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Guest2

Guest2

Guest2

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I have now booked flights for 11 people going to Krakow on 4th March coming back on 11th March

Could I get some info on accomodation, location, money and general tips please

I enquired about appartments for about £15 each per night and someone came back with this...

I would like to recommend you two apartments from our \"Pijarska collection\" Bono 1 and Bono 2. Both apartments are located in the same building on the Zacisze street (Old Town area)

Bono 1 is priced at 1050PLN for all staying and Bono 2 at 1110PLN for all staying as well. (so about £15 each)

What is best - Old town or new town?

Do you generally just reserve appartments with a deposit or have to pay in full? (I have replied asking)

Thanks
 
It's 5 years since I went - we were one of the very first EasyJet/Ryanair (dunno which) flights to go from Glasgow.

I found it dirt cheap. I found that the diners were horrible to eat in, but the restaurants were good and cheap.

There's not a huge amount to see there, but do visit Auchwitz, everybody should. Don't expect to enjoy it as such, but you'll be glad you went.

I stayed just off the main square in a cheap but suitable hotel. I can't remember how we paid.
 
I went for a few days last Easter and loved it.

It's easy to walk between the old town/new town areas so you'll be fine getting somewhere in the middle. I stayed north of the old town and still found it ok walking down to the southern end of the city. There was a good spread of bars/restaurants across both areas but maybe more in the new town. As you can share taxis it's not something to worry about really.

I wasn't really planning on going to Auchwitz but I'm so glad I did. You really have to see it to appreciate just what happened. I took a guided tour that included a coach from the city. I'm not really into being herded like sheep but I think the experience wouldn't have been half as good on my own. It's awkward to travel there (and from Auchwitz to Birkenau - you HAVE to see both) so an organised trip was ideal. They even showed a historical documentary on the coach to prepare you. The tour guide was excellent. She was really informative and gave a touching and informative account of the sites and history. Just standing and looking at the site wouldn't have been the same.

Food is dirt cheap. You can get excellent meals for under a £10. Have a walk around until you see somewhere you like. The best place I ate at was called Miod Malina (Grodzka 40), which is the quieter sister restaurant of an award winning place just up the road.

Bars were excellent, just nearly all deserted when I went due to the religious holiday.
 
Im going here in June, easyjet cheap flight and staying in a hostel, should be a cheap 4 days of fun :)

Bumhucker, do you have a rough idea of the cost of the trip to Auchwitz? Would definatly be interested in going to that.
 
I can't remember it costing much at all. It was the only time I spent sober during the trip there. I think we might have got a bus there and back. If we did it didn't cost much. We went to a pub after and then ended up drinking apple vodka with local students and it went pear shaped.
 
my mate went he said he had a blast it sounded quite scarey the way he described it

all the clubs are under ground in like air raid shelters or something :-|
 
http://www.booking.com/searchresult...510625;origin=disamb;srhash=314582850;srpos=2

Is great for finding places to stay.

I cannot recommend the Pergamin apartments enough
http://www.booking.com/hotel/pl/per...d90c86;checkin=2011-03-04;checkout=2011-03-11

They are only 70m from the main square and above 4 bars and 1 nightclub.

Pretty much every bar and nightclub is underground in Krakow and makes life interesting.

Definitely go to Auchwitz AND Birkenau. I would recommend "Elvis Bob" (google him - he looks like Charles Bronson). He organised taxi's for our party. You got a dvd presentation in the car giving you the background going there. The taxi driver shows you the most important bits to see on the map (apparantly a full tour is 11 hours to see everything!) and waits for your to come out of Auchwitz. He then drives you over to Birkenau (the death camp) and even takes you via the original off loading train station first. He'll then wait as long as you want.

Cost was £16 each and well worth it. The taxi driver was full of local knowledge and even pointed out the local mafia bosses mansion. We then used Elvis Bob's taxis to take us back to the airport for a fraction of the cost the airport taxis charged us on arrival.

If you use the booking.com website, you don;t pay anything and you just pay at reception at the apartments.

Also worth seeing the salt mines and Schindler's factory (new museum which opened last year). Going round the Jewish quarter is recommended as well as well as paying a few quid to see the inside of the church on the main square.
 
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Krakow is a great place, i went on a stag do there last year.

Accomodation is pretty cheap, just dont expect the Ritz of anything haha, i was on a pull out bed for the weekend :(

Beer is cheap but not as cheap as expected, about £2 per pint, unless you drink local beers then it is less than that.

