Destination Krakow
July 15 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
The morning was pleasantly relaxed, and we left Stora Höga at 10:15. We had plenty of time and made it comfortably to the airport bus from the central station. A good thing, considering that travelling as a group of five can sometimes feel like managing a small expedition where someone is always missing something just as you are about to leave.
At the airport, we grabbed some food before boarding our flight to Krakow shortly before 2 pm. We flew with Ryanair, which had recently been in the news following an incident where a plane window broke and a passenger was injured. Thankfully, our journey was a much calmer affair. Everything went smoothly, and we even landed twenty minutes ahead of schedule which is always a pleasant surprise when flying.
A van was waiting for us at the airport and drove us directly to our apartment, which was a great relief after a travel day. On the way home, we will probably try the airport train instead, as it seems like a very convenient and affordable option.
Our apartment turned out to be a great choice. It is fully equipped with a washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, and stove – the kind of things that might not sound exciting when booking a place, but quickly become very appreciated when travelling as a family.
Viggo and Freja were happy to share a room, which meant Bengt and I could avoid splitting up and trying to solve the sleeping arrangements with bags and beds scattered across different rooms. Tilde got a mattress in the living room and has successfully claimed the sofa and a large part of the floor as her own. We have decided to see it as an investment in peace and harmony and honestly, that is a price we are more than willing to pay.
Once everyone was settled, we headed out to explore Krakow and started with Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter. The area has a unique mix of history, charm, and a relaxed, slightly bohemian atmosphere. Old synagogues and historic buildings sit alongside cosy cafés, restaurants, and small bars tucked away among the cobblestone streets. It feels lively without being overwhelming, and it is the kind of place where you can simply wander around and discover something new around every corner.
Our apartment is also within walking distance of many of the city’s main attractions. The neighbourhood feels safe, clean, and peaceful while still offering plenty of restaurants and bars nearby.
We found a lovely courtyard restaurant where we enjoyed a big dinner together. After dinner, we stopped by a Biedronka supermarket to buy breakfast supplies for the following morning. Then it was time to head back to the apartment and call it a night.Read more
Castles, heat and a taste of Krakow
July 16 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
One thing we have really appreciated on this trip is staying in apartments rather than hotels. We enjoy being able to ease into the mornings at our own pace, and buying breakfast from the local supermarket meant everyone could choose exactly what they wanted.
The only thing we couldn't provide ourselves was freshly brewed coffee. So on this first morning, Tilde and I popped into one of the many cafés in Kazimierz to get our coffee fix. The coffee was excellent but it was really, really pricey! A café latte cost more than 50 SEK, which felt unexpectedly expensive. That little experience convinced us to find another solution. During our next grocery run, we bought a packet of ground coffee and some coffee filters, deciding that making our own coffee at the apartment was a much better option.
This was definitely one of the warmer days of the trip, with temperatures well above 30 degrees. The kind of heat where even a short walk feels like a small achievement.
After the brief coffee run, Tilde struggled a bit to get ready so after breakfast Bengt, Freja, Viggo and I headed towards Wawel Castle. It was only a ten-minute walk from our apartment. At Wawel, each attraction required a separate ticket, and with quite a lot of visitors around, we decided not to try to see everything. Instead, we were happy to explore the castle courtyard, admire the cathedral from the outside, and visit the Royal Gardens. The gardens were beautiful, but according to my slightly sceptical opinion, perhaps not quite worth paying extra for. A nice place to stroll through, but not exactly a life-changing garden experience.
We then bought tickets for an exhibition called Inside the Walls and Tilde made it just in time to join us. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the visit. The exhibition takes place inside the actual space between the castle’s inner and outer defensive walls, allowing visitors to physically walk through parts of the old fortifications while learning about the history of Wawel.
Along the route, we saw archaeological finds, learned about the construction techniques used to build the castle, and got a glimpse into how the site developed over centuries. The exhibition also told the legendary story of King Krak, the mythical founder of Krakow, and the famous dragon said to have lived beneath the castle hill.
The tour ended by leading us out through the Dragon’s Cave. Outside, by the river, we found the famous dragon statue, completing the slightly unusual journey from medieval history to Polish folklore.
