Carriages are a highly characteristic element of Cracow’s Old Town. Stylish carriages are drawn by beautifully decorated horses. Is there anyone who would not like to take a ride in one of those?
In the 19th century, they were a popular means of travel in Cracow, but today they predominantly serve the role of a tourist attraction.
The work of a cabman is not an easy one to perform. It starts at 6 A.M. from cleaning the entire carriage with all the visible details. The cabman also cannot forget about feeding his horse ;). Afterwards, there is the time for cleaning, brushing, and calming down the horse. Horseshoes worn by the animals are worth mentioning at this point, as they are made individually for every horse and replaced every 6 weeks. A beautifully maintained carriage reaches the Main Square at 10:30 A.M. and drives tourists around till the evening.
Horses used for drawing carriages are properly trained to calmly travel in intense traffic and not be scared by large groups of tourists. An untrained animal would probably be easily terrified by numerous pedestrians walking everywhere, as well as by cars honking at it.
In 2013, the design of the carts travelling through Cracow was unified. What is more, regulations were also introduced with regard to the choice of horses to draw the carriage – they should be of the same color and breed.
Currently, interested individuals have the possibility of renting a carriage for a wedding or a romantic engagement night. Some of the vehicles are equipped with a drinks cabinet and a device which may play music from CDs or a pen drive.
Carriage stop is located in the northern part of the Main Square. The cost of a single travel is equal to approximately 150 PLN (50 PLN/15 min – 250 PLN/h) – the prices are not fixed, so tourists may negotiate them.
