Krakow & The Trails of The Vistula

Today our adventure begins. This afternoon you will meet your local host and settle into your new home. As you will soon discover, we choose comfortable flats/houses in convenient locations (away from the crowds), as we want you to enjoy the time you spend home, and we want you to be able to move easily through the city whilst discovering less known quarters. After freshening up, we will go for some drinks to one of our hidden spots, before heading for an included welcome dinner at one of our favourite local restaurants. There you will get to indulge yourself with some Polish delicacies! Tonight is all about breaking the ice, sharing, having fun and having your first encounter with the local cuisine. Our culinary journey will begin with traditional Polish food (we hope you are hungry and thirsty). Poland is known for its famous pierogi (Polish dumplings), but don't be naive, there is a lot more to be discovered. Your first Polish lesson begins today - Witamy w Krakowie!

It is time to discover your New Home!

Our first full day in Krakow will begin with a nice cup of coffee or tea if you prefer. Remember there will always be coffee and tea at our accommodation for you to begin the day with the right foot! It is up to you to have breakfast at home (as you will have a fully equipped kitchen and supermarkets nearby) or you can go to one of the many cafeterias the city offers. We have a lot of suggestions and the digital map we have provided you with, too.

After breakfast, we will head out and start exploring “Poland’s Royal City". Today we will cover the historical centre, but we will leave the busiest areas for a late-night visit when we can enjoy them at our own pace. We will start with the obvious and see the main landmarks, so you know where they are (and understand how important they are when it comes to the history of the city) and you can then decide what to visit during your free time. What we want to show you today are the fascinating history hiding behind every corner, impressive architecture, our favourite views of the city, the squares, the cobblestoned streets, and the forest and river paths that will eventually lead us to monasteries on top of hills. This will not be your typical walk where you get dates and names that you will forget after a couple of hours. This will be a more intimate walk where you will find out what is not on Google searches. We want you to understand how the history of the city has shaped its culture and reality. We would love you to join us for lunch at our favourite eateries and enjoy some homemade food. The afternoon is free for you to further explore. Krakow is walkable, but you can always use the transport card we have given you and take a tram or a bus. What about tonight? Who knows! We love spontaneity. Remember, travel is an art, not a science!

Dzien Dobry! Are you ready for our first Escapade? Today we will be heading northeast to one of Poland’s oldest and historically most significant cities: Sandomierz. Its first known historical mention dates back to the XII century when it was ranked as one of Poland’s most important cities together with Kraków and Wroclaw. A 2.5-hour bus ride from Krakow will get us there, so we can enjoy its old town, one of Poland’s best-preserved historical centres. Throughout its long history, Sandomierz has seen the rise and fall of kings, battles during the Napoleonic Wars and episodes of WWII. Also, less known chapters of history like the raids by the Tartars during the 13th century make the local history just fascinating. After exploring its towers, buildings, tunnels and the Dominican monastery raided by the Tartars, we will move 9km out of the city to visit a local winery. Once there we will walk through the vineyards with a local expert and visit the cellars, before enjoying a wine tasting and some local cheeses. In the afternoon, we will make our way back to Krakow where you will have a free evening - You know where to find us if you need suggestions!

Today you will have a free morning. Use it to relax, explore Krakow’s old town or maybe go to Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and learn more about what took place during WWII. In the afternoon, we will catch a tram and head to the neighbourhood of Nowa Huta, one of the 2 social realist settlements ever built (15 minutes away). Built as a utopian ideal city during socialist times, Nowa Huta is the perfect place to get a better picture of a recent past. Its grandeur, architecture, big avenues, and the possibility to visit nuclear shelters, will take you back in time to Cold War days. After experiencing Nowa Huta, we will move to a completely different part of the city, Kazimierz. Full of character and contrast, Kazimierz was a place of coexistence for Polish and Jewish for centuries, and it is now a cultural centre. This quarter (once an independent town) is the perfect place to further understand the city and its relationship with the Jewish community throughout history. It is also the right place for independent shops, restaurants, and cafés. Maybe we should take advantage of this and visit some of its quirky bars later during the evening - Na zdrowie!

It’s time to cycle! There is no better place than along the beautiful Vistula River, the longest in the country. We will hop on our bikes and head towards the river, but first, we will go to some local shops and buy some of our favourite cheeses, cured meats, bread and fruit for our picnic later on. Once we have our provisions, and we have reached the river, we will slowly abandon the city, but during that process, we will enjoy amazing views of the bridges and the beautiful architecture that guards the Vistula. After 20 minutes we will be in a rural environment and the noise of the cars will only be a distant memory. On the way, we can stop to rehydrate and breathe in some clean air and enjoy the moment. Another 25 minutes will take us to our destination, the Benedictine Abbey of Tyniec. Founded in 1044 by king Kazimierz the Restorer, this abbey on top of a hill seems almost unreal. Its mixture of styles from Gothic to Baroque makes this building one worth visiting. After visiting the Abbey we will find a nice spot for our picnic and that will be the moment when we all think: “This is what life is about”. After lunch, we will head back to Krakow and drop our bicycles, and you will have time to further explore the city. We suggest visiting one of its amazing monuments or museums; Wawel Castle and Schindler’s Factory are good places to start.

It’s time for our second Escapade! This time we will be visiting the beautiful National Park of Ojcow, located 25 km northwest of Krakow. To get there we will go on a 40-minute bus ride. Deep ravines, unique rock formations and thick woodlands that date back to the Jurassic are what you can expect and what has inspired so many tales and legends. We will not let the opportunity pass and visit the 14th century “Kazimierz Castle”, built as part of King Kazimierz the Great “Eagles Nest” line of defensive fortifications. For lunch, we will taste fresh/local trout, as we sit outside and enjoy the air in Polands smallest National Park, yet ranked amongst the most beautiful in the country. We will then keep walking through nature and visit Ojcow’s largest cave which stretches 320 meters and hides popular legends regarding battles with the old Bohemian kings. We will end our day at “Krakow’s Gate”, a natural monument that puts into perspective how ephemeral life on earth is and why we should always seize the opportunity to keep exploring. Tonight you can enjoy a free evening, always knowing we are always up for some fun and suggestions for you to make the most of your stay!

A new day, a new plan. Today is our last full day together, and we want to make it a colourful and relaxing one. That’s why we will tram our way to the Bagry Lagoon. But first, we will take you to our favourite rooftop breakfast spot in Krakow (one that not many know about). A nice cappuccino and eggs with bacon, an omelette or a croissant with a view of Krakow’s rooftop and towers are difficult to beat and the best possible way to start our last day. Once we are ready to roll, we will take a tram for about 15 minutes and walk another 10 to get to Bagry. This beautiful lagoon with an artificial beach is a favourite amongst locals and a great place to relax and talk about all we have shared this past week.

In the afternoon we will go back to Krakow to get ready for our farewell night. Tonight we are going to one of our favourite restaurants (we have many) for a superb dinner. There is only one goal: to have the best possible time, and thank everyone for sharing this experience with us. Drinks and music will be waiting after our dinner to keep celebrating life and say goodbye to Krakow the way it deserves - Dziekuje Ci!

After a wonderful week of discovering the best of Kraków and its surroundings, it is time to say "see you soon", because we want you to be part of our experiences in Spain, the Czech Republic or Latvia...it all depends on your taste. This morning we leave our home for the last week and get ready for our next adventure. Just let us know if there is anything else we can do for you to get back home safe.