocolate for only 2€ each! It was delicious and the place felt like magic, it’s like a little cave where we were able to warm up. It is the Sklep z Kawa Pozegnanie which is one of the places where we stopped to drink something during our trip as you can read in the post “where to eat in Warsaw”.

Warsaw Barbican

Once we were a little bit more comfortable and ready to continue with the day, we went outside and walk a little bit until having in front the Barbican.

The Warsaw Barbican, or barbakan warszawski in Polish, is one of the few surviving examples of the intricate system of ancient defenses that originally ringed Warsaw. It is a semicircular defensive bastion. It is a significant tourist destination and is situated in between the Old and New Towns.

The barbican was erected in 1540 in place of an older gate to protect Nowomiejska Street. It was created by John Baptist the Venetian, an Italian Renaissance architect who lived and worked in the Mazowsze area of 16th-century Poland and was influential in redesigning the city fortifications that had been constructed in the previous century but were now in poor condition. The barbican was an armored fusilier-manned three-level semicircular fortification. It stretched 30 meters from the exterior city walls and was 14 meters wide and 15 meters high from the bottom of the moat.

📌We stopped to have something for lunch at the Powdle 25, as you can read in “where to eat in Warsaw”, it was delicious.

Warsaw Uprising Monument

After lunch, we went to the Uprising Monument. It reminded us a lot of the one that we saw in Ukraine the year before. At this point, there was a free tour going on and even though we were not on it we could listen to some explanations from the guide and it was very interesting. We highly recommend taking one if you have time, lucky these tourist places have a lot of guides in a lot of different languages.

The Warsaw Uprising Monument (Polish: Pomnik Powstania Warszawskiego) is a monument dedicated to the fighters who lost their lives during the Warsaw uprising of 1944. Sculpted by Wincenty Kućma and designed by Jacek Budyn, it is located south of Krasiński Square, in the Śródmieście district of Warsaw.

The monumental ensemble has been described as “the most important monument of post-war Warsaw”, in addition to being one of the most visited tourist places in the city according to a report in 2012 by the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza.

The monument is divided into two sections. The first is located near the street, and is composed of four figures. In addition, one of the soldiers is coming out of a drainage plant, as during World War II most of the members of the Krajowa Army and the Polish resistance moved through the city’s drilling system.

The second section is the largest and groups a greater number of figures. It reaches a maximum height of ten meters, although the people represented measure less than half. It shows seven soldiers participating in combat, fleeing from a building about to collapse. Despite having a certain abstract touch, some experts have declared to perceive some similarity with film war scenes or even with Jan Matejko’s historical paintings, while others criticize the socialist realism of communism that ruled in the People’s Republic of Poland.

Maly Powstaniec

Just on the other side of the street, we saw another monument, one a big deal shorter. It was the Maly Powstaniec, also known as the little rebel. If the first one touched our heart, this one was something devastating.

Mały Powstaniec is a statue in commemoration of all the child soldiers who fought and died during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944..

The statue shows a small child wearing a helmet and holding a machine gun. According to popular belief, the statue represents “Antek”, a boy murdered on August 8, 1944 at the age of thirteen. Both the helmet and the weapon are German, since most of the Polish resistance equipment was captured by the Nazis.

Palace of culture and science

After walking a little bit around the city and when it was dark, we went down to our hotel again but through another path to cross through the Palace of culture and science. Once we got there it was already dark, however, the palace was illuminated and it was very beautiful. The next day, since the train station is next to the palace of culture and science, we could enjoy the view at sunlight.

If you want to see a panoramic view of the city, you can go up to the 30th floor where there is an observatory.

The Palace of Culture and Science (Polish: Pałac Kultury i Nauki, abbreviated as PKiN) is a building located in Warsaw, is one of the highest buildings of the city and the 7th of the European Union with 237 meters of height.

Originally known as the Iosif Stalin Palace of Culture and Science, it was later destroyed by Stalin. It is used as an exhibition center and office complex.

📌When we travel, we always like to go to some fast food companies to compare what they sell in other countries. This night we were very tired and near our hotel we had a KFC so we decided to try it. As you can read in our post about “where to eat in Warsaw” we were very surprised with what we found there.

Other places to see in Warsaw

We chose to enjoy the walks and the food and we didn’t saw everything we had planned so here are the two things we didn’t get to know but that are also worth of visiting if you have time:

The Warsaw Ghetto
The Ghetto memorial
The Polin museum
The Krasinski Palace

🚂We slept in Warsaw and very early in the morning (7:24 am) we were taking the train to Gdansk that left us there by 10:01am. We were lucky because our hotel was just a 7 minutes walk from Warsawa Centre, the train station, and we found our train very quickly, which we cannot say we did all the times we took a train during the trip. You can read more about how to travel Poland in train in our post “Poland in train”.

Day 2 Gdansk

It is known that there has been a human settlement in the area since 2000 years ago even though the recognized date of the foundation is 997. Even so, it is during the XX century when the events that give it historical importance occur.

From 1772 until 1920 it was part of Prorussia and its name was Danzig, in fact, 85% of the population was German. After the Treaty of Versailles at the end of WW I, It became part of the Society of Nations. At this point it was called the free city of Danzig.

Shortly thereafter the Poles adopted it until 1939 when it was reincorporated to Germany. After the defeat of the Nazis, it finally became Polish until today. Actually, it was the resistance of the people of Gdansk to the Nazi invasion that developed the bombing that is considered the departure shot of WWII.

🏨We were staying at the Qubus Hotel Gdansk and it was our favorite hotel in Poland. You can check our post “where to sleep in Poland” .

For the location of our hotel, we decided again to follow the Gdańsk Royal Road, also called the Royal Route (Trakt Królewski), which was the longest urban axis in the European Middle Ages. It was the site of parades, important festivals and triumphal entries of Polish kings into the city.

Green gate

Just after having breakfast in our hotel, which was amazing by the way, we heeded to the green gate, the entrance to the old city.

The Green Gate (Polish: Brama Zielona, German: former Koggentor, now Grünes Tor) in Gdańsk, is one of the city’s most notable tourist attractions. It is situated between Long Market (Długi Targ) and the River Motława.

