We are now all booked and sorted; Depart Luton 13/3/10 at 7.30 am..Arrive Krakow 10.30 am.
The airport is only 11km from Krakow..I've hired a self drive minibus so its only a sort drive.we'll be staying in two apartments in The Old Town Square Krakow,its a very beautiful part of the town so get your tour books out and cameras ready.
Dave Barrett.
Gary Barton.
Keith Lang.
Derek Scott.
John Outram.
Trev Court.
Ian Smith.
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Krakow, Poland - City Guide
10th May 2006 |
Fast Facts
Poland's cultural capital
Population: 800,000
Unit of currency: Zloty (PLN)
Conversion rate: £1 = 5.68 PLN (early March 2006)
IDD country code: +48
Flying time from London: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Krakow, in the south of Poland on the Vistula or Wisla River, is one of the country's most ancient and most beautiful cities.
With a history that dates back more than a thousand years, Krakow was once the national capital and has been the site of countless occupations, uprisings and border-shifting.
Because of its role in history, it's considered by many Poles to be the real heart of Poland, and has become its biggest lure for tourists. Four UNESCO World Heritage Sites are either in or around Krakow, and more than 4 million international tourists arrive in the city each year.
Great minds
Krakow has a compact, vibrant city centre with a young and well-educated population that wants to get on. With 18 university-level institutions, including the prestigious and historic Jagiellonian University, and a reputation for producing high-quality graduates, Krakow is a major centre for learning, and at any one time has about 170,000 tertiary students.
About a fifth of all Krakow residents are university graduates, and two-thirds of the population is aged under 45, factors that have helped create a smart, dynamic workforce that is attractive to foreign investment, particularly from technology companies. It also helps that wages are lower than in Warsaw, and about a third of those in neighbouring Germany.
Motorola recently picked Krakow for its $110 million research and development centre, and retailers like Ikea, Carrefour and Casino have also moved in.
The city has excellent road, rail and air links with the rest of Poland and other European centres; Warsaw is about a 2.5-hour train ride away, and a new highway linking Berlin with Krakow is due for completion by 2009.
Dark history
Most visitors to the city head for the Old Town district, or Stare Miasto, a UNESCO heritage site which dates back to the Middle Ages and features a rich mixture of architecture, mostly Renaissance but with some Baroque and Gothic buildings as well. The vast and beautiful main square is not to be missed, and many of the well-preserved palaces, churches and mansions throughout the city are open to the public.
Outside the city but well worth the trip is the Wielicza Salt Mine, an amazing labrynth of subterranean passages and caverns, with underground sculptures, lakes and even chapels, which dates back roughly 900 years.
About an hour from Krakow is the infamous Nazi death camp complex, Auschwitz. In the three concentration camps of Auschwitz, Birkenau and Monowitz, about a million adults and children were killed between 1941 and 1945. Auschwitz has been incredibly well preserved, and no trip to Krakow is really complete without having seen it.
Buzzing nightlife
After dark, there's plenty to do in Krakow, and the crime rate is one of the lowest of any Polish city, so walking around at night feels quite safe.
Krakow claims to have attracted the best chefs in the country, and certainly offers a more varied line-up of restaurants than Warsaw. Nightlife centres around the Old Town, with some hip new hotspots opening up recently in nearby Kazimierz. There are live bands, dance clubs, and several internationally famous theatres.
The city has produced two Nobel Prize winners for literature, and hosts many cultural festivals, including the annual Short Feature Films festival and the Jewish Culture Festival. In 2000, Krakow was named a European City of Culture.
Bring a brolly
Krakow's climate is humid, cold in winter and surprisingly hot in summer. The city is usually blanketed in snow between December and March, when winter temperatures hover around zero degrees. Poles say the days are 'longest in June, hottest in July and most beautiful in August, when there are warm, dry evenings. Daytime temperatures in summer have been known to stay above 30 degrees for weeks at a time, though the average is a cooler 21. September is the wettest month.
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I hope u didn't book ticket's against the names of Forester and JD7? That's not the names on our passports 
Flight plan has been rectified 
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Yes and a wider seat for keith 
Ok guys me and dave was looking on the weather around march time and it has been between -7 and -15 so better pack ya long johns
I'll be taking my winter parka and wearing my thermals 
ok guys here is the details of the digs. appartments krakow DELTA SIMPLY RED
we have one of these apartments each
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Blimey! I was hoping you'd be Zelt-ing it! 
You've got nothing to ein, zwei, drei, vier
Looks a bit purvey to me - mirrored doors and enough seating for 11 people of more?
😯 Looks a bit purvey to me - mirrored doors and enough seating for 11 people of more?
When in Rome CW..When in Rome 
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been looking at parking at luton £37.99 gets you parking in the airport 5mins from terminal think we should be leaving about 3am to give us plenty of time as flight is 730 and you have to be there two hours before
been looking at parking at luton £37.99 gets you parking in the airport 5mins from terminal think we should be leaving about 3am to give us plenty of time as flight is 730 and you have to be there two hours before
I'd say AT LEAST 2 hours before. Luton can be fekkin hellish with all those early morning flights. Better to leave plenty of time and relax with a breakfast beer once you've checked in your Panzershreks.
A word of warning - Some friends of mine went to Krakow last year on a rugby tour and a bunch of Polish lads bashed up one guy after he'd had a few too many Zwieks. He's a big bugger too. Apparently groups of Brits who spend more in one evening than they earn in a month seem to irritate the local boys.
Well hopefully the lemonade won't be that expensive
right troop me and miff are booked in premier inn (29.00) and parking (15.00) get some get some
right lads need digs money for rooms ie £50.00 by 14-02-10
right lads need digs money for rooms ie £50.00 by 14-02-10
How, where - please supply more information Herr Barton.
right lads need digs money for rooms ie £50.00 by 14-02-10
How, where - please supply more information Herr Barton.
Thats all you may get from Herr Barton..i always find it best to email Mystic Meg.
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