We did not limit ourselves to visit Poland’s capital city. How can you go to Poland and miss Krakow, the former capital, one of the most important cities for the country nowadays? We decided to spend one day there, and we took a train from Warsaw’s Station with the train company Intercity (we had booked the tickets three months in advance and it had cost 30 euros for a return ticket, the trip lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes). This train company is really good. Drinks are offered and comfort, even for the second class, is very enjoyable. Above all, don’t forget your ID: contrary to France, you are controlled every time you took the train in Poland. A single day is enough to have a good overview of Krakow (we arrived at 9:30 a.m. and left at 8 p.m.), but we are sorry for not having seen some things we would have liked to. The best would have been to stay two days at least.
We went from the station to the center on foot (about 25 minutes). We started our exploration of the city with Wawel’s Castle, which overhangs the city behind the ramparts on the Wawel’s hill.
Wawel’s castle was built in the 1300s and became an important center of politic and military power during the following centuries, as well as an important artistic and cultural center. The castle was damaged and rebuilt and was occupied several times during its history. During WW2, it was Hans Frank’s residence (he was the military governor of Poland chosen by Hitler).
Ce site se compose de jardins, d’une cathédrale et du château lui-même, subdivisé en plusieurs zones. La visite n’est pas donnée : chaque partie du château possède sa propre entrée sur le ticket et se visite individuellement. Les photos sont interdites dans les deux. L’extérieur est cependant remarquable : la façade de la cathédrale avec ses couleurs et ses dorures est magnifique. La vue qu’offrent les remparts sur la rivière qui traverse Cracovie est sublime. Notre première visite fut celle de la cathédrale, dont l’intérieur est splendide, avec des couleurs vives, un autel très luxueux et un endroit de prières pour le Pape Jean Paul II, de nationalité polonaise et qui représente une figure très importante dans le pays. La visite n’a pas été des plus agréables en raison de l’importante foule présente au sein de l’édifice, mais la merveilleuse architecture de la cathédrale vaut vraiment la peine.
We visited the States Rooms (20 zlotys – 12 zlotys with discount, being 5€ and 3€) and the Royal Private Apartments (23 zlotys – 18 zlotys with discount, being about 5.50€ and 4€). This last part can be visited only with a guide, available in several languages such as English, French and Spanish. The inside of the castle is astonishing, with beautifully decorated and ornamented rooms, with pieces of furniture, sculptures and works of art which show the kings and queens life, as well as the life of personalities who lived inside the castle’s walls.
You need to know that the castle has a very important collection of works of art, which was stolen several times during centuries and some specialists did manage to partially piece it together again. The visit of the private rooms, which we had in French, was very interesting, with a very nice guide who explained us in details the castle’s secrets and the history of its objects. We are sorry to tell you that if you want to appreciate the castle’s beauty, you will need to go on site, because pictures are forbidden in the rooms as well as in the cathedral (except when the guide allows you to do it).
Above all, don’t forget to pause by the river, in front of the statue of Wawel’s dragon, in front of his cave, under the castle’s ramparts. The sculpture, which is here since 1970, represents one of the most famous legends of Poland: a monstrous dragon, which frightened the city under the Prince’s Krakus reign, beat all warriors and knights who dared defy him before being defeated by an humble shoemaker apprentice’s ruse. The statue stands behind the place where the dragon was supposed to live and deserves you to take picture, especially because it breathes fire every five minutes.
Official websites :
Intercity : https://www.intercity.pl/en/
Wawel’s castle: https://wawel.krakow.pl/en
2 Steps Abroad 