Page 200 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Krakow

198  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS
SHOPS AND MARKETS

Krakow has always been a favourable place Quality soon took over and big Western
for merchants and recent reforms have names also began to appear. Today one can
stimulated trade. Unlike in other Polish hardly tell the difference between a Krakow
cities, most of the prewar buildings in shop and its Viennese or Parisian counterpart.
Krakow have remained in private hands. The area around Market Square is especially
After 1989 the number of new shops surged good for shopping offering a variety
with house owners either opening shops of elegant shops, little traffic and many cafés.
themselves or letting premises out. A For something a bit more unique, markets
profusion of shop-signs appeared on and street stalls offer a good alternative, as
façades, inner courtyards and basements. well as a lively atmosphere.

Shopping Hours
In Poland, unlike in many
other Western European
countries, there is no law
regulating the hours of trade.
Each shop owner decides for
themselves when to open and
close their shop, and this is
regarded as a necessary part
of a free-market economy.
Grocers open in Krakow at 6 or
7am and close at 7pm at the
earliest. Many remain open
until 10pm or longer, and a
dozen or so shops are open
24 hours. Other types of shops
are generally open between
10am and 7pm on weekdays,
but on Saturdays close at 2 or Pictures for sale, displayed on the wall near St Florian’s Gate
3pm. All shops within the Planty
green belt tend to trade on customers all the time and restaurants do accept
Sundays for similar periods to regardless of the day major credit cards. It is advis-
those on Saturdays. All shops of the week but Saturdays able to carry small change
are customarily open on the are possibly the busiest. for small purchases as some
Sunday preceding Christmas places may not accept large
and Easter Day. Supermarkets How to Pay notes. All prices displayed
are at their busiest on Friday are inclusive of VAT.
afternoon and evening. The Throughout Poland, cash is
great number of tourist the most popular form of
shops in the centre attract payment though most shops Department Stores
and Shopping Malls
Jubilat, built in the mid-1970s,
is the largest department store
in Krakow. The food department
is on the ground floor, and
on the other floors you will
find household goods, furni-
ture and electrical appliances,
clothes, shoes and cosmetics,
as well as toys and books.
The large Galeria Krakowska
shopping mall is located by
the main train station, and
there is another large mall,
Galeria Kazimierz, on the
opposite side of town. Both
contain dozens of stores,
A collectors’ fair in Market Square including international names,