A fairytale Christmas in Lesser Poland

Lesser Poland is the South of Poland and it has the Tatra Mountains in its areas hence why it is the perfect destination for a winter getaway as snow can be mostly guaranteed!

We spent  days in December just before Christmas Day and stayed both in Krakow (2nights) and Zakopane(3days)! We only did things we wanted to do so not done any usual museums or attractions like Wavel Castle. It is quite a budget friendly place but some main attractions such as Schindler's museum and Salt Mine can be quite expensive. I will advice to book tickets for famous attractions in advance and through their main websites! Weather wise, the fog was a big concern. It was quite thick and quite cold so please wrap up warm especially in the mountains, as expected! I found the people could be quite rude though so do beware. The food was mazing. We tried most of the Polish dishes and really enjoyed it! Public transport was outstanding, easy to navigate and ridiculously cheap. The train tickets in Krakow can be bought on the train itself and the machine is found in the first carriage. Intercity trains were really good. All were running on time. We also used Flixbus to travel which was very efficient!

Here is our itinerary:

·       Krakow - I explored the Jewish Ghetto with the Eagle's Pharmacy, Hero's Square and Schindler's Museum. I will advice you to book Schindler's museum tickets in advance as the queues to buy on door tickets can be quite long. I had booked a guided tour which was quite good but you can easily do it by yourself and in your own pace. The tour takes 1.5hours.  Schindler's museum was mostly about Krakow's history especially during WW2 and little bit about Schindler. Only towards the end of the museum, does it have his office and other bits and bobs. A good museum with so much information and historic videos and documents! A few towns away from Krakow was Plaszow concentration camp which not people know about. It is now mainly a memorial site where everything is destroyed except the Grey House which was the commander's house! It has a lot of information plaques and quite eery!  The camp was established in late 1942, initially as a forced-labor camp for Jews from the liquidated Kraków Ghetto and surrounding areas. It was built on the grounds of two Jewish cemeteries. In January 1944, it was converted into a full concentration camp. In the evening, we visited Krakow Old Town and Christmas Market in Rynek Główny Market Square which was cute surrounded by restaurants!

·       Wieliczka Salt Mine – The salt mine is a unique attraction with just a short train ride away from Krakow! It is one of UNESCO World Heritage’s sites. In the 13th century it was known as the largest source of salt in Poland, and over the years it became crucial for the country’s economy. Do bear in mind that only guided tours are available and you won’t see all the chambers as there are about 245 km

Galleries. The tour takes about 2-3 hours if you do see the museum which is optional! You go quite deep down and has many levels. There are 2 routes – the tourist route which is the one I went one and as the name suggests is a great overview of the mines. The miner’s route is a more adventurous routes used by miners. The mines are still in use but not the ones open to the public. I really enjoyed the tour and especially how everything is sculpted in salt and stone. The main Chapel was absolutely stunning, and Mass still happens there on Sundays. The museum was cute as you get to see unseen galleries! The way into the mine is by stairs and there’s quite a lot of stairs! Way out is by lift however, if you are claustrophobicdo beware that there are no lights and depending on how busy it is, you will be squashed with other people like sardines in a tin! It is very unique place of marvel and should definitely be on your list if you are in Krakow!

·       Auschwitz and Birkenau – you cannot miss visiting Auschwitz concentration camps while in Lesser Poland! There are many ways to get tickets. The earlier the better though whether you book directly or through other operators. As mentioned, you can book guided tours through the main website which comes with a price much cheaper than booking through operators. Operators can take you on tours and can be quite expensive depending on how close you book to your ideal date. However, I have read stories where the operators couldn’t secure tickets and hence doing very early morning pick ups such as 2am to queue and try and get tickets which cannot be guaranteed. We  have done self-guided tour which is free. The self-guided tours start at 1pm and because we went during winter, the closing times were 3.30pm which doesn’t leave much time therefore we done Auschwitz camp on 1 day and Birkenau on the 2^nd day so we didn’t rush and explored both camps thoroughly. With the use of ChatGPT, I was a self-appointed guides to my kids and was very good, if I say so myself! You will need your passport to go through security. There are toilet inside the camp in Auschwitz but not Birkenau!  There is luggage storage too and restaurants outside the camp. Auchwitz had more blocks and exhibitions. You can also enter an actual gas chamber. The amount of details and objects you see can be quite overwhelming as expected! It was a very sombre experience. It is adviced that children under 14 are not to visit any of these camps. On the 2^nd day, we went to Birkenau using the free shuttle  just outside the Auschwitz which comes every 10-15minutes. Birkenau was more overwhelming and the vastness and stillness of it was quite bone chilling. You get to enter actual bunkers, the infamous railway track and ruins of gas chambers and crematoriums. I cannot believe that nobody learns from history and horrors like what happened in these camps, still happening! Laksha always wanted to go to these camps and it really hit her quite hard! I have no idea how we are still allowing such levels on human suffering still today!  You can reach the camps by car with plenty of parking available on site, by taxi, Auschwitz train station is a 20minuteswalk or you can get flixbus!

