Cracow

Back to Poland

Introduction

Wikipedia guide to Krakow

Right, well...I suppose we'll leave it to the tour guides and guidebooks to give you a proper overview of the history and heritage of Kraków. Last time we checked, the average CouchSurfer doesn't travel exclusively for that purpose. We're here for the experience and the people, right?

Good, that's what I thought. So to all of you CouchSurfers out there who are thinking of only coming here for a night or two just to party and see Auschwitz: beware. You may find yourself staying here for a long time. Some come because they have heard that the women are gorgeous (true). Others come for a fantastic nighlife(also true). Still others are here to study or to work...but if you stay, we bet it will be for a pleathora of reasons more than these. Kraków is a place that has more allure and charm in it than an unopened Christmas gift. There's something here for everyone. So open up, enjoy.

Welcome to Kraków

Main square

How should this beautiful city be spelt and pronounced? Cracow-Life [1] a local guide site, gives us the choice "Krakow, Cracow - call it what you will -" there are choices, it's one of thos cities like London, Paris, Munich Warsaw that depends on what language you are writing

how to pronounce it ... should it be CraCOW (as in "Moo")

Cracooove ooove as in "groovy"

Krakow is wrong if you are writing Polish because it misses an accent over the o it should be Kraków - the ó gives the "ooo"

For foreigners who want to show that they know it has different spelling it is forgiveable to leave out the accent (how many people know how to find the ó symebol anyway

if you are going to Kraków or "to Krakow" its more complex as Polish grammer kicks in - it becomes "do krakowa" and "to Kraków" shows an ignorance of the language... because it's ungrammatical...

If your German its Krakau, if your French its Cracovie... Italians say Cracovia - I think

However you spell it or say it, you are welcome

This is a very special city that pulls people in from all over the world. Couchsurfing just improves a place that already had a lot to offer. Cosmopolitan, cool, cultured, yet also on a small scale and provincial, with more bars and clubs than you can imagine, but also the heart of Poland's long and sometimes troubled history, culture and religion. Cracow has something to offer everyone.

Some say its like Hotel California.. "you can check in any time you like but you can never leave". I've been here since the 1990s, and seen many cases of people staying for a week, coming back for a month, staying for a couple of years, then leaving "for good" and then guess what - they are back

COUCHSURFING ACTIVITIES

PLACES OF INTEREST

Kraków is overflowing with stuff to do and places to see. We highly recommend you come to one of our CouchSurfing meetings to meet some of us and to get a real Krakowian's (and some imports') opinions of what to do here.

In the meantime, have a look at our map on Google. We've tried to mark all the location of all the good places to eat, drink, hang out, and shop.

Here's the link: google map

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

SIGHTSEEING

ATTRACTIONS NEARBY KRAKOW

PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT

DINNING

SHOPPING

USEFUL LINKS