Originally Posted by Starwood Lurker II (Post 28145466)

Hi jason8612

May I ask one more question?

Would there be any exchange points in Krakow that accepts Singapore currency?

Thank you.

Thyetus Lee

Originally Posted by jason8612 (Post 28146249)

Honestly, I highly doubt it. I never noticed on any exchange places SGD. Probably better if you bring USD or EUR to exchange to PLN. Most places do take credit cards, but taxis, tips for waiters, any private car arrangements, etc would need to be in cash.

Originally Posted by Starwood Lurker II (Post 28145466)

Hi jason8612

May I ask one more question?

Would there be any exchange points in Krakow that accepts Singapore currency?

Thank you.

Thyetus Lee

Originally Posted by Gamerska (Post 28154280)

The currency exchange places in Kraków have dreadful rates - absolutely the worst. I have never seen Singapore currency accepted.

If you do not want to carry large amounts of cash, you should be able to use your bank card at the various Euronet ATMs around the city. Their rates are reasonable.

Originally Posted by Starwood Lurker II (Post 28131637)

...I am thinking of hiring a private tour guide to bring me and my travel mate on a tour in English of the two Auschwitz camps for a day...

Originally Posted by ULDB65 (Post 28165060)

Interesting- I just returned from Krakow a few days ago, and there must be about 100 exchange places (local signs say "Kantor") in and around the old town. Rates can vary quite a bit from place to place, so definitely shop around, but without looking too hard, I found several places with good rates.

When official rates (like the credit card companies use) were $3.98/USD, I was able to get $4.05/USD.

For reference, the airport was the worst at $3.28/USD, and the average local shop was about $3.95/USD. Nobody charges commissions, so the rate is all you need to calculate.

I was not able to find great rates, like some countries with active black market exchanges, where private rates can be 20% or more better than the official rate.

On a side note, I did discover a few great new restaurants, and as food prices (both restaurant and supermarket) and less than half what we pay in the U.S., eating in Krakow is always a cheap treat!

Originally Posted by Gamerska (Post 28174291)

Interesting - I was there last weekend and found the rates at the Kantors much worse than the Kantor's in Warsaw.

Perhaps we viewed different Kantor's .....

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave (Post 24473540)

I am not the best person on the drinking side, but actually when it come to the stags - which are not so present there are used to be the case - it's extremely obvious where they go. Some of the very many students in Kraków are paid by these bars owners to hang around the main intersections and persuade the groups to go to their joint nearby. They won't be so interested in middle class singles/couples. Stags are there Friday and Saturday, and less obvious at other times.

For food there are plenty of options within a few hundred metres of your hotel. And even on the main tourist streets there are some good options. Here are a few in my address book:

1) Marmolade - something for everyone
2) Café Oranżeria (it's got a terrace over the river so it gets packed on hot days, but Poles are total wimps about cooler weather so that's the time to go there)
3) Pod Aniołami - very hearty solid food, one of my favourites
4) Wentzl (I think they are owned by Marmolade)
5) Wierzynek. Well this is the oldest restaurant in Krakow, it's something like 700 years old. The food isn't so fantastic, but it is an institution. George Bush snr and François Mitterand have both eaten there. I remember eating there when the Communists were still running Poland, it was basically an aspect of divide and rule.
6) Domowe Przysmaki. This is at the other end of the social spectrum, student dumplings place. It will only cost a few quid to eat here, it's very basic, but authentic with it.
7) Gospoda Koko - similar to above but more central, still cheap.
All of these are within 5 minutes walk of your hotel/centre.

Bear in mind that Poles can often get good food at home, so in fact many of the better restaurants in Kraków are Italian, Spanish, Sushi and what not!

Almost all of the hotels in Kraków will have a free monthly (?) English magazine called Kraków In Your Pocket. It's quite thick, 150 pages, about half are on restaurants. It doesn't slate any of them, but it does highlight the best aspect of more or less every place to go in the area. I would say that magazine is 90% reliable.