Krakow
Krakow isn’t just the jewel in Poland’s crown – it’s a beautiful city that everyone should visit (at least) once in their lifetime!
From its trinity of UNESCO World Heritage sites to fun days out in Energylandia Park or the Tatras mountains, there’s a full itinerary for school trips of any number of days.
A combination of its excellent accessibility from Ireland with lower prices makes it a very affordable school tour option for Irish schools.
Sample 5 day / 4 night itinerary
Day 1
- Fly to Krakow – collected at John Paul II / Balice airport.
- Explore Rynek Glowny (Krakow’s old medieval square). Your walking tour includes The Cloth Hall, St. Mary’s Church, the Town Hall Tower and some of the many underground cellars.
- Rynek Glowny is the largest medieval square in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Keep your ears open for the bell ringing 4 times each hour and find out the reason why!
- Transfer to your accommodation for check-in and dinner
Day 2
- Today is all about exploring the history of World War II.
- After breakfast, visit the Schindler factory – once the site of Oskar Schindler’s enamel works (made famous in the film “Schindler’s list”. Today it’s home to a very interesting museum commemorating the history of Krakow under occupation in WW II.
- Visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp – a sobering reminder of the abject cruelty of the Nazi regime.
Day 3
- Full day in Energylandia Park – no school tour is complete with a day at an amusement park to burn off some energy!
Day 4
- After breakfast, transfer to Wieliczka Salt Mine – one of the first 12 World Heritage sites announced by UNESCO in 1978.
- What might seem unusual as a “must-visit” attraction on a school tour, Wieliczka turns out to be a fascinating and quirky trip to 300m below the surface. On your walk through a maze of tunnels, you’ll see chandeliers, a variety of statues, a chapel to St. Kinga and a representation of The Last Supper – all made from salt!
- In the afternoon, visit Krakow Water Park and its various pools and slides.
Day 5
- Visit a candy manufacturer and make (and eat!) your own samples. A sweet way to start your final day!
- Free time for some last-minute shopping in the old square before transferring to the airport for your flight home.
Building Your Itinerary - Cornerstones
Cornerstones are the attractions that should form the core of any itinerary – the “do not miss” items!
For us there are 5 such attractions in Krakow:
- Rynek Glowny: The medieval square and the famous buildings nearby.
- Auschwitz-Birkenau.
- Wieliczka Salt Mine.
- Energylandia: Every tour needs a fun day!
- Krakow history – Include at least one of: the Schindler factory / A tour around the Jewish quarter in Kazimierz / Galicia Jewish Museum.
Itinerary - Day Trips
Auschwitz (most of a day), Wieliczka (half a day) and Energylandia (full day) take up a lot of your itinerary. But there are other options:
Rafting on the Dunajec river: Spend 2-3 hours on the Dunajec, rafting through a gorge. Afterwards, discover Niedzica Castle and the ruins of Czorsztyn Castle.
Ojców National Park: Explore Jurassic rock formations, caves, castles and art collections.
Zakopane and the Tatras: Enjoy the wooden architecture and folk clothes of beautiful Zakopane before walking in the hills of nearby Tatra National Park.
Exploring Polish Folk Culture: Try your hand at creating traditional decorations at painting workshops in Zalapie, before seeing how people lived in wooden villages 100 years ago in Wygielzów’s Ethnographic Museum.
Itinerary Fillers and Evening Activities
As if you didn’t have enough to do in all that’s included above, there are a few activities in Krakow that can fill any gaps in an itinerary – or pass an evening!
- River cruise on the Vistula.
- Wawel Castle and cathedral.
- Visit Lost Souls Alley – Krakow’s haunted house!
- Try to get out of Escape Rooms.
- Make (and eat) your own obwarzanek – traditional Polish dough rings – or try your hand at making traditional Polish dumplings.
- Attend a workshop on making chocolate.
- The “old reliables” – bowling, ice-skating or karaoke!
Accommodation Options
We work with Draggo House which is ideal for school groups; a hostel in name but much more like a hotel in facilities!
All its rooms and dorms are ensuite and have a capacity from 2 to 10 beds. Recent upgrades mean that each bed has its own socket and light, while towels and linen are supplied too.
Throw in the green space, cellar bar and the capacity to have all meals on-site and you have your accommodation. Oh, did we mention its location just off the main square Rynek Glowny?
Of course, if a hotel is your preferred option, that can be done too. But Krakow just became super-affordable thanks to Gregorzgorz and crew at Draggo!
Connections from Ireland
With daily flights from Dublin and 3 flights a week from Shannon (Ryanair), Krakow has never been more accessible as a school tour option for Irish schools.
All our itineraries are designed to make the best use of the time available to you – the above itinerary is just a sample of what’s possible.
