Something To Shoot For

Even when we prompted them for specific reasons, Laura and Tim couldn’t tell us why Kraków was great, just that it was. In terms of picking the four or five stops we were making in Europe we mostly took their word for it, and were glad we did. It only took a couple days in Kraków before we were feeling the same way… I’m not sure why this place is great, but it really is.

Kraków feels right, in the same way that Wellington feels right to me. There’s a comfort to the size of the city, and in our short time there we found cafes and restaurants where we would happily become regulars. There’s beautiful old buildings and friendly people.

I’ve tried to be specific, but I think you won’t quite know until you visit Kraków yourself.

It is difficult for me to suggest Wieliczka Salt Mine as a must-do when visiting Kraków. Although it pops up on many recommendation lists, I feel it’s more impressive in concept than as a visit. Given that we did the Tourist route (there is are also Miners’ and Pilgrims’ routes), the tour itself feels very manufactured in a family-theme-park kind of way. However, the history of the mine and it’s sheer immensity – 178 miles, which the tours merely touch on – is extremely impressive. As much as it is a tourist spot, hundreds of years of life, culture and religion were experienced underground here. The relics aren’t just the caverns and tunnels themselves but chapels and sculptures too. Read more about it on wikipedia or the Wieliczka Salt Mine’s own site.