By now, it was the middle of the day and the heat was becoming quite intense. We escaped into the shade of Planty Park, the green belt that surrounds Krakow’s Old Town, before continuing to the air-conditioned comfort of Galeria Krakowska shopping centre. There, we managed to find a dress for Freja and a pair of shorts, which was a practical and very necessary shopping success.
From the shopping centre, we walked through the Old Town and took in some of Krakow’s most famous sights. We passed through the Florian Gate, one of the old entrances to the medieval city and a remaining part of Krakow’s historic fortifications. We also saw St. Mary’s Basilica, the impressive Gothic church dominating the Main Market Square, famous for its two uneven towers and the hourly trumpet call played from the taller one.
Eventually, even sightseeing had to surrender to the heat, and we stopped for an ice cream to cool down before making our way back home. The stone buildings and streets in the city centre really absorb and reflect the heat, turning the Old Town into something resembling a giant outdoor oven. Apart from Planty Park, there are surprisingly few green areas in central Krakow where you can escape the sun.
When we finally made it back to the apartment, I took a well-deserved one-hour nap. The children were perfectly happy with a simpler dinner solution, so we picked up kebab boxes for them and let them enjoy a quiet evening at home.
Meanwhile, Bengt and I managed to squeeze in a mini date night. We went to a small ramen restaurant just outside our aparthotel and enjoyed a quiet meal together. Afterwards, we took a walk along the river before heading back for the night.
A very warm, very full, and very Krakow kind of day.Read more
Salt mines and street art
July 17 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Continuation on the coffee saga! As you know we decided to brew our own coffee and we had picked up what looked exactly like ordinary semi-skimmed milk. At breakfast Viggo poured it over his cereal, paused for a moment and said, "I think I need to shake the milk first." When Bengt tasted it and looked equally confused, we decided to investigate.
It wasn't milk at all- it was buttermilk.
Apparently, buttermilk is much more common in Poland than it is in Sweden where we mostly use it for baking. Needless to say, its slightly tangy, yoghurt-like flavour wasn't quite what any of us were hoping for in our morning coffee or on our cereal. So... caffeine fix failed.
Today we set off on an early adventure to Wieliczka Salt Mine, the largest and most famous salt mine in Poland. We booked our tickets through GetYourGuide which meant meeting our group at 7:00 a.m. Sharp. Unsurprisingly, this was received with very little enthusiasm from the teenagers, but considering how popular the attraction is, an early start turned out to be a smart decision.
Located about twenty minutes outside Krakow, the Wieliczka Salt Mine has been in operation since the 13th century, producing salt continuously until 1996. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and welcomes well over a million visitors every year.
The tour began with a descent of around 380 wooden steps taking us roughly 60 metres underground. From there, we followed a maze of surprisingly spacious and well-ventilated tunnels. The walls were reinforced with peeled but otherwise untreated timber, giving the mine a rustic and authentic feel.
Our guide explained that the miners built 14 chapels throughout the mine. Mining was dangerous work and faith played an important role in everyday life underground. These small places of worship gave the workers somewhere to pray before beginning another day beneath the surface.
While an occasional statue of Jesus had been carved from wood, almost everything else was sculpted from the salt itself. Statues, reliefs resembling paintings, staircases, altars, chandeliers: even entire chapels were carved directly into the rock salt. It was remarkable how much detail could be created from what most of us only think of as something to sprinkle on dinner.
Along the way we passed underground lakes, old stables, carpentry workshops, and even a grand ballroom. One fact that stuck with us was that the horses used for the heaviest work often lived underground for years at a time, rarely seeing daylight.
After about two hours, the tour came to an end. Instead of climbing those hundreds of steps back up, we squeezed into the miners' lift for a rapid ride to the surface. According to the children, this slightly cramped elevator was the highlight of the entire experience. Apparently, all those centuries of history couldn't quite compete with a fast lift.
Back in Krakow, we had lunch at a Mexican restaurant on our square, where quesadillas and mango lemonade disappeared quickly after the early start. Afterwards everyone appreciated a bit of downtime back at the apartment.
