Which city is better - Warsaw or Krakow?

It can be better at anything, overall which is the best and why?

Never been to Warsaw, but I can say Krakow is a vibrant wonderful city...like any other major city around the world with a rich history and all that comes with it. I can say that I have never felt so safe in all my life walking the streets, lots of guards and Police and a wonderful park to go and chill in, in the summer around the city...but Im sure Warsaw offers something different...A bit like Oxford and London both have their plus and their minus points

Good reply Amathyst, thanks

I have only been to Warsaw ,and i can say that this city is very good. It has a beautiful park (Lazienki Park) and Old Town is very nice to walk around in and has some good places where you can eat. :) You can also get around the city easily by buying a 24 hour ticket to the busses and trams. It only costs 7,5PLN and you can ride as much as you want.

I believe it depends on if its for visiting or working. A professional career in Warsaw would be easier to find and pay slightly better. Warsaw is a large city though and many of the beautiful parts are divided by less than beautiful high rise buildings and apartments while Krakow's beauty is centered around the Stare Miasto. IMO Krakow is a beautiful city with lots of amazing attributes that just makes it enjoyable to live in and Warsaw is a large city with a lot of professional promise.

Not always... many IT companies have moved to Cracov and salaries in this field are the same in both cities.

Yes, its definitely not always true. But from my experience of trying to find a job in both areas there seemed to be a lot more opportunity in Warsaw - perhaps because I work in Finance (ended up in marketing...)

Krakow is definitely a city thats growing quickly (for good reason), and I dont see this ending any time soon.

good intelligent, balanced replies, thank you

At first - 2 years ago - I thought Warsaw was quite shocking - it just hasnt recovered from the war. Now I've been 10 times and I'm completely adicted. There is something about the place I can't put my finger on. Warsaw looks better in deepest winter covered in snow.

So does Birmingham, but I wouldnt want to live there...

are you comparing Birmingham to Warsaw? ok if you are...but I'd rather live in Warsaw

Nothing looks good covered in snow, i live in Norway ,i know :P

Mountains do :)

I love the way poland looks in the snow. Very photogenic :)

You can't like skiiing then??

I love the snow in Poland, we rarely get snow in Ireland, so the first time I was landing in okecie, I was gobsmacked.

Reminded me of Star Wars 2. :-)

Think the warsaw krakow thing is a bit like johannesburg and capetown in south africa as well

I prefer Krakow because it still has this oldy worldy charm. It's not as big and busy as Warsaw, it's cosy, friendly and just beautiful.

Warsaw is a modern city, yes it has the so called "Old Town" which is actually not old, it's just a reproduction as it was destroyed during the war.
Warsaw is nice and has lots of restaurants, bars, shops and everything you need to make your life exciting but Krakow has all this as well.

ever been to London or NY I think not

certainly warsaw, like legia warsaw

ok, propably u never was neither in warsaw or krakow so ur opinion is completely not important here. Legia has not a lot connected with city's attraction.

Warsaw id capital so that could be enough reason to visit it but... for me Krakow is more charming. Besides, Stanislaw Wyspianski's house is there :)

Krakow's nice, but I prefer Wroclaw to be honest.

So, in the context of this thread, my vote must go to Warsaw. So no surprises there. ;)

Warsaw Old towns a great looking place for sights!

Lived in London for 3 years.....

I never been to Krakow but i think and hope is better then warsaw wich sucks ... too bad I have to live here

Like I said, Krakow is much nicer than Warsaw but that's my personal opinion.
I find it more relaxed, it's not as big and it has a good atmosphere. Especially Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter.

Why would you "have" to live there? Nobody is forcing you to live there?

I know ,it's a late reply :P

But the answer is that i hate skiing, hate everything that has to do with snow.

Blasphemy! I love snow so much I tried to go skiing somewhere this year but was coaxed into going to the Cape Verde Islands in december.

Hmmm he is a good painter :)

London looks inspired bright and exciting but inside it's cold, lonely and monotonous.
Warsaw looks cold, lonely and monotonous but inside it's inspired, bright and exciting

I spend equal time in London and Warsaw. Yes London has it all - and I'm sure NY has it all too but for some reason I allways have a better time in Warsaw. There are many reasons.

Krakow looks nicer than London and Warsaw but is a little uptight and lost in it's own history.

Zeze - you are unhappy in Warsaw - what are you looking for? and what are you doing comparing warsaw to London and NY? You can't even compare London to NY.

I have been in Warsaw, and it's ok, but i love Krakow, i was born there....That's my city....