Warsaw / Krakow

To start the year off right and to have a change of scenery, last January, a few friends and I decided to go on holiday to Poland!

Why not after everything that's gone on. It's a bit like Romania. Never did I think that I'd leave France to go to a country like this, especially when the weather forecast was predicting a 'cosy' -15°c!

For perhaps the first time ever, I arrived at Warsaw airport early (a quick heads up, there are two airports in the city, so be careful - especially when you're heading home). The first difference you'll probably notice is the first inhale you take when you get off the plane. The air is so crisp that when you inhale it, it feels like your insides might freeze (well maybe not for those who are used to the cold, but I'm certainly not, and it hurt... ) But whatever! As for money, they use Zloty, which is, of course, cheaper than the Euro. I'll give you some advice: Don't dress for fashion, dress for the cold. It's not jacket and vans weather. Make sure you take appropriate shoes and a decent, warm coat, it gets extremely cold. Also, don't do what we did and not organise your trip. This city is difficult to navigate. You're welcome!

I'll start by talking about the historic centre of Warsaw, where our hostel was. The historic centre of Warsaw is pretty small for a capital. It's very cute, but not that lively. If you've come here for a wild party - forget it! It's not really the place for that. We didn't know this before. The first night was a bit of a flop. We went to a bar near the Praga district. All the districts are pretty easy to get to and I had heard that this district (Praga) was a pretty lively one! The problem with Warsaw is that it's a city where it's very difficult to find a good place to go out. A lot of people told us that it was a very closed capital and that the parties were often very "underground", so if you don't know it well, you're screwed!

Anyway, on the second day, we walked around the city for a bit, as at the time it was around Christmas time there were quite a few religious events, wise men celebrations etc... so the centre was quite lively and decorated everywhere. We went in the afternoon to the Lazienki park which is in the Srodmiescie district. I'd recommend it, it really was beautiful. It had a central palace in the middle surrounded by water. On top of that, if you go there in winter, the water is completely frozen and we could go on the lake - it was really magical! Moreover, we were lucky enough to arrive during the first snow in Warsaw which made it even more enjoyable.

A small problem we discovered is that it gets dark at 3pm, so the days go by really quickly.

As for the night outs, we went out to a few bars. It's not a myth, the vodka really is amazing. Even though I'm not that much of a fan, it's nothing like vodka in France. I suggest you try hazelnut Soplika... sooo good. It's hard to down it, I suggest savouring it by taking small sips instead. And from what I remember, it's super cheap!

We went to quite a few restaurants too. As for their specialities.. there's Goulash, dumplings, and others foods with bizarre names like the kotlet schbowy, the bigos, the placki ziemniaczane, it's totally normal if these names don't ring a bell! I remember one restaurant in particular which was so cheap and the food quantities were enormous... If you don't eat for three days and you're hungry, go to Podwale... I needed a nap afterwards.

In the end, we didn't stay that long in Warsaw, we were too eager to go to Krakow. Krakow was actually the capital of Poland not long ago, and this becomes obvious when you visit the city. The city centre of Krakow is still small but is so much more dynamic than Warsaw's. The city is very compact, and it is beautiful. There are bars, alleys, and hidden gems everywhere! Don't hesitate to go into the little hidden spots that look private but usually aren't, you'll be surprised.

We went to the Wawel Royal Castle which overlooks the entire city! Also, the outside of the castle is great for walking around. We didn't end up going inside though.

Of course, there is the whole city centre to see, especially the central square which is called "the market square", where you have big halls where craftsmen come to exhibit their creations... And the beautiful Notre Dame Basilica (Kosciol Mariacki). I also advise you to go and see the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz which is really famous for its art galleries, there are also some bars with very avant-garde atmospheres...

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