It was built 1568-71 as the former residence of Poland’s monarchs, It is a masterpiece by Regnier (or Reiner van Amsterdam), an Amsterdam architect and reflects Flemish architectural influence in Gdańsk. Hans Kramer from Dresden was responsible for the construction plans.

On 11–20 February 1646 the future Queen of Poland, Marie Louise Gonzaga, was entertained here. In the late 18th century the Nature Society was housed here, but soon moved to the Naturalists’ House (Research Society House).

Today the Green Gate houses the National Museum in Gdańsk. Exhibitions, meetings, conferences and shows are held here. The Gdańsk office of former Polish President Lech Wałęsa is located in one of the rooms.

Long Market Square

Emerging from the arches of the green gate, we find ourselves in the restored medieval Long Market Square. Without knowing it, we were in one of the places that we liked the most on this trip to Poland.

As early as 1552, Polish monarchs would formally enter the city through the Green Gate. The visiting royalty would be entertained at the wealthy tenements lining the square. There were feasts and fireworks galore.

The square was often a venue for more than feasting. Executions of witches, heretics and criminals took place here as well. After World War II the street was restored to its former glory. The Dutch and Flemish Mannerist tenements once more line the square.

The noble tenants are gone, but the historical square lives on, replete with shops, restaurants, and cafes. It is a memorable, exciting stroll.

St. Mary church

Walking through the long market square we found the St. Mary church which is almost as beautiful inside as it is on the outside. The great thing about it is that for only 5€ each we could go upstairs to the top of the bell tower from where we had a panoramic view of Gdansk.

This was one of our favorite things to do in Gdansk since the views are quite amusing from out there. Not only that but the journey to get upstairs is almost as interesting as the views. The first row is a one-way narrow spiral staircase that leads to a very big and wide area above the church from where you can see the stone arcades from above. Following the stairs we got to a place where the stairs were very steep. These are the last ones and leave you in a little terrace from where the old town can be seen.

St. Mary’s Church (Polish: Bazylika Mariacka) with an area between 185,000 m3 and 190,000 m3, is currently one of the two or three largest brick churches in the world.

Between 1536 and 1572 St. Mary’s Church was used for Catholic and Lutheran services simultaneously. From the 16th century until 1945 it was the second largest Lutheran church in the world.

It is 105.5 meters (346 ft) long, and the nave is 66 meters (217 ft) wide. Inside the church is room for 25,000 people. It is an aisled hall church with a transept. It is a co-cathedral in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gdańsk, along with the Oliwa Cathedral.

Great Armory

After walking around for a bit, we decided to go to the Great Armory which cannot be visited on the inside but it is quite interesting to see from the outside.

The Great Armoury was built in 1600-09 on the medieval line of the city walls. A working arsenal until the 1800s, the armory remains the finest example of Renaissance architecture in the city.

It was designed by Flemish architect Anthonis Van Obbergen and is the most impressive of his works in Gdańsk. The well-like structure in front was used as an elevator to transport gunpowder and cannon balls from their storage place in the basement to ground level.

The armory was badly damaged in WWII and had to be completely rebuilt. It’s only in recent years that it has regained its former glory, following a spell during which it even played host to a supermarket! It’s now open as an art gallery, hosted by the Gdańsk Academy Of Fine Arts, with a classy wine bar on the ground floor, which gives you a chance to take a look inside when there are no exhibitions taking place.

Golden Gate

We wanted to finish the Royal Route before lunch so we decided to finally go to the famous Golden Gate. THis is not actually Gold or even yellow, it is gray. However, it’s still very nice and it gains points when you know its history.

The Golden Gate (Polish: Złota Brama) is a historic Renaissance city gate in Gdańsk, Poland. It is located within the Royal Route, the most prominent part of the historic city center and is one of its most notable tourist attractions.

It was created in 1612–14 in place of a 13th-century gothic gate, the Brama Długouliczna (Long Street Gate). It is located at one end of Ulica Długa (Long Lane), where, together with Brama Wyżynna (Highland Gate) and Wieża Więzienna (Prison Tower), it forms a part of the old city fortifications.

Both sides of the gate have attics, with figures symbolizing the qualities of the ideal citizen. They were designed in 1648 by Jeremias Falck (“Polonus”), and reconstructed in 1878 due to the originals being damaged by weathering over time.

From the West side they represent (in Latin): Pax (Peace), Libertas (Freedom), Fortuna (Wealth) and Fama (Fame). From the East (Long Lane) side they are Concordia (Agreement), Iustitia (Justice), Pietas (Piety) and Prudentia (Prudency). The Latin inscription on the gates reads: Concordia res publicæ parvæ crescunt – discordia magnæ concidunt (“In agreement small republics grow, because of disagreement great republics fall”).

The gate was largely destroyed by Soviet shelling in World War II, but was rebuilt in 1957. Although most artifacts of Germanness were eradicated after the city became part of the Polish People’s Republic in 1945,an original German inscription on the gate was restored in the 1990s: Es müsse wohl gehen denen, die dich lieben. Es müsse Friede sein inwendig in deinen Mauern und Glück in deinen Palästen (“They shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.” – Psalm 122).

High Gate

Just outside of the Golden Gate, we encountered the High Gate which today is nothing else than an alone standing fortification.

This renaissance city gate was a main entry point to the city and marked the beginning of Gdansk’s Royal Route. High Gate (Polish: Brama Wyżynna) built in 1588 by Willem van den Blocke and up until 1895 it was part of a larger fortified structure guarding the city. Today, however, Brama Wyzynna is a stand-alone historic landmark. Throughout the years the building underwent relatively little changes and for the first 290 years the gate remained in its original form. Brama Wyżynna is now part of the Historic Museum of Gdansk and houses the Tourist Information Center.

📌We stopped to have something for lunch at MANDÚ, also known as Pierogarnia Centrum, it was our favorite restaurant in all our trip. As you can learn in the post “Where to eat in Gdansk”, they serve pierogies, a very typical food in Poland, that are made at the moment.

Most CHlebowy "Most Miłości”

After having something to eat, we continued our day trip before it was too late. In the end, it was winter and the sunlight hours were not as much as we planned. We went up to the Most Chlebowy, also known as Bread Bridge, which we chose between all the ones there are in the canal of Radunia for its cute romanticism.

