Back in January, when covid was merely a word I'd seen on a news story that seemed a world away from my life, meg, katie and I embarked on a little holiday in our inter-semester break to Poland. We had originally planned to go to Russia but flights were too pricey, and we found a cheap deal flying from Bristol to Warsaw and back from Krakow.
We all knew we wanted to go to Krakow and Auschwitz, but thought a week might be too long. After a little googling we opted to visit Warsaw too while we were in the area x We knew that they were famous for their Christmas markets but hoped we'd find stuff to do in January, other than be extremely cold at all times
Due to flying Ryanair we opted to travel without check-in bags, and so each had a small rucksack with our possessions for the week. All of the bristol airport staff spoke to us in Polish which threw us off, turned out the flight was almost entirely Polish nationals popping home and they were surprised English people were off to Warsaw. We started to worry that we were going somewhere obscure, but it was all good.
WARSAW
When we arrived in Warsaw we took a taxi from the airport to our air bnb for £16.90, and were all extremely excited at how cheap everything was, a theme which continued throughout the trip.
What to do:
We visited a questionable art gallery because it was either very cheap or free. Most paintings featured someone naked with obscure genitals, but it was worth it to get out of the cold.
The main square was so pretty, and we tragically utilised the cheaper versions of western shops. I had a debate about a coat and pretty sure we dedicated approx a whole afternoon to it in h&m. sorry meg and katie.. The streets were cute and cobbled and there were lots of bars. There were still Christmas lights up despite it being January, and overall it was just very sweet
Uprising museum- We went to the uprising museum to learn about Poland in WW2. It was very interesting and cheap entry, but the layout of the museum made no sense and we learnt about it all backwards. Probably our fault tbf x
Light show- We went to the Royal Garden of Light show and omg it was so nice! It was truly really pretty and a lovely way to spend an evening, though we were so cold after walking around we ended up in a random restaurant just for warmth. Would very much recommend
Walking tours- We did a lot of walking tours while in Poland, but in Warsaw we just did a Jewish quarter one. It was so interesting to learn about and see the ghettos, but as I keep saying, really cold.
Ice skating- We went ice skating in the main square, it was outrageously cheap. The locals were amazing, and there weren't many tourists there other than some Ryanair cabin crew. It was perfectly located near some bars ready for a post ice skating bev
Dumpling class- This was rated as a top attraction air bnb and trip advisor so we did it. The class was run by the lady who owned our air bnb and although pricey this was so much fun! We made pierogi, a Polish dumpling, and we made vegan ones. They were delicious and we ate a concerning amount. The class was in a group with other tourists and was genuinely so fun, and really cool to meet other people
What to eat:
We cooked a bit in our air bnb, as supermarkets are cheap and we had our own kitchen. Poland generally wasn't amazing for vegans. That said, we had some nice food.
Falafel Beirut- There are a lot dotted round with excellent vegan options. I had such a yummy falafel wrap mmmm
Bar Max and Dom Whisky- We went to this really cool bar where the cocktails were amazing and so extra. I had a pina colada and then proceeded to eat all of the fruit like some rabid bird.
I also found a vegan bakery where I got some pastries to take away, and an amazing cake shop where I had vegan cheesecake and coffee mmmm
How to get around:
We used uber a lot as it was so cheap, walked excessively despite the cold and also used Lime once. They're electric scooters you can hire, I was obsessed and went way too fast. If you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much room xx
To get to Krakow we took a Flix Bus. This was traumatic as our uber to the station where it left from got stuck in loads of traffic, and our ETA got later and later. It dropped us off in the wrong place and we ended up sprinting to the bus, Meg having to take her inhaler. Other than that the bus was absolutely fine and a bargain.
Where to stay:
In Warsaw we stayed here. It was a lovely air bnb, a bit hard to find on our first day but in a great location and a bargain.
KRAKOW
What to do:
Walking tours- God we loved a walking tour. You can pay what you want, and these were genuinely really cool. My favourite was the macabre one where we learnt about notorious murders and creepy stories, bc I'm morbid lol x
Wawel Royal Castle- We visited the castle and did an audio tour which was okay but probably too detailed for my short attention span. It was however very pretty and I took excessive photos (shock)
Auschwitz- From Krakow we did a day tour to Auschwitz. It was as sad, interesting and hard to comprehend as I had expected.
St Mary's Bascillia- The most beautiful church, the inside was just amazing to look at and these photos don't capture that
Salt Mine- Lol we had a bad experience doing this. Everyone told us how great it was so we went with high hopes, annoyed that it was more expensive than we wanted to pay. We were the last tour of the day and were literally rushed round with our group. There was an optional bit of the tour at the end which we wanted to do but the tour guide advised us not to, I'm fairly certain it was so that she could go home. Overall it was cool to see and hopefully we were alone in having to practically sprint around. We also visited some tiny little palace thing nearby? Not even sure what it was but we got a nice photo of it lol
We also did park run, which I imagine isn't everyone's idea of fun on holiday but hey we had a great time
What to eat:
Again, some questionable cooking in the air bnb helped us through tbf and had a lot of bread rolls with some vegan sliced ham i found in tiny supermarkets- what a win
I was very excited to find coconut milk in a cafe but angry it was a whole extra £1!! Still fuming 11 months on x
I reeeeeally wanted to try Chimney cake and they sell vegan ones around Krakow, however it was sold out when we arrived :( We did find some adorbs cafes for vegan coffee and cake though so cannot complain
Taco Mexicana- This was yummy, cheap and had vegan options, i love mexican food
We also found a lot of cheap bars (always a winner amirite) for drinks and staying warm. Have I mentioned it was cold x
Where to stay:
We had another great air bnb, which we had been concerned about as it was so cheap. Turned out be great, here's the link
How to get around:
We managed to navigate taking the public bus to the salt mines but didn't have the right change to buy tickets and were so nervous I'd started to plan a life in Polish prison. Not even sure how we resolved this but it worked out okay
Everywhere else, I'm pretty sure we walked or took ubers. The perks of writing this months later x
Writing this has made me miss holidays even more than before, hopefully before long we'll all be back on a Ryanair flight cringing as the other passengers clap as the plane lands
Laura x
