A few days ago we returned to France after a regenerating trip … in the North, or rather in the Center-East. We spent a week in Krakow, Poland as guests of Mattia’s sister.
We wanted to detach for some time from our daily life, before the new jump (there are few changes in Vattelapesca house) and we decided to tighten up some family ties that make us feel good and at the same time to go back to travel, for the simple fun of it.
Krakow is a booming city, new neighborhoods without interruption have multiplied for some years now. Corporations from all over the world have chosen it as their European headquarters (low cost) and consequently many young Europeans (and others) work and live there.
The weather has not been very kind, except in the last two days, but we did not get scared, even wandering with a few degrees and some sudden drizzle. We decided to try a trip only with baby carrier and we were rewarded by a very quiet little Gea, who was doing her siestas late in the morning on her father’s chest. I know, it’s cute!
We opted for some tours in the city, leaving out a bit the museums: the only one visited was the Rynek Underground Museum , very well done and excellent especially for children. Almost completely interactive and with explanations in six languages, including Italian. Excellent option especially if it’s raining or cold outside.
A pleasant discovery was the Jewish ghetto, Kazimierz and above all the super nice bars to chill that Gea particularly enjoyed (she slept on cushions all the time, leaving us over an hour to chat and eat delicious hummus). 
The Wieliczka Salt Mines deserve a special mention, just 20 minutes outside Krakow, reachable effortlessly by an extra-urban bus for a few zloti (local currency, Poland is not in the Euro!). They are worth a visit especially for the underground lakes and tunnels built by miners in salt rocks. If you are lucky, you can still meet some of them, returning from work shifts. Very nice, at the end of the visit, the space dedicated to children (up to 10 years), where they can play quietly at 153 meters underground, while parents take a tea or coffee.
We found Krakow to be a very baby friendly city. More than half of the restaurants / self-service / cafeteria we have stayed in had seats and baby changing facilities. The Bobo Cafè in the shopping arcade where the train coming from the airport (Krakow Glowny) deserves special mention . The adjoining, well-maintained playroom service has been saved in our favourites on google maps, with games and equipment for children aged 9 months to 10 years. The cost is very low (1 hour about 5 euros or 20 zloti), for the children under two years the presence of one of the parents is necessary. Gea had a lot of fun (especially in the balls pool) and downloaded all the adrenaline of the plane trip.
In short, Krakow is worth seeing and with a child, even a small one, it is really feasible. It could not have the charm of Budapest or the magical beauty of Prague, but it is a city in effervescence that deserves at least a weekend!
Vattelapesca 