Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Welcome to the Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Destination Guides

bthere! Destination guides

Previous issues for Krakow

Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy,
please confirm event/venue details in advance.

Poland : Krakow - September 2009

Country Code: Dial for Poland

With its quaint cobbled streets, cellar pubs and bustling old town, cosmopolitan Krakow never disappoints. Then there’s its deep love of culture, most especially for its artists such as Jan Matejko. The museum in his honour reopens this month, after renovations. If you do one thing in September, see Matejko’s huge, sweeping paintings depicting historical events, says Rosa Pyczek

Getting around

Balice Airport

Bus: Radtur runs regular buses into the city centre. A single journey costs about €1,90/PLN 7 and takes 30 minutes.
Taxi: A taxi costs around €13/PLN 50 and takes about 30 minutes.
Tourist information: The main office is at 1 Rynek Główny (tel. , krakow.pl). Orbis (41 Rynek Główny) also provides lots of useful information.

OLD TOWN AND RYNEK

All roads lead to Rynek Główny – most tourist attractions are in the square or the surrounding streets.

Sleep soundly – Red Brick Apartments (3 Ulica Kurniki, tel. , redbrick.pl, rooms from €85/PLN 350) is named after the gorgeous 19th-century building that houses this set of 16 apartments. Sybarites should plump for the luxurious two-level apartment. The equally elegant Hotel Matejko (8 Plac Matejki, tel. , matejko hotel.pl, rooms from €87/PLN 360) balances modern and traditional touches, with its rich colours and prints of Matejko’s best-known works.

Culture vultures – In September, Dom Jana Matejki (41 Ulica Florianska) reopens after a year of renovations. Jan Matejko’s former residence is now a museum, where the minutiae of his life is preserved, right down to his eyeglasses and paintbrushes, and a few of his paintings are displayed. For a larger collection of the artist’s works, head to Muzeum Narodowe (1 3 Al. Maja) and Muzeum Czartoryskich (19 Ulica Jana).

Must drink – Lit with hundreds of candles, Buddha Drink & Garden (6 Rynek Główny) is good for a romantic night out. Come here for colourfully lethal cocktails. Otherwise, Boogie (9 Ulica Szpitalna) has live music on Thursdays and Fridays.

Shop til you drop – Boruni Amber Inspirations (42 Ulica Florianska) has an amazing selection jewellery, letter openers, cutlery and snuff boxes set with amber. Another popular gift is Polish glassware, and Alhena (1 Plac Mariacki) has an astonishing array of wine glasses, chandeliers and delicate, hand-carved glass sculptures in a rainbow of colours.

KAZIMIERZ

Just 50 years ago, Krakow’s Jewish quarter was completely devastated, but recent efforts have seen it become the city’s party area, a haven for artists and chock full of clothes stores, jewellery and art shops.

Sleep soundly – Earthy and elegant, Karmel Hotel (15 Ulica Kupa, tel. , karmel.com.pl, rooms from €61/ PLN 250) is set in a restored townhouse, smack in the centre of Kazimierz. Flamingo Hostel (4 Ulica Szewska, tel. , flamingo-hostel.com, rooms from €12/PLN 50) is a favourite among backpackers and beer lovers, and the staff act as tour guides on Kazimierz pub crawls.

Must eat – The two-floored Pepe Rosso (15 Ulica Kupa, tel. ) places its non-smoking guests upstairs in a charming whitewashed dining area and smokers in a fantastic stone cellar. For a main dish, try padellaccia, which is bursting with grilled king prawns, mussels, octopus and squid, and is served in a sizzling frying pan. The more modest Kuchnia u Doroty (25 Ulica Miodowa, tel. ) serves traditional Polish dishes in an atmosphere not unlike a Polish babcia’s (grandmother’s) kitchen. The restaurant is famous for its placki (potato pancakes). Make sure you go very, very hungry beforehand – the portions are mammoth.

Dance the night away – The huge, open and (despite the cigarette smoke) strangely airy Masada (41 Ulica Krakowska) is able to accommodate a second bar on the balcony, a raised stage and plenty of seating, and yet still has space for a massive dance floor. Pozytywka (12 Ulica Bozego Ciała) softens its industrial interior with delicate little touches such as silver bowls of strawberries on the bar.

Shop til you drop – Ulica Józefa is lined with shops stocking startling, imaginative pieces of jewellery. Most notable is Blazko Kindery (11 Ulica Józefa), home to Grzegorz Blazko’s brave and bold collection. It takes real style and confidence to wear much of his stuff, but each piece is truly original and eye-catching.

Compiled by Rosa Pyczek

Previous issues for Krakow

Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy,
please confirm event/venue details in advance.

Find cheap flights to Krakow | Book your flight to Krakow