Yahoo News The city break destination with £3 pints a £60 flight from Manchester Airport
While places like Paris, Berlin and Barcelona spring to mind when it comes to city breaks in Europe, there are some cheaper alternatives available, allowing you to enjoy your holiday without worrying about costs. Among them is the Polish city of Krakow, where pints cost you less than £3 and bars can be found around every corner.
Skyscanner shows direct flights from Manchester Airport to Krakow in July, with tickets from £58 one way, with returns available from around £75. The city is known for its budget-friendly prices, helped by a favourable exchange rate between the pound and the Polish zloty.
This compact city packs a lot in, from a beautiful old town to a bustling bohemian quarter - Kazimierz - also known as the Jewish quarter, where you’ll find vintage shops and bustling bars playing music late into the night. With a high student population, Krakow is known for its nightlife and guarantees a fun-filled trip away.
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But it has a strong restaurant scene too, with many offering high quality dishes at affordable prices. In the summer nearly everywhere offers outdoor seating, whether it’s a restaurant in the main square or a tiny café tucked down a side street, so you can make the most of Poland’s hot summers.
Pierogi, traditional stuffed dumplings served with sour cream, are a must-try. If you’re exploring the city on foot be sure to stop by one of the many ice cream stalls for a cooling snack as you do a spot of sightseeing.
Krakow’s Old Town is perhaps what it’s most famous for and it’s easy to see why, with a huge square lined with cafes and restaurants, pastel-coloured buildings and cobbled streets it’s picture-perfect on a summer's day.
The spectacular Wawel Royal Castle is among the city’s main attractions, although it can get booked up during the summer months. But Krakow also has some hidden gems when it comes to attractions.
The Museum of Illusions is full of Instagram-worthy exhibits which you can interact with. Have your picture taken in a room where you appear to be sat on the ceiling or see your face reflected back at you in the most bizarre ways.
Meanwhile Krakow Wax Museum has gone viral online with one TripAdvisor review saying it’s ‘so bad it’s good’. In fact Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May even stopped by in an episode of the Grand Tour to have a look at it. It’s packed full of wax models of famous faces, from the Queen to Michael Jackson, which may not be the most accurate of depictions but are bound to put a smile on your face.
