Today I wanted to tell you a little about very beautiful city located about 40 minutes away from my parents’ house. My husband and I go there each time we are in Poland. It is a perfect place to relax, have a coffee at an outdoor restaurant, take a walk and enjoy beautiful views or just simply people watch…

This little historic town in Poland is known both in Poland and abroad as a great weekend getaway. With its pre-war, precommunist charm, visitors can experience a Poland lost in time. Only two hours by car from Warsaw, Kazimierz is popular with Poles and tourists alike.

The town is located at the foot of a hill by the banks of the Vistula River. There are several elevated vantage points along the hilltops around Kazimierz Dolny with the fortified tower, castle ruins and the “hill of the three crosses” being the most popular spots.

Large boats also take tourists up and down the river for a leisurely cruise.

The town itself has a charming market square surrounded by old buildings with a large imposing, hilltop church overlooking the square.
The square and the surrounding streets are dotted with restaurants, bars, galleries and craft shops but the integrity of the place has been maintained and you do not feel the town is over-commercial.  

Besides the cobblestone streets and historic villas, visitors to Kazimierz Dolny can look forward to panoramic views of the countryside, the ruins of a castle, and the Hill of Three Crosses. A wall made from the recovered Jewish tombstones shattered by Nazis presents a reminder of darker times.

Guests will be delighted with the diversity of events that take place in Kazimierz Dolny. Performances of folk singers, concerts at the Parish Church, arts, films, and song festivals are organized throughout the year.

Kazimierz Dolny is an art center in Poland. Many painters retreat to this small town to paint and sell their work. Galleries can be found in almost every street, offering for sale sculptures, stained-glass, and fine-art paintings. In the market, folk art is for sale at unbeatable prices.

This is my favorite place to shop for unique souvenirs and gifts.

There are a lot of nice places to stop for a lunch, dinner or coffee and dessert. For Jewish cuisine, try U Fryzjera. It is located in a former barbershop and decorated with photos from the 1920’s. Zielona Tawerna, or “Green Tavern,” serves Polish food in a quaint setting with a garden and antique furniture. The teahouse U Dziwisza is also an art gallery, and next door is a small cafe called Faktoria.

You have two options for getting to Kazimierz Dolny. You can take a bus straight to Kazimierz from the main city at which you are staying in Poland (Warsaw and Krakow are comparable distances from Kazimierz). Or, you can take a train to Pulawy Miesto, which is as close as the train gets to Kazimierz, and take a bus or taxi from there.

Kazimierz Dolny has lots of small inns at which to stay. In the off-season, it’s possible to book a room on the spot. If traveling to Kazimierz during the summer, however, book ahead. Week days are not so much of a problem, but on the weekends, locals flock to Kazimierz to relax. The Kazimierz Dolny web page is a good place to start if you want to see what kinds of accommodations are available.

So put this town on your list and reserve a day to enjoy it!

Do następnego razu! (Till next time…)