DJ Bitterbarn

There are "public transit" boats going regularly out to Tyniec (Krakowskie Tramwaj Wodny) as well as private charters and I regret never taking them. It's more than an hour to get out there but it's a very nice trip down the river. You don't necessarily want to go to the monastery either, just wander around the river near there, stop for lunch at a popular place for cyclists, and buy some "Klasztorne Piwo" for later.

The boats also go both ways down the river (e.g. out toward Galeria Kazimierz) and once you're out that far you could walk back to town. That's one stretch we used to do all the time and it's very popular indeed. You can stop over by the pedestrian bridge for food at any number of boats (We always ended up at Barka, being the nicer of the boats) but food at most any of them is decent. Or you could just have a relaxing afternoon drink (of any variety) on the boat. You could in theory also walk to Schindler's factory (across the river) from there, but we never did.

If you can, Wieliczka is amazing. But I'm a nerd, too. And you can catch a train to Wieliczka from Krakow Głowny.


Park Wodny is better with teenagers or immature adults. The slides are actually pretty cool, but any children used to the temperatures expected in a waterpark will be... cold. Poland runs their pools cooler than average. And there's only one real slide for kids. But older kids would like it.

OH! And there's an airplane museum over by AWF! How did I forget this one?
http://www.muzeumlotnictwa.pl/

If your travel companion doesn't like airplanes, there's a huge park across the highway from the museum and an old tramway converted into a cafe at Polytechnika Krakowska right there (http://www.pantografcafe.pl/). Walk around. Feed some squirrels! Just don't feed them whatever nuts you find on the ground. They aren't interested in that stuff. We tried. And they're all supposedly named Basia.

True story.

Alternatively, if you're there in the summer, check out the Muzeum Inżynierii Miejskiej w Krakowie. They run refurbished old trams during the weekends and have open houses/a decent collection of Polish transit and vehicles. And sort of a mini science centre that kids would/do love. It's at the edge of Kazimierz, although I've had some bad experiences with the beerhouse restaurant right across the street... YMMV. The Belgian fries kiosk (hopefully he's still there) is great, though.

I'm sure I can think of more, now that I'm remembering stuff....

AlicorporateUK

The Wisła football ground is also worth seeing but then, again, it all depends on the time you've got: even though it has recently gone through renovation works, the original structure goes back to the early 50s.

G

DJ Bitterbarn

And then you can do a lap around Błonia and marvel at why anyone ever thought it would be a good idea to put the Cracowia stadium right there. Or just go walk around the park.

AlicorporateUK

Haha - true!

P.S.: DJ Bitterbarn, should we also suggest Zakrzówek in the Dębniki area for a nice stroll? The OP can Google Image to have a preview - what a hidden gem!

G

arlflyer

I have retracted my previous posts and bowed down to the all-knowing glory of AlicorporateUK. Hopefully OP has a good trip, but that won't matter, because people aren't allowed to have impressions based on trips around here, they're only allowed to make negative and cynical statements. Otherwise they will be cut down to size by the mighty AlicorporateUK in their omniscience and power.

DJ Bitterbarn

Yes! I knew there was something out there I was forgetting. I only ever went once, but with a small child I thought Kryspinów was a bit better w.r.t water... it's nevertheless a very nice area. And then you could theoretically walk up to Park Skały Twardowskiego, which is peaceful and secluded but also right on the Wisła paths. I skated through there more than a few times to have some different way to get out toward Tyniec. It's walkable from the tramway stop on Kapelanka, as well, just might take a few minutes.

AlicorporateUK

I can now only assume you're KRK born&bred! My partner, even being a 'sea-girl' (from Trójmiasto) has always tried to 'sell' me the place - she absolutely loves it and still pops down on a regular basis. Not really my cup of tea (the city itself) but, as you can see, she did a really good job!

