Vodka, Steak Tartare & History: A Month in Kraków

Oh wait, I forgot to add pierogis to the title there. They definitely deserve a spot.

After Budapest, Marko’s first instinct was Prague. We were looking for a cheap apartment somewhere in Eastern Europe where we could settle for another month. But as you know, I had other plans. Once I get a destination in my head, I can’t stop viciously researching it, obsessing over it, and requesting that we, please, ya know, go there, like soon, and can we just book something now?

Krakow just called to me. I heard it was a hip, beautiful city with lots of students and cheap vodka bars so, ah yeah, that pretty much sold me. Plus, it wasn’t destroyed in World War II so it has the biggest medieval town square in all of Europe and it’s surrounded by beautiful, pastel-colored buildings and horse-drawn carriages. And it’s affordable.

Read More: Living in Budapest for a Month: By the Numbers

But also, the food. Let’s think about this: Pierogis (I love anything dumpling-esque), steak tartare (a top-5 favorite food of mine), and cheap beer (no brainer) also played a part in this decision making. I’m easy to please.

Where We Stayed: Kazimierz

The question of Krakow accommodation is usually Old Town vs. Kazimierz. We settled on Kazimierz, the cool neighborhood and former old Jewish Quarter, and then found a spacious place on Airbnb. (You can see the exact spot here and get $40 off your first booking here, as if anybody hasn’t jumped on the Airbnb train yet). It was a toss-up, and to be honest, the Old Town or the Jewish Quarter would be fab. But after receiving a detailed list of food and drink recommendations from one of Marko’s friends, we decided proximity to those spots was obviously most important. I also think this area was generally cheaper.

Kazimierz is a bit more crumbling and dilapidated than the basically pristine Old Town, but it’s still totally charming. It’s filled with great hole-in-the-wall bars, food trucks, and lots of amazing restaurants. There’s also a fun little square where students go to grab cheap food and hang out – Plac Nowy – with stalls selling kebabs, grilled sausages, Belgian fries, the surprisingly good baguettes with toppings known as zapiekanka, and a favorite of mine zurek, a Polish sour rye soup with white sausage.

Impressions, Safety, and Other Stuff

We used our month in Krakow to get a lot of work done (and watch a lot of trash British reality TV but Love Island is a different story). Marko headed off to go skiing with friends in Austria for a week and I made myself useful by trying out all the set menus and fun food options I had on my pre-planned list while he was gone. (Solo meals with the kindle bother me none.) That was another thing about booking a place for March: I wanted to be somewhere I felt safe alone while Marko was gone. (Yeah, yeah, I traveled solo for a long time, BUT I was staying in hostels so I was always surrounded by people.) Krakow and the neighborhood we picked felt totally safe for me to spend the night alone and go out to the gym or walk home after dinner in the dark by myself.

One thing though. Poland is/was the coldest place I’ve ever been in my life. Following a surprisingly quick overnight bus ride from Budapest, we arrived at the station in Krakow to -12C weather. Okay, I haven’t really learned Celcius yet, but that’s what the giant thermometer in the parking lot said. That’s like 10 degrees Fahrenheit! BITTERLY COLD.

*Cue my brain speaking to itself in Arrested Development Gob’s voice: “I’ve made a huge mistake.”*

After about a week though, things warmed up to be manageable. But I was wearing two coats, gloves, and a hat at all times for a while there. However, I could look past the cold because…

OMG, the Food in Krakow!

Lucky for us, we learned that – according to a local – the food in Krakow is super affordable when compared to other big cities in Poland, namely Warsaw. But what I didn’t expect was the amazingly refined, modern restaurants which did beautifully plated, super creative, and delicious foods for a great value. I’ll list my favorites at the bottom of this post, but needless to say, I ate a LOT of steak tartare (which I had no idea was a thing in Poland until seeing it on a lot of menus).

I’ll give you another brilliant iPhone photo food collage because I enjoy reminiscing on these meals as much as I love sharing them. Feel free to click through for a closer look.