Once the Bread Bridge in Gdansk was just a kind of building that allows you to cross over water. Nowadays it also has a slightly different function, because of which inhabitants of the Tri-City call it Bridge of Love. Bread Bridge has taken on a new character because of the padlock that lovers hang on to express their feelings.

The history of the bridge dates back to the fourteenth century. Since its inception, it has been rebuilt (e.g. for the purpose of carrying the tram line there) and has been refurbished several times. Today is the decoration of Gdansk.

Old city hall

After crossing the bridge, we found ourselves at the Old City Hall. Currently, the restored town hall building houses the Historical Museum of the City of Gdańsk.

Inside you can admire a lot of antique paintings and furniture that survived the war, and during the summer tourist season you can enter the observation gallery in the tower.

Gdańsk Main Town Hall is a historic Ratusz located in the Gdańsk Main City borough of Śródmieście. It is one of the finest examples of the Gothic-Renaissance historic buildings in the city, built at the intersection of Ulica Długa and Długi Targ, in the most popular part of Gdańsk. The Main Town Hall in Gdańsk houses the History Museum of the City of Gdańsk.

Fairground ferris wheel

We were kind of tired at this point so we decided to go back to the cultural center of the city and to walk near the channel Nowa Motlawa. While the sun was coming down we could see a Fairground ferris wheel at the other side of the channel. We decided that it was a fun activity to do, for 7€ each we ride for 15 minutes seeing Gdansk at night with all the night life going on.

Motlawa River Embankment

When we were coming back to the center to eat something before going to sleep something caught our attention. It was a wood-made fortification near the Motlawa river. It is the old harbor crane. Today it is a city symbol and houses the harbor crane.

📌We stopped at the christmas market that was located at the Long Market Square and we tried some of the typical festive polish food such as fried cheese and chicken. We end our meal with a waffle.

Other things to see in Gdansk

There are plenty more things to see in Gdansk but we chose to see the most important things and, since we spent some time on the christmas market we couldn’t see all of them. This is why we leave here a list of other things to see in Gdansk in case you want to stay a little bit longer in this beautiful city.

Wielki Młyn
Ruins of Westerplatte (the first battle of the WWII)

🚂We slept in Gdansk and since we had our breakfast included on the hotel, we took the train a little bit latter than the day before, this time at 9:10 am. This train left us in Poznan by 11:58. We had some issues getting to Gdansk Glowny, but we have already explained this story in our post “Poland in train” and how we found a solution to get to the train on time.

Day 3 Poznan

Poznan, located on the sides of the Varta River, is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland with more than 1000 years of history. It stands out for its colorful facade and medieval-style buildings. It has about 530,464 inhabitants and is the capital of Great Poland. It is located between Berlin (270km) and Warsaw (300km). It is very important culturally as it is the residence of the Polish monarch. In 2009 it was declared a historic site. As a curiosity, there are 22 universities and it is a dynamic business center attracting 500,000 visitors to its fairs being 50% of the fair market in Poland.

🏨We were staying at an apartment called Apartamenty Klasztorna 25 and it was very nice located. You can check our post “where to sleep in Poland” .

The cultural visits in Poznan are quite centric so you can see all of them in half a day. However, there are some cool things to do a little bit further that you can visit to make your stay in poznan more complete.

Old market square

The main square (in Polish Stary Rynek) was the center of Poznan in ancient times. The market square and place of celebrations was traced during the time of the founding of the city, it is one of the largest in Poland. The most beautiful houses were built here.

We were kind of unlucky since the square was under some reconstruction and there were materials from the construction everywhere and we could not take any cute photos. But we must say that even under construction it was the most beautiful square we saw, the houses were all very colorful and the feeling on the square was very cozy.

Most of the houses (also on the streets that come out of the square) were rebuilt in the 1950s in their historical form, mainly in baroque and classicist style. Some were preserved remains of the Gothic and Renaissance period. Among the best-preserved facades is, on the east side of the square, the Baroque building, called the Red Pharmacy, today the House of Brittany. Today in the main square is also the only Museum of Music Instruments in Poland. In June, the picturesque market of San Juan takes place in the main square.

Town Hall and its two goats

The main attraction in Poznań that you have to see even if you are in the city for a day is the Town Hall and its two goats.

The original building was built in the 13th century. What we see today is the result of a complete reconstruction made by the Italian architect Giovanni Batista Di Quadro in the 1550s. The story is quite long since it has been under construction almost forever.

In 1536 the city suffered a great fire, which caused serious damage to the municipality. Repair work was carried out in 1540-1542, on the tower, but it remained unsafe. In 1550, the town commissioned Giovanni Battista di Quadro to carry out an important reconstruction. The work lasted until 1560. Di Quadro added an upper floor, expanded the building to the west and added walls and a three-storey lodge. A new watch was made (installed in 1551) with three full faces and a half face, and with goats added as a “comic element”.

In 1675, the tower, the clock and the goats were destroyed by lightning. The tower was rebuilt in 1690 at a height of 90 meters. (300 feet). The top of the tower was destroyed by a hurricane in 1725. In 1781-1784 a major renovation was carried out in the building thanks to the efforts of the “Committee of Good Order” of the city, and it obtained the basic shape it presents today.

Every half day, the clock opens and two mechanical goats come out at the rhythm of the Polish bugle. They knock their heads 12 times until the doors close. It’s as fast as it is visual, and tourists love it.

You may be wondering what the heck are these two goats doing at the top of the tower. So the legend behind the fact says that a cook, while preparing a banquet for the voivod and other dignitaries, burned a roasted deer and tried to replace it by stealing two goats from a nearby lawn. The goats escaped and went up running through the town hall tower, where they drew the attention of the people of the village when they began to collide with each other (according to some versions, this drew attention to a fire that could otherwise have caused significant damage). For the entertainment provided, the voivoda indulged both the cook and the goats, and ordered that two mechanical goats be incorporated into the new clock that was being made for the building.

On the inside, it is the Museum of the City of Poznań. It is a very opulent structure, especially the stuff with Renaissance decorations.