G

DJ Bitterbarn

Believe it or not, deepest darkest parts of rural Canada. But we lived there a couple years and did try to get out despite our best efforts. So we spent a lot of weekends wandering the AWF park, Błonia, and I skated the trails on the Wisła extensively. The city has its good and bad parts, I loved many aspects of it and did not love others. But we lived right in Kazimierz, worked in the city, and rather enjoyed it. Although if, as you say, one lives there on a Polish working salary.... yikes.

helosc

Thank you for the additional information about the boats - and for the link.
I will certainly be doing that. I always go for a sail whereever it's possible.

And thank you for the information about the airplane museum and the transport museum - I like museums to do with transport (trains, trams, planes, boats, cars......).

Does any of the parks/green areas suggested have any animals (apart from wild animals) - like a childrens zoo, mini zoo or such?

AlicorporateUK

Congratulations as it looks like you got familiar with several places in that limited time-frame (and you even got the ł & ó right - I'm sure you'll even be able to pronounce the likes of Szczęśliwicki or Brześć without any hesitation).

G

AlicorporateUK

Ogród Zoologiczny - a large park not far from the city centre and with several animal species.

Going back to transport: PKP (the Polish state-owned main train operator), despite the recent introduction of modern high-speed trains, still runs a good number of old carriages & locomotives - trust me, it is quite an experience not only being in one of them but also just simply watching as they approach.

G

DJ Bitterbarn

The zoo is another good option. I mean, it's still a bit of concrete enclosure-y but it's a guaranteed place to find animals. The park around it can be a nice walk as well.

One other thought, as well, if you're into science then you could possibly check out the Ogród Doświadczeń im. Stanisława Lema. Easy tram access (Across from M1 shopping centre) this is an outdoor park with a number of science experiments around the paths. Added bonus is it's on the south-east side of the AWF park, long walking distance from the Air museum. You could, in theory, take the tram up there, visit, walk over to the museum, then take the tram from there either out to Nowa Huta or back into town. The park also has some sort of ticket deal with the transit museum (Muzeum Inżynierii) for discounts or co-visits or something.

Also (I keep remembering stuff) is the Botanical Gardens (Ogród Botaniczny). Cheap entrance and a nice garden to explore, right in the Jagellonian campus.

One more thing! The river near Waweł is quite busy with things to see, such as the big balloon and the pool on a boat. My greatest regret, actually, is to not ever swim there, because it's just so redundant. Throw an inflatable boat there and you're in a boat in a pool in a boat on the river. There's a beach, but it's also artificial.

On the same side of the river, closer to Waweł, is the Japanese Museum of Art & Technology. We only ever stopped there for coffee while on a walk, but it's pretty nice as well. Very underappreciated by tourists (and probably locals).

The other way from the balloon is the old hotel. Don't remember the name, but you can't miss it. It's huge, ugly, concrete, abandoned, and now mostly used for oversized billboards. But there used to be a cafe and second artificial beach (yes, two artificial beaches less than 100 m apart and neither one actually touching the water) in the lower levels. Possibly a go-kart track? Maybe? Or there was once.

Thanks! Although my Polish is.... fairly bad. I once was B1 level but these days it's probably back to A. And I didn't think that we knew so many places, but apparently we did get around!

helosc

Thank you for all your suggestions

I, of course, won't have the time to see everything mentioned in this thread but it's useful to have as much information as possible so other visitors to Krakow can get inspiration in the future.

The Zoo :
http://www.zoo-krakow.pl/index_en.php

How to get there, opening hours, and prices :
http://www.krakow-info.com/zoo.htm

MichalFKowalik

Your Polish might be bad but your KRK suggestions are top-notch - good job DJ Bitterbarn! I really tried to find something to add to your posts and failed miserably. OP should have lot of fun in Malopolska!

mfk

DJ Bitterbarn

Thanks for the vote of confidence, although I'm sure I've missed something. I mean... nearly all of Kazimierz got skipped, some of the monasteries? CK Browar? The food truck? Is that still there? What I know for sure is I'm going to have to make a stop this summer. Maybe try out that new A3 service from ATH?