Once upon a time Crazy Mike, aka OUR BELOVED LEADER, was finishing his law degree and working as a receptionist in one of Krakow’s hotels. A boring job, but one which enabled him to study for his exams and write love poems to his pet dog. He had a lot of contact with foreigners, and quite often chatted with them or shared a beer on his nightshifts. One fine day he got a call saying that an American couple, who were living in Krakow, wanted to take a two hour guided tour of the city.
Mike arrived with his filthy, trashy Fiat 126p (the one he used to impress the girls) and, after realizing that the couple already knew Krakow quite well, he proposed that they skip the tourist traps, jump into his love machine and drive to some of the city’s hidden treasures. He took them to the legendary mounds, with their panoramic views over the city, to the Bohemian bars in the Jewish quarter, and finally he made them dinner in his apartment. The couple loved it so much (and tipped him a lot) so, in the evening, as a bonus he took them to Nowa Huta and explained some of the crazy history of this purpose-built Socialist city. Afterwards, naturally, they went for a beer (or three) and the couple told him that his tour was so great, so cool, that he had to start his own company…
We don’t remember who came with the name…Crazy Guides…But what we do remember is that Crazy Mike was broke after spending all of his salary on travelling and partying. Luckily for him, Mark and Mary offered to give him the money to start up…for free! And that’s exactly what they did!!! Just like a Rockefeller story. He bought a Trabant, made a few Crazy modifications and painted it in true Socialist style. Mark and Mary helped him prepare the uniquely eccentric offer and that’s how it started.
Now, in 2008, Crazy Guides is undoubtedly the most famous tour company in Krakow, covered by the most prestigious international media in the world, such as the BBC, Lonely Planet, Reuters, CNN Traveller, New York Times, Der Spiegel, La Republica to name but a few.
Although we started as an ‘alternative’ to typical tourism in Poland, in just a few years we have become one of the essential experiences of any trip to Krakow! From that first East German Trabant we have grown to a fleet of ten Crazy vehicles, which include Polish Fiats and Russian Ladas, and we have recruited an amazing team of young and energetic experts to make sure that our service remains leagues ahead of the competition. Of course success breeds imitators, and Crazy Guides have become so popular that some @ssholes are always trying to copy our unique programme. But we are the original and still the best – why? Because we have always done this for the love of it, for the good times, the memories and the smile on our clients’ faces…
Come ride with us Comrade and have the Crazy time of your life!
