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The hotel of choice for renowned historian Norman Davies, also the world’s foremost English historian of Poland. He enjoys the riverside setting – you can walk along the riverbank, with the castle in view. A mile west of the Old Town, the Art Hotel is small but perfectly formed with friendly service, and if your business needs are simple, it’s worth checking out as an option. The interior is vibrant and quirky, mixing classic and contemporary elements.
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Something a little bit different, Alef is positively brimming with character, and chock-full of lively paintings and antique odds and ends. Alef lies in between the Old Town and Kazimierz, fi ve minutes’ walk from the Royal Castle. The building itself is new, but much of the interior conjures the spirit of pre-war Jewish Cracow. The striking stairwell has the feel of a hip, contemporary hotel. If you want to treat yourself, you could hire a double room with very cool Polish art-deco beds. All in all this is a refreshingly, unusual hotel, whose peculiar mixture of styles gel unexpectedly well.
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Prince Charles had the pleasure of staying here, fresh after it opened in 2002. It’s not the king of Cracow’s hotels, perhaps a newly elected peer. However, it’s certainly a fi ne place, with attentive service and a dainty, old fashioned atmosphere. A very reliable option if you’re keen to fi nd an elegant hotel in the Old Town, as it has an excellent location near the Market Square.
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This is the hotel everybody is trying to get into, and it’s not diffi cult to see why. It has got a prime location at the foot of the Royal Castle, fresh, attentive service, beautiful period details and a host of modern luxuries, not least the swimming pool in the medieval cellars. You’ll need to book well in advance. If you’re able to splash out, go for the suite where a certain Texan by the [name] of George W stayed, back in 2003. It has medieval frescoes that were found by chance during the restoration, and a magnifi cent, ornate wooden ceiling.
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The Francuski is another turn-of-the -century hotel with an excellent location (right by the Czartoryski Museum in the heart of Cracow) and plenty of creature comforts, but you can get much more for your money elsewhere. It has recently been renovated, with a colour scheme that went all-out on turquoise. It’s run by the huge Orbis chain, which also owns the Bronowice, Cracovia, the Wanda and the Centrum. It’s a clean, professional establishment.
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