Group members at the Wielickza Salt Mines

Chairman of the Essex-based Odyssey Club, Norma Henty, last visited Poland 20 years ago, but when she returned to Cracow recently with a group of 28 members, it still lived up to her recollections.

“It is a beautiful city having largely escaped bombing during the Second World War,” explains Norma. “Our four-day holiday was arranged by Wiltshire-based Success Tours, and, as always, the service was excellent from beginning to end. We got to Crackow very early and on arriving at the very central Wyspianski Hotel, decided that after a quick cup of coffee and a freshen up, we would commence our city tour straight away with our guide Eva, who accompanied us throughout our stay.”

The group set off across the Planty, the area of greenery that surrounds Crackow’s old town, to discover all that the city has to offer. “The walking tour was excellent, taking in all the main sights and ending up at Wawel Castle,” comments Norma.

As well as making the most of the many restaurants surrounding the Market Square in the city, the group crammed plenty of further sightseeing into their break, including a visit to the mountain resort of Zakopane. Norma says, “This was lovely and we lunched outside on a wooden terrace surrounded by snow-covered mountains.”

Members also took a trip to the Wielickza Salt Mines and, for those who wanted to, an excursion to the Auchwitz and Birkenau concentration camps was also organised. “This wasn’t included in our original package as the feedback I received was that some of the group wouldn’t want to go there, but of the members that eventually came on the holiday, 18 decided they would like to visit. Eva arranged a mini-bus to take us there and it was a very moving experience.”

“Whether our visit was before the main tourist season, or that this lovely city hasn’t really been ‘discovered’ yet, I don’t know, but Crackow was certainly not crowded. There is so much to see and do in the area that a return visit some time is a must,” states Norma. “We only managed to see the outskirts of the Jewish Kazimierz district and a longer visit to the Wawel Hill would certainly feature on the itinerary.”