Kraków was named the UK’s favourite European city break destination, along with the Spanish city of Valencia.
In an annual consumer survey conducted by consumer group Which?, 31 popular cities were ranked based on food and drink, ease of getting around, value of money, lack of crowds, accommodation, cultural sights and attractions, and shopping.
Kraków and Valencia both made it to the top of the charts with the best score – 92%. It is the fourth time that the capital of Lesser Poland has finished first in the classification. Stockholm finished as runner-up with a 91% score. The Swedish capital scored four stars for its, food and accommodation as well as tourist attractions but only two stars in the category of value for money. Berlin, Seville, and Funchal were tied for third with 89%.
„Kraków has proven enduringly popular in the survey, marking its fourth time in the top spot. Visitors to Kraków awarded it a full five stars for food and drink as well as cultural sites and attractions, with the city boasting a wealth of historic gems, from the famous Wawel Royal Castle to its town hall tower” – the Daily Mail reported.
“To those holidaymakers still stuck on Amsterdam, Paris and other classic European destinations, try Poland for your next trip to find food, hotels and sightseeing that’s just as good but at half the price,” wrote Which? travel editor Rory Boland in 2019, when the Polish city scored the highest for the third year in a row.
As Yahoo Finance emphasises, the city’s vibrant Jewish quarter and the Wieliczka salt mine located just à few miles outside the city also proved popular with survey respondents, with some visitors reporting to have been „amazed” by this remarkable attraction.
Polskie Radio reports that Kraków also ranks among the three highest destinations for value for money, with four stars. It has the cheapest average hotel room rate of the surveyed destinations at just £65 per night.
The capital of Lesser Poland is by far the country’s most popular tourist spot. It attracted over 14 million visitors in 2019 alone and most statistics indicate that these figures are going to be surpassed by the end of 2023.
It is worth reminding that the 2020-2022 period was unusual – to say the least – due to the numerous epidemiological restrictions implemented across the continent. A report published by the Polish Rzeczpospolita newspaper indicates that the record number of people served by the Kraków airport was beaten already in July, with over 5.3 million passengers.
The Christmas market of Kraków was elected as the best in Europe in a ranking published last month by Christmas Tree World, Britain’s main seller of Christmas trees. The criteria taken into account included cities’ markets’ popularity on social media (TikTok and Instagram), the affordability of the accommodation, and the number of annual Google searches.
Image: British Poles
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
