I can’t recommend the city of Krakow highly enough. One of the most enjoyable and informative ways to get acquainted with this beautiful city is take a four hour cycle tour with “the cool tour company”. Our group of four were lucky enough to have a guide to ourselves for the afternoon and he personalised the tour to suit our interests. Matheus was incredibly knowledgeable about his city, taking us round the old town, along the river Vistula, and into Kazimierz - the Jewish district. You don’t have to be fit to do the tour as you make frequent stops, and over lunch Matheus was able to answer any question we put him about the history of Krakow. We enjoyed cycling so much that on another day we hired bikes ourselves and cycled out of the city, along the river and through leafy suburbs to the Koscuiszki mound, a man-made memorial to an 18th century Polish patriot, which commands great views of the city. The company does other trips on foot and further afield which also come highly recommended.

www.cooltourcompany.com
Grodzka Street,no 2 (courtyard)
+48 12 4302034
Google map: bit.ly/14202IO

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We had an amazing time on this tour. From the moment the Trabant turned up to collect us at our hotel it turned heads. Fellow guests who were due to go on a tour of the city in a coach looked on enviously as we got in our quirky transport. Our guide was very knowledgeable and the tour gives an interesting insight into life under communism. The highlight by far was the car and all its quirks! Would highly recommend the tour to anyone visiting Krakow.

www.crazyguides.com/
ul.Krakusów 1a/31, 30-092 Kraków
+48 5000 91 200

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I went to Krakow with my friend to hear her daughter sing in her Leeds choir in a number of wonderful churches in Krakow. We felt - reluctantly - that we should visit Auschwitz and Birkenau camps while we were there. I'm so glad we went. I came away feeling there isn't anyone on the planet who wouldn't benefit from having a closer look at the stark reality of such an event in living history. Sobering, moving and unforgettable.

en.auschwitz.org.pl/
(+48) 33 844 81 00
Google map: bit.ly/XrIj83

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Auschwitz - if you happen to be in Poland, this should be on your itinerary. You'll need a whole day and there are excellent tours operating from out of Krakow. My tip: take a tour but get there early before the crowds arrive to allow you some time for private reflection before thousands of tourists descend to pose (while smiling!) in front of the 'Arbeit Macht Frei' sign. The tour will take all day (there are two sites to visit - Auschwitz and Birkenau). To gain some minute impression of the unimaginable hardships endured go at the height of summer or deepest winter. End the day reflecting on the infinite courage humans are capable of (there are examples of this which shine out like beacons among the cruelty and horror) in one of the many excellent local restaurants in the old Jewish quarter in Krakow. You may never enjoy the taste of food, the warmth of an open fire or the feeling of how lucky we are to be alive more than now.

en.auschwitz.org.pl/
(+48) 33 844 81 00
Google map: bit.ly/XrIj83

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