The European city nicknamed the ‘jewel of the Baltics’ with £1.50 beers and £29 flights in the autumn

JUST a two-hour flight from the UK, Krakow is a jewel of the Baltics and will make you feel as if you’ve fallen into a medieval fairytale.

Famous for its postcard-pretty, well preserved centre, this Polish gem is great for a bargain break, with low-cost flights this autumn from just £29.

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There’s gardens, parks and a rich cultural heritage and the locals could not be more welcoming.

It’s pocket-friendly, too, with inexpensive eating out and the average price for a pint of beer around £1.50.

The Old Town – ringed by Planty Park and remnants of the city’s medieval walls – is centred on Rynek Glowny, the market square in the Old Town where you can find cafes and restaurants serving traditional Polish cuisine.

Nearby, Wawel Castle towers over the city and, after climbing Wawel Hill, there are spectacular views over the Vistula River.

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The hill attracts two million visitors a year and is to Krakow what the Acropolis is to ancient Athens or the Capitoline Hill to Rome.

The royal castle hosts a lively programme of musical events throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the Jewish Quarter, Kazimierz, still echoes the city’s tragic wartime history, in the many synagogues, but is now also a thriving hub of cosy, fairylight-strewn bars serving up hot fruit beer.

For dinner, I found Camelot Lulu, a chic cafe in the Old Town — and their pierogi, a moreish Polish dumpling, was a five-star treat.

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Krakow has an increasingly cosmopolitan restaurant scene and Poles are understandable proud of their second-largest city.

In recent years, traditional Jewish restaurants in the city have increased in number, mostly centred on Szeroka Street in the Kazimierz neighbourhood.

I enjoyed a meze platter at Restobar Hamsa. It is housed in an imposing building with a courtyard that it shares with a bookshop at the northern end of Szeroka, and has a view of the entire street.

If you’ve had your fill of budget-friendly beer, a tour of Krakow’s Vodka Factory Museum, set within the new impressively designed Fabryczna City complex, is well worth a visit.

For only £11.60 (59 Polish zloty) I learnt how vodka became Poland’s most famous export and drink of choice — and after the obligatory tasting session at the museum’s elegant cocktail bar, an Apricot Vodka Martini is my new favourite tipple.

But be warned, you will need a strong stomach to try their more powerful proofs.

East of the centre, the historic premises of Krakow’s No 11 brand vodka factory have been revitalised and transformed after the factory shut in 2010.

I stayed at the stylish Mercure Fabryczna City Hotel, part of the complex and created from the original factory building.

It is only a short taxi ride or tram from the city centre and is a perfect haven away from the crowds.

There’s a variety of room types, including family rooms and apartments with kitchenettes, but don’t miss the hotel’s restaurant Destilo, dishing up superb, inexpensive cuisine.

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Lots on offer

For those wishing to venture beyond Krakow, the Unesco-listed Wieliczka Salt Mine is well worth the 30-minute journey by minibus or car.

The 700-year-old mine is the oldest in the world. It has 23 chambers of different salt compositions, and saline lakes, and you can even taste raw salt from the walls.

If you want to journey back to Krakow under the city’s World War Two Nazi occupation, the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Berkenau are possible to visit on a day trip from the city, with lots of escorted trips available to book.

You can also see where the events depicted in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film Schindler’s List took place.

A visit to Oskar Schindler’s enamel factory in Krakow is memorable.

The heroic businessman saved 1,200 Jews by hiring them to work at his plant.

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Dog lovers should time their visit in September for the Dachshund Parade where dozens of well-dressed pooches take to the street vying to become king and queen as voted for by a jury.

And for a really niche cultural happening, there is even a potato festival in the same month Male Najedzeni Fest, with a call to consume all things potato.