📌We had arrived in Poznan at 11:58 so by the time we were at the town hall we were quite hungry so we stopped for lunch. We ate at Wiejskie Jadło, a very typical plate with a little bit of everything from the Polish cuisine, stunning. You can see a review of this and other restaurants on our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them”.

Basilica of Saint Stanislaus

WIth our bellies full we headed to the next point in our itinerary in Poznan, the Basilica of Saint Stanislaus. We visited it both from the outside and from the inside. It is quite difficult to get inside, not for its price because it’s free but because the entrance is not the front door (it is just for when there is a reception) but a little door on the right side of the church.

When inside we felt big and beautiful emotions, the smell and the fact that we were alone helped us to find peace there.

Is one of the most monumental Baroque churches in Poland. In its interior we can appreciate, among other works, the famous organ of the renowned organ builder, Federico Ladegast. This instrument has more than 2,600 tubes. Under the soil of the temple, in all its length, extends a crypt, with a special microclimate, where in the 19th century wine was deposited.

Imperial castle

We decided to cross the river and walk a little bit to visit the Imperial Castle of Poznan. It was a nice walk since the views are quite good and after eating so much we actually needed it.

Built between 1905 and 1913, by the German architect Franz Schwechten under the mandate of Emperor William II, the Imperial Castle of Poznan is a real palace, whose history is quite extensive and interesting. In that sense, during the German occupation, Hitler planned the reconstruction of the castle to condition it as an official residence. When Poland regained its sovereignty, it renamed this site as Imperial Castle.

The castle was badly damaged at the end of World War II. Fortunately, Poland took action to recover it and restore it to its splendor. This castle was built with concrete, bricks and sandstone from Silesia.

If you want to visit it, remember that it is open to the public throughout the year from 11:00 to 19:00. And, if you want a guided tour, you have to book it in advance, as they only take place one Sunday a month.

Crosses Commemorating The 1956 Protests

We walked a little bit more to see the Crosses Commemorating The 1956 Protests.This monument is for remembering all the victims of these protests.

The first of numerous demonstrations against the communist rule of the Polish People’s Republic, the Poznan protests of 1956, also known as Pozna June (Polish: Poznaski Czerwiec), were held in Pozna, Poland. In Poznan’s Cegielski Factory, worker protests calling for better working conditions began on June 28, 1956, and were violently suppressed.

At the local Ministry of Public Security building in the city center, a crowd of about 100,000 people assembled. Under the direction of the Polish-Soviet general Stanislav Poplavsky, approximately 400 tanks and 10,000 soldiers from the Polish People’s Army and the Internal Security Corps were ordered to put an end to the demonstration. During the pacification, the soldiers opened fire on the protesting civilians.

An estimated 57 to more than 100 persons have died, including Romek Strzakowski, a 13-year-old kid. Several hundreds of individuals were hurt. In the path to the Polish October and the establishment of a less Soviet-controlled government, the Pozna demonstrations were a significant turning point.

Fontanna Wolności

When coming back to the center we stopped at Liberty Square to see the Fontanna Wolnosci. In it we found a christmas market once again and we stayed there for a bit.

The authors of the project for the fontana are architect Agnieszka Stochaj and sculptor Rafał Nowak. Opened in June 2012, the fountain consists of two 10-meter wings – sails, on which the flowing water allows cooling inside the fountain.

The whole is located in a shallow, reinforced concrete timbering, through which a footbridge has been placed. The height of the fountain is about 9 meters, the size of the casing is 21 meters. In the timbering there are LED lamps that emit colorful light at night. The entire structure weighs 700 tons.

📌 At this point we were very tired and it was very cold outside so we decided to go to the hotel to take a shower and rest a little bit before going to eat something. Since we were not as hungry as the other days, we ate a lot during lunch, we went to Pyra Bar. It was a good experience that we would have not experienced if we had gone to a restaurant again. You can read about why we recommend you to visit this polish bar on our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them”.

Other things to see in Poznan

We left some things to visit if we ever come back. Maybe this is an euphemism to say that there were some things that we could not visit. Here are some of them:

Lake malta
Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Ostrów Tumski island

🚂We slept in Poznan and we went to take the first train to wroclaw (8:46 am). We say “ we went to” because we lost it and we have to take another one for which we didn’t have tickets. It is a funny story from which we learned a lot. If you want to know what happened and how to avoid itT check our post “Poland in train”.

Day 4 Wroclaw

This city became Polish after the Second World War. Before it belonged to Prussia. It is the fourth largest city in Poland and the second largest financial center after Warsaw.

It also receives the name of Polish Venice since it has 12 islands and 112 bridges to unite them. It is full of gnome figurines (more than three hundred) that represent different professions and historical moments.

📌We did not sleep in Wroclaw, we only stayed during the day as kind of “stop” between Poznan and Krakow, our final destination.

Przejście

As we said, we did not stay in Wroclaw during the night so we did not have a hotel. This is why we appreciated it so much to be traveling with our travel bags. You can see the ones we use in our post “best travel bags”.

After coming out of Wroclaw Glowny and going to the center, we stopped to see the monument of the anonymous passers-by. There are 14 life-size bronze figures on both sides of Swidnicka street. It seems that they cross the street below since they are melting with the wax. It opened in 2005 and represents the times of martial law when the Poles who fought against communism went underground for clandestine purposes. Many were arrested and others disappeared. On the other side, the resurgence of these in 1983 with the repeal of the law is represented.

Rynek

Going up to the center we arrived at the Rynek, the city center where everything happens. It is, as all the others, a very colorful and full of joy square. Here we took a free tour to learn a little bit more about its culture from a local, we highly recommend it.

During our stay, there was a Christmas market so it was full of shops and people, making it even more beautiful.

Wroclaw’s Main Square, with almost 3.8 hectares, is one of the largest and oldest market squares in Poland (the largest markets are in Krakow and Olecko). The late-Gothic town hall with its 66-meter tower is the most impressive building of its kind in the country. Its vaults still house the Piwnica Świdnicka, one of the oldest restaurants in Europe.

In the 19th century, the new town hall was built, which currently houses the meeting room of the Municipal Council and the office of the Mayor of Wroclaw. The Main Square is surrounded by old houses financed by the Wroclaw patricians. An original building, whose style differs from the rest of the buildings on the Plaza, is the 1930s modernist skyscraper designed by Heinrich Rump.

