Moving Day - Olomouc to Krakow 🇵🇱

We had already packed our bags last night, so this morning was a relaxed checkout at 8:30am. The train we were catching didn’t depart until 9:55am, but with the railway maintenance near the apartment and the pedestrian closures yesterday we didn’t want to take any chances. The footpath we had been using was open again, so it was just a short walk to the tram rather than a potential longer detour. The tram took us to the train station and we still had 50 minutes to wait before departure.

Today’s plan was to make our way from Olomouc to Kraków (Poland), with a train change at Hranice. The Czech train app had flagged “closure” next to a couple of stations on our route, including Hranice. After some checking, we realised it meant there were replacement buses operating for those sections. We hoped this was just for local trains and that ours wouldn’t be impacted. With only a planned seven-minute gap to change trains at Hranice, we were slightly on edge about both the connection and the closures.

We didn’t need to worry, as the whole trip went quite smoothly. Our train arrived in Hranice on time, and via the app we could see the connecting train was running slightly late, giving us more breathing space to find the right platform. The station wasn’t huge — just three platforms — so we quickly went to the main waiting area to double-check our next platform, which we were already fairly sure was the one we had just arrived on. Then we retraced our steps and waited ten minutes for the train to Kraków.

The first train was a six-berth compartment carriage, like we’ve seen many times now. We had the whole compartment to ourselves and the train didn’t look particularly full. The second train pulled up with our carriage a long way down the platform from where we’d been waiting. A quick walking sprint ensued. We were one carriage away when I heard a whistle and Sarah behind me saying, “Get on the bloody train now!” Being the obedient type, I jumped onto the nearest carriage with Sarah close behind. We then walked through the train to reach our carriage. By the time we got to our seats, the train was already pulling out of the station. They don’t muck around!

These compartments were quite different from any other train we’ve been on. There was a central aisle with seating either side, mostly in groups of four (two facing two). We had all four seats to ourselves, even though the train looked fairly full.

We arrived in Kraków at about 2:15pm — almost a four-and-a-half-hour trip in total, plus the time getting to and from the stations. The Kraków station was super busy with lots of passengers coming and going. Probably the busiest station we’ve been to so far. It’s combined with a large shopping mall, so there were also streams of shoppers as we exited and looked for our next transport option. We needed a tram to take us about 2 km towards our apartment. Too far to walk with our packs — although, to be fair, we’ve probably walked that distance before. But if there’s a convenient tram or bus going in the right direction, we’re happy to use it.

As it was, we had a short 300 m walk to the tram stop (not directly outside the station). Then came the fun part — negotiating the Kraków public transport app. That involved logging in with a Google account, finding the right tram route and line number, making a prepaid account deposit, providing a phone number, buying the ticket for this journey, and then keying in the specific number of the tram. The last few steps were done while we were already on board. Oh, and we had to hotspot Sarah’s phone to mine so she could do all of that too. A very overly complicated system! It was much easier in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and the simple tap-your-card system in London was even better. Still, we got it done and even had time to check the map to make sure we got off at the right stop.

The apartment was just another 300 m walk, so very close. Getting checked in was slightly complicated with an on-street door keypad, a stairwell keypad, and then a lockbox code for the apartment key. But they all worked as promised and soon we were inside. The apartment is a one-bedroom, with a separate large bedroom, a good-sized bathroom, and a combined kitchen, lounge, and breakfast-bar dining area. There’s no dining table, just the breakfast bar, but there’s also a nice big sofa. It looks like it will be very comfortable for our week-long stay.

After settling in, we walked a short way along the street to grab some milk for a coffee — priorities! While enjoying our caffeine fix we searched Google Maps for good-sized supermarkets, only to discover there’s a big Carrefour Hypermarket back at the train station. It appears to be the closest and best option for a proper first shop to stock up for a few days. The smaller markets nearby are unlikely to have much variety.

We decided to walk back via the Old Town to help get our bearings. Without backpacks, 2 km is nothing, and if needed we could always return by tram. The Old Town main square is on the route and gosh, is it big. Big and very busy. There seem to be more tourists — and more touts selling tours — than anywhere else we’ve visited so far. But because the square and the surrounding streets are so large, it doesn’t feel as claustrophobic as walking through Prague.

Back at the mall/train station, we couldn’t find the Carrefour at first. The place is huge! You’d think a supermarket would be on the ground level and easy to spot. It wasn’t. We had to use the electronic info boards to search for it. Turns out the first one we found was just a Carrefour Express, which was not very big. Far out. Another board search later, we discovered the big Carrefour was actually one level above ground. Strange. Eventually we found it, and it was worth the effort — lots of choice. We stocked up so we shouldn’t need to go back for at least three days, but we only bought as much as we could carry in one supermarket bag and our backpack.

Loaded up with groceries, we walked back across town. By the time we got to the apartment we were ready for dinner but didn’t want to cook. Instead, we grabbed a kebab from across the road at a place with excellent reviews. Very tasty!

A big travel day, and a well-earned sleep tonight!