Poland is a country I’ve wanted to visit for quite some time, I was supposed to be here in 2020, so it’s nice to finally be seeing it. Krakow was a great starting point; it’s a beautiful city with a lot of history. Some of it isn’t so nice (Auschwitz), but immensely important. If you have a chance and are in the right mindset for it, I highly recommend seeing Auschwitz.

The old town surrounds a big square with The Cloth Hall at the very center, a gorgeous church (St. Mary’s Basilica), historic buildings, and great architecture. From the square, you’ll find streets pointing out in all directions with lots of shops, museums, and restaurants. Around 8 pm in certain parts, you’ll get a lot of offers to go checkout clubs too. I didn’t stop to inquire and didn’t understand what most were saying, but I think these are both the typical nightlife spots for drinks, dancing, and music. I did however hear the words “gentlemen’s club” mentioned from a few solicitors; FYI. Circling around all of this is a path/park that I understand is largely where the old village walls stood. Some small parts and gates are still standing, and there’s a beautifully preserved Barbican on the north end. South of the center is a hill where you’ll find the castle and east of that is Kazimierz, Krakow’s historic Jewish quarter. Kazimierz is a cool place to walk around, a bit of a trendy scene, and has plenty of places to stop for a drink and/or food.

Overall the city isn’t extremely big and is easy to get around. I do hope they simplify the transit system though, particularly the mobile application, it’s basically unusable for foreigners at this point; just my personal opinion of course.