After World War II, the square underwent several metamorphoses. In 1956, the monument to the comedy writer Count Aleksander Fredro appeared, which was previously in Lviv. In the 70s the tram routes were closed and vehicle traffic was limited (the gas station also disappeared). The reconstructed pillory returned to its place after being destroyed during the war.

In the year 2000, a fountain called “Zdrój” was located in Plac Gołębi, in the western part of the Main Square, in honor of the then mayor of the city, Bogdan Zdrojewski. Also popular are Hansel and Gretel, two homes of the caretakers of the altar in the nearby church of Santa Isabel, in the northwest corner of the Plaza.

Christmas markets, New Year’s Eve parties, religious, academic and military ceremonies are held in Wroclaw Square. In 2012, on the occasion of the Euro Football Cup, the Plaza was a huge fan zone where up to 30 thousand spectators gathered.

Old Town Hall

At the Rynek Square there are many things to see, the most spectacular is the Old Town Hall.

The Old Town Hall of Wroclaw (Polish: Stary Ratusz we Wrocławiu) is located in the center of the Market Square (rynek) in Wroclaw, the largest city in western Poland. Is a unique Gothic building in European architecture. It has 2 storeys, 3 parts with a rectangular building of the councils, which is attached to the northern wall and a square tower. Located in the city centre, it was being built for about 250 years (13 – 16th century). It used to serve as the seat of the city authorities and the court.

The long history of the Old Town Hall reflects the evolution of the city since its initial construction. Today, the town hall is used for civic and cultural events, such as concerts held in its Great Hall. In addition to a concert hall, it houses a museum and restaurant in the basement.

St Mary Magdalene Cathedral

The St Mary Magdalene Cathedral is one of the oldest temples in the city and can also be seen in the Rynek. It was built between the years 1226 and 1232. The former Evangelical Church today belongs to the Polish National Catholic Church.

The current form of the brick Gothic Cathedral, with three naves, dates from the years 1355-1360. In this period the basilica was the main temple of the city. Before the year 1488, the construction of the two western towers, which were originally linked by an arcade, were completed, forming a walkway called „The Bridge of the Penitents” or „The Bridge of the Witches” (today it is a belvedere). On the night of March 22-23, 1887, because of the fireworks for the 90th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Wilhelm I, the north tower burned down.

The side chapels were gradually built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Between the years 1525 and 1945, the temple belonged to the Evangelical Church, currently it is a chair of the Polish National Catholic Church.

In the Middle Ages it was an important temple. This is demonstrated by the fact that in 1365, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV gave the temple the relics of his patron saint, a thorn from the crown of Christ, as well as a splinter from the cross of Christ. For this occasion Przeclaw, the Bishop of Wroclaw, granted a general indulgence.

During World War II, the temple was 70% destroyed. After the capitulation of the Germans, in the south tower the stored ammunition exploded. Consequently, the facade of the church along with the main portal were destroyed. The reconstruction of the temple began as early as October 1946.

Piwnica Swidnicka

At the basement of the Old Town Hall we found the Piwnica Swidnicka, the oldest cellar of Europe. Even Though we aimed to get in there to drink some beer, our tour guide from the free tours we talked about earlier on this post, got it out of our heads. In the end, it is cool to visit it but the beer that is served today is nothing more than a tourist trap.

Piwnica Świdnicka or Świdnicka Cellar in English, is a Polish restaurant company based in the medieval cellars of the Old Town Hall in Wrocław, Poland It is the third oldest Polish company in existence as well as the oldest restaurant in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe, having been established in 1273 during Piast-ruled Kingdom of Poland.

The name comes from the nearby city of Świdnica, from which beer was delivered to the restaurant in the Middle Ages. Świdnica was a renowned brewing center, and its beer was served in restaurants called “Świdnicka Cellars”, which existed in large cities such as Kraków , Toruń, and Wrocław, the last of which still operates to this day.

📌We stopped to eat something since our free tour started at 3pm. We chose to eat in one of the historical places in Wroclaw, the Konspira restaurant which not only serves delicious Polish food, but it is also full of history. You can read more about this place and other places to eat in Wroclaw in our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them”.

Slony Square

Having started our free tour at Rynek, we headed to this colorful square where salt was commercialized.

It owes its name to the salt trade, which took place here as early as the 19th century. The dark history of the market is connected with the person of Jan Capistran, a preacher, inquisitor, today the Holy Catholic Church, who visited Wroclaw in 1453. His fiery sermons led to the burning of several dozen Wroclaw Jews in Solny Square.

Solny Square was built in 1242. There are many amazing stories connected with this place, such as that of the 16th century pharmacist Jacobus Krause, owner of the famous Pod Murzynem pharmacy. He had a real Egyptian mummy in a pharmacy. A rumor soon spread that the apothecary was adding mummy powder to the medicines to enhance the effects of the medicines. It is not known what it really was, the fact is that the mummy survived in the pharmacy until 1945.

A World War II remnant is a forgotten post-German bunker, located below Salt Square. It has an area of almost 900 square meters, reinforced concrete walls 2.5 meters thick and has a capacity for 300 people. Construction was completed in 1943. The shelter was used during Allied bombing.

Worklaw University

Next the tour guide guided us to the University of Wroclaw and WOW! What a privilege to study here, the building is so important that it must feel so good to be a student that you nearly forget that you are struggling to pass your subjects!

The prestigious university of the city has a museum in its main building. Leopold, the Holy Roman Emperor, established this university in 1702, replacing a Jesuit college. Aula Leopoldina, a lavishly designed Baroque hall with a ceiling fresco, gilded stucco, sculpted cherubs, and portraits of the university’s founding fathers, is a must-see.

The Oratorium Marianum, which serves as the university’s music hall, and the Mathematical Tower, the former Astronomic Observatory with a 42-meter tower and a meridian line on its floor, are both exceptionally wealthy structures.

Hala Targowa

Hala Targowa was our next stop and even though from the outside it may seem like a normal European market, from the inside you can feel like you are walking in Polish culture. Old women doing the grocery shoppings, kids eating something while their mothers buy something to cook tonight, there is a little bit of everything and it was one of the best things during our free tour. In addition, since it is a close space, you warm up a little if you are visiting during winter which is also nice.

