Krakow | Charlotte's VVeb

Christmas Markets make Poland a Festive Wonderland

17/11/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Poland’s top city destinations are getting ready for this year’s winter festivities. Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk will enter into the spirit of the season this December as all three cities hold their famous Christmas markets. Visitors will get the chance to experience a traditional Polish Christmas, sample our festive food, enjoy Polish carols and warm themselves with hot mulled wine. And of course a white Christmas is always on the cards in Poland.

Perhaps the country’s best-known Christmas market is the one held every year on Krakow’s Rynek, featuring handicrafts from across the Małopolska region, wonderful foodstuffs including bigos, pierogi and delicious oscypek cheese, and plenty of hot wine to help keep the cold at bay. The market gets underway on 7 December and lasts until after Christmas Day.

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New Flights Put Poland On Your Doorstep

28/10/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Poland is now closer than ever before thanks to a new route opening between London Gatwick and Warsaw airports. Irish airline Aer Lingus is behind the new venture which took off on Sunday (25 October). The inaugural flight leaves London at 4.30pm, arriving in the Polish capital in time for an evening meal.

The Polish National Tourist Office is delighted with the extra flights which will put Poland on the doorstep of thousands of British holidaymakers. Aer Lingus is committing itself to one flight each way every day of the week between the two capital cities.

What you need to know:

Flights are scheduled to depart London Gatwick at 16.30, arriving at Warsaw Fryderyk Chopin at 19.50.

Warsaw to London flights are scheduled to depart at 20.30, arriving between 22.05 and 22.25 depending on the day of the week.

For more information about the Polish National Tourist Office visit www.poland.travel/en-gb/ or www.aerlingus.com

2009 is Polska! Year in the UK. For more information visit http://www.polskayear.pl/

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Artists For World Peace

21/07/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

The Artists for World Peace will be touring their Path of Hope orchestral programme that aims to promote love, tolerance, and truth through music.

Over 150 performers and artists will take to the stage in Oswiecim – the home of the Auschwitz concentration camp – on 31 August and in Krakow on 1 September before bringing their message to audiences in London on 2 September.

The oratorio premiered in Poland 11 years ago and organisers are keen to build on their success to “inspire the world to take action for peace” and encourage “universal values such as love, brotherhood, solidarity, and tolerance.”

Following the orchestral performances, artists along with representatives of churches and religious associations will invite the audience to join them in issuing an appeal for peace.

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14th Summer Jazz Festival at the Cellar under Rams  (Piwnica pod Baranami)  Krakow, 5th – 31st July 2009

13/07/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Krakow’s famous Summer Jazz Festival kicked off this month and it promises to continue be a must for all music fans. The three-week event has a truly international flavour as Colombian troupe the Sincopa Jazz Band got proceedings underway in the city’s Old Town on the 5th of July.

As well as showpiece events dotted around the Polish capital of culture, dozens of smaller, more intimate performances will take place to satisfy all jazz tastes. Cafes, bars and clubs are all set to open their doors and embrace the festival.

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Poland’s 19th Summer Organ Festival

03/07/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

St Mary's Basillica, Krakow — St Mary’s Basillica, Krakow

Poland’s 19th Summer Organ Festival gets underway in Krakow this month. Musicians from all over the world will appear at the six-week event performing in a number of historical churches throughout the city.

The Basilica Pauline, the Church of the Holy Cross and St Mary’s Church are among the venues hosting performances. Organised by the Centre of Culture and the Krakow Academy of Music, the weekly programme will feature an array of world-class organists including Krakow’s very own Luke Nicholas Mateja, Germany’s Gehard Gnann and Italian Matteo Messori.

Since 1991 the annual event has grown to become one of the most important in the city’s packed cultural calendar and it will be the perfect backdrop to warm summer evenings in Poland’s capital of culture.

Performances start on 2 July lasting until 13 August with tickets priced at between 15 and 25 PLN.

For more information about the Polish National Tourist Office visit www.poland.travel/en-gb
To find out more about cultural events in Krakow visit www.karnet.krakow.pl
2009 is Polska! Year in the UK. For more information visit http://www.polskayear.pl

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The Best Pierogi in Krakow

07/05/200917/10/2016 by Charlotte J

There is plenty of opportunity to stuff yourself silly with pierogi and other Polish delights while staying in Krakow, however, if you want a truly home-cooked meal then you need to visit Kawiarnia “Hamlet”, Ul. Miodowa 9, 31-055 Krakow. This rustic little place is filled with dark wooden tables, crochet tablecloths and cumbersome dressers, making you feel as if you are back in the home of your old Polish Babcia (Grandmother).

A veritable feast can be enjoyed at this small cafe/restaurant. The meat pierogi and the Ruskie (cheese) pierogi (9 zloty for one portion), sprinkled with fried onions, are the most delicious I have ever consumed. The restaurant is also famed for its soups which will warm your cockles on a chilly spring evening. The best bit? Your waitress and chef is indeed a Polish Grandmother.