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Looking for an Easter holiday destination? Then I recommend an Easter themed vacation in Kraków. Easter (Wielkanoc) is a very important time of year for Polish people, so it’s a great opportunity to visit and immerse yourself in their culture. There are lots of festivities and celebrations being held, including the famous Kraków Easter Markets.
Kraków has a really fabulous Easter Market with lots of interesting traditional items and delicious Polish food. The markets are located in the the historical main square, Rynek Glowny, with a backdrop of wonderful historic buildings including the 16th-century Renaissance Cloth Hall, now filled with tourist shops, the 13th-century Gothic Town Hall Tower, the famous bronze head sculpture Eros Bendato, the cute little 11th century Romanesque Church of St. Wojciech and the magnificent 14th-century Gothic basilica of the Virgin Mary’s.
I loved the baskets of vibrant hand painted Easter Eggs (pisanki). They sell these as blown eggs (just the shells) in the markets and they are painted in bright colours and feature intricate patterns. They don’t cost very much and make really great souvenirs and gifts for friends and family as they don’t take up much room and are very light. But they are delicate, so make sure you carefully package them for your trip home. Similarly, the pottery on display was also vibrantly patterned. There was a range of pottery items on offer, including jugs, mugs, bowls and platters. They came in a variety of styles including the more traditional blue and white, to more modern styles and colours. I still regret not buying a particularly gorgeous platter that caught my eye.
I found the Easter bread fascinating. It came in a variety of shapes from the traditional knotted bread with coloured dyed eggs placed into the knots, to animal shaped bread sculptures. Popular animals were the rabbit, chicken and also lamb, an emblem of Jesus Christ. These lovely bread items are used as dining table centrepieces.
The decorated gingerbread were irresistible and make great souvenirs and gifts, particularly for children. They came in a variety of shapes including chicks, hens, eggs, sheep and rabbits. Each were intricately iced, almost too good to eat!
For dinner we had a traditional Polish feast at the Easter market. We had a bit of a meat fest with meat on a stick, potatoes seasoned with paprika, sausage as well as black sausage, the Polish version has lots of grains in it. This was one of the best food markets we have been to, and that’s saying something because we’ve been to lots of food markets.
There was a range of delicious traditional food to feast on including my favourite, dumplings (pierogi), which came in a range of flavours either boiled or fried. But my new favourite became the amazing smoked cheese called Oscypek which is made using sheep milk and is exclusively made in the Tatra Mountains using unpasteurized salted sheep milk. It’s first turned into cottage cheese, then repeatedly rinsed and squeezed, then pressed into decorative shapes and cured in hot smoke for up to 14 days. It is quite expensive, but totally worth it! It is fried and the served with cranberry jam or chutney.
As well as the Easter Markets, there were many other Easter traditions we enjoyed seeing during our stay. For example, we visited Wieliczka Salt Mine on Holy Saturday. Before our scheduled mine tour, we took a stroll into the historic Wieliczka town where we saw families gather outside the church with their Easter baskets (święconka). We could see them stuffed with knotted bread, coloured eggs and other foods carefully wrapped in a white linen cloth. I didn’t see the next bit but my Polish friend told me that these are taken into the church where the were blessed by the priest who uses an aspergillum (kropidło – a little brush that’s dipped in holy water) and sprinkles holy water over people’s heads and Easter baskets. The basket is then taken home and eaten for Easter Sunday breakfast, one of the most celebrated and important meal of the Easter period. Apparently this tradition dates all the way back to the 7th century.
What is Open During the Easter Period in Kraków
As I’ve mentioned, most of Poland closes down over the Easter weekend. However most sights and attractions remain open except for the Easter Sunday. For example, the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum are open on all the days except for Easter Sunday. However, Wawel Castle did not open on the Saturday, or Monday while we were there, so we visited on the Friday when we arrived instead. Despite this, there is still lots to see and do in Kraków on Sunday. We took the opportunity to explore the Jewish Quarter and in the afternoon we enjoyed everything the Easter markets had to offer.
People are attending church services on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so be respectful if attempting to visit a church (unless you are wanting to join the service of course) during this period. Stand and admire the church from the back so you don’t disturb them or arrange to visit once the service is over.
Supermarkets were closed early on Saturday, or didn’t open at all, and closed all day Sunday. However, small convenience stores were open in the Old Town area. Most cafe’s, bakeries, bars and restaurants were open for the many visiting tourists within the Old Town walls, tourist hot spots, and Jewish Quarter. However, everywhere else they were closed on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Accommodation Options in Kraków
The most popular (and affordable!) form of accommodation in Kraków is apartments. Which personally I prefer over hotels as they much more comfortable and you can also prepare your own food which can really help maintain your budget.
Search available accommodation in Kraków
Budget
Moderate
- Modern Apartments InsideKrakow – we stayed here
- Hotel 32 Kraków Old Town
- Hotel Imperial
Luxury
Practical Tips for Visiting Kraków
What to pack: Although Kraków gets very cold in the winter, once it starts warming up in spring it can get really warm. However, before departing, check the weather forecast, because it is very changeable at this time of year. Pack layers so you can remove them if it heats up (we were even in a t-shirt one of the days), but pack a warm coat and jumper, as it is cool in the evenings.
Using credit cards: Poland is very tech savvy in this regard. We had no problem paying for everything from food and drinks, entry tickets, and metro tickets with our credit cards using Visa Paywave. Of course, some small stores may not have this, so carry a small amount of cash in the local currency just in case. There are plenty of ATM’s to withdraw cash at. Make sure you check with your bank before leaving home that your card will work in Poland – it needs to be a chip and pin.
Getting around Kraków: The public transport in Kraków is very good, and easy to use. It includes a bus and metro system. If you are going to be using a lot of transport, then you might want to get the 24hr tickets that provide you unlimited travel within zone 1. We used the metro a number of times and were able to purchase tickets from the machine using our credit card. Don’t forget to validate your tickets just before you use them.
How to Get from Kraków airport into the city: There are regular trains that run from the airport to the central train station Kraków Główny. Purchase tickets from the ticket machines or manned counters. Sometimes the train is replaced by the bus, which arrives at the back of the train station. The symbol on the electronic screens make it clear whether it is a train or bus.
Language: Polish. Although most people we came across in restaurants and tourist sites spoke some English, do try your hand at a few Polish words:
- Yes = Tak (tahk)
- No = Nie (nee-eh)
- Please = Prosze (proh-sheh)
- Thank you = Dziekuje (jink-wee-ah)
- Hello = Czesc (cheshked)
Currency: Polish złoty
Tipping: Not required, but people usually round up.
Electricity: The electrical current is 230 volts, 50 Hz. Wall outlets generally take the European two round prong plugs. However, you are better off purchasing a worldwide adaptor that can be used in Poland as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors.
Navigating: We used Google’s free Offline Maps. Google Offline Maps allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Make sure you download a map to use when you find yourself without internet.
Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices.
Your accommodation will likely provide you a free city tourist map. If not, just stop in at the Kraków Tourist Information office (31-018, Świętego Jana 2, 33-332 Kraków).
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