·       Zakopane - Zakopane is Poland's premier mountain resort town, nestled at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, known as the "winter capital" for skiing and snowboarding, but also a vibrant hub for summer hiking, mountaineering, and exploring unique highland culture and "Zakopane Style" wooden architecture. We visited the very famous Krupowski street with its vibrant atmosphere!  We also saw the wooden church and wanted to see the cheese museum but it was only opened during certain days! You can get to the famous furnicular ride which takes you to Gubalowka Hill from the bottom of the hill. We couldn’t go to the hill as the only evening we were free, the cable car closed earlier than expected. You couldn’t hike during the dark hours. It wasn’t clear if we could go by taxi so left it! At the top of the hill ,there are eateries, snowtubing and ski slopes! The town was so picturesque especially in snow and surrounded by mountains! Sunsets were just stunning!

·       Chochołów - Chochołów is a historic, picturesque wooden village in the Polish Tatra Mountains, famous for its beautifully preserved 18th-19th century highlander cottages and local traditions like smoked cheese, ostapek. I went on a little adventure. The kids didn’t want to do it so it was just me for the day! I booked a quad biking and thermal spa experience through GetYourGuide. The quad biking was so good and lasted for 1 hour.  The scenery through the snowy valleys were mind-blowing! We then headed to a shepherd’s hut to have sausage cooked over a fire and smoked cheese which was very filling! We then headed to the biggest thermal spa in Poland, Chochołowskie Termy. It was packed!  It has 30 pools with 2 outdoor pools but the fog blocked the mountain views. There were slides, plenty of jacuzzis and sulphur water, sauna! The outdoor pools had volleyball nets, basketball hoops and a rope structure! We spent 3hours and that was plenty of time!

·       Moskie Oko – this was the highlight of my whole trip! The national park was 30-40minutes from Zakopane bus station. The bus costs 15 zloty per person. The entry free to the park was 11 zloty. There are many hikes in the national park but the most famous one is Morskie Oko which is a 4hour roundtrip hike along a very long asphalt road so this hike is completely accessible! However, if you cannot walk that long, there are horse carriages which will take you about an hour and 150 zloty per person one way. The day I went was snow free but there was ice. The shortcuts were full of ice so was a tad challenging! But the views along the way were beautiful and the Morskie Oko was just wow! Absolutely jaw dropping! The lake was completely frozen and I walked on it which was a new experience for me and I cannot tell enough how beautiful it is. There’s a café and toilet as well but take time to admire the views! I mean, once in a lifetime experience.

·       Kuznice – Kuznice is a small village near Zakopane and the bus costs us 5 zloty per person. Kuznice is famous for the famous Kasprowy Weirch mountain. It is one of Poland's main winter ski areas. Its dominant southern crests mark the border with Slovakia. It is accessible in most conditions by foot and daily by cablecar. The cable car takes about 15mins and we booked our tickets in advance as we didn’t know how busy it will be. However, we picked the wrong day as it was very foggy and snow so we couldn’t do any hikes. You have 1hr40 at the summit! There is a restaurant as well! We nevertheless enjoyed the mountains! It was like in the movies and the first Christmas Eve we spent in snowy environments!

 

Overall, we enjoyed Poland. We will return to explore other areas! Poland, you did not disappoint!