As I prepared my suitcase for my trip to Krakow in Poland, I was looking forward to a weekend filled to the brim with sight-seeing, cultural abundance and the opportunity to walk along the cobbled streets of the historic Old Town. Into the suitcase went my sensible walking shoes, camera, pocket travel guide – and my silver pair of 3-inch diamante-decorated heels. As much as I would love to say that I am enchanted only by the city’s heritage and stunning architecture, I have to admit that Krakow’s strong reputation for its thriving nightclubs and bars quickly threatened to take over my carefully planned short-break….

The streets of this bustling city are lined with an array of vibrant bars, cafes, and nightclubs, from the popular Rynek Glowny in Old Town all the way to the rather bohemian Plac Nowy square in the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz.

Coming from a popular UK seaside resort, I am used to the bustling streets of the night, but the obvious difference I immediately noticed in this city was that rather than drunkenly piling (falling) out of bars onto the pavements, partygoers in Krakow know how to have a good time while maintaining an air of sophistication.

Perhaps it was down to my chosen local Polish haunts but this city was beginning to feel like a little piece of nightlife paradise. Jazz bar – check, partygoers over the age of 25 – check, glass of fizzy wine – double check.

The majority of party hotspots are situated in the Old Town district and rumour has it that this area has more bars per square-metre than anywhere else in the world; thus putting the “crawl” into bar crawl!

The prices of drinks are inexpensive compared to other major cities in Europe and thanks to the Polish currency, the Z?oty, the average beer costs under €4.

And of course Poland cannot be visited without a sample of one of the local tipples which comes in the form of vodka. I soon discovered that Polish people are offended if you refuse a drink so who am I to cause offence and turn down a freebie, particularly in these turbulent economic times? I like to think of myself as a competent drinker but after the fifth shot of ?ubrówka, a herb-flavoured vodka, I was soon performing my very own air-trumpet show as I tooted along to the explosive tunes courtesy of the very talented jazz band at the Kornet Jazz Club in Old Town.

Every genre of music can be found in Krakow’s bars and nightclubs, from rock n’ roll to dance and trance, and my excitement could not be controlled as I headed off to my next venue – Respect Nightclub in Old Town.

Hip hop music is one of the few types of music that I can comfortably dance to when I’m sober, but following my earlier “vodka sampling” I was soon strutting my stuff in my killer heels on the dance floor as I attempted some funky moves (robot), usually only accomplished by the likes of Beyonce and Lil’ Kim. The club is quite small and it gets very crowded but the cosy atmosphere and energising tunes make it a fantastic place to carry on the celebrations into the small hours.

The downside to wearing my sparkly killer heels was that they were exactly that – killers. My toes were numb and the uneven cobbled stones didn’t help as I dipped in and out of the crevices (nothing to do with the vodka, I’d like to add). As I attempted the relatively short walk back to the hotel, it wasn’t long before I had managed to bag myself a piggy-back ride from my relatively sober friend.

The sun was already threatening to make an appearance and as I was carried (bordering on dragged) along the cobbled streets, I absorbed the atmosphere which engulfs this charming city. Tourists crawled up the stairs of cellar bars situated beneath historic buildings, as locals laughed at those of us who couldn’t handle our ?ubrówka.

If I had any feeling left in my feet, I would have done a little skip and a hop to celebrate my discovery of a vibrant city that exceeded both my expectations and my usual alcohol consumption. Krakow is a place that I will no doubt be visiting again – perhaps in my sensible shoes next time….

Bio

Anna Ridley is a freelance Travel Writer who has a passion for travel, writing and fizzy wine. After living in the French Alps for two years, she now lives back by the beach in Cornwall where she is attempting to work her way through her “bucket list”.

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