Practicalities
The main exit of Czestochowa's ultramodern train station brings you out onto a neat plaza bordered by the bus station to the south. Turn right onto al. Wolnosci to reach the town's main artery, al. NMP. The well-stocked and well-organized tourist information centre is at al. NMP 65 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-2pm; tel 034/368 2260, ). The most convenient hotels are those beside the train station (leave the station via the eastern exit, following the signs for ul. Pilsudskiego, to save yourself a circuitous walk): the Polonia, ul. Pilsudskiego 9 (tel 034/324 6832; 120-160zl/GBP22-29/US$30-40), recently refurbished but still decidedly old-style; and the nearby Ha Ga in a converted residential block at ul. Katedralna 9 (tel 034/324 6173; en-suites with TV 90-120zl/GBP16-22/US$22.50-30, rooms with shared facilities 60-90zl/GBP11-16/US$15-22.50) - both are very popular with pilgrim groups and can be hard to get a room in, especially on spec. At the foot of Jasna Gora is the Patria , ul. J. Popieluszki 2 (tel 034/324 7001, patria@orbis.pl ; 400-600zl/GBP72-108/US$100-150), a luxurious Orbis-run place much used by foreign tour groups. The Sekwana , ul. Wielunska 24 (tel 034/324 8954; 160-220zl/GBP29-39/US$40-55), is a small, French-owned hotel in a good location immediately north of the monastery complex. As you'd expect, there's a fair choice of hostel accommodation, much of it geared specifically to pilgrims and based in the environs of the monastery - although bear in mind that these places tend to have 10-11pm curfews. Cheapest of these is Hala Noclegi , ul. Klasztorna 1 (tel 034/365 6668 ext. 224; 15zl per person) right beneath the monastery's southwest corner, offering basic dorm beds with cold-water basins. If it's full an alternative is the large Dom Rekolekcyjny , ul. sw. Barbary 43 (tel 034/324 1177; 20zl per person), also run by sisters, a short walk south of the monastery complex. The most popular option however is the huge and well-organized Dom Pielgrzyma at ul. Wyszynskiego 1 (tel 034/324 7011), north of the car park on the west side of the monastery, where you can stay in four-person dorms (20zl per person) or prim en-suite doubles (60-90zl/GBP11-16/US$15-22.50). Most convenient of the youth hostels is a spartan affair a couple of blocks north of al. NMP at Jasnogorska 84/96 (tel 034/324 3121). There's a campsite , Camping Olenka , with a few bungalows (under 60zl/GBP11/US$15) in an ideal spot on the west side of the monastery's car park at ul. Olenki 10/30 (tel 034/324 7495). If you're driving, it's well signposted on the town approaches, until you get to the crucial last turning, between apartment buildings, into ul. Olenki. For eating and drinking, there's a large choice of places along al. NMP and near the station, many of them basic snack-bar or fast-food joints. The Dom Pielgrzyma hostel, just outside the Jasna Gora complex, has a sizeable self-service cafe-restaurant catering for the needs of most day-trippers. Restaurants are gradually improving, both in range and quality. Malibu , al. NMP 55, is a cafe-bar that also does grills and steaks at reasonable prices; Stacherczak , ul. Raclawicka 3, is a popular, reasonably priced Chinese restaurant that doubles as a student music club at weekends. The Polonus , al. NMP 73/75, is a good place to sample Polish meat and fish in semi-formal surroundings; although it can't compare with the standards offered by the restaurant of the Sekwana hotel, a smartish French place that's about as good as it currently gets in the city. Cafe Milano , al. NMP 59, is the place to go for a decent espresso, ice cream and cakes. For drinking , Pod Gruszka , al. NMP 37, in a courtyard off the main street, is a decent cafe-bar popular with a local student crowd, which also has a small but tempting range of salads. Prohibicja , on the corner of Raclawicka and Dabrowskiego, is a stylish bar with a 1920s speakeasy theme, a wide range of cocktails, and excellent food.
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