Originally Posted by
kestasx
Your comments are very helpful, I feel much more confident about the whole train thing. I think it will be a great experience. This will be the first night train for us, but we loved train travel in Italy and Spain. Much more civilized than flying. Any comments on places to eat in Krakow?
I love the night trains, even in Poland (which always gets me funny looks from my coworkers), although some of them could do with a bit of modernization. But really it's a great, low-stress way to travel, especially if you have a whole compartment to yourself. Show up in the evening, board, lay back for a while and watch the lights go by, sleep, wake up, have some gourmet* breakfast and freshly something** coffee, arrive. Minimum crowds, only ever had one seat poacher, and it certainly beats a 14-hour daytime trip if you can just sleep it away.
Lots of options in Krakow, if I take people out we often go to Wesele (literally "Wedding") on the Rynek (read: Old town square) or Restauracija Morskie Oko on Plac Szczypanski (read: the square with the fountain, off the old town square that is not the Mały Rynek). Alternatively, Pimento grill in Kazimierz is a great place for steak. For the DO last year they hit Pod Baranem on Sw. Gertrudy (maybe 5 minutes from Wawel) which I heard was nice.
If you're going off the tourist track, there's a place just off plac Nowy in Kazimierz called "Best Pierogi in Krakow". I don't remember, but that sign might even be in English. If not, it's "Najlepsze Pierogi w Krakowie" (or something like that... my Polish grammar is atrocious.) The kitchen is literally two hot-plates. It's wildly unassuming, but we agree the pierogi are pretty good. They may not be the "best" but they're certainly right up there. You've also got most places on Plac Nowy or if you go up to ul. Miodowa there's a few good places like Warsztat or Sąsiedzi for polish food.
In terms of beer, I still have to say Omerta on ul. Kupa (in Kazimierz) is my favourite pub just for their huge selection of local and foreign beers Friday night was "Koniec Swiata" (the end of the world) which funny enough was similar enough to "La Fin du Monde" and then another Polish stout, which was not too bad. If you aren't in Kazimierz, then House of Beer in the Old Town is another great choice.
Enjoy Kraków, though! I'm not going to be around this week, but so far it's been sort of not too wet, not too hot, fall weather. You should have a lot of fun.
*Note: "7 Days" chocolate croissants should not be considered "gourmet". That's just advertising. They're edible and that's where we'll leave it.
**It's instant. There's no way around it. But the attendant will bring it to you. so... there's something.