One of the great things about Krakow was just as we thought we had done everything, we discovered more wonderful things to do that weren’t in the guide book. Here are some of our favorites.

Krakow’s Stained Glass Museum and Workshop Not only is this a world class working stained glass studio, it has great little museum. (with a walking guide to where you can see the best stained glass installed in the city) Best of all, you can take a class to learn how to make your own stained glass piece. One of the best rainy-day activities in Krakow.

Architect Teodor Talowski buildings – Sometimes known as the “Polish Gaudi”, Talowski’s buildings are eclectic and delightful. His residential houses are the most interesting, and they are scattered around the northern section of Krakow, just outside the ring. They’re worth finding . Where else can you find a house that has a statue of a frog playing a banjo on the front?

Nowa Huta tour – What was it like to live in Poland during the Communist era? Learn about it by riding to the steel-producing city of Nowa Huta in a Trebalt automobile and touring the Soviet planned city. You’ll visit a bar, have lunch in a milk bar, tour a typical Soviet era apartment and watch propaganda films while drinking shots of vodka. (depending on the tour you book.) It’s great fun, but also very illuminating and you’ll get some inside understanding about what Poland had to adapt from to get to where it is today.

“Free tours” – Every city has them, but the “free tours” that meet in the market square each morning at 10am are especially good here. There is one for Old Town Krakow and one for Kazimierz – they both meet in front of St. Mary’s. Of course they’re not free – the guides expect a tip (about 50 zl) – but they are informative and well-done.

Krasiczyn Castle near Przemysl – This was probably our best and most memorable mistake during this ‘nest.’ We took the train to L’viv, Ukraine, but it’s necessary to change trains in Przemysl, Poland because the train gauge is different. We got on the wrong track to wait and watched the correct train leave – and there wasn’t another until the next day! But this magnificent castle was a cab ride away, and we were able to spend the night there! There are beautiful gardens, a dungeon and a moat. We felt like royalty. Best mistake ever!

Ring of Forts – This is rather amazing, and it took us nearly three months to discover it. There is a triple ring of fortifications around the city of Krakow, mostly built during the Austrian occupancy, although they adapted other fortifications to their needs. Over 180 of them still exist. Some of them have been re-purposed (one is a riding school, another is a winery) but many are available to explore. There’s a walking/cycling trail that connects quite a few of them.  Many are ruins, some are just piles of rocks, but there are also quite a few that are still intact. There are some great destinations to seek out and explore among them.

Mounds – There are four mounds near Krakow, and the two most significant are easy to find and explore.  Krakus Mound dates from prehistoric times and is said to be the burial mound for King Krakus, the founder of Krakow. Kosciuszko Mound honors Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who was not only a freedom fighter for the Polish people, but was instrumental in the American Revolutionary War as well. He was also the architect for West Point Military Academy. He’s not really buried there, but it’s all very impressive anyway, with a fort surrounding the base. There’s a wonderful restaurant in the fort – highly recommended – along with a snack bar that has outside views. Both have great views of the city from the top.

Pinball Museum – Krakow has a huge amount of “museums” because the tax structure is very advantageous if you can manage to register your business as a museum. So the Pinball museum is really just a huge underground pinball arcade, but if you’re a pinball fan, it’s a great find. We got a three month pass and spent lots of time there.