5 Things I Learned When Traveling to Krakow

By Valerie Quintana

As my first time traveling to Poland and Eastern Europe, I didn’t know what to expect. From medieval castles to somber holocaust history, the trip brought a range of good memories, powerful insights and downright unlucky lessons.

1- They have amazing (but very heavy and rich) food.

This is probably a no-brainer for many, but for me, I had really no idea what Polish food was like until I arrived. The obvious go-to is pierogis, filled with a cheese and potato mixture sautéed in melted butter. I also sampled kotlety schabowe, which is a thin piece of breaded fried pork similar to a schnitzel. This was served with a side of truffle mashed potatoes, blood pudding, and fried sauerkraut. On our final night, we tried beef goulash on top of large thin crispy potato pancake. Overall everything we ordered in Krakow was very filling, but delicious nonetheless.

2- Auschwitz and Birkenau is a must see.

From the start before even agreeing to come to Krakow, I had been decided in my mind that I did not want to go to Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. I learned all about the holocaust in school, however, I felt that this would be too much for me to handle emotionally. After much convincing, I finally decided to visit, and I am glad I didn’t miss it. It is an intensely depressing yet eye-opening experience from start to finish. This is a piece of history that is vital to remember the atrocities that occurred, let’s not be the generation that forgets.

3- Salt Mines are much more than just a bunch of salt.

When I asked my friend what else we could do in Krakow besides the concentration camps, he mentioned Wieliczka Salt Mine. Another fear of mine, being trapped hundreds of kilometers underground and feeling completely claustrophobic (warning: if you are at all claustrophobic the tiny lift that gets you back to the top out of the cave is insanely small and completely dark. They corral as many people into the tiny shaft as possible to the point where you can’t move. Thankfully this only lasted for 30 seconds, any longer would have been intolerable.) Though regardless of this, I faced my fear and got to witness immensely elaborate sculptures in the mines, delicate chandeliers, looming chapels carved entirely out of rock salt, and underground lakes saltier than the dead sea.

4- Everything is really affordable.

In theory, this was going to be a cost-effective holiday. We got accommodation for four nights at a massive flat complete with bedroom, bathroom, living room and full kitchen for equivalent to roughly £80. Food was ridiculously cheap as well, and the British pound to Polish zloty had a very favorable exchange rate for us. Although all the money we saved didn’t quite matter after the travel mishap on our last day, which we will cover next.

5- Please, just make sure you are on the right train.

On the day of our flight home, we accidentally got on a non-stop 2-hour train to Warsaw instead of the train to the airport. We were let off at a random station 45 minutes into the trip after the train attendant told us they were not making any stops (they had to get rid of the homeless man stowaway, so off we went as well.) This station was for Kozlow, aka Silent Hill nightmare with no train station beside an abandoned building near the tracks and no shops or places to ask for help. We managed to call the emergency number and get information on the next train back to Krakow. Though after sitting in the snow for over two hours, missing our flight, purchasing a new flight that had to divert to Germany first, that one getting canceled and having to stay in Krakow another night could have all been avoided.

So, if you go to Krakow you will love the medieval buildings, the comfort food, and nearby historical sights. But whatever you do, don’t go to Kozlow. Just, take my word for it.