Practicalities
The town's train station and bus station - the latter a marvellously frivolous circular building resembling the kind of flying saucers imagined by 1950s sci-fi comic-book writers - are close by each other on the west side of town, a ten-minute walk down ul. Sienkiewicza into the centre. There's a 24-hour left-luggage office ( przechowalnia bagazu ) in the train station if you're just passing through. There's a friendly tourist information centre in the town hall at Rynek 1 (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; tel 041/367 6436, itkielce@poczta.onet.pl ), which can help you to find accommodation, provide brochures and city maps, and advise on routes into the Gory Swietokrzyskie mountains. There's a smallish selection of accommodation from which to choose, most of it directed towards commercial travellers and boasting prices to match. The only budget alternatives are the scattering of private rooms (mostly in the outskirts; 60-90zl/GBP11-16/US$15-22.50) on offer from the tourist office, and the year-round youth hostel at ul. Szymanowskiego 5 (tel 041/342 3735), 1km east of the city centre (bus #21 from the train station). The tourist office will also tell you if any student hostels are open to tourists over the summer. Following a recent overhaul and change of management, the Lysogory , ul. Sienkiewicza 78 (tel 041/366 2511, ; 300-400zl/GBP54-72/US$75-100), opposite the train station, has upgraded itself to an upper-bracket hotel aimed at the business market. The dilapidated but central Hotel Bristol , ul. Sienkiewicza 21 (tel 041/368 2460; 220-300zl/GBP39-54/US$55-75) could certainly use similar attention, though its restaurant is still fairly respectable. The Elita , ul. Rowna 4a (tel 041/344 2230, ; 220-300zl/GBP39-54/US$55-75), is a small, new, privately run hotel with comfortable, well-kept rooms and in walking distance south of the stations. The Exbud , ul. Manifestu Lipcowego 34 (tel 041/332 6360, ; 300-400zl/GBP54-72/US$75-100), is a towering business-oriented place offering all the creature comforts, 2km northeast of the centre on the Warsaw road. The cafes and snack bars grouped around pl. Wolnosci are the best places to grab a quick bite to eat. Among the restaurants , the Bartosz , just off pl. Wolnosci on Bartosza Glowackiego, is the best source of cheap Polish stodge, although it closes at 7pm. For more relaxed dining, the popular Winnica , ul. Winnicka 4, has some good traditional Ukrainian dishes, notably the soups (although beware the dreaded house "dance band" at weekends); while the restaurant of the Hotel Exbud (see above) is widely considered to be the best place for international food, excellent service and prices that won't break the bank. Asean , Rynek 14, is the best of the Vietnamese restaurants, although the similar A Dong Quan , round the corner at Duza 5, is slightly cheaper and is correspondingly popular with discerning locals. Of the bars and cafes , the Pozegnanie z Afryka , on ul. Lesna, serves the quality coffees that are the chain's hallmark. Pub Studencki Tunel , ul. Duza 7, is pretty much what it says it is - a long, low basement bar attracting a relaxed young crowd; while the nearby Jazz Club , ul. Duza 9, is a step up in the style stakes, and often features live music, although be prepared to blag your way in after 10pm, when (officially at least) it becomes a members' club.
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