Career Break Travel: Wroclaw, Krakow & Zakopane

We first knew about the pretty town of Wroclaw while scrolling through IG and knew that it had to be on our list. Since we were already going to be in Poland, we decided to tack on two other cities for our trip – Krakow and Zakopane.

Gdańsk was high up on our list as well, but it was too out of the way to the other places that we were going to visit. For the next trip then!

Poland was our next stop after the Czech Republic, and the third country out of 10 that we visited on our 3-month long career break trip.

Days spent in Poland

A total of 11 days, with 3 nights spent in Wroclaw, 5 nights in Krakow, and 3 nights in Zakopane

Highlights

• The beautiful scenery in Zakopane – We might have had sore and aching legs after the consecutive days of hiking, but the breathtaking scenery was more than worth it!

After 18 days of cities and towns, we were more than ready for greenery and nature. Unfortunately because of the rain and the late start, we didn’t manage to reach the summit at Mount Giewont. We also didn’t have time to hike up the Black Lake near Morskie Oko.

But we’re so proud of ourselves for hiking this much given that we barely work out!

• Catching dwarves – It was fun trying to spot all 300-plus dwarf statues in Wroclaw. They’re all around and such an entertaining way to explore the city!

• The beautiful architecture – From the colourful buildings in the old town in Wroclaw that look like cutouts from a fairytale to the beautiful churches and the pretty interiors of Oratorium Marianum, there was amazing architecture almost everywhere.

• Licking salt from the ceilings – Our visit to Wieliczka salt mine was so fun! The guide was entertaining and she had such high energy. She also called the shops inside the mine “tourist traps” – how honest of her!

We tasted the salt from the ceilings of the salt mine, but off our fingers! We didn’t want to lick them directly even though the guide encouraged it. We also tasted the water from the streams and it was so insanely saline that I could almost feel my hair falling off!

The never-ending winding stairs 132m down to the salt mines was definitely worth it.

Lowlights

• Being victims of credit card fraud – WJ found out one of the evenings we were in Krakow. Luckily he spotted it a short while after it happened, so we cancelled the card and managed to get the money back a few weeks later.

It seems like the transactions were made in Indonesia, so the card details might have been stolen on one of our earlier trips!

• Staying too few nights in Zakopane – 3 nights was not enough. There were so many more hiking trails that we wanted to explore, but since we’d already booked our bus out and the next Airbnb, we couldn’t stay longer.

We’ll definitely be back!

• The rainy weather – It rained non-stop in Krakow when we were there, and on and off in Wroclaw and Zakopane!

We only brought Uniqlo packable parkas with us on the trip, and that brings me to a fun fact below…

Fun mentions

• Uniqlo packable parkas are not meant to be raincoats! We got drenched within a few minutes in the downpour more than once.

We must have looked so ridiculous with our ‘raincoats’ stuck to our skins, especially when standing in line waiting for our tour to begin! Everyone else looked so cozy in their proper raincoats and jackets or safe under umbrellas and we were the only two jokers shivering.

• Here’s another bad packing choice on my part – I didn’t bring along any warm leggings or ‘proper’ pants. All my bottoms were either shorts or thin and airy pants since I figured it was summer, and summer is supposed to be hot, right?

So… I didn’t factor in for the cooler temperatures higher up in the mountains. Neither did I factor in the wind and a greater drop in temperature when it rains.

I was shivering about one-quarter the time we were in Poland, especially when it was raining in Zakopane. I really regretted taking out the Uniqlo heattech leggings from my backpack at the last minute!

Where we stayed

The Absynt Apart Wierzbowa in Wroclaw was spacious, airy and it was so hard to leave – especially in the rainy weather! WJ cooked almost every breakfast and some dinners the time we stayed there.

In Krakow, we stayed at Rembrandt Aparthotel, right in the Old Town. It was a no-frills place, but really convenient with eateries everywhere, and a stone’s throw from most of the sights!

Our place at Zakopane, Willa Centrum, was a little secluded and very dark on the way in. But the room was pretty cosy and we could grab some complimentary drinks and biscuits.

How much we spent in Poland

Item	Expenditure
Accommodation	$683.27
Food	$304.19
Transport	$117.29
Attractions	$231.88
Miscellaneous	$26.23
Total	$1,362.86

We spent a total of S$1,362.86 for the both of us.

Transport costs include the journey from Prague to Wroclaw.

Where we went next

Off we went to Poprad on a 2-hour bus ride for more of the Tatra Mountains!