The new Kraków In Your Pocket is out. Get the PDF.
Special thanks to Patrick M Higgins, whose photo of the interior of St. Mary’s Basilica made this edition’s cover. Check out his work in Twitter, FB and the amazing photos of Kraków during his visit earlier this year.
Well sprinkle us with sugar – the holidays are here! If you’re looking for a bit of holiday magic abroad, there aren’t many better destinations than Kraków. As if this dusty old UNESCO World Heritage Site really needs the help, here comes Christmas with its tinsel and mistletoe, sleigh bells and spiced wine, to make the most merry impression possible. Resembling a frosted gingerbread village inside a giant snowglobe, Kraków looks the part and plays it well, albeit in its own particular way. Poland’s cultural capital has a full spate of holiday customs and traditions over the next two months that will make your visit here feel utterly unique, if not downright foreign at times. As you’d expect, we’ve explained them all in detail throughout our annual holiday feature, so you’ll know just what the heck is going on when you get presents three weeks early, find a fish in your friend’s bathtub, or see devils running around the Market Square. We’ve also been so good as to present you (pun firmly intended) with some concrete gift ideas for how to stuff the stockings of the folks back home full of Polish goodies.
As Kraków bids “Do widzenia” (Farewell) to 2016 – a year that again saw record tourist numbers, numerous municipal improvements, and a visit from Pope Benedict himself – it can look back at the year that was with satisfaction, and the year ahead with hope and con dence. And for that matter, so can we. 2016 saw IYP launch a sexy new mobile application, a new online Events calendar, and the Poland In Your Pocket blog. In 2017 we will continue to expand the depth, range and media with which we cover our favourite cities, so stay tuned, thanks for reading, and from all of us here at In Your Pocket – Wesołych świąt i szczęśliwego nowego roku! (‘Merry Christmas and happy new year,’ now pass the champagne already.)
Main Feature: Christmas po Krakowsku
The Poles, to their credit, really know how to get the most out of the holiday season, starting it at the drop of December and caroling all the way into February. That over two full months of sustained winter wonderland, and through it all enough customs and traditions that we could literally fill page after page of this guide… and indeed we have. Read on to discover all of the highlights of the Christmas season in Kraków.
Make sure to visit Krakow’s Christmas Fair, one of the season’s highlights.