Hala Targowa Market on Piaskowa Street was built in the years 1905-1908 in place of the 16th century Arsenał Piaskowy. It has two floors with 190 shops and is both a place for shopping and a tourist attraction.

During World War II, the building was basically undamaged. At first, it served as a stable for the Red Army, but soon it began to be used as intended. In the early 1980s, Hala, managed by PSS Społem, underwent complex renovations. In 2016 its façade was renovated.

Sand Bridge

In order to cross to the Ostrow Tumski, we chose to cross the Sand Bridge which is not the only bridge that can lead you to the island but it is the one with more historical importance.

SandBridge is an Oder bridge in Wroclaw, which connects the old town with the sand island. Built in 1861, the bridge is the oldest surviving bridge in the city. After the Second World War, the historical name was literally translated.

Ostrów Tumski

Once we have crossed the bridge we find ourselves in Ostrów Tumski which, despite its name is not an island, it is popularly known as the “Little Vatican”, due to the set of religious buildings that make it up.

So the first temple we come across is the Kościół Św. Piotra i Pawła (Church of St. Peter and St. Paul) from the 15th century. Inside, the vaults supported by a single pillar stand out. Nearby is the former Orphanage built between 1702 and 1705 in the Baroque style by Johann Blasius Peitner.

A little to the north of the previous one we find the Kościół Św. Marcina (Church of Saint Martin) from the 13th century in the Gothic style. It was the chapel of the missing Piast castle, whose authorship is attributed to Wiland. Next to it we can see the granite monument dedicated to Pope John XXIII (Pomnik Papieża św. Jana XXIII), whose sculpture measures 5.2 meters. This is the only monument to this Pope in Poland, as well as being the only one of its kind built by the authorities of the former Polish People’s Republic.

The next church we find on our way is Kościół Św. Krzyża i Św Bartłomieja (Church of Holy Cross and Saint Bartholomew). It is one of the most distinguished Gothic-style monuments in Poland. It was built in 1288 and finished in 1350, by order of Duke Henry IV the Honest. Inside, its 22-meter height makes it clear that we are actually facing two superimposed churches: the lower one with a plan with three naves and a slightly higher transept and the polygonal apse, in which was the tomb of Henry IV the Honest, currently at the National Museum.

We return to the outside where the Pomnik św stands out. Nepomuka (column of San Juan Nepomuceno) from the year 1732, the work of Johann A. Siegwitz, although the statue is by Johan G. Urbanski. It was placed on Plac Kościelny in May 1732, just opposite the Pałac Arcybiskupa (Archbishop’s Palace) from 1794. The monument is 9.5 meters high, at the base of which four scenes from the life of Saint John Nepomuk are depicted, while that, in the lower part, in the corners, we can see figures of seated angels, on which are the sculptures of angelic Atlanteans holding a body on which is the figure of the saint on a cloud from which some angels protrude.

Katedra sw. Jana Chrzciciela

Beside all these churches that we could visit in the “polish vatican”, the most important one is at the end of the island even though it can be seen from everywhere. At this point of the tour it was already dark but that didn’t make it worst for us, the cathedral was beautifully illuminated giving it a very exuberant look.

We finally arrived at Katedra św. Jana Chrzciciela (Cathedral of John the Baptist), the most important monument in the city. Its origin must be placed in the year 1000 in a Romanesque church that was semi-destroyed by the Tartars in 1241 and rebuilt in the Gothic style between 1244 and 1419, which lasted over time until in 1945 it was used as an arsenal by the Germans and in the end it exploded destroying 70% of the building. Its reconstruction took 5 years, starting in 1946. Its high towers, the copy of a Romanesque relief on the left flank (the original is preserved in the Archdiocesan Museum) and the Gothic doorway from the 15th century stand out.

Inside, the following stand out: the Baroque chapel of Santa Isabel from the 17th century, located to the right of the choir; the choir stalls from 1700 and which come from the church of San Norberto; the altarpiece “Sueño de la Virgen” located in the center of the nave, on a silver altar; the baroque chapel of the Electors from the 18th century; the remains of the Renaissance tomb of Bishop Jan Turzon, who died in 1520, in the chapel of Saint John the Baptist, near the exit from the temple; the 15th and 16th century frescoes on the left wall, among others.

📌After the tour it was time to eat and, since a little bit later we had to catch our train to Krakow, we decided to eat something near the train station. We could find anything with the little time we had so we ended up in a McDonals trying the items that only Polish McDonals have. You can read about it and other places “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them” in our post.

🚂At 7:57pm our train was leaving to Krakow where we arrived at 11:32pm. As you can learn in our post “Poland by train” Polish trains are very comfortable so we could rest a little bit before going to our hotel in Krakow.

Day 5 Krakow

Considered the most beautiful city in Poland, it is the most visited despite not being the capital. Its old town was declared a UNESCO heritage site for being “Universal History”. It is located in the mountainous area surrounded by the Vistula river. The Nazis wanted to make it purely German, which is why they sent most Jews and Poles from the area to camps.

🏨We were staying in the Z14 Boutique Residence, a very cute apartment 5 minuts walk from the city center. If you want to know where to sleep in Krakow do not hesitate to read our post “where to sleep in Poland”.

Planty

We woke up very refreshed after sleeping all night and we decided to start our day walking through Planty, the biggest park in Poland which surrounds the old town. Even Though it was winter, the trees were so green that it was a very nice walk.

The rapid growth of the city at the beginning of the 20th century led to the dismantling of Krakow’s old defensive wall and this space was later occupied by the pleasant Planty Park. Fortunately, the conservation of a small part of the old fortifications was promoted; the Florián Gate and the Barbican.

Saint Mary Basilica

Once we got to the center of the city, the first thing we saw was the Basilica of Santa María. It is incredible how integrated it is in the city while maintaining its grandeur.

The Basilica of Saint Mary or Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Polish: Kościół Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny (Kościół Mariacki)) in Kraków, Poland, is a prominent Gothic-style church located on the Market Square, in the old national capital. The church was declared a basilica on March 9, 1970.

