We left the luxury of the Intercontinental and stepped out of the air-conditioned cool of the lobby and into the blazing June sunshine. It may have been early but it was a proper summers day and we pulled our cases along the short and sweaty walk to Warsaw Central station where we had a date with a high speed train.
Train: EIP5300 Warsaw to Krakow
Depart: Warszawa Centr 08:42
Arrive: Krakow Glowny 11:11
Seats: Coach 1, Seats 33 & 35 First Class
Locomotive: ED250 Pendolino Maximum Speed 250 km/h
We entered the modern exterior of the shopping mall/station complex that makes up Warsaw Central. Inside it did look a little grim, and it wasn’t easy to find our train’s platform. We were glad we’d left early, especially with our hotel trying to charge us for four complementary breakfasts. We eventually found our platform and made our way down into the depths of the station.
Our train finally pulled into the station and yes, it was a beauty of a high speed train. For the uninitiated Poland has been spending big on high speed rail and the EIP train is the flagship. These fantastic creatures have now been around for nearly a decade, so they really shouldn’t be such a big secret.
These ED250 Pendolino trains are special as they do not contain the signature tilting mechanism implied in their name.
So, how would our high speed trip hold up. First impressions were excellent. Our carriage was spacious and modern, there was plenty of space for luggage, the aisles were wide.
We easily found our reserved seats and settled in for the 2.5 hour journey to Krakow. Our seats were comfortable with decent recline. There were also video screens and plenty of announcements.
As first class passengers we were also entitled to receive a snack and two drinks (hot and cold – coffee or tea and mineral water, juice or Coca-Cola), as well as a meal from the dedicated menu. We hoped the food would not come too early as we were still stuffed from breakfast! We settled in whilst our train picked up speed as it made its way out of the city centre. In truth the views were not much to write about on this 2.5 hour journey.
Due to engineering works what was initially a short delay to our train gradually increased. The scenery also didn’t improve much beyond lush green fields. Just as we’d had enough, things started to look a little more urban and our train pulled into Krakow. After taking an initial wrong turn we realised all we had to do was traverse the shopping mall that was built above the station and we were two minutes from our hotel.
Hotel: Hotel Indigo Krakow Old Town
Room: King Bed Premium City View – Room 504 (2 Category Upgrade from Booked Standard Room)
Status: Diamond Ambassador
Located down a quiet side street the hotel had plenty of character, which is always what you hope for in a Hotel Indigo property.
Our initial impression of the building ticked all the boxes. However, our first impression of the service was marred by the front desk trying to up-sell us an upgrade to a suite that would be ready right away. As much as it would have been fun to have the suite we didn’t feel it was worth an extra 50% on our room rate for just one night. Miraculously when we declined the paid upgrade, a slightly less upgraded room became available.
We squeezed into the lift and trundled up to the top floor of the hotel, enjoying the art work and reminiscing about when Anne-So lived in Paris and there was a similar style of lift.
Our room did indeed have fantastic views of Krakow if you could lever yourself up high enough, open the Velux window and peer out. We struggled to do so. Maybe this should room category should be changed to Premium Loft Style Panoramic Using a Step Ladder and Sense of Adventure City View.
With little time and much to see we did not spend long in the room and quickly made our way back outside.
Krakow reminded me a lot of our home town of Canterbury, though the execution is somewhat different. The old city wall and moat that once surrounded the city has been largely converted into parks, the old medieval buildings that remain (or that have been replaced post World War 2) have been nicely restored.
With no particular plan other than to eventually end up at Wawel Castle we took our time wandering from street to street, occasionally gazing at our guidebook when the view demanded it.
Eventually like just about everybody else that visits Krakow we found ourselves in the giant town square that holds a market hall (no, not like the ones in London) and a striking church.
St Mary’s Basilica whose spire had long since caught our eye thanks to it’s two asymmetrical towers (one for bells, one for bugles) as we had made our way towards the square. We debated the small admission fee, checked out guide, checked Google and finally gave in.
We were so glad we did. On entering the nave our breaths were immediately taken away by the deep blue ceiling with gold detailing. Looking around we enjoyed the stained glass windows, the organ, the art work as well as the note to the late pope who hailed from Krakow. No wonder this was the second most important church in Krakow after Wawel Cathedral. Though we found St Mary’s the more spectacular looking of the two.
We did think about strolling around the town square but it was baking hot and as lunchtime approached we settled for the shelter of the market hall, a disappointing covered street of commerce hawking every possible bit of Polish tourist tat money could buy.
Quickly departing the shade we passed the Piotr Skarga monument and St. Andrew’s Church, before making our way slowly up the incline into the grounds of Wawel Castle.
Although due to the time of our visit the main Castle complex itself was closed, we could still freely wander the grounds, take in the views of Krakow and enjoy the sunshine. It also meant that crowds were minimal, and that’s always a bonus.
Thankfully Wawel Cathedral was open and it is home to a number of import and famous items, two of which are still stuck in my mind; a giant bell and a dragon’s tooth! If you are interested I’m sure your guide book or search engine of choice will yield the answers to any questions you have about either!
After the castle and cathedral we walked back down but this time headed into a slightly less touristy part of town. Krakow has begun to remember it’s Jewish heritage once more, and a number of the old synagogues are slowing coming back to life along side a number of restaurants inspired by traditional Polish Jewish cuisine.
Sadly with only a single full day in Krakow we arrived too late to step inside any of the synagogues and with a trip back to Warsaw the following day, insufficient meal times to try one of these restaurants, oh well, another reason to return one day.
After such an insane amount of steps, that even my watch had lost count it was finally dinner time.
Pod Aniolami was our choice for dinner, and yes, it was tourist central with its medieval theme. Thankfully service was friendly, portions were huge and prices low.
The food was also very tasty. It’s important to arrive hungry as you certainly won’t leave that way, unless perhaps you you prefer a meat/carb free diet.
We enjoyed a slow, romantic walk back towards the hotel. It had been an excellent day in Krakow.
The next morning came round all too soon and we made our way down to breakfast. Having been spoiled by a “proper” five star breakfast at the Raffles, and a decent five star breakfast at the IC we were now back in the realms of lower luxury.
Choice, quality and quantity were missing, though I did enjoy my traditional Polish breakfast, the sausages were pretty tasty.
Anne-So’s eggs Benedict on the other hand was a major drop in quality from what had come before.
We filled up on coffee and toast knowing it would be a long day of travel.
We spent the morning wandering the old town, passing by the Saints Peter and Paul Church and that blinking statue that seemed to be in every photograph. Our final stop was the Poor Clares Monastery, for the most humble order of nuns, make of it what you will.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped by the market to pick up some lunch for the train, as was often the case during our time in Poland, the prices were low and the portions generous. We checked out of the hotel and made our way to the station and began the trip home.
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