Kraków without the crowds: The perks of early spring travel

Having just come back from my Darts Society’s international tour to Kraków, it felt very clear to me that schools were still open. We were through airport check-in and security in under 10 minutes both at East Midlands Airport and in Kraków. We were able to go to most sights with few queues and were able to walk around the main square without hordes of crowds everywhere. It truly was a much-appreciated relief from summer, Easter, and Christmas holidays when schools are out.

If I were to do the same flights from the same airport but in early April, the prices would rise by 50% 

One of the top reasons to go on holiday as soon as university finishes for Easter break is to exploit the cheap prices before they rise as we get closer to Easter. This was so evident for our Kraków trip as we left the Saturday after university had finished, with flights costing under £100 each and accommodation costing under £80 each for four nights. If I were to do the same flights from the same airport but in early April, the prices would rise by 50%. Meanwhile, to places like Barcelona, flights have already increased to over £200, with flights on some days rising above £500! On the accommodation front, to book the same hotel we stayed at in Kraków for the same period of time but in early April, prices have already increased to over £100 per person! To really exploit the cheap prices, it is best to try and go on your Easter holidays in late March.

Another great benefit of going on holiday early in the Easter break is the lack of queues and just a general lack of busyness at the holiday destination. For Kraków, this was evident in the fact that we were able to go to Auschwitz, a site visited by nearly 2 million people a year, and be guided around without hordes of crowds everywhere. This really helped our group better experience the site and truly connect with it. The lack of people visiting Auschwitz during this time probably also helped us in being able to book a guided tour as these tend to be fully booked out rather quickly. Without the tour, we would have had no idea what we were looking at and would have had no assistance in exploring the site. Looking on the Auschwitz website now, there are no English-speaking tour spots till mid-April and even those are scarce; we definitely would have struggled to book our society’s tour of Auschwitz if we went in April.

For Easter, Poland actually sees an 80% surge of foreign tourists with Kraków seeing a 51% increase in demand during this period

The lack of crowds in the city was also beneficial for us as it allowed us to explore the Old Town area at our own pace. We were able to walk around the square, meandering into local stores, stopping at cafes and bars for quick drinks and being able to easily book into top quality restaurants. This may be much more difficult to do as we get closer to Easter and the crowds descend upon the city. In fact, on our final day, we could see the city preparing for the Easter crowds, with the locals building up their Easter market and getting ready to sell their Easter produce to tourists and residents alike.

For Easter, Poland actually sees an 80% surge of foreign tourists with Kraków seeing a 51% increase in demand during this period. Thousands descend onto the city to experience traditional festivals like the Emmaus Fair (an Easter Monday celebration which is celebrated with a medieval market) or the Misteria Paschalia (a sacred music festival held in churches across the city). Although these events do sound amazing, they bring scores of tourists into the city and for someone trying to explore the city, this makes the feat really challenging. So, it would be ideal to avoid all these crowds and visit Krakow in late March to avoid the bustle of Easter tourism.

I definitely felt exploring Kraków in late March meant that my experience was so much more peaceful than if I went during Easter

For people wanting to explore a destination in relative peace, at their own pace and without the crowds, going on your Easter holiday destinations early on may be the ideal way to do this. I definitely felt exploring Kraków in late March meant that my experience was so much more peaceful than if I went during Easter. Not only this but going early means that the prices can be so much lower! So, next time you are thinking of booking a trip away, maybe aim to do it early on in the break to get the best, most value-for-money experience.