On the lookout for a fast escape that looks like a break? In line with LateRooms’ new Straightforward Breaks Index, the very best stress-free metropolis to go to proper now might not even be in your radar.
The index in contrast 50 well-liked European cities by flight time, airport-transfer price and period, common lodge costs, and the way vacationers rated every metropolis’s prime attraction.
The previous capital of Poland is probably not the standard vacationer vacation spot – however with all of that thought of, Kraków got here out on prime.
In line with LateRooms, Kraków wins as a result of it combines comfort and affordability with out the chaos that often comes with worldwide journey.
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Town can be filled with historical past, with museums, historic city squares and “picturesque neighborhoods” that hold previous traditions and buildings alive. (iStock)
When you land, town’s small dimension makes arrival refreshingly straightforward. In line with LateRooms, the airport prepare will get you to the middle of town in simply 17 minutes, one of many quickest transfers in Europe. The stations join straight by footbridge, that means no costly taxis, lengthy strains or anxious navigation proper after you land.
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When you’re there, Kraków is constructed for slowing down. Town’s journey web site boasts that all the city middle, a UNESCO World Heritage Website, is walkable and framed by the inexperienced ring of Planty Park.

The complete metropolis is walkable, in keeping with Polish vacationer web sites. (iStock)
In line with Poland’s nationwide tourism workplace, a lot of the main sights are inside a brief stroll of one another, making it certainly one of Europe’s most compact cultural facilities. That simplicity cuts out the psychological friction that usually sneaks into quick journeys with overstuffed itineraries from making an attempt to do all the pieces in a short while.
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And it’s not simply the convenience of all of it: in keeping with Harvard Well being, even a 20-minute stroll in a inexperienced area can considerably decrease cortisol, the physique’s principal stress hormone.
One other latest evaluation in PLOS One discovered that transient breaks researchers name “micro-vacations” assist scale back fatigue and enhance temper.

Pierogies are a staple meals in Polish delicacies, and certainly one of many you will discover when visiting Kraków. (iStock)
Kraków matches that method completely with little fuss, loads of greenery and quick access.
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Even meals right here performs into the relaxed rhythm. In line with Nationwide Geographic Traveler, Kraków’s café scene has loads of coffeehouses and eating places tucked into plazas and cellars and hearty, comfort-food traditions that invite you to linger.
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And no have to really feel responsible over meals, as a result of costs are decrease than even different “budget” locations, in keeping with town’s tourism web site.
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“Even supposedly cheap locations like Berlin or Lisbon are more expensive than Kraków, with restaurants roughly a third cheaper in the Polish city,” it says.
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In line with LateRooms, all of that is precisely what their index was designed to measure: which cities present “effortless escapes.”