Information and Maps
Possibly in response to the sheer number of visitors, provision of tourist information in Krakow is better organized than in most other Polish cities. The municipal tourist office , occupying a circular pavilion in the Planty between the train station and the Stare Miasto (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm; tel 012/430 2646, ) can give advice on accommodation possibilities and sells maps; while the Malopolksa regional tourist office , Rynek Glowny 1/3 (on the eastern side of the Sukiennice; Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-4pm; tel 012/428 3600, ), gives out information on Krakow and the surrounding region as well as booking accommodation and selling tickets for cultural events. Most useful of the travel agencies is Orbis, Rynek Glowny 41 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-2pm, Sun 10am-2pm; tel 012/422 4035, ), who organize tours to Auschwitz, Wieliczka, the Dunajec gorge and elsewhere, as well as selling international air, train and bus tickets. The Centrum Informacji Kulturalnej (Cultural Information Centre), at ul. sw. Jana 2, just off the Rynek (Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 11am-7pm; tel 012/421 7787, ), provides a pretty comprehensive supply of information and tickets for current and upcoming concerts, theatre and other cultural events. Most of the staff are English-speaking. Otherwise, your best source of information is likely to be Krakow in your Pocket (from the tourist offices or from newsstands; 5zl), a remarkably comprehensive English-language listings booklet that is published five to six times a year. There are two glossy English-language monthly magazines available from the tourist office, Orbis hotels and certain bookshops, Welcome to Krakow and Krakow: What, Where, When - both of which boast nice colour pictures, but are hopeless as sources of up-to-date information. Better is Karnet (3zl), a small-format Polish- and English-language cultural listings booklet produced by the Centrum Informacji Kulturalnej (see above), with a decided bias towards mainstream events - not much use for gigs, in other words. If you can read Polish, the Krakow edition of Gazeta Wyborcza carries local listings in the Co jest grane supplement on Fridays. For a low-down on the bar and club scene consult the monthly, tabloid-sized City Magazine , or the glossier, fortnightly Aktivist ( ), both of which are given away free in the trendier bars and cafes. If you plan a longer stay, or are staying out in the suburbs, it might be worth investing in the fold-out 1:20,000 Plan Miasta with the red cover, available at the tourist offices, Ruch kiosks, bookshops or street vendors - for a wider range of local maps , head for the Empik megastore, Rynek Glowny 25.
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