I had booked the trip of my dreams, my ticket on the Trans Siberian was confirmed with only a month to go and it was time to make my way back to mainland Europe from my icy home away from home in Reykjavik and begin to bounce around the planet once more.

With many hard Polish workers taking jobs in Iceland it came as no surprise that Poland would be the most financially-friendly way to get onto the same land mass as Russia and having not yet explored Poland (other than a strange day shopping for gypsy iPhones in the underground alleys of Warsaw three years before), it seemed like the perfect excuse to spend some time in the country.

And there was one city that I had always wanted to visit, but unfortunately had missed my flight there on my last attempt. It was time to finally see Krakow.

Krakow is a historic and visual gem and after years of admiring Instagram photos of the city I was excited to admire the picture-perfect old town and iconic cathedral with my own eyes.

Legend has it that Kraków was founded on the defeat of a dragon, which to be honest might be one of the coolest city histories I have come across so far…

The city is Poland’s former royal capital but these days is a place where past and present blend together in perfect harmony, where a quiet back street of quaint architecture merges with a buzzing Old Town packed full of hundreds of restaurants, bars and clubs.

From the magnificent Wawel Castle to  Europe’s largest market square, Rynek Główny, and every church and museum packed in between it is a haven for tourists and filled my wanderlust heart with all the walking tours, pub crawls and day trips I could have dreamt of.

For lovers of history, architecture, food and a crazy night out – Krakow has it all.

And despite my original failed attempt to visit Krakow three years before, it was definitely worth the wait to discover this funky little place.