Later in the afternoon, Bengt and I slipped away for a visit to the Banksy Museum. Banksy, whose true identity remains unknown, is probably the world's most famous anonymous street artist. His work combines humour with sharp social and political commentary, often addressing issues such as war, inequality, consumerism, surveillance, and human rights.
The exhibition turned out to be surprisingly moving. While there was plenty of wit, many of the pieces reflected recent events- the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, police brutality, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. It was one of those exhibitions that leaves you thinking long after you've walked out.
In the evening, we met up with the children for dinner before sending them back to the apartment for a quiet evening. Bengt and I stayed behind for a mojito in the square.
For several days, we'd been receiving text messages warning of severe storms and possible power outages, but apart from a few dark clouds, nothing much had happened. This evening, however, the forecast finally caught up with us. Strong gusts of wind swept through the square, the temperature dropped noticeably, and suddenly everyone seemed eager to head indoors.
Our mojitos became considerably shorter than planned, and by 9 p.m. the entire family was safely tucked into bed, listening to the weather outside and wondering what tomorrow would bring.Read more
Nowa Huta- a different side of Krakow
July 18 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Despite the unusually warm weather, we had already managed to tick off all the "must-see" sights in Krakow after just a few days. Rather than repeating ourselves, we decided to do something completely different.
For the past few days, we'd watched small electric golf carts carrying tourists through the streets of the Old Town. Bengt booked us a guided tour, and I assumed we'd simply be getting another overview of the historic centre. Instead, we found ourselves heading east towards Nowa Huta, one of the fascinating and unusual districts in Krakow.
Nowa Huta was built after the Second World War as a model socialist city, centred around the enormous Lenin Steelworks. The idea was to create an ideal workers' community where everything people needed would be within easy reach. Apartments came with their own kitchens and bathrooms- still considered a luxury in much of Poland at the time- and the district was carefully planned with schools, hospitals, shops, restaurants, and generous public spaces.
The architecture reflected the ideals of the era. Wide boulevards, monumental buildings, and large squares were designed in the style known as Socialist Realism, where the city itself was intended to express order, strength and equality.
One detail that surprised us was that around 30 percent of the district was reserved for green spaces, something that still makes Nowa Huta one of Krakow's greener neighbourhoods today. The planners spoke about urban and social fairness, aiming to create a city where everyone had access to housing, healthcare, education, recreation and work.
Our guide drove while the commentary came through an AI-generated Swedish audio guide. The information itself was interesting, although the translation occasionally sounded a little stiff. More importantly, it felt as though an important chapter of the story was missing.
The audio spent a lot of time describing the ambitions behind the project but only briefly mentioned the protests, political unrest, and social tensions that later became closely associated with Nowa Huta. There was little explanation of why the district developed such a poor reputation for many years or why it has experienced something of a renaissance and is now considered one of the more desirable places to live in Krakow. I found myself wanting a little more history and a little less propaganda, regardless of which side it came from.
Still, it was a genuinely interesting tour and offered a completely different perspective on Poland's recent history than we'd experienced in the medieval streets of the Old Town.
Lunch turned into one of those unexpected travel highlights. We found a tiny local place where an elderly lady spoke very little English. Ordering quickly became a game of pointing, smiling, and nodding. A few minutes later we were presented with a plate piled high with large fried pierogi. Since we had only a vague idea of what we'd ordered, every bite was a surprise. Fortunately, every surprise turned out to be delicious and it was probably the cheapest lunch we'd had during the entire trip.
In the afternoon, the teenagers declared that they had earned another rest back at the apartment. Bengt and I happily accepted the opportunity to wander back into the Old Town on our own.
It was wonderful to experience Krakow without the relentless sunshine for a change. Cloud cover made the narrow streets and large squares much more enjoyable than they had been in thirty-degree heat.
We paused to listen to an opera singer performing outside one of the churches, browsed a small flea market filled with old books and antiques, took far too many photographs, and eventually made our way back to Wawel Castle.
From the castle walls, we watched the sun slowly set over the Vistula River. It was one of those quiet travel moments that don't require any grand attraction or busy itinerary- just a beautiful view and enough time to appreciate it (without whining teens).
On the way back to the apartment, we picked up some drinking yoghurt and cereal bars for breakfast.
Tomorrow, we would be leaving Krakow behind and continuing our journey south towards ZakopaneRead more
From the city to the mountains
July 19 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Price-wise, Poland has actually been fairly similar to Sweden with one notable exception: the buses. They are incredibly affordable, frequent, and surprisingly efficient.
We had already noticed that several buses ran every hour between Krakow and Zakopane, so after breakfast and packing our bags, we caught a tram to the main bus station next to the shopping centre we'd already visited several times. After a little trouble with locating the long tour buses from the local ones we found a FlixBus heading to Zakopane for the grand total of around 200 SEK for the entire family. We were on our way into the mountains!
During the 2 hour journey, I exchanged a few emails with our next accommodation and managed to arrange an early check-in instead of waiting until 4 p.m., which felt like a small victory.
Nestled at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, Zakopane is often called Poland's winter capital, but it's just as popular in summer with hikers, mountain bikers, and families escaping the heat of the cities. What struck us almost immediately was that the tourists were overwhelmingly Polish. During our stay, we barely heard any English, let alone Swedish, Norwegian, or Danish. It gave the town a very authentic feel, as though we had stumbled into a favourite holiday destination that international visitors simply hadn't discovered to the same extent.
Our new aparthotel was about a fifteen-minute walk from the bus station. After dropping off our luggage, our first priority was obvious: food. Sushi won the vote.
Once everyone had recovered from the journey, we packed our swimsuits and flip-flops and headed to the famous Chochołowskie Thermal Baths, about fifteen minutes away by Uber. Tilde decided she had reached her social limit for the day and stayed behind at the apartment, while the rest of us spent the afternoon soaking, swimming.
The first surprise came before we even reached the pools. Instead of separate changing rooms for men and women, there was one large shared changing area filled with lockers. Privacy came in the form of individual lockable changing cabins, rather like oversized fitting rooms in a clothes shop. It worked remarkably well even if it felt a little unfamiliar at first.
Each of us received a wristband that not only opened our locker but also acted as a payment method throughout the complex. There were several cafés and restaurants inside the complex and we ordered several ice creams.
The thermal baths themselves were enormous. There were indoor and outdoor pools, bubbling hot tubs in every direction, mineral and salt pools, massage jets, waterfalls and strong water currents that Viggo happily tested over and over again. There was also a 16+ part where me and Freja relaxed for a bit and later i was able to take Bengt while Freja watched over Viggo trying the waterslides in the kids area of the spa.
By around eight in the evening, we had finally reached our limit of warm water and relaxation and headed back into town. Dinner turned out to be one of the unexpected highlights of the day. We chose an Indian restaurant just five minutes from our apartment. Bengt has never been particularly enthusiastic about Indian food but this place may have converted him.
The restaurant was full of energy. The staff spoke loudly and gestured enthusiastically, and seemed to communicate with both each other and the guests all at once. More than once we wondered if an argument was about to break out only to realise a few seconds later that everyone was smiling. We never quite figured out what was happening but whatever it was, it seemed to work. The food was excellent, the portions were enormous!
Back at the apartment, reality returned in the form of rather thin walls. I fell asleep almost immediately after the day's adventures but Bengt spent much of the evening listening to our neighbours, whose lively family conversations carried effortlessly through the walls. At least they eventually called it a night sometime after midnight...Read more
Kościeliska Valley, Gubałówka and an aching ear
July 20 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Our first morning in Zakopane started with a visit to Biedronka, where everyone once again made their own breakfast choices. Many went for drinking yoghurt, fruit, bagels with Philadelphia cream cheese, salami and cheese. This apartment didn't have a coffee machine, but that wasn't going to stop us! A kettle, a glass and a hair tie turned out to be perfectly adequate tools for making our morning coffee. The bigger problem was that we couldn't adjust the temperature of the fridge, and the little freezer compartment inside was missing its door. The result was that everything we stored in the fridge quickly became frozen solid. Iced latte, anyone?
Another concern was that Freja had woken up with a blocked ear, probably from yesterday's swimming. We weren't sure whether it was an infection or a blocked ear canal from wax, but after doing exactly what you're not supposed to do (googling the symptoms) we decided to give her some Ipren and wait to see how things developed. It hurt when she hiccupped but not constantly which was at least somewhat reassuring.
After breakfast, we packed our backpacks with water, nuts, apples and salami sticks and took the local bus to Kościeliska Valley. The valley is one of the most popular hiking areas in the Tatra Mountains and it was easy to see why. The wide path wound its way between towering limestone cliffs, dense spruce forests and green meadows. Along the entire route, the clear Kościeliski Stream rushed alongside us, its icy water flowing between the rocks. Everywhere we looked there was something beautiful to see. We stopped several times to sit by the water, have a snack or simply enjoy the scenery.
On the way back, we made a detour from the main trail and followed a partly dried-up stream bed. We passed through small caves and between the trees until the path suddenly ended at the foot of a tall ladder leaning against the mountain wall. The trail continued about ten metres higher up!
Tilde refused to continue that way, so I turned back with her. Bengt, Freja and Viggo, however, were brave enough to carry on. So here is a guest contribution from Bengt:
"After climbing up the rocky path, we reached a tall ladder and a sign explaining that from this point onwards the trail was one-way, meaning you couldn't turn around once you had climbed up. It looked quite steep, and not everyone was keen, so we split up. Sandra and Tilde went back the same way, while Freja, Viggo and I climbed the ladder.
I kept reminding them to hold on properly. After the ladder came a steep rock face, perhaps with a 70–80 degree incline, with some natural footholds and metal steps to use. Chains ran along the sides as handrails. At this point I was genuinely nervous that someone might fall. It could have ended very badly. I have never experienced anything this exposed on a marked trail in Sweden. By the time we reached the top, I was completely sweaty- not from the physical effort, but from the nerves. 😐
Once we were up, the hike became much calmer again, while the views remained absolutely fantastic. A real adventure."
Eventually the family was reunited and we took the bus back to Zakopane. There we bought pasta (and rice noodles for Freja), pasta sauce, sausages, and tomatoes with mozzarella, and prepared lunch in the shared kitchen. The kitchen worked well but previous guests had not been quite as careful with the washing up, so I started by washing everything we needed to use again. The lunch turned out really tasty, and it felt good to prepare something more homemade for a change after all the fried food that Polish cuisine had often offered us during the trip.
After an hour or so of rest, Bengt, Viggo and I went looking for the cable car up to Gubałówka. The short ride quickly took us above the tree line, and from the top the entire town of Zakopane stretched out below us, framed by the impressive Tatra Mountains. It was difficult to tear ourselves away from the view. We stood there for a long time trying to spot people down in the town, but from that height everything was so tiny that it was almost impossible.
On the way back, we got in touch with Tilde and Freja and asked them to meet us for a walk along the lively main street before we ended the day with dinner together at a grill restaurant. Viggo chose pork chop with fries, I had a slow-cooked pork cheek, Tilde ordered spaghetti bolognese, and Bengt and Freja chose sauerkraut soup.
As if Freja's painful ear wasn't enough, it turned out that the soup most likely contained gluten, and she had quite severe stomach pain afterwards. Her ear also became more painful during the evening. We managed to find an ear spray intended to help dissolve earwax, which she tried, but so far it hasn't made any difference. Luckily, we will be heading home soon. If she isn't better by then, it will be time for a visit to the health centre.Read more
Morskie Oko: The Eye of the Sea
July 21 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
After an early breakfast and another backpack packed with snacks and water, Bengt, Freja, Viggo and I caught the local bus to the trail leading to Morskie Oko. Tilde decided to stay behind in Zakopane, armed with some spending money so she could either eat at a restaurant or pick up something from Biedronka.
The bus ride took about an hour and it quickly became obvious that we weren't the only ones with this destination in mind. Morskie Oko ("Eye of the Sea,") is the largest and most famous lake in the Polish Tatra Mountains, located close to the Slovak border. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and a steady stream of hikers made their way up the wide mountain road alongside us.
