Kraków / Cracow

Kraków is one of the most beautiful and vibrant of European cities. Just out of the railway station, you step into the narrow and pedestrianised streets of the Old Town, which, together with the Wieliczka Salt Mines, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Overall, Kraków has got 331 listed buildings and 58 churches and palaces, numerous restaurants, boutiques and cafes. The city suffered relatively little destruction in World War II, although in later years the inevitable blocks of flats have sprung up in the outer districts of the city. Wawel cathedral
The Planty The Polish capital until the sixteenth century, and still considering itself a Royal Town, Kraków combines some of the best features of European historic cities. The Old Town is surrounded by a strip of parkland, called the Planty, which has replaced the city walls.

What remains of the walls is the reconstructed Barbakan, and the Florianska Gate, on the wall of which Kraków's art students exhibit and sell their paintings. The Florianska Gate is the first part of the Royal Mile, leading through the Florianska Street and the Market Square to the Royal Castle of Wawel.
 The Old Town is the network of well planned streets radiating from the Square, with many shops and cafes, which all come together in the Market Square. The Square, the biggest in Europe, boasts the magnificent Gothic cathedral of St. Mary, with a famous medieval wooden altar. The altar's gilded doors open to reveal the interior, with painted wooden figures 3 meters in height. From the tower of the church, a solitary trumpet is sounded every hour, in memory of a signal that warned the city of a Mongol attack in the thirteenth century. The focal point of the Square is the Sukiennince, a 100 meters long ancient cloth hall, now hosting stalls with crafts. The sides of the square are lined with cafes and restaurants, with outdoor sitting in summer.
On the other end of the Old Town lining the streets are some of the city's palaces. The proximity to the Royal Castle of Wawel, built on a nearby hill overlooking the Wisła River, made this the most desirable area in the Old Town. You can visit the interiors of the Castle, which hosts a fine collection of furniture, works of art and tapestries. The Wawel Cathedral is the Polish equivalent to Westminster Abbey, with the tombs of kings and queens, and the shrine of St. Stanisław, the Polish Thomas à Becket. The Old Town itself, and the nearby Krupnicza Street, have a good selection of shops and boutiques. For art galleries, see the Czartoryski House (Dom Czastoryskich) for a selection of paintings from all ages, including some works by Rembrandt and Da Vinci. The upper part of the Sukiennice hosts a collection of Polish art, including the hugely impressive panoramic pictures of Polish history by Jan Matejko, each covering an entire wall.

Just the short distance away from the Old Town is the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz. This is a less touristy and more atmospheric part of Kraków, with cobbled streets and old houses, a market in the middle. Kazimierz has the oldest synagogue in the city, which is now the museum of Jewish culture, as well as cafes (often with Jewish specialities and live music) and an old Jewish cemetery.

From the city centre, you can either take a walk along the Wisla River, or take a tram to Salwator and walk up to the Las Wolski and the Kosciuszko Mound, from where there is a spectacular view over Kraków.

For Days Out from Kraków, try the Ojców National Park, the Wieliczka Salt Mines, Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains or Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.

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