Czech to Krakow Poland

Travelled:269km

Stay:Krakow Poland- 24hr guarded parking area 10min walk from centre 50zloty (€12)/24hr  ( 50.058399 , 19.954599 )

Visited:Kromeriz Czech Republic

It was a lovely fresh start to the day as we walked 10mins from our parking spot along the river to the historic part of Kromeriz. We went through the gardens to the Archbishops Palace. 

From here we came to the appealing main square lined with arcaded buildings.

 We continued on further stopping to read several information boards in front of various buildings. 

 Then it was back to Bluey to start our journey to Krakow. We decided to buy a 10day vignette for 310czech Koruna (€12) so we could travel on the good quality motorway, saving us about an hour (as per gps calculations). If we hadn’t been paying attention we would not have noticed the ‘border’ into Poland. In Poland you pay the tolls on the motorway which caused a bit if a traffic jam. It was 20zloty/€5 for the A4 section before Krakow.

There was a bit more traffic as we approached the center but found our chosen parking easily. We strolled into the old town that is surrounded by a garden. Everything centers around the huge main square. Here we found some major sights. The Cloth Hall is set in the middle of the square and is filled with souvenir shops. 

St.Mary’s Church has 2 impressive towers. Inside Neo-Gothic paintings cover the walls and was very decorative.

 The City Hall Tower was the only remaining part of the city hall. 

Leaving the square we strolled up the busy Ulica Florianska street lined with shops, cafes, restaurants and atm machines! This took us to Florian Gate where once the rulers would ride through as the came from Warsaw.

 Outside the city walls was the Barbakan building which helped defend the city from invasions. 

We then made our way towards Wawel Castle. Along the way we had a look inside the very colourful Franciscan Church. 

We thought we would sit and share a local beer in the garden until we were warned that it was illegal to drink in public places as some policemen walked towards us...oops. 

So we quickly continued on to Wawel Hill. All throughout the park there were information boards about the history of Krakow. One famous Pol caught our eye..Tadeusz Kosciuszko. 

Until 1596 Krakow was the capital of Poland for 600 years and the rulers resided at Wawel Royal Castle. Even after Warsaw became the capital, rulers were still crowned and buried in the Krakow cathedral. We were lucky to be able to go in to have a quick look before it closed. 

We then strolled around the rest of the complex before walking down to the Kazimierz District which is also known as the Jewish Quarter. During WWII much of it was destroyed. Synagogues are still in use and the cemeteries remain.

 In recent years many galleries, cafes, bars and street food areas have opened creating a lively social atmosphere. We enjoyed a ‘legal’refreshment in a beer garden and then dinner at one of the street food vendors before calling it a day.