Your Guide to a Day Trip to: Krakow, Poland

It's been a while since I wrote a post for my "Your Guide to a Day Trip to" series. I feel like I need to go back and write one for Rotterdam and Amsterdam too because I never wrote one for either of them last year! Having just been to Krakow in Poland, I thought this was a perfect time to write one for the ever increasingly popular city. 

Krakow is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River, the old capital, has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life. Often named in Europe's most beautiful cities, its Old Town and castle have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Whilst most people go for a few days, if you only have a short 24 hours there, here is what I would recommend you do: 

1. Explore Wawel Castle and the grounds. I ever went in the pouring rain and it was still stunning to see. It reminds me of York with the wall you can walk around, but it's so much more intact and has an entire village inside. 
   
   
2. Walk around the city centre. There are lots of incredible buildings to watch and whilst I was there, there were two separate fundraisers for Ukraine, with concerts and entertainment. 
   
   
3. Visit the Jewish Quarters. It's about 30 minutes from the city centre but defintely worth a trip. There are so much architecture on display and everything had been maintained since the war. It holds so much history. 
   
   
4. Book a Segway Tour. I had originally booked a guided tour but it was sadly cancelled. The only downside is that you can't take pictures whilst moving on the Segways. I also saw little golf cart tours which looked good, but they barely stopped at the different sites. 
5. Stroll along the River. It's pretty flat and has beautiful sites all the way along. There's also a lot of wildlife with swans, geese and ducks, as well as herons and beavers. 
   
   
6. Eat in the city centre. There are so many restaurants to choose from and the fairy lights at night are so warming. I love the heated little pod zones. The Spaghetti was incredible! 
   
   
7. Enjoy the Museum of Illusions. I had considered doing this myself as I had heard great thigs, but I think a lot of the illusions are better with people, and I went to a similar place in Edinburgh less than 2 years ago so I gave it a miss. 
   
   
8. Celebrate in the Be Happy Museum. Another museum better with people, but this one has all the Instagram opportunities! 
9. Marvel at Lustrzany Labirynt. This place had 7 different attractions. I was planning on going, but took a lot longer to get served at a restaurant than anticipated. They have a mirror maze, a laser obstacle course, bowling, shooting and VR. It looks so much fun and it's located right in the centre of the Old Town! 

If you have a few extra days in the city, I would recommend two day trips. The first is to Auschwitz and the Salt Mines, which is a historical, sombre day but one I think everyone should experience at some point in their life. The second, up to the snowy mountains on a trip to Zakopane and the Thermal Baths. Here's how I planned and budgeted for the trip and how I spent my time.