If yesterday's hike had been all about enjoying the journey itself, today's walk was much more about reaching the destination. The path climbed steadily uphill at a gentle gradient, but after almost three hours of walking- even with plenty of breaks- we were all more than ready to arrive. None of us would describe ourselves as particularly fit so we kept each other entertained with games and quizzes along the way to distract ourselves from our increasingly tired legs.
Then, the lake appeared.
Nestled beneath towering mountain peaks, some of which were still capped with patches of snow despite it being summer, Morskie Oko was every bit as beautiful as we'd hoped. The water shimmered in shades of turquoise and deep blue, coloured by minerals that have slowly been carried down from the surrounding mountains over thousands of years. We spent quite a while taking photographs, admiring the scenery and simply enjoying the reward after the long climb.
The walk back was noticeably quicker and much easier. By then the afternoon air had cooled considerably, and for the first time during our entire trip we actually needed our jackets.
Back at the apartment, everyone was exhausted after the day's adventure. I was still cold, so I treated myself to a long, hot shower while Bengt and Tilde went hunting for the famous mountain cranberry jam. We thought they would make the perfect thank-you gifts for Lotta and my mum, who have been looking after my tomato plants while we've been away. Bengt also managed to find a bottle of cherry liqueur to bring home.
After an hour or so of resting, we reluctantly headed back out in search of dinner. We ended up at Monte Rosa, where our waitress asked where we were from. "Ah... the country with watches and chocolate!"
When we explained that we were actually from Sweden, she laughed and then insisted that we place our order in Polish.
Freja once again fell victim to one of the challenges of travelling with coeliac disease. Her egg salad arrived with bread but fortunately she spotted it before taking a bite. It must be exhausting having to stay alert all the time even with dishes that really shouldn't contain gluten in the first place.
Now it's time for bed. Tomorrow we'll enjoy a slow morning with breakfast and packing before our bus to the airport leaves at 11 a.m. Our Polish adventure is almost over.Read more
Reflections on the journey home!
July 22 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
It was supposed to be a slow and relaxed final morning. It wasn't. At 4 a.m., FlixBus sent Bengt a message saying that the 11 a.m. departure had been cancelled. Luckily, he happened to see it and with very little notice, managed to rebook us onto the 9 a.m. bus instead. Suddenly, our morning looked very different: wake-up call and everyone ready at 7!
We rushed to defrost our completely frozen breakfast, took quick showers, made our hair-tie coffee one last time, bought some snacks and drinks for the bus journey and our extended wait at the airport. Everyone managed to eat something? Great! Bags packed? Perfect! Then off we went!
As usual the bus system worked brilliantly, and we arrived at Balice Airport around noon. We had to wait a while before we could check in our bags and go through security but everything went smoothly. We were even allowed to bring up to one litre of drinks through security, which was a nice surprise. Both Tilde and I were randomly selected for drug swab checks, but luckily everything was completely routine.
While waiting for boarding, we had something to eat and entertained ourselves with our phones. I started chatting with a friendly Swedish traveller who had just returned from Cyprus and told me it had been around 40°C there. That felt very far away from the evening before, when we had actually needed our jackets in Zakopane even though the days in Krakow had been quite warm. He mentioned that it was around 25°C in Sweden now which made coming home feel even more appealing.
Everyone was ready to go home.
When we asked the kids what they had enjoyed most about the week, Tilde said she loved how beautiful it was outdoors. Freja appreciated getting to see a new city, especially Krakow. Viggo mentioned being impressed by the spa. Bengt said the first hike was his favourite part, although he admitted that it had felt a little more exciting than expected at times.
For me, the best part was probably that we managed to do something together as a family. We definitely have strong personalities and opinions that don't always pull in the same direction, but we found ways to make space for everyone. We allowed time for individual breaks when someone needed them, had some couple time for Bengt and me, did activities that the teenagers enjoyed, and also made sure to include things that suited Viggo. On top of that, we discovered two new cities, experienced the beauty of the mountains and created a lot of memories together. I am genuinely very happy with this holiday.
Thank you, Poland!Read more
