3. Head to the Jewish district
Singer Café, photo: Wojciech Matusik / Forum Plac Nowy, the heart and center of the nightlife in Kazimierz (Kraków's historical Jewish district), is brimmed with cafes and bars that are worth discovering both during the day and at night. Check out the funky furniture and quirky decorations crafted by local artists at Klub Finka or sip a spritzer at Kolory Café and feel like you’ve been teleported to Paris. Dance on top of Singer Café’s tables into the early weekend morning hours. Alchemia reigns as one of the area’s infamous establishments. It seems as if time has stopped in this legendary bar. The mismatching creaky chairs, eerie ancestral photographs, wax stained tables, and precariously leaning over candles add to the place’s mystical character. The downstairs area holds concerts almost every night of the week with music genres that are variegated enough to suite anyone’s taste. The bar recently opened an adjacent dining area, Alchemia from the Kitchen which serves tasty meals into the late hour.
Klub Finka, fot. materiały prasowe Neighboring Alchemia is Miejsce. This is a good place to venture into during the late night hours. The sun never seems to set over this establishment. Retro designed chairs reminiscent of the 60s fill the bar. As the friendly bartenders pour drinks, watch out for the hanging lamps that are precariously swung around as the night progresses. Miejsce’s owners run their very own vintage furniture store right down the block on Miodowa Street that is worth checking out during the day. If you haven’t had your fill for the night, Piękny Pies on Bozego Cialo is another venue that is never empty.
Alchemia, photo: Wojciech Pacewicz / Forum Exiting Plac Nowy be sure to walk down Jozefa. The street is a kaleidoscope of constantly changing bars and cafes. Eszeweria is most notable. It holds one of Kazimierz’s most charming summer gardens. Pop up designer concept stores and vintage shops are very abundant here as well.
4. Cross over to the other side of the river
MOCAK, fot. Rafał Sosin Podgorze, once a rarely visited area on the Vistula’s South bank, is slowly attracting more visitors with its restaurants and cafes lining its rundown but picturesque streets. Numerous green parks and river boulevards provide an escape from the crowded city center. The hauntingly beautiful and slightly run-down old mansions on streets that seem to twist into mazes give the area its mysterious feel. There is an abandoned fortress to discover, the Liban quarry to explore (it still holds the abandoned remnants of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List highly realistic Plaszow Labor Camp set), and the Krakus mound to climb.
Unsound Festiwal, 2014, Krakow, photo: Fundacja Tone Two museums that cannot be missed when visiting Krakow are located in Podgorze: MOCAK, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow and the recently opened Cricoteka Tadeusz Kantor Museum. Be sure to check out the photo exhibits at Bal, a gallery/café right next to MOCAK. Go on to grab a drink at Drukarnia, one of Podgorze’s most established café/bars. Cargo Coffee is one of the newest additions to the coffeehouse scene. The warehouse converted coffee shop has a very different feel from most places in Kraków. The industrial, high-beam rugged décor evokes a port town feel. Various coffee appliances and coffee bean containers add to the atmosphere.
A trip to Podgorze is incomplete without paying a visit to Forum Przestrzenie. Forum, which for decades stood as an unattractive lifeless hotel used for hanging banners and advertisements, has transformed into one of Kraków’s trendiest spots. The massive USSR style building’s upper levels are unfortunately closed to the general public, but the downstairs venue is popular both day and night. Pop up local designer shops have made their home here. During the summer, the space before Forum becomes a rocky beach where locals lounge on beach chairs, order food and drinks from the bar inside, and enjoy the Wawel castle view. Local food fests, film screenings and yoga classes are popular here as well. During the winter, one can rent a pair of skates and enjoy the artificial ice skating rink set up in front of the building. At night, the place becomes a music venue where DJs from home and abroad keep the crowds dancing until the morning hours. Forum is home to Krakow’s many major music festivals such as Unsound and recently Warp Records 25th anniversary celebration took place here.
There you have it, an alternative guide to Krakow, always known as Poland’s city of artists and bohemians. Presently, thousands of tourists from across the globe override parts of the city. Somehow, it manages to maintain its uniqueness. Steer clear of the beaten cobblestones and discover all the surprises this particular city still has to offer.
And if Kraków ends up not being your thing:
