Weekend in Poland: our trip to Wroclaw and Krakow

Hi guys, in this post, I would like to share my experience of spending a weekend in Poland visiting Wroclaw and Krakow in one trip. I visited Poland in December and I will tell you everything you need to know about the weather in Poland in December. Our trip was also quite affordable, so if you’re looking for the options to visit Krakow on a budget, you’re in a right place! 

Weekend in Poland: our itinerary for Poland in December 

The main reason for our trip was to visit the Christmas Markers in Wroclaw and Krakow. I’ve heard that Poland is especially pretty in December, when it’s decorated for Christmas and I should confirm that rumors are true! However, you must keep in mind that the weather in Poland in December could be far from great. But about that – a bit later. 

So our itinerary for a long weekend in Poland included 3 cities: Wroclaw, Krakow and Rzeszow. That was due to the ticket prices for the weekend when we could travel to Poland. We arrived in Wroclaw on Thursday night, took a FlixBus to Krakow on Saturday morning, hopped on a FlixBus from Krakow to Rzeszow on Saturday afternoon and departed from Rzeszow on Sunday night.

Cheapest way to get to Poland from London

The cheapest way to get to Poland from London is by bus, however, I don’t know many people who would like to spend 1.5 days in a bus. Luckily, there are a couple of low-cost airlines flying to Poland and the tickets are generally very cheap if you buy them on sales or some time in advance. I usually buy European tickets at least 1.5 months in advance and I managed to snatch £10 tickets a couple of times (tickets to Toulouse, France are always cheap and Toulouse is actually a wonderful city – read my post about weekend in Toulouse here or about 5 charming villages near Toulouse that we visited during our second trip to Toulouse. Also, we got £10 return tickets to Marseille and spend a lovely weekend there in January).

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Cheapest way to travel to Krakow 

I haven’t seen any very cheap tickets to Krakow, as it’s the most touristic city in Poland (and probably the prettiest as well), however, you can always fly to Rzeszow (check the price of the tickets now) that is 2h 20 min away from Krakow or to Wroclaw that is 3 hours away from Krakow and buy a ticket to Krakow on FlixBus (they are generally very cheap as well). 

Weather in Poland: what to pack for Poland in December?

As I already mentioned, we went to Wroclaw and Krakow in December and the weather in Poland in December could be cold or very cold. Sometimes there is already snow in Poland in December, however, we were lucky (or unlucky) to not experience it. Anyway, you need to bring a warm (preferably) long waterproof jacket (it rains a lot in Poland in December), warm leather / faux leather shoes, hat, gloves and a long scarf. If the forecast says that the temperatures will sink below zero, bring some thermal underpants, as it could be very cold and you will have to walk a lot to explore the cities. 

Same goes for November to March – as the weather in Poland is usually quite cold and unstable during these months. However, summer can be very hot – so check a forecast beforehand and plan your wardrobe accordingly.

Our itinerary for a weekend in Poland: Wroclaw and Krakow in one trip 

Wroclaw in December: Christmas Markets and busy restaurants.
On a day 1, we flew to Wroclaw from London after work and arrived quite late, around midnight.  Nonetheless, there was still a bus from the airport to the Wroclaw city centre that we happily took. The price was 3.5 Zl per person and for some reason, the machine only accepted cards. So make sure to bring a contactless card with you. I use the online bank Revolut as they don’t have fees for transaction abroad and paying for stuff overseas is as cheap as in the UK. 

Where to stay in Wroclaw: accommodations for any budget

Where to stay in Wroclaw? Wroclaw is not an expensive city and in Poland you can actually afford luxury for less. Here are some of the top-rated hotels in Wroclaw for any budget: 

Luxury hotels in Wroclaw (luxury, but still very affordable): Grape Hotel and The Granary.

Comfort & affordable hotels in Wroclaw: PURO Wroclaw, Centrum Dikul.

Cheap (but great) accommodations in Wroclaw: Active Hotel, MoHo L Hostel.

Things to do in Wroclaw 

Wroclaw might not be as famous as Krakow or Warsaw, but it’s actually a great city to visit in Poland and Wroclaw is definitely one of the most beautiful cities in Poland. There are plenty of things you can do in Wroclaw.
We visited Poland in December, so one of the best things to do in Wroclaw in December is definitely visiting the Wroclaw Christmas Market. The Christmas Market in Wroclaw is the biggest one I’ve seen in my entire life – not only it takes the entire main square that is enormous, but it spreads to other streets in the Old Town as well. 

There are plenty of things you can buy at the Christmas Market in Wroclaw – from traditional goods from Poland, e.g. furs, scarves, clothing to traditional foods, international food like pizza or pasta and Christmas decorations. 

Other things to do in Wroclaw (not nesessarily in December) 

• When going to Wroclaw, definitely head to the Old town and walk around for a while, visiting narrow beautiful streets of the city. 
• Climb the St. Elizabeth church – from there you can see the most impressive panorama of the Old Town in Wroclaw. 
• Have a meal in one of the traditional restaurants on the main square – be aware of the fact that you’ll have to stand in the queue waiting for the table, as these restaurants are very touristy and get really crowded. We actually couldn’t visit any of those on the second night, in December everything is really packed and many restaurants are closed for private events. We tried 6 restaurants and ended up in an Asian restaurant – not precisely the best cuisine to try in Poland.
• See the 360-degree panorama of the famous battle in the Raclawice Panorama Hall. 

In total, we spent 2 nights in Wroclaw, but we didn’t have that much time, as we had to work remotely on Friday. However, if you can take a day off and spend a long weekend in Poland, you will be able to explore Wroclaw in a day.

If you like taking tours, here are some recommended tours in Wroclaw: 2-hour tour in an electric car (perfect for cold or rainy weather), 3-hour Polish food tour or a private vodka tasting tour. 

Getting from Wroclaw to Krakow 

On Saturday, we woke up very early – at 6am, that was actually even before the sunrise that happens around 7:40 am in December, packed our backpacks (due to the new Ryanair policy, we often travel with the small backpacks – the one from Kanken is the biggest allowed size, however, it fits everything you need for a weekend) and went to explore the Old Town of Wroclaw once again to see it empty and take some nice shots.

At 9 am, we took a bus from Wroclaw to Krakow with FlixBus. The ticket was just £8 per person and we bought it 3 days in advance. We actually enjoyed the ride with FlixBus – the bus was a spacious double-decker, but the biggest caveat is that you either need to book seats in advance for a fee to be able to sit together for sure, or come a bit earlier to take the free unreserved seats. Keep that in mind when travelling with FlixBus. The drive took around 3 hours 15 minutes in total and we arrived to Krakow Central Bus station at 12:15 pm.

Where to stay in Krakow: best hotels in Krakow for any budget 

Like any other city in Poland, Krakow is not expensive, so you can really afford a good place in Krakow for a relatively small amount of money. If you’re wondering where to stay in Krakow, I’ll list the best hotels in Krakow for any budget. We stayed in the hotel Lwowska 1 that was modern and stylish and was located just 27 minutes walking from the Main Square through the Kaziemiretz District. It was just £55 a night with a generous breakfast included. 

Luxury hotels in Krakow: Hotel Grodek, Hotel Unicus Palace. 

Comfort / affordable hotels in Krakow: PURO Krakow, INX Design Hotel

Cheap (but good) accommodation in Krakow: The Secret Garden Hostel,  Lorf Hostel & Apartments. 

Best things to do in Krakow 

Krakow in December 

Okay, I’ll start with the things to do in Krakow in December: the obvious one is to visit the famous Christmas Market in Krakow. The Market square in Krakow really transforms into a big beautiful Christmas Market where you can eat, buy souvenirs and traditional goods and foods and drink some mulled wine. While the Christmas Market in Krakow is not as big as the one in Wroclaw, it’s still impressive and worth visiting.

Visit the Hanukkah installations in the Kazimieretz District in Krakow – a historic Jewish quarter if you’re Jewish or are interested in the culture and Hanukkah celebrations.

Other things to do in Krakow (any time during the year):

Okay, so here are the main things to do in Krakow that don’t depend on the time of the year:

• Walk around the historical Old Town of Krakow – the UNESCO World Heritage site. 
• Take a half-day tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mine (you need to book a tour in advance) or in any tour agency in Krakow in person.
• Take a day tour to Auschwitz – the famous concentration camp. Check the availability of the tour. Terrible things have happened there, so if you’re a sensible person or easily get sad or depressed, that might not be the best option for you. 
• Climb the Kościuszko Mound to see the beautiful panorama of Krakow.
• Try the famous soup served in a bread in the self-service restaurant U Babci Malini – it’s a very authentic and extremely affordable restaurant in Krakow. We spent just 67 Zl for 2 soups in a bread (they are massive), one big portion of Pierogi and 2 mulled beers. Couldn’t be better, right? (Well, actually it can – in Chisinau, Moldova we had a first for 2 for £16 – another option for an affordable weekend break in Europe).
• Have a fancy dinner in Filippa 18 located at the Hotel Indigo in Krakow. This cosy restaurant serves really fancy food that would blow your senses. However, the prices are actually great – for a nice dinner for two with wine we spent about 160 Zl which is definitely not expensive for the level of food and service in this establishment.

There are so many things you can do in Krakow, however, if you don’t want to explore all the museums, 1.5 days in Krakow will probably we enough. 

Flying back to London from Rzeszow 

We took a bus (FlixBus again, this time for £3) from Krakow to Rzeszow because there was a very affordable flight to London on Sunday night – the flight was something like £14 per person, while the flights from Krakow to London were at least £90 one way per person. We didn’t mind spending 2 hours in a bus, as it was already dark and there’s not that much you can see in a city when it’s dark and cold. In case flights back from Krakow are expensive, definitely consider the option of Rzeszow – you will comfortably arrive to the local bus station, where you can take a bus to the airport from the platform 1  (routes 51 or 53 – depart every hour on the weekend and more often on the weekdays, price 3 Zl per person).

Hopefully, you liked this post about weekend in Poland in December: Wroclaw and Krakow in one trip. The trip was also very affordable and if were looking for the options for Krakow on a budget, hopefully, you founds some useful information.