Not only were the nice restaurants good, but the amount of bars that did tasty snacks was incredible. Turns out pickled herring was not for me (wow, I finally found one thing), but Marko loved it (something about the firm texture). Lard on toast with little crispy bits of meat (fat?) in it is tasty though. One bar that we frequented did steak tartare for the equivalent of $2.50. I KNOW, RIGHT?! You can’t not order it. So we’d have that, a couple vodka shots, and beers before heading to our real dinner some nights. Hey, everybody was doing it…

One of the best things about the food was the variety offered in Krakow. The city had an amazing French brunch place, some of the best Italian I’ve had outside of Italy, Georgian food (khinkali), and a million places to get pierogis of all sorts (aka, my dream). There was a great takekout curry place and an even better sit-down Indian restaurant. We had sushi, ramen, fancy hotdogs from a food truck, and burgers.

And of course, lots of Polish food, which is basically everything you never knew you needed! We ate at family-style places for dishes like meat-stuffed cabbage rolls, sausage, borscht, and potato pancakes with gravy. The Polish are also very good at making sour stuff, like pickles and sauerkraut (and sauerkraut-filled pickles), but also sourdough bread and my fave, zurek – that hearty traditional soup made with a sourdough starter… and sometimes sausage and boiled eggs. Oh, but also doughnuts filled with rose marmalade. And more pierogis.

We had no bad meals. You go, Krakow.

Stuff We Did – Activities in Krakow

What’d we do for a month besides eat? Lots for once! Poland has some great Free Walking Tours in many of its major cities, so we opted for a walking tour of the Old Town to learn a little history. I forget how helpful this is in new places (because I get lazy and don’t sign up for them) but you learn so much about your destination. Especially when you didn’t know that Krakow was so beautifully preserved because it was occupied by 40,000 Nazis in WWII and they didn’t want to bomb the place they lived – obviously.

I took their food tour too – only 13 euros! – while Marko was gone. Even though it was a couple weeks into our stay in Krakow and I’d already tried pierogis, borscht, zurek, pickles, and vodka (duh), I still got to try some new stuff like amazing Polish desserts and baked goods, cheeses, strawberry pierogi, organic vodka, a cucumber soup, and those bagel-looking things they sell at blue street carts that don’t look impressive but are actually DELICIOUS. They’re called obwarzanki. The tour got me out and socializing with real humans instead of my computer screen while Marko was off in the Alps somewhere.

We also went to Schindler’s Factory, one of the must-do historical sites in the city. While it’s more of a museum than remnants of the actual factory, it did give us a good knowledge base about what was happening in Poland and Krakow during WWII before we visited Auschwitz.

The tour we took to Auschwitz and Berkinau was both fascinating and harrowing. I’d definitely suggest a tour for this experience as not only do they provide transportation (it’s about an hour outside the city) and you get to enter the grounds before the crowds, but because the guides are very knowledgeable and they keep you moving through the camps so that you see all of the highlights. Otherwise, I imagine we could have stayed there all day reading every little plaque and exhibit.

It’s hard to comment on Auschwitz because it should literally be a requirement that everybody visit, but it’s moving, shocking, and horrible at the same time. The place is massive. You think you know a lot about the Holocaust, but when you see literal rooms full of women’s hair and children’s shoes (and then you hear that it’s less than 1% of what they initially found after the war), it’s heart-wrenching.

Non-Activities that I Did to Have Fun in Krakow

On a lighter note, it is also pretty easy to just wander the city and explore to satisfy your craving to get outside and DO something when the sun finally comes out.

Wander across to the other side of the river. Check out the weekly farmer’s market there with honey, sauerkraut, wine, and more. Or hit up Tala Hargowa any day. It’s another market and one that we visited on the food tour – it’s much bigger, with cheese, pickles, meats, and produce. Lots of locals shop for their groceries at both.

Check out the board game bars or the craft beer bars that just happen to have board games…

Go shopping at the Galeria Kazimierz, a pretty nice mall, to stock up on clothes for spring… if it ever came.

Taste vodkas! The flavored vodkas in Poland aren’t looked down on like the sorority girl flavors in the US. (This ain’t grape Burnett’s.) It seems pretty socially acceptable to gather with your friends at the bar and have a few vodka shots before heading to dinner. I’m a fan.

PS – Be careful. I like vodka. But according Marko, vodka does not like me. Remember that most of the time you’re essentially taking shots on an empty stomach – no matter how delicious they may be – and then following them with a beer or two. BEFORE dinner. And just because the locals are exceptional at this skill does not mean you are. Our food tour guide actually warned us about this. Just because it’s elderberry-flavored doesn’t mean it’s not potent!

So… Budapest vs. Krakow

I know, it’s not a competition. They are both great cities that I’d go back to in a heartbeat. Also, I think they’d both be incredible destinations in the summertime. (But let’s face it, in the summer, I’m more likely to be hitting the beachy destinations.)

