Kraków for The Slow Weekenders: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
A Gothic square, a river dragon and a thousand-year-old market.
The weekend as rest. A hotel worth staying in, a hammam or a thermal bath, one unhurried sight each day, lunches that run into the afternoon, and early nights.
Friday: A turn in the park and an early supper
- Planty Park
A ring of green on the site of the old moat; wander a stretch of it among chestnut trees and benches before supper.
- Szara Kamienica
A quiet dinner of duck and potato dumplings in a house on the main square; dessert and home early.
Saturday: Salt cure and a long lunch
- Wieliczka Salt Mine Health Resort
A few hours breathing the salty air in a chamber far underground, which locals take for their lungs; book ahead.
- Wierzynek
A long, unhurried lunch in a historic dining room on the square, with a bottle of Polish wine and a view.
- Vistula Boulevards
A slow walk along the river below the castle, benches included, with the lights coming on over the water.
Sunday: One cathedral, one long table
- Wawel Cathedral
Sunday visits start at half past twelve; the royal tombs and the great bell, without the morning crush.
- Bottiglieria 1881
A long lunch in a cellar of old wine: a short Polish menu, a flight of wines and nothing to catch.
Monday: A last garden breakfast
- Mleczarnia
Breakfast in a Kazimierz courtyard, with eggs, cheesecake and coffee at no pace at all.
- St. Mary's Basilica
Veit Stoss's carved altarpiece and a ceiling of gold stars; stay for the noon trumpet call from the tower.