Poland - Krakow

Welcome to Krakow!

Arriving at the airport, we took our transfer from the airport to Krakow, and a mile down the road we found ourselves stranded in the snow after the bus ‘broke down’! After around 10 minutes of the driver trying to fix the coach, an entire convoy of Trabants arrived and we were driven to Stara Zajezdnia Brewery and enjoyed some beer tasting, sampled their awesome cuisine, and had a show-round of their adjacent and amazing gala dinner venue.

After lunch, we visited a variety of venues that are must-sees, especially for those organising larger groups with conference or gala dinner requirements.  We saw Hall F of the Engineering Museum, the Aviation Museum and the EXPO and ICE Krakow Conference & Congress Centre.

That evening, we had a dedicated check-in at the Sheraton Krakow Hotel, followed by some leisure time before our welcome cocktail and hotel presentation. The meeting rooms all had different capacities, making it great for medium-sized groups. I liked the open-plan style of the hotel, where the bedrooms all looked over the main bar/restaurant; and we visited this chic little ‘snug’ type bar where we enjoyed cocktails.  Also, the hotel had a very cool rooftop bar with awesome views.

Later, we walked through Krakow's main square and then found ourselves at the very quirky Morskie Oko Restaurant for a Polish feast! We proceeded downstairs to an eccentric, log-cabin-style room, complete with a highland band! The atmosphere in here was electric, and it all really brought the group together, and the tapas-style Polish meats and cheeses.

After dinner, we enjoyed the Polish Vodka Academy experience at the Baroque Cocktail Bar & Restaurant.  This venue was intriguingly quirky, and the staff were helpful and entertaining during this interactive activity.  We had a bit too much fun here, but regardless of the early start, we were all eager participants!

Day 2 happened to be THE day for the fun-factor! After breakfast, we discovered the city, the Wawel Royal Castle, and the legend of the Dragon by playing some fun games, solving clues, and getting creative, while utilising different modes of transport: namely, horse and cart, an elongated golf cart/land train, and a tram!   

We had our very own Pierogi Party lunch, where we learnt how to make the Polish traditional dish at the Kogel-Mogel Restaurant, which is perfect for groups.  Also, in terms of creativity, we attended a stained-glass art Workshop at Krakow's Stained Glass Museum, where we made our own little stained-glass window.

After a bit of free time, we then departed for dinner and went to the trendiest district of Krakow – Kazimierz. I mentioned earlier the different modes of transport; well, transport number 4 was a party bus, complete with disco lights, music, a pole for dancing and champagne to toast!  This was one crazy experience, but if you have the right group with you, you can really start your evening off with a bang!

In Kazimierz, we had dinner at Plac Nowy 1, a modern restaurant serving the craziest ice cream I’d ever tasted – basil flavour!  It was also the best ice cream I’d ever had! Our next venue was Le Scandale, which is also well worth a visit, and we took part in cocktail making!

On Day 3, we visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine, where we donned interesting mining outfits, complete with hard hats and mining lamps! The Salt Mine is a fantastic place to visit, and our group took part in mining activities from the days of old. For groups, a visit to the mine is not complete without a tour of the fabulous underground event spaces which would make for the most amazing Gala Dinner Venue.

I’ve constantly mentioned the ‘fun factor’ throughout my above findings, but for this next part, I’ll respectfully take a moment for reflection….  On this educational trip we had some spare time on day 3 and so opted to visit Auschwitz – I honestly don’t know what to say about this; I mean, how can you describe such a location? The feelings you get walking through are intense, and I guess the best thing to say is you must see it for yourself (your experience will be different to anyone else’s). When I got back to the UK, I watched The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and it certainly helped even more to put things into perspective.

For our final evening we took a walk to the Old Town for a farewell dinner at Wierzynek Restaurant, the oldest restaurant in Krakow, dating back to the XIV century. I thought the main restaurant downstairs was beautiful and opulent; we were lucky to have dinner upstairs in a boardroom-style room at a long, ornate table overlooking the Square.  The food was beautifully presented, tasted wonderful, and the service and atmosphere were second to none.  Overall, an experience I’d totally recommend, especially for high-end groups.

Day 4: We enjoyed breakfast at The Stary Hotel, a chic boutique hotel with simple, perhaps even monastery-style, bedrooms. The hotel had an amazing roof terrace, plus an underground cavernous spa. We also viewed two other hotels – Pod Różą and Copernicus. All 3 hotels (similar in style) belong to the LIKUS holding, which apparently operates the most luxurious boutique hotels, restaurants, and shops throughout Poland's main cities.

If it’s an intriguing incentive you’re looking to organise that offers great value for money, don't discount this awesome destination! Kraków certainly did not disappoint!  On the other hand, if you have been briefed on finding great conference options, Kraków could also be ideal.  But don’t forget that Warsaw has so much more to offer in the way of conference options, especially in that it has a huge congress centre; and the destination is just a couple of hours’ train ride away from Kraków!

This, of course, does not entirely guarantee a successful event – the missing factor is your partner in Poland – our DMC, Mazurkas DMC Poland,  has demonstrated its understanding of overseas markets, runs very much as a hands-on operation, and has successfully developed many conferences and incentives in Poland.

This visit was brought to you by our DMC, Mazurkas DMC Poland