Krakow Attractions
Attractions in Krakow | Where to Go
Anyone who has spent even a few days in Krakow knows how much the city has to offer; so much so that in fact most tourists leave the city with the majority of her treasures left undiscovered. There simply isn't enough time to cover them all! If you are in Krakow for a limited time, then below you will find the places we think you should see and the things we recommend that you do:
IDEAS
- Walk the entire Royal Way, from St. Florian's Gate, down Florianska, across the Rynek Glowny, down Grodzka to the Wawel castle.
- Listen to the Hejnal Mariacki (Trumpet Signal) while sipping a coffee in the Rynek Glowny. The signal is played live every full hour and is cut suddenly in memory of a trumpeter shot and killed by a Tatar arrow in 1241.
- Walk around the Planty, a large park that surrounds the entire Old Town.
- At Wawel Castle, lounge and take in the sun on the banks of the Vistula river, or take a cruise down the river. See the Dragon's Lair and see the dragon breathe fire.
- Early on Sunday, go shopping at the open air flea markets at Plac Nowy and Hala Targowa.
- Foreign visitors can find locals eager to practice speaking English and other languages at the English Language Club on the second floor at ul. Sienna 5 (i.e. two floors above the ground floor at 5 Sienna Street, 100 metres from the main market square) on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 pm.
- See a bit of Unesco World Heritage and do Auschwitz and Salt mine tours.
Town Hall Tower, Kraków
Town Hall Tower in Kraków, Poland (Polish: Wieża ratuszowa w Krakowie) is one of the main focal points of the Main Market Square in the Old Town district of Kraków. The Tower is the only remaining part of the old Town Hall demolished in 1820 as part of the city plan to open up the Main Square. Its cellars once housed a city prison with a Medieval torture chamber. Built of stone and brick at the end of the 13th century, the massive Gothic tower of the early Town Hall stands 70 meters tall and leans just 55 centimeters, the result of a wind storm in 1703. The top floor of the tower with an observation deck is open to visitors.
Churches of Kraków
The metropolitan city of Kraków, former capital of Poland, is known as the city of churches. The abundance of landmark, historic Roman Catholic churches along with the plenitude of monasteries and convents earned the city a countrywide reputation as the "Northern Rome" in the past. The churches of Kraków comprise over 120 Roman Catholic places of worship, of which over 60 were built in the 20th century. They remain the centers of religious life for the local population and are attended regularly.
Kraków barbican
The Kraków barbican (Polish: barbakan krakowski) is a barbican—a fortified outpost of, and gateway leading into, Kraków's Old Town. It is one of the few remaining relics of the complex network of fortifications and defensive barriers that once encircled the city of Kraków in Poland. It currently serves as a tourist attraction and venue for many multidisciplinary exhibitions. Based on Arabic rather than European defensive architecture, this masterpiece of medieval military engineering, with its circular fortress, was added to the city's fortifications along the coronation route in the late 15th century.
Church of St. Casimir the Prince
The Church of St. Casimir the Prince (Polish: Kościół św. Kazimierza Królewicza) in Kraków, Poland – with the adjacent Franciscan monastery and the catacombs – is located at ul. Reformacka 4 street in the Old Town district (Stare Miasto). Members of the Catholic Order of Franciscans known as "Little Brothers" arrived in Kraków in 1622 and settled at the outskirts of the town in Garbary (1625). Their church was completed in 1640 thanks to a donation from Zuzanna Amendówna, bequeathed around 1644 along with the miracle painting of Madonna displayed today at the side altar of the new church.
Kraków Old Town
Kraków Old Town is the central, historic district of Kraków, Poland. It is the most prominent example of an Old Town in the country, because for many centuries, Kraków was the royal capital of Poland, until Sigismund III Vasa relocated the court to Warsaw in 1596. Kraków's historic center was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1978. Medieval Kraków was surrounded by a 1.9 mile (3 km) defensive wall complete with 46 towers and seven main entrances leading through them. The fortifications around the Old Town were erected over the course of two centuries. Today the Old Town attracts visitors from all over the World.
Sukiennice
The Renaissance Sukiennice (Cloth Hall, Drapers' Hall) in Kraków, Poland, is one of the city's most recognizable icons. It was once a major centre of international trade. Traveling merchants met there to discuss business and to barter. During its golden age in the 15th century, Sukiennice was the source of a variety of exotic imports from the East – spices, silk, leather and wax – while Kraków itself exported textiles, lead, and salt from the Wieliczka Salt Mine. The Hall has hosted countless distinguished guests over the centuries and is still used to entertain monarchs and dignitaries.
Main Market Square, Kraków
The Main Market Square in Kraków (Polish: Rynek Główny w Krakowie, also Rynek Krakowski – Kraków Market Square) is the main square of the Old Town, in Kraków, Poland and a principal urban space located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century and – and at roughly 40,000sq m (430,000sq ft) it is the largest medieval town square in Europe. Rynek Główny is spacious square surrounded by historical townhouses kamienice, palaces and churches. The center of the square is dominated by the cloth hall Sukiennice, rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance style, topped by a beautiful attic or Polish parapet decorated with carved masks.
Royal Road, Kraków
The Royal Road or Royal Route in Kraków, Poland, begins at the northern end of the medieval Old Town and continues south through the centre of town towards the Wawel Hill, where the old kings' residence, the Wawel Castle, is located. The Royal Road passes some of the most prominent historic landmarks of Poland's royal capital, providing suitable background to coronation processions and parades, the kings' and princes' receptions, foreign envoys and guests of distinction traveling from a far country to their destination at Wawel. The Royal Road starts outside the northern flank of the old city walls in the medieval suburb of Kleparz, now a central district of Kraków.
Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine, located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland, lies within the Kraków metropolitan area. The mine continuously produced table salt from the 13th century until 2007 as one of the world's oldest operating salt mines (the oldest being the Bochnia Salt Mine). The mine's attractions for tourists include dozens of statues and an entire cathedral that have been carved out of the rock salt by the miners. About 1.2 million persons visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine annually. Commercial mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding.