Krakow has so much to offer in terms of history, a necessary reminder of the darkest horrors of the 20th century and these museums will rightly be the first port of call for many visitors, as they were for us. It is perhaps easy therefore to overlook this tour to Nowa Huta but you should definitely make the time to benefit from this unique experience if you can. This tour really completes the later decades of the 20th century, the what happened next part. A utopian dream for many, a Communist symbol to be proud of on the world stage, it is all here. And, just as it was during the height of the Cold War, right down to the cracked leather chairs on which the key decision makers sat and welcomed sympathetic international guests to admire the steel works. Seeing is one thing, but you need a brilliant guide to bring to life the people who sat on those chairs. We were so fortunate that Mateusz Marchocki made room for us all (family of 5 ages 21, 19 and 16) at very short notice and so wonderfully brought to life the steel plant and the era with the added benefit of personal family experience. Mateusz, thank you for sharing so warmly and taking the time to explain the steel works and the role that Nowa Huta played and continues to play. We will long remember your tour.

Think two hours touring an abandoned administrative building might be boring? Think again. Our guide was so knowledgeable that every detail was a revelation. A sure bet for anyone interested in Cold War history. Go with this organization that's helping preserve the fascinating memory of Nowa Huta.

A fascinating tour of the 1950's administration building and the underground bomb shelters giving a great insight into the communist era. Mateusz is an entertaining and knowledgeable guide speaking excellent English and has amazing access to the buildings. Easy to get to on the tram from the centre of Krakow or from the Nowa Huta museum.

Brilliant tour of the administrative building of the steel works with underground bunker. Guide spoke excellent English. Our tweenage kids enjoyed it too. Highly recommend for 25 zloty each.

Tour of the administrative offices and underground bunker of the steel works was excellent. It was just as if we had travelled back to the 1950’s to the communist era; it evoked all the craziness of the Cold War. No expense had been spared on the design and furnishings of the management building, however although the workers’ building looks the same from the outside it is far more basic on the inside. The tour of underground nuclear bunker was fascinating and most of the kit down there is still in working order. We travelled out to the site from the centre of Krakow by tram - which was really straightforward. You need to book this tour in advance as the buildings are not a museum and so you need to be escorted with a guide. Unlike all other tours we did in Krakow there were only 4 of us on this whole tour. We booked through Viator. Try and fit a trip to Nowa Huta and the steelwork buildings into your visit to Krakow.

Booked tickets online and took tram 73 to steelworks. Info point is in left hand building where your guide will meet you. Matthew was our guide and took us around the building and the underground shelter. Abandoned years ago with many period features and fixtures. An hour and a half tour flew by and was fascinating, it reminds you that some were more equal than others under the old regime. Photographs show Castro, DeGaulle, Nehru and other big wigs visiting in bygone years so it had to be worthy. It is, join a tour, the shelter is still fully fitted out as emergency control centre for 50 persons.

Krakow is much more than the touching experience of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Jewish quarter and the castle. The Soviet period is very interesting. A tour with eNHa Trips (please, ask for Mateusz) driving an small original Fiat 126 Polish, including a visit to the shelters, is a unique experience.

Visiting the Communist district and learning about Soviet rule in Kraków is not going to be for everyone, but - as someone who has studied history - I really enjoyed it. But if I had gone on my own, I would have got very little out of it. To do Nowa Huta justice, you need to do a tour. On the face of it Nowa Huta is a drab, dull district. But the interesting bits are the details - where the air raid shelters are hidden, why apartment blocks have such narrow entrances and where to find the authentic Milk Bar you would otherwise have missed. We booked a four-hour paid tour through Free Walkative Tours and our guide, Tomasz, was excellent. So if the city’s Soviet past is for you, definitely visit here. But make sure you book a tour.

I didn’t even know about this area till I arrived in Krakow, so scrambled a bit trying to figure out how to visit. I emailed the Foundation, but got no reply. These reviews (TripAdvisor) were helpful in explaining why you might want a guide rather than visiting on your own, and luckily, I discovered the Communist Tour from Walkative Tours at the last minute. (Only offered twice a week.) We traveled out by tram, and spent about three hours visiting various sights (including an amazing propaganda film created to publicize the city in 1951). I realized immediately that, as many others have said, I would not have gotten near as much out of the visit on my own. Our guide, Pawel, was knowledgeable and passionate about sharing the history of the area- including the last 30 years and how it is evolving now. I really enjoyed seeing Nowa Huta, and would recommend a longer tour like this rather than the quick overview Tours. It’s very worth while to see a completely different side of Krakow, not that far from Old Town.

We went here on a walkative tour and found it very interesting. I can understand those who travelled on their own being underwhelmed however the knowledge of the local guide gave meaning to what we were seeing. The interruption of our tour of a local resident who was there during a protest and riot in 1960 for a church to be built added to our knowledge.

Interesting to see, so glad that the Communist era in Poland is over; it must have been very bleak; the ugly architecture did not help.

Nowa Huta was built for a socialist show room in the 1950’s but it came also some kind of central place to support solidarity movement in the 1980’s. Now it is interesting place to visit, normal everyday life, wide avenues, massive buildings, museums, restaurants etc. We went there by tram on our own but it is a little bit hard to explore this wide area without quided tour. It takes only 20-30 minutes from the railway station (Dworzec Glovny) to Centralny Ronald Reagana.

We went here on our own on tram No 4 because the tours were fully booked. Fascinating place, much better than we expected. Big wide avenues, brutal Soviet architecture, lots of trees and nice cheap cafes. We also went to two of the museums which were good and we were the only visitors. If you want to get away from the hordes in central Krakov this is the place to go.

great buildings,stunning views,friendly people, younger people speak english,older not so much ,great place to wonder around

time warp setting in the offices and shelter ,fantastic tour ,very informative guide,very friendly,,tour price good,,worth visiting,