Hotels in Krakow

ince_mon

Hotel Yarden is where we stayed last May,about a 10-15 stroll to the main square.:T

ERICS_MUM

Which area is better please - the Old Town or City Centre ? How far between the two and which is more lively ?

Thanks

Hobsons_Choice

Everywhere in Krakow is within an easy walk (along the park known as the Royal Route). I usually stay in the centre near the station and Rynek Square because it's handy for getting off the shuttle train from the airport.
It depends what you mean by "lively", the Jewish Quarter has a lot of bars and restaurants, but there's also a lot going on around the main square (aforementioned Rynek). Wherever you stay, I'm sure you'll have a great time!

andrewf75

No need to book a tour advance, there are tour offices everywhere doing trips to Auschwitz. Its a very worthwhile place to go, although I'm not sure you can separate being a tourist and paying your respects. Easy enough to be a tourist paying your respects though.

phatbear

Seeing as this is a moneysaving site why not organise your visit to auschwitz yourself instead of wasting money on an organised tour.

andrewf75

phatbear wrote: »

Seeing as this is a moneysaving site why not organise your visit to auschwitz yourself instead of wasting money on an organised tour.

Yes you certainly don’t need an organised tour, just a bus journey. An organised tour would certainly be a complete waste of money.
But most trips sold are just the bus journey there which kind of makes sense as to get there by public transport could take much longer.

zagfles

andrewf75 wrote: »

Yes you certainly don’t need an organised tour, just a bus journey. An organised tour would certainly be a complete waste of money.
But most trips sold are just the bus journey there which kind of makes sense as to get there by public transport could take much longer.

Public transport can be quicker - as some of the organised tours go around picking people up at hotels, I spoke to someone who said it took an hour before even leaving Krakow as it took that long driving round the hotels, waiting for late arrivals etc.

Getting the bus is easy just look for the bus to Oswiecim Museum from the main bus station, it drops you right outside and is very cheap as I remember. The other advantage is you can be flexible as to how long you stay, you're not tied to a fixed departure time. The place will have an emotional impact on you that you can't really predict, some people will have had enough after an hour and others will feel the need to see everything and may take 6 hours.

You can buy a guided tour when there, which is well worth it, think it was around £8 or so. Either that or get a good guide book, it's not really well signed.

Don't plan anything for later in the day, you really won't feel like it.

ERICS_MUM

Thanks again everyone. Xx

hamsterfan1

I stayed at The Grand which is 5* but got a fab deal - it' within a minutes walk of the main square

Grumpygit

Just to add....when you go to Auschwitz (camp 1), there is a bag size limit imposed and if it's too big they will turn you away when you go to go through the scanners. There is a baggage drop off where you can leave your bag for a fee.

even if your bag is slightly too big but empty they will turn you away - they did this to my 14 yo daughter and just barked instructions at her as to where to go

But Camp 2 is where your imagination just runs riot about what went on there, it certainly gives you pause for thought especially seeing the iconic railway tracks running through the "station" building.

it is certainly something to be witnessed at least once in your life.