Barbacane and St. Florian’s Gate

We were headed to the Barbacane but we stopped halfway to appreciate the St. Florian’s Gate, a very majestic entrance to the city.

The St. Florian’s Gate (in Polish Brama Floriańska) is one of the most famous Gothic towers in Poland and a nerve center of the historic center of Krakow, in Poland. It was built around the 14th century in red granite, typical of Krakow’s architecture, as part of the city’s fortifications that were intended to protect the city from attacks by the Ottoman Empire.

After we finally arrived at the Barbican.

The Kraków Barbican (Polish: barbakan krakowski) is a late medieval barbican (defensive structure connected to the walls) located in Kraków, Poland. It is a historic gate that leads to the historic center of Kraków, one of the few remains of the complex network of fortifications and defensive structures that once surrounded the city. It is currently a tourist attraction where various exhibitions are held.

Market Square

Crossing through the Barbicane, we ended up in the Market Square also known as Rynek Glowny. It is quite big compared to the other cities we had been previously in Poland, however, it was not as colorful as the other ones such as the one in Poznan.

Krakow Market Square (Polish: Rynek Główny w Krakowie) is the most important square in Krakow and Poland. It is located in the old town of Krakow, in the center of the city. Its origin dates back to the 13th century, and it is around 40,000 m² (430,000 sq ft). Being the largest medieval square in Europe.

The “Rynek Główny” is a wide square surrounded by old and historical houses (kamienice), palaces and churches. The center of the square is dominated by the Cloth Hall (inside, among other things, there is a museum of 19th-century Polish art), rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance style, topped by a beautiful Polish parapet or attic, decorated with carved masks. On one side of the Cloth Hall is the town hall tower (Wieża Ratuszowa), on the other side is the 10th-century Church of St. Adalbert (St. Wojciech) and, next to it since 1898, the monument to Adam Mickiewicz. Above the square, the Gothic towers of the Basilica of Santa Maria (Kościół Mariacki) stand out.

📌At this point we were quite hungry so we stopped to have breakfast at the COSTA COFFEE located in the Rynek Glowny as you can read in our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them”.

Collegium Maius

Near the Rynek Glowny, we found the College Maius, a magical place full of history which we were very excited to visit. It was the University where Nicolaus Copernicus and the Pope were educated. We were lucky since every Thursday the entrance is free so we could not only visit the exterior but also the inside that is now a museum.

The Collegium Maius (Latin for “Great College”) located in the Old Town of Kraków, Poland, is the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University, dating back to the 14th century. It is located on the corner of ulica Jagiellońska (Jagiellon street) and ulica Świętej Anny (St. Anne street). Collegium Maius is the location of the Jagiellonian University Museum (Polish: Muzeum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego), a registered museum established at the initiative of Prof. Karol Estreicher after meticulous restorations lasting from 1949 to 1964, returning the building to its original appearance of before 1840.

The then 36-year-old Poland’s first university, known at the time as Akademia krakowska (English: the Kraków Academy), moved into the building sometime in the 14th century after King Władysław II Jagiełło bought it as a educational scholarship with funds bequeathed by his late wife, Queen Jadwiga.

The Collegium Maius was rebuilt in the late 15th century as a late Gothic structure surrounding a large arcade-lined courtyard. In 1517 a well was built in the center of the courtyard. Professors lived and worked upstairs, while lectures were given downstairs.

In the 1490s, the Collegium Maius counted among its students Nicolaus Copernicus, the Renaissance astronomer and scholar who would revolutionize European ideas about the universe.

📌We had a free tour that started at 3:30pm so we had to eat lunch earlier than other days, you know that we usually eat quite late. We stopped at Bar Mleczny, the most famous milky bar in Poland as you can read in our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them”.

Jewish quarter

We reserved a free tour for the Jewish quarter since we had heard that it was essential to do it while in krakow. THe truth is that we highly recommended it because a lot of things, if you are walking by yourself, can go unnoticed and the tour guide will explain everything very accurately.

We meet the tour guide at Katyń Cross Square, in the heart of Krakow, from where we approached the Kazimierz area, the focus of Jewish culture for centuries.

Since the Middle Ages, Poland has become home to the largest Jewish community in the world. Kazimierz was one of the areas of Krakow that suffered the most during World War II. The atrocities experienced by the Jews in the area were portrayed in the film “Schindler’s List” by Steven Spielberg. We visited some of the places that served as a set during the filming of the film.

During the tour, we also saw excellent examples of Jewish architecture, such as the seven synagogues of the Kazimierz district and the old Jewish cemetery. Crossing the Vistula River through the Bridge of Love (Bernatek), we reached Podgorze, the former Jewish ghetto where today the Ghetto Heroes Square stands, in honor of the Jewish victims of Krakow during the Holocaust.

Wawel Castel

After the tour we took the city train which only cost us 3,16zl (0,21€) each to go to the Wawel Castle. It is near the city center but since the tour finished a little bit far and it was already getting dark we didn’t want to lose more time walking.

We chose to visit the Royal Chambers and we highly recommend it, they are very well conserved and it is a fun thing to do while warming yourselves up.

Wawel Royal Castle (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvavɛl]; Zamek Królewski na Wawelu) and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the site of greatest historical and cultural significance in Poland. A fortified residence on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established by order of King Casimir III the Great and expanded over the centuries into a series of structures around an Italianate courtyard. It represents almost all European architectural styles from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The castle is part of a fortified architectural complex built on a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River, at an altitude of 228 meters above sea level. The complex consists of many buildings of great historical and national importance, including the Wawel Cathedral, where Polish monarchs were crowned and buried. Some of the oldest stone buildings in Wawel date back to AD 970, as well as the earliest examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture in Poland. The current castle was built in the 14th century and expanded over the next few hundred years. In 1978 Wawel was declared the first World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Center of Krakow.

📌After walking a little bit more through the little street around the Rynek Glowny we decided to come back to the Bar Mleczny to eat some soup before going to bed. Soup is one of the most typical Polish dishes as you can read in our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them”.

