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Weekend Outside of Kraków
Looking for the charm of the countryside?
Photo by A. Otrębski
Check out:
Doliny (Valleys) Podkrakowskie
About a dozen kilometres to the north-west of Kraków, in the Rudawa River-basin: Będkowska, Kobylaska, Bolechowicka, Kluczwody.
There, carved out of Jurrasic calcium, are dungeons, gateways, sopires and maces sticking out of the sheer slopes of the ravines, creating a very picturesque landscape. Mini-buses leave from parking lot at ul. Pawia (journey takes about 50 min., mini-buses leave once an hour).
Ojców National Park
Situated about 20 km north of town in the Prądnik Valley, home to rare flora and fauna, incredible rock formations, including the famous Mace of Hercules, and over 200 caves. Above all this, there are the ruins of the Ojców castle and the beautiful, renaissance castle in Pieskowa Skała. The bus leaves from the PKS station (1 hr, once an hour).
The Tatra Moutains
100 km south of Kraków, and the highest alpine mountain range in Poland. Here you will also find picturesque calcium valleys, with gloomy and foreboding vertical granite slopes
and sharp peaks, all reflected in lakes. The bus leaves from the PKS station (2 hrs, once per hour). There are also trains.
Longing for romance?
Visit:
Babice
30 km to the west, in the direction of Oświęcim. The ruins of the Castle of Cracovian Bishops in Lipowiec, where once lay the reformatory for priests. At the foot of the castle, in Wygiełzów, there lies a charming heritage village of peasant huts from western regions of the Kraków territories. Mini-buses leave from the parking lot at ul. St. Worcella. (1 hr, once per hour).
Podzamcze
65 km to the north, the ruins of a renaissancegothic castle "Ogrodzieniec", where the wall remnants go together with the surrounding cliffs to make an exceptional view. Part of the "Eagle's Nest", literally hung on the rocks. The bus leaves from PKS station (around 1hr 30 min, 5 daily).
Photo by A. Otrębski
Lanckorona
30 minutes in the direction of Wadowice. One of those sleepy towns where the cats amble down the streets and summer-trippers relax in villas from between the wars. Wooden homes in the Market Square bear the characteristic touches of the 19th century. The ideal spot for contemplation and photographing. Buses leave from the PKS station (1 hr, 6 daily).
Niepołomice
35 km southeast of Kraków, on the bank of the Vistula River, lies the summer residence of the Polish kings. This beautifully restored Renaissance castle, which has been called `little Wawel', holds an exhibition gallery, conference halls and restaurants. The town also has an ancient Gothic church, and right nearby the Niepołomice plains, with a European bison reserve. Mini buses leave from the parking lot at ul. Pawia every hour.
Do You Want to Know History?
Go see:
Auschwitz-Birkenau (Oświęcim-Brzezinka)
The site of the tragic sufferings of millions of victims of the Nazi system. On the terrain of what 64 years ago was once a concentration camp stands a gate with the infamous inscription "Arbeit macht frei". Mini-buses leave from the parking lot at ul. St. Worcella (1 hr 30 min., once an hour), buses from the PKS station. There are also trains.
Wieliczka
12 km from town. Salt mine with tourist route passes by magnificent underground lakes, thourgh historic chambers and cavities, and unique chapels with most extraordinary salt sculptures and reliefs. Mini-buses leave from the parking lot by the PKS station (30 min., every twenty min.), or you can take the train (25 min., every hour).
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
35 km to the northwest. The baroque group of monasteries together with Kalwaria, or a number of chapels along the road of the Lord's Suffering and the Trails of the Mother of God. Buses go from the PKS station (1 hr, every 20 min.), mini-buses from the parking lot at ul. St. Worcella (every hour).
Want to Go Swimming?
Try:
Kryspinów.
Very close to Kraków, on the road to Oświęcim, a pond with a surface of 80 ha, created by the extraction of a great deal of sand.
Zarabie. 40 km. from Kraków, near Myślennice, amidst the wooded hills of Beskid Makowski, rapidly flows the Raba. Its clean waters ensure a good dip in the summer heat.
Want to Meditate?
Make for:
Szczyrzyc. A settlement near the Cysterian Monastery 50 km. southeast. In this gothic-baroque church you will find a beautiful 17th-century image of the Mother of God, a symbol of cult worship. Surrounded by forested hills and the extraordinary "Devil's Rock."
Czerna. 25 km. to the west, a baroque group of Carmelite monasteries in the remarkable vicinity of the Elijah Valley. The cult painting of the Berobed Mother of God is to be found here, as is the Sanctuary of St. Rafal Kalinowski.
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