Experience in Krakow, Poland by Dilek

What is it like to live in Krakow? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Living in Krakow is like partying to get warm in an igloo. City is really marvelous during the whole year. Downtown which is around Rynek Glowny is always beautiful when it wears not only sunshine but also snow. Winter lasts almost 6 months, which gives you a good excuse to drink. So, it is always fun to live there.

What is the student lifestyle like in Krakow?

Erasmus student go to school when they need to. But usually lecturers do tolerate Erasmus students if you plan to visit other cities or countries.

How much does it cost to live in Krakow?

Living in Krakow is cheap, especially if you come from euro zone, it is like three times cheaper. If you get transportation card for around 5 months, it costs around 180 zloty. And you can use tram, bus how many times you like in 5 months. Alcohol is cheap, food is cheap.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Krakow? Is there any advice you can give?

I don't think it is. Some colleges have their own dormitories which are usually close to college. If you want to get a nice apartment, you can easily find the oppurtunities on facebook. They have some pages about accomodation. They advertise the flat by showing the pictures of it.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Sure, they have different types of cuisine. But as a student, it is not easy to find homemade food. So, you will see a lot of Zapiekanka places, it is like a longshaped pizza, based on cheese and mushroom on a long bread. Really tasty and have different types of it whatever you like. And another cuisine is Pierogi, Pierogi ruskie is my fave. They have different kind of soup, like with cucumber, sour rye, mushroom. . . You have to try Zurek if you are in Krakow. It is a kind of soup in a bread.

What places would you recommend visiting in Krakow?

Rynek Glowny, Wawel Castle, Schindler's Factory, Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Kazimierz (Old Jewish Quarter), Ghetto, Wieliczka Salt Mine.

Is it good to eat out in Krakow? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

It is good. You can taste different kind of Polish cuisine. You can get really nice food by paying not so much. One of my fave place is Pod Wawelem, yummy foods with good service. And then for dessert, you need to go to Chocolate Factory.

Is the nightlife good in Krakow? Where is good to go?

Nightlife is long in Krakow. Clubs usually close at 4.00 a.m. Then there are after-party clubs, which is like Kitsch, Prozak 2.0 or you can go on around Rynek Glowny. There are really nice pubs for pre-drink, like Banialuka and Pijalnia. Sometimes you meet with such nice people that you even don't want to go to a club after pubs. My fave club is Frantic. It has good djs and quality music with two different dance floors playing different types of music, so somehow you will like one of them. Another club for students on Sunday night is AFERA. You can have the time of your life. It is so cheap and cheap music, but so much FUN. There is a saying that what happens in Afera, stays in Afera.

What advice would you give future students heading to Krakow?

Take your thickest coat with you, and just go to Krakow. Hakuna Matata, guys.