Day 6 Auswitch and Wieliczka Salt Mine

The second day of our stay in Krakow we took a tour that covered both Auswich and the Salt mines of Krakow. It was the best choice since taking them separately can be quite chaotic. The tour started very early at 7am so we had to get to the bus point at 6:30am. Luckily for us it was just a 10 minutes walk from our apartment. The day before we had bought some cookies and juice to eat on the bus for breakfast. THis tour was 780zl for the two of us (160€).

Auschwitz

It was emotionally hard to go through Auswtch and his history but we enjoyed being able to keep alive the memory of the people who died there. It is a very good way to learn history and to see with your own eyes what the textbooks in school tried to teach us.

Auschicht is a complex formed by several concentration and extermination camps of Nazi Germany in unoccupied Polish territories during WWII. It is located in Oswiecim, 43 km west of Krakow and was the largest extermination center of Nazism sending nearly 1,300,000 people of which 1,100,000 died. The majority (90%) were Jews, although there were also Poles, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, communists, …

At the entrance is written “Arbeit macht frei” which means “work sets you free” with what the SS forces received the deportees from May 20, 1940 when it opened, to January 27, 1945 when it was liberated by the Soviet Red Army.

Under the supervision of Heinrich Himmler, it was led by SS officer Oberstumbarrfuhrer Rudolf Höss until the summer of 1943 when he was replaced by Arthur Liebehenschel and Ricardh Baer. Hös was captured by the Allies and was one of those who testified at the Nuremberg trials. He was sentenced to be hanged in 1947 in front of the Auschwitz crematorium. Liebehenschel was tried by a Polish tribunal and executed in 1948. Baer was able to escape and lived in Hamburg until he was recognized and arrested. He committed suicide under pressure in 1963 before his trial could begin.

UNESCO declared Auschich a world heritage site in 1979 as one of the places with the most symbolism of the Holocaust.

📌After visiting Auschwitz, we stopped again in Krakow to eat something, we asked our tour guide for some good polish place to eat before the next tour to the Salt Mine and he recommended us the “U Babci Maliny” restaurant which was stunning as you can read in our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them”.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

We didn’t know what to expect exactly about this Mine, we had read that it was a very good tour but at the end we thought that it was just a salt mountain. Actually, nothing more far from reality, this tour was one of the best decisions we took on this trip to Poland. It is amazing to go through this mine and to learn everything about it. Inside it is full of sculptures, even a church made of salt is in there. We highly recommend going there with a guide.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine, in the Polish city of Wieliczka, which belongs to the Krakow metropolitan area. They have been exploited without interruption since the 13th century, and still today continue to produce table salt. They reach a depth of 327 meters and their length exceeds three hundred kilometers. They are nicknamed “Poland’s underground salt cathedral”.

It is one of the oldest active salt mines in the world. The oldest is in Bochnia, also in Poland, twenty kilometers from Wieliczka. These mines include a 3.5 kilometer tour that contains statues of mythical and historical figures, carved out of the salt rock by the miners. Even the crystals in the chandeliers are made of salt. There are also chambers and chapels carved out of the salt, an underground lake, and exhibits illustrating the history of salt mining. It receives about 800,000 visitors a year.

Over the centuries, famous people have visited the mines, including Nicolaus Copernicus, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Alexander von Humboldt, Dimitri Mendeleyev, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Robert Baden-Powell, Karol Wojtyła, Bill Clinton, as well as many crowned heads.

📌At the end of the tour we were so tired that we just wanted to eat something and go to sleep, the day after was going to be very exciting and we wanted to be rested. We went again to the “U Babci Maliny ” where we had soup and one of our favorite deserts on the polish couisinet as you can read in our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them“.

Day 7 Zakopane and the Atlas

Last day in Krakow and also last day in Poland, we were quite sad but we had prepared a good day trip to say goodbye to this beautiful country. It was a very exhausting trip so to finish we took this one day trip to Zakopane which finished with a Spa with mountain views. THis tour was 168€ for the two of us but it was totally worth it.

Our guide came to pick us up at the door of our hotel in a very comfortable minibus, on the tour we were only 10 people so it was very nice.

Chocholow

From our hotel the transportation time from Krakow to Zakopane was approximately 2 hours and, about 20 minutes from Zakopane is the village of Chochołów.

Chochołów is famous for its wooden houses that look almost identical. The settlers traditionally wash the wooden walls of the buildings with soap and water, which happens twice a year before Christmas and Easter. Thanks to this cleaning, old buildings look like new. The village is inscribed on the World Heritage List.

We visited the shepherd’s hut (cheese factory) where the highlanders produce traditional smoked sheep cheese from the region of Poland. We had the opportunity to taste some of the local cheese called Oscypek and learn about the history of its production.

Here, we bought some cheese to bring home, you can ask them to vacuum pack them in order for them to last longer.

Zakopane and Gubalowka Mountain

After eating some cheese, we heeded south to Zakopane, the capital of the Polish mountains. Every year this place attracts many tourists who want to experience the unique flair of Górlaskie culture, which is expressed through architecture, food, music, speech style and clothing. In the center of the city we could enjoy Krupówki Street, full of joy and markets where we bought some of our souvenirs.

We got some tickets for the cable car to GUbalowka from the tour guide and then we were left to explore the views and the ride. Since it was snowing, at the beginning we could see any mountain, however, after one hour taking some photos and enjoying the place, the sky came clear and we could see the beautiful landscape of the Tatra Mountains from the top of Gubałówka Mountain.

After enjoying ourselves out there, we decided to go back to the main street so we took the cable car. This street is Zakopane’s market square, where you can find souvenir shops and many restaurants serving local food.

📌After walking a little bit around the street we decide to stop for lunch at Gazdowo Kuznia where we could enjoy some of the typical food of this area as you can read in our post “Top 10 Polish Dishes and Where to Eat them”.

Thermal pools

After exploring Zakopane and its surroundings, our driver took us to the thermal pools of Chocholow. Once there, we relaxed a lot and felt the properties of the thermal water. It was a beautiful and magical stay since it was snowing and the outdoor pool was stunning with the snow. We also enjoyed some of the water slides.

After the visit, our driver took us to our hotel in Krakow.

📌Near our apartment we had a supermarket where we bought some typical polish supermarket food to cook at the apartment and we eat on our bed while talking about this beautiful trip.

For more information about a trip to poland, please visit other trusted sites like the Polish tourism organization.