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10

Krakow Travel & Sightseeing Guide

Filed Under Poland

A trip to Krakow
Situated in the southeast of Poland on the Vistula River, Krakow is regarded as the country’s cultural capital. This vibrant city boasts one of the best preserved old towns in Europe as it escaped extensive destruction during WWII. Most of Krakow’s architecture dates back 700 years, with castles, museums, churches and palaces found in abundance. This travel destination is becoming increasingly popular with history and culture buffs most of them arriving at Krakow’s international airport.

Flights to Krakow
Most of the visitors to Krakow will land at John Paul II International Airport well-located just 14kms to the west of the city centre. This compact airport is Poland’s second largest, with a single terminal handling all domestic and international flights to some 40 countries. Direct flights from North America and Asia are quite limited most of them stopping in Warsaw; however, the UK is well connected with Krakow by direct flights. If you are looking for a cheap flight to Krakow try Expedia. There are excellent transport links to and from the city centre with buses, trains and taxis all available.

Krakow does not have a metro or local train system but is well-served by a widespread network of trams, buses and privately-owned minibus fleets. Exploring the city’s sights is preferably done on foot as the Old Town is fairly dense and features a number of pedestrian zones. You can also ride in a cycle rickshaw, horse cab or an electric cart, while the quaint horse-drawn omnibus is a tourist attraction itself.

Krakow

Sightseeing in Krakow
The remarkable medieval main Market Square in Krakow’s Old Town was laid out in 1257 and is one of Europe’s largest. It is dominated by the 16th century cloth hall which has served as a lively trading centre up to the present. The city is packed with outstanding churches, above all St Adalbert’s Church dating back to the 10th century and the 11th century Church of St Andrew, Krakow’s finest surviving sample of Romanesque architecture.

Another of the city’s innumerable imposing sites is the Royal Castle which was built in the early 16th century and houses the Royal Treasure and Armoury. One third of tourists come to Krakow to see the notorious Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz, an hour’s drive away. The preserved buildings provide a frowning perception of the final days of all the victims kept here.

Fun by night – eating, drinking and partying
Dining opportunities in Krakow are surprisingly good, particularly in the old town, with new establishments opening on a continual basis, from the traditional sit-down restaurant to the cheap cafés and self-service milk bars. There are also a number of street stalls which also serve extremely popular Vietnamese cuisine.

There is a plethora of watering holes in the city, the Market Square being a great place to start, while the close-by Kazimierz district also features various hip new bars and clubs. The majority of nightclubs are small with limited live music and house and techno music being the most common styles.

Krakow offers the more cultured a huge variety of theatre and music performances; its main venue is the theatre on Jagielonska street which dates back 200 years and is also the country’s oldest. The Slowackiego Theatre was built in 1893 and doubles as an opera house, while the Groteska Theatre presents puppet and mask performances.

Fun by day - shopping and activities
Krakow’s top shopping venue is the Cloth Hall offering local handicrafts and souvenirs, while other options are the Cepelia store and Ulica Florianska. Outdoor activities include skiing, hiking, horse riding, sky diving, rock climbing and golf.

Daytrips
There are a number of interesting things to see around Krakow, both natural and historic. One of the most dramatic and moving is Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi concentration camp that is now a lesson in the Holocaust. The preserved buildings, along with its small museum filled with memorabilia, create a tangible sense of time and place of this atrocity.

The UESCO World Heritage Wieliczka Salt Mine is another unique Polish highlight you won’t see anywhere in the world. The vast underground mine has been continually mining salt since the Middle Ages, and is an incredible warren of passageways, chambers, and underground lakes. Visitors can tour three of the nine levels of this engineering wonder.

Must-see attractions
Thanks to a narrow escape from being bombed into history during WWII, Krakow boasts one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval scenes. The narrow cobbled streets are packed with legendary lanes, castles and churches all worth seeing. At the heart of it all is Market Square, Europe’s largest medieval marketplace. Once the site of horseback knights on guard, today it’s the best spot in Krakow to chill out and watch local life go by.

The Royal Castle is another gem not to be missed. Much of this classic 16th century Renaissance castle still stands, and within its walls is the Royal Treasury. You can’t help but marvel at the crown jewels and the coronation sword used to anoint the kings of Poland for the past 500 years. Two streets in the old town that warrant thorough exploration are Ulica Florianska and Ulica Kanoncza. They are literally lined with original Gothic homes and shops from the 1300s oozing that classic Krakow charm.

The churches of Krakow are also worth a look. Many date from the 13th century, including the outstanding Church of St Andrew, the Wawel Cathedral and the Franciscan Church and Monastery. The Church on the Rock, the Corpus Christi Church, and the Church of Our Lady are all unique in their approach to religion, but equally inspiring.

Best time to go
Krakow has bitterly cold winters and pleasantly mild summers akin to the rest of continental Europe. Its central location gives it four distinct seasons, each with its own charms and advantages. One thing you can count on at any time of year is Krakow’s fickle weather. Most rain falls between May and August, with the latter month getting the bulk.

Spring and autumn are both wonderful times to visit Krakow. So is the warm summer season with all its festivals, special events (and tourists). Winters are brutal, but you’ll have the city to yourself.

Rainy day suggestions
The story of the Jews is thick in Krakow, and the Galicia Jewish Museum in the heart of the old Jewish quarter presents their history in this city in marvellous detail. The exhibition of photographs is particularly moving, and there is always some special event planned at the site.

The Czartoryskich Museum is also worth a look for its wide-ranging collection of Oriental artefacts, European paintings, and ancient Greek and Egyptian art.

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