You have to be careful about where you go as some places are not very friendly, especially the strip clubs, follow the crouds and stay in groups, dont let people wander off on their own.

you can do a tour of the town that takes you round in a stretched golf cart thing, thats quite good, ant there is a Macdonalds just off the main square in case you cannot manage the local dishes :)

Hope the info helps
 
taz488 said:
Bumhucker, do you have a rough idea of the cost of the trip to Auchwitz? Would definatly be interested in going to that.
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My receipt says 80 zloty, which is £17.38. A very good price all things considered.

The cathedral near the town square was 6zl. That's really beautiful. Worth a look even if you're not into that sort of thing. You've got enough full days there to fit it in.
 
When I went 5 years ago money was just no object. It did not matter who's round it was. Sad that it's gone up so much so fast.

Even Auchwitz wasn't £18. However, it's worth it at any price.
 
Don't even bother getting taxis/organised trips to Auschwitz. Get a bus from the main station, cost us a couple of pounds each 2 years ago.

Use the free shuttle bus to travel between the original camp and Birkenau. Buy a guidebook when you are there and wander around at your own pace.
 
Ah, now I remember. We just got the bus as Diesel said. However I do recommend the guided tour, in fact I think I'd really recommend it as essential. You'd miss a lot without it.
 
Bumhucker said:
My receipt says 80 zloty, which is £17.38. A very good price all things considered.

The cathedral near the town square was 6zl. That's really beautiful. Worth a look even if you're not into that sort of thing. You've got enough full days there to fit it in.
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Yikes expensive compared to what we paid, but not bad in the grand scheme of things. We took the bus though, but I can speaka di polski.

Taxis will try and screw you over, it was very eye opening listening in to them as my english friends chatted to them first before I waded in to say 'screw this, we are taking the bus'

Women are also generally hotties :D

Also go to see the salt mines at Wieliczka. Had a great meal in the little village there and I remember massive shots of vodka at lunch were about 40p or something ridiculous like that.

Enjoy!
 
Went a few years ago lovely place defo recommend Auchwitz-Birkenau (We was lucky to have a totally English Speaking Guide which was Excellent).

Recommend the Wieliczka Salt Mine also some great salt sculptures there quite remarkable.

Not forgetting the night life :D

Hope you enjoy your trip!
 
Diesel said:
Don't even bother getting taxis/organised trips to Auschwitz. Get a bus from the main station, cost us a couple of pounds each 2 years ago.

Use the free shuttle bus to travel between the original camp and Birkenau. Buy a guidebook when you are there and wander around at your own pace.
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Problem is convenience and crowding. We saw the public bus arrive at Auschwitz and it looked like a tin of sardines. Yet again when leaving, it was full and everybody squashed. I would rather have paid the extra for the convenicen but you take you choice.

Drinks were around £1.30 a pint when we were there in Nov last year. Vodka was cheap and nice.

We spent £120 each over 3 days including Auschwitz and the salt mines and all meals. And that included 22 hours drinking on the first day and nighclub entry and even kebabs on the way home. That's still cheap in my book. Just avoid the typical tourist bars.

I will agree about taxi drivers ripping you off. We got one from the airport (we were been lazy despite me saying we wouldn;t) and it was £25 and took half an hour. Going back with a "trusted" taxi driver we went a totally different route and took 10 minutes and cost us less than a tenner.
 
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Diesel said:
Don't even bother getting taxis/organised trips to Auschwitz. Get a bus from the main station, cost us a couple of pounds each 2 years ago.

Use the free shuttle bus to travel between the original camp and Birkenau. Buy a guidebook when you are there and wander around at your own pace.
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This - the taxis/ tours are massively overpriced.

Couple of quid on a bus/ train, then a few quid to get in - you don't need a guide to experience that place... in fact, I'd say it would lessen it considerably.
 
The Halk said:
Ah, now I remember. We just got the bus as Diesel said. However I do recommend the guided tour, in fact I think I'd really recommend it as essential. You'd miss a lot without it.
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Yup, we did the long guided tour and with just a guidebook we'd have just missed an awful lot.
 
Problem is convenience and crowding. We saw the public bus arrive at Auschwitz and it looked like a tin of sardines. Yet again when leaving, it was full and everybody squashed

- Authentic experence then?!

I love the sound of the underground airraid shelter clubs. Just what i'm looking for - i.e a change.

One of the clubs in Prague was in an old 5 story swimming baths building. Great club

In prague the taxis were the same. One guy said to us that it would be 20 euros, we got bac kto the hotel and then he said it was 40 euros. We all got out and he pulled a gun on my mate in the front. He then kept him in the taxi until we went and got him 50 euros. Nice

Is it easy enough to walk from old town to new town? In prague I could manage this when sober but one night when drunk I ended up on the motorway 3 miles out of town at 7am! that was 5 years, i think i have matured now (maybe not)
 
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