We will be arriving a week before the wedding, using the July 4th US holiday, and returning to the US two days later on July 14th. Regarding when to leave, the 13th is the day after the wedding which may be tough to fly if the destination is the US, as most flights headed there are in the morning/early afternoon, and the shuttle buses won't return to Krakow by the morning. That's why we recommend leaving the 14th after settling for a final night in Krakow. If there are any concerns please reach out to us!
The wedding will be taking place 2 hours outside of Krakow at Pałac Popielów w Kurozwękach. https://www.palacpopielow.pl Shuttles will be picking everyone up on the day of, July 12th at a designated location in central Krakow around noon. That night, there will be accommodations for everyone at either the wedding venue itself or a nearby hotel. The following day, there will be shuttles back to Krakow shortly after check-out. It is also possible to rent a car and drive there on your own. If renting a car, please note that you might require an International Driving Permit (IDP), and also be careful not to book a manual (most common) if you can only drive automatic.
We have some group activities planned for week before the wedding (see Schedule page) in/around Krakow. These are slated to begin on Wednesday, July 9th. If you will be in town earlier and are looking for ideas on how to spend the time, you can take a look at the 'Things to Do' page for some recommendations. Krakow has a ton going on! Message us any time with questions!
Only trying to offer some points guidance here. Ultimately, you can choose to stay wherever you want! Staying close to (or even within) the Old Town is generally the best option in terms of being most centrally located to things. In this case, it will also be the most convenient for attending the events we have planned and getting to the shuttle pick-up point. However, staying farther out from the Old Town is also an option that likely provides more value. Public transportation (trams) are quite convenient for getting around, and Uber is also an option that is comparatively a much cheaper than in the US. There are lots of unique 'Aparthotels' and Airbnbs in Krakow. We definitely recommend taking a look in addition to boutique hotels. In terms of global brands, we stayed in 2024 at the Hyatt Place Krakow and can recommend it. Additionally, right next to the Hyatt, the AC Hotel by Marriott looks to be a solid option as well. Both of these are located next to a big green space with a <15 minute tram + walk into the Old Town.
Last year, we went to Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk. Highly recommend all of them. We stayed at the Nobu hotel in Warsaw for two nights. If you have a Amex Platinum card, an option is to use the $200 annual FHR credits towards the stay at Nobu. Plus, the $100 hotel credit can be used to cover the daily breakfast buffets, which is by far the best breakfast Caroline has had in a hotel. The selections and the freshness of food were unbelievable. Gdansk is a very popular spot in the summer. The streets were packed with adults and kids even at 10pm. The opening and closing of the bridge every half an hour is very interesting. We travelled by train, which is all very convenient. Other city that's fun is Wroclaw. It's a city with little dwarfs sculptures everywhere.