Poland and Ukraine will be jointly hosting the European Football Championships this year from June 8 to July 1. The games will take place in four Polish cities (Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw) and fourin Ukraine (Kiev, Lviv, Dnipropetrovskand Donetsk).
Three major teams with massive Maltese followings – England, Italy and the Netherlands – will be based in Krakow- Helen Raine
Krakow in Poland is principally a reserve venue, but three major teams with massive Maltese followings – Italy, England and the Netherlands – will be based there during the competition, so it’s the place to be.
Krakow is a laid-back kind of town with one of the best preserved medieval centres in Europe. So kick back with the estimated 200,000 visitors flocking here for Euro 2012 and enjoy the city as you cheer on the 16 nations competing for the cup.
Where to stay
The English team will be planning their strategy from the luxurious Hotel Stary (5 Szczepanska St) located in the Old Town, within striking distance of the Rynek Glowny (the famous market square).
The hotel has kept its historical heritage with stone walls and palatial rooms, plus the atmospheric medieval cellar now hosts a spa which will be crammed with football’s finest for post-training relaxation.
Rumour has it that the WAGS (wives and girlfriends) will be lodged at arm’s length in the Hotel Pod Roza (14 Florianska St). Your chances of scoring a room at either hotel during the games? Nil.
The Dutch will be staying at the Sheraton Stare Miasto (7 Powisle St) which is within two blocks of the Wawel Royal Castle, while the Italians are heading for suburbia and the Hotel Turowka in Wieliczka. There’s very little chance of getting a room here either, so forget wishing Gianluigi Buffon buongiorno over croissants, but you should be able to grab an autograph outside at least.
Instead, you could try the Art Mont (27 Krowoderska St), five minutes’ walk from the market square. The exterior looks like a palace, but the prices are surprisingly low. For just €40 a night, you can get a studio with a kitchen which will fit up to three people. Visit www.art-mont.com.
If you want to try catch a glimpse of the English team, you could stay near their training ground, the Hutnik Krakow Stadium. They might be looking a little glum though, as the facilities are apparently somewhat below par, sending the English press into a tailspin.
The nearby Hotel Santorini (35 Bulwarowa) is a bizarre chalet-style building plopped into the depressed post-industrial Stalinesque heartland of Krakow.
The location isn’t glamorous and it’s about 8 km from the city centre, but prices hover around €30 a room and the breakfast is good, meaning you’ll be well fuelled to go football star spotting. Visit www.hotels.com.
If you want something even cheaper, try www.hotelsclick.com. They have hotels and hostels starting at €24 a room.
Raise a glass to your team
The teams will be low key (in theory) during the run-up to the games, but if they dohit the town, chances are they’ll wash up at Cynamon (16 Jana St) since they’ll feelat home on its nouveau riche fur andleather sofas.
Alternatively, try Zblizenia (7-8 Plac Nowy) for classy cocktails a la Polish (try the Caipirovskas) in a setting of wood panelling and low lighting.
For something a little more original, wander through the wardrobe doors (yes really) into the bar of Cafe Szafe (10 Felicjanek). They serve beer with ginger syrup and host a variety of cultural events in three rooms.
Keep your strength up
The WAGS might end up enjoying French cuisine at Cyrano de Bergerac (26 Sławkowska St), which is in the top five of Polish restaurants, or dining in the vaulted cellar of the expensive and exclusive Villa Decius.
You will, however, get larger portions for a pittance at one of Krakow’s ‘milk bars’. These are Communist era canteens where scowling ladies slap helpings of Polish fare such as barszcz (a beetroot stew) or nalesniki (Polish crepes) onto chipped crockery.
Babcia Malina’s is a good one for the all round nouveau-peasant experience but the cheapest is rumoured to be an unnamed hovel on Czysta St.
Recession? What recession?
Shop like you earn a stellar €100,000 a week at the 270 stores of Galeria Krakowska (5 Pawia St). If your income is more like €10 an hour, you might prefer the open air flea markets at Plac Nowy and Hala Targowa, open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Watch the action
The Polish are crazy about football, so much so that rival fans, particularly in Krakow, regularly get into brutal fights which have resulted in some fatalities.
Everyone will be hopefully cheering for the same side this time though at the fan zone on Krakow Blonia, a common close to the town centre. The screens here will be 100 square metres and there’ll be the obligatory food, drink and souvenir tents.
If you’ve been foolish enough to bring the kids, there’s a playground, and, rather oddly, there will also be a women’s zone with a beauty parlour and spa. Around 30,000 fans are expected to descend here.
If you’re looking for a retro backdrop to your football watching, hit the aptly named Sport Bar (17 Rakowicka St), which has multiple screens in a rather dated orange and silver pineapple setting.
And although it might seem like a cop-out to visit an Irish bar when in Poland, football purists will probably enjoy the Irish Mbassy (3 Stolarska St) which has 10 plasma screens.
For something slightly more low-key, try Klub 24 (24 Mikolajska St), which will be showing the games on four screens in its beer garden and cellar.
If you’re planning a trip to Euro 2012 we would like to hear about your travel plans. E-mail pcooke@timesofmalta.com.