Poland was a bit of a detour trip for us, not strictly being on our 'London to Sydney' route,
but an easy destination from our base in Prague.
but an easy destination from our base in Prague.
We’d heard glowing reports about a lot of the cities, but hadn’t done loads of research and didn't really know what to expect when we got there. We definitely weren't disappointed with our choices of Wroclaw and Krakow, and would love to go back again and explore further if we get the chance.
10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE A TRIP TO POLAND
1. The squares are some of the most beautiful we have seen in Europe. Wroclaw is a perfectly sized public space, surrounded by beautiful gingerbread terraces. Krakow is much more grand, way bigger and has an amazing view from Saint Elizabeth’s church on the NW corner.
2. There's tonnes of interesting history embedded in the country. Krakow was actually originally part of Germany, which was sliced off and given to Poland after WW2. After the Germans in this area were kicked out, the Poles moved in and started the task of rebuilding the ruins resulting from the war. They did an amazing job of it, there are stunning cathedrals on almost every corner, and when looking at past and present photos of the main square, you can see it's nearly identical to how it was, pre-war!
3. It's cheap- you can feed two people with a 3 course meal for around £8. Budget accommodation is around £8-10 pp per night. Milk bars are a remnant from communist times, where anyone could eat local hearty food for very cheap. They are still around and the locals love them (especially students)
4. The Poles make the most amazing dumplings. They seem to be a staple, and will be on the menu for mains or desert, and come filled with cheese or meat, or with berries and cream for dessert. The pancakes are amazing too. And beer…lots of beer.
3. It's cheap- you can feed two people with a 3 course meal for around £8. Budget accommodation is around £8-10 pp per night. Milk bars are a remnant from communist times, where anyone could eat local hearty food for very cheap. They are still around and the locals love them (especially students)
4. The Poles make the most amazing dumplings. They seem to be a staple, and will be on the menu for mains or desert, and come filled with cheese or meat, or with berries and cream for dessert. The pancakes are amazing too. And beer…lots of beer.
5. Gnomes. Wroclaw is filled with the most adorable bronze sculptures of these little fellows doing all kinds of different things, and they make sightseeing way more fun! Play Gnome Bingo…first to 9 wins (Tip; head to St Elizabeths church, you’ll find at least 9 and game over!)
6. Buses are awesome. Super cheap and easy, they are definitely more convenient than the trains. Polski Bus is the local company, Student Bus also have routes from Czech. You can book tickets and check timetables on their websites.
6. Buses are awesome. Super cheap and easy, they are definitely more convenient than the trains. Polski Bus is the local company, Student Bus also have routes from Czech. You can book tickets and check timetables on their websites.
7. Check out Nowa Huta if you go to Krakow. It was started in 1949 as a separate town near Kraków on terrain taken by the Communist government. It was a gift to the people of Krakow from Stalin and designed as the ‘workers Paradise’ .The town was to become an ideal town for the Communist propaganda and populated mostly by industrial workers. Now it’s basically a little preserved glimpse at the ‘ideals’ of the communist times.
8. The Poles make beautiful ceramics. If I wasn’t carrying my life around in a backpack right now, I would have bought them all!
9. The Wieliczka Salt Mines are an hour from Krakow, and make a pretty amazing day trip. There were thousands of km’s of tunnels carved through the salt out here. You can take a tour through 2km’s of them and check out the worlds largest underground Cathedral . Make sure you head out in the morning, the tour takes 2-3 hours and the last one is at 5pm.
10. Wroclaw is yet to be discovered by the hordes of tourists of Krakow, get there before it happens :)
10. Wroclaw is yet to be discovered by the hordes of tourists of Krakow, get there before it happens :)
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