Cracow

Must-Visit Attractions Top 1: Wieliczka Salt Mine This is the largest underground salt mining area in the world! How deep is it? It’s deep enough to accommodate an Eiffel Tower. There are countless salt sculpture chambers inside, and all the sculptures are made of salt! The only regret is: it is not like the underground mines in Germany and Austria, where you can take a train straight to the center of the earth. But it can actually hold weddings, meetings, and crystal salt sculpture chandeliers. The venue is amazing. Top 2: Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp Anyone who knows a little about World War II must know this place. Those who have read Schindler’s List also know that this is one of the last concentration camps where Oscar Schindler spent all his money to rescue thousands of Jews. Poland manages the camp very well and very cleanly. Top 3: Czartoryski Museum This is the museum I personally recommend more. If you like historical relics and fine art, here is one of the only two figure paintings by Leonardo da Vinci - Lady with an Ermine. You can stand in front of the painting all day and no one will chase you away. The exterior of Wawel Castle is worth taking photos, but the inside is... more plain. If you stay in Kraków for more than 4 days, you can still go in and take a look. Its exhibition area is really not as beautiful as St. Mary’s Basilica. 🍴 Restaurants Recommendation Top 1: Karakter From starter to main course to dessert, I like everything! The slow cooked beef ribs have a super good red wine flavor, and the mashed potatoes have a little QQ texture (rare). The appetizer is the salty donut recommended by my Polish brother: fried crispy pork + pickles + yellow mustard + cheese + truffles, perfect. The dessert is a low-sweetness sorbet, which is refreshing and comfortable after eating. Such delicious fine dining at such an affordable price, I really wish I had ten stomachs! If my teen came with me, I would probably order a whole table 🤣 Top 2: Kapłony i Szczeżuje à la carte The main course, veal escalope, failed in the batter. It was soggy and not crispy. The chef could go to Japan for further studies. The appetizers were still up to standard, and the cold bread tasted surprisingly good. The Herb butter would be more perfect if it had a stronger flavor. The dessert was the Jewish apple cake recommended by my Polish brother. It was not sweet or greasy, but there was no surprise either. It was not my cup of tea. The advantage of this restaurant is the beautiful portion and reasonable price. It is a rare fine dining with a high CP value in Kraków. ❌ Not Worth (to me) 🥉 Fiorentina (Main Square) The decoration is really beautiful. The lady said that there is an extra soup and a main course compared to the 5-course. I thought: let's go for the 7-course! The starters were okay, but the soup was pitifully small. The plate was as big as a watermelon, and the soup was less than the miso soup in the Japanese set meal. First main course: Pierogi, only four pieces! The taste is still black pudding (I can taste the pig smell🤨) Second main course: their steak, the size is the width of my two fingers! It's smaller than what I saw in the photo. As a result, after eating seven courses, I was not full at all, and I ran to the street to buy croissants to supplement my food😅 🥉 Wierzynek (the royal restaurant in the 14th century) Good location, good atmosphere, good starter, main course is slow cooked veal, the performance is satisfactory. The menu has few choices and the portion is normal, but I didn't feel wow after eating. It's OK to just check in, but I don't think you need to come here specially 🏨 The hotel I stayed in It's not a high-end hotel, but it has high CP value and convenient transportation. Recommended: ibis Kraków Stare Miasto It's right next to the train station, which is very convenient to go back and forth from the airport and saves a lot of effort to carry luggage. • 5 o'clock tea and coffee: If you like flower and fruit tea like me, you must go there. The price is much more affordable than in the UK. If you only read travel books, you may have too high expectations for Kraków. But if you plan well and master the rhythm, this is a comfortable, historical and story-filled town.