Although my stay in Krakow was fairly brief, and seemed even more so with two trips out of   the city to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz-Birkenau, there was still time to get a good flavour of the city. There’s lots to see and plenty of good food in Krakow. You can read about our great night at the Copernicus by clicking here.

On our final night we headed to the city’s main square. Rynek Glowny dates back to the 13th century and covers over 9 acres, making it one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe. It’s surrounded by stylish townhouses and dominated by the Cloth Hall which was originally a hub of trading. You’ll also see the Town Hall Tower and two churches, including the beautiful Gothic towers of St Mary’s Basilica.

The towers dominate the skyline of this grand square

All commercial activity took place in this square and it was where regal ceremonies were held as well as public executions. Now it’s the place to head for that all-important souvenir shopping, to taste some local street food and to find a wide selection of bars and restaurants. It’s a stylish square and there’s plenty of entertainment on offer in the evenings with buskers and traditional dancers, as well as lots of traditional wares for sale.

After a pleasant meander, our final destination was the stylish Szara Ges. A modern space offering great views of the square’s grandeur and delicious contemporary Polish food.

As the logo hints at, their speciality is goose, so I couldn’t resist the foie gras. Not just any old foie gras though, ice cream made from foie gras and served with macerated figs and cherries and Tokaj grape jelly. Some wonderfully soft and sweet brioche completed the dish perfectly. I feel I’m going to be searching for foie gras ice cream for a long time now, trouble is I’m really not sure how many places I’m going to be able to find it in.

Inventive and tasty foie gras ice cream to start with

The second starter enjoyed by our group involved beetroot. Well, there would have to be a beetroot option, we are in Poland after all. My brother Frank (who I’ve mentioned before has always had a strong dislike of beetroot…until now) actually ordered it. So much has Poland made him fall in love with the humble beet! It was described as goat’s cheese, baked pepper marmalade and beet leaves in beet ash. Looks beautiful and he was still talking about how wonderful it tasted days later.

The vibrancy of beets and their ash

I ordered another starter as my main course – a handy trick when you’re on a eating holiday. The gravlax was macerated in salt and served with homemade creme fraiche and dill and topped with crisp, peppery radishes. A beautifully dense piece of fish packed with flavour and spiciness.

Sweet and spicy gravlax

The beef fillet was served with goose potato tagliatelle – more of that goose theme – with the crispy shreds of potatoes fried in that most delicious of all fat, and a green peppercorn sauce.

Beef fillet nestles under crispy potato

The cod fillet mignon was grilled and served with zucchini puree and crayfish. A delicate fish dish to savour.

Grilled cod with a delightful sauce

And of course, there would have to be a duck dish. The duck in Poland comes highly recommended by me! Served beautifully rare it came with cauliflower and liquified foie gras. Fabulous.

The tenderest of duck dishes with liquid foie gras

After dinner while we were pondering dessert we sampled a couple of vodkas on recommendation of our lovely waiter.

When in Poland…drink vodka

This dessert was called Copernicus. Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish scholar who formulated a model of the universe that placed the sun at the centre of the universe rather than the sun – a somewhat radical theory at the time. His father was from Krakow. And this dish portrays the sun at the centre with the other planets orbiting around it.

The beautifully yellow and chocolate dessert

Eating at Szara Ges was a lovely experience. The service was welcoming and expert without being too overwhelming and it was perfect to be in the heart of all the night time activity.

Szarages is at Rynek Glowny 17, in Krakow’s main square.

Dining Squares

Rynek Glowny is lined with bars and restaurants on all sides serving a mix of Polish, Italian and eclectic dishes. I enjoyed this delicious duck breast with cherry sauce, apple and roast potatoes.

Duck is a Polish speciality

You’ll find plenty of Polish delicacies in the bustling market in the centre of the square.

Exotic-looking sheeps cheese

We loved these deliciously smoky cheese bites cooked on the grill with bacon. It’s called Oscypek and is made in the mountains where it’s cured in hot smoke for up to 14 days. It’s seriously smoky with a tasty, unique flavour.

Polish Oscypek – smoked mountain cheese

And then there’s the square in the Kazimierz, the Old Jewish Quarter, again offering a range of places to enjoy food and beverages. We tasted the delicious local dumplings (pierogi) served with a creamy sauce.

More dumpling delight – and a creamy sauce

If you want to do a tour of the city in what I would describe as a golf buggy, there are plenty available for hire in both squares. They all come with a recorded, informative commentary. It’s a fun way to see the three main historic areas – the Old Town, Kazimierz (the Old Jewish Quarter) and the Krakow Ghetto where Schindler’s factory is.

And another thing

You can’t go to Krakow and not visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines. Just half an hour’s drive away they are an absolute wonder. You climb down hundreds of stairs and meander through a world of salt – it needs to be seen to be believed. There’s a large ballroom area where the chandeliers are made of salt crystals, beautifully lit underground lakes, salt statues and an explanation of how everything worked in the days when salt was an expensive commodity and it was prestigious (and well paid) to work here. One of the best strangely unusual things I’ve ever done, if that makes any sense at all.

Stunning salt chandeliers

Where to stay

We stayed at the Metropolitan Boutique Hotel which is a five minute walk from Kazimierz and less than 15 to Rynek Glowny. It’s a modern hotel with beautifully comfortable rooms, a cosy dining room where you have your delicious breakfast spread and a lovely little courtyard.

The dining room turns into their Fab Fusion restaurant at night where you can enjoy an interesting selection of dishes with a mix of Italian, Asian and Polish flavours.

We organised all our excursions through the hotel. The service was fantastic, helpful, efficient and friendly. Everyone really made an effort to make us feel immediately at home. Which we did!

Oh and there’s a Biedronka opposite (it means ladybird in Polish, they have the cutest logo) – and it’s a supermarket. Always handy.

The Metropolitan is at ul Berka Jaseluricza 19, Krakow