Marko preferred Budapest. I think I preferred Krakow. Bit friendlier. My kind of food. (Sorry, just can’t get over the pervasiveness of steak tartare on all the menus.) Fancier affordable options. Walkable and more approachable in size. And I felt like I got to know Krakow better because it’s a smaller city. I also think Budapest already gets a shitload of tourists (I can only imagine how crazy the summers get) so maybe that’s why local Krakow folks don’t seem so annoyed by outsiders… yet, anyway.

Finally, What Did It Cost to Live in Krakow for a Month?

Ah, what you really want to know.

The costs were pretty similar, and though Krakow was definitely cheaper, the rent was slightly higher. We ate out a lot in both places. We had an extra day or so in Krakow.

I’ve taken out the shopping that I did – new dresses, tops, and bathing suits in preparation for spring – and so the total amount I spent with accommodation, food, transport, activities, and everything else included came to…

$1,168

So yeah, that’s amazing. 10/10 would recommend. Would return. Would eat all of the steak tartare again.

Anybody else been to Poland? Love Krakow? Love steak tartare, pierogis, and zurek?

Where to Eat in Krakow: First and foremost, Karacter. Amazing modern dishes with Polish ingredients. Beautiful plates for amazing prices. Multiple options for tartare to start and liter bottles of house wine available (they do the job). I had sweetbreads, beef cheek, and ravioli with mint and pea shoots the first time and skirt steak the next. The duck main and the fish crudo to start are also great. Nolio is some of the best Italian ever – opt for pizza, tartare, and pasta instead of dessert… I think. For home-style Polish, go to Kuchnia u Dorota and get the potato pancakes with goulash… and the stuffed cabbage rolls if you haven’t had them yet. For amazing brunch, go to Charlotte for the traditional French stuff. Trust me. Get the raspberry jam and white chocolate spread. And all the croissants you can handle. For something hipster and different with shakshuka-style stuff with or without sausages, try Ranny Ptaszek for brunch or lunch. It’s tiny. For pierogis, go anywhere. Okay seriously, we liked Pierogi Mr. Vincent – get the sampler platter if there’s two or three of you – they’ve got meat or veg and a ton of options, but don’t sleep on the hot borscht and croquette. That could be a meal in itself! Everybody recommends Przystanek Pierogarnia but take note that it’s takeaway or basically standing room only.

If you’re there for a while and craving something foreign, try the solid curry takeout from Curry Up! or for a full sit-down meal, Taste of India – both great at what they do. For generic Asian, try Dong-A and get the Lemongrass Chicken (cheap and huge portions – don’t order anything weird or fancy here – it’s like Chinese takeout). If you’re into ramen, try Akita Ramen or Ramen People. Neither are cheap, with prices closer to home, but they’re both delicious, especially when it’s cold.

For a casual lunch or a casual dinner option during your pub crawl, go to Plac Nowy or the little food stall area on the corner of Świętego Wawrzyńca and Bartosza. They’ve got burgers, fries, pork sandwiches, and that’s just the places I tried. If the food truck area is open – usually only when the weather is nice (probably all summer, I’m not sure) – The Hot Dog Food Truck – serves some of the best hot dogs with fancy toppings I’ve ever had. I got the one with mac n cheese and bacon. There’s a tent that serves beer and it’s a fun hangout spot.

Where to Drink in Krakow: For a million kinds of flavored vodka, pickled herring, and lard on toast, try Ambasada Śledzia (“the herring embassy”). It’s very cool – the one on Stolarska was our favorite. For cheap drinks – vodka and beer – as well as steak tartare and cheese toasties, try Pijalnia Wódki I Piwa right off of Plac Nowy. Sure, it’s where stag dos and hostel kids go, but there are plenty of locals there too because it’s a very affordable place to drink before dinner. If you want to play board games and drink craft beer and eat popcorn, head to Domówka Cafe. For the coolest bar ever – way too cool for you or me – you must go to Eszeweria. There’s a reason everybody recommends it. It’s chill, beautiful, and has a smoking room, but it’s set up like someone’s old house. Alchemia, right off Plac Nowy, has a similar vibe, plus they have small app-style foods. In the same arena, check out Mleczarnia for old photos, furniture, and beers (or coffee and treats) by candlelight and a beer garden across the street when it’s warm.