Photos
Kraków
Although we visited this beautiful city many times, each time we are there we discover something new and interesting. If you are about to go for a short city break and you are looking for general information on what to see and do, you may you may find our suggestions useful. The following assessment of the city sights and amenities is based on our own experiences and therefore description given here necessarily contains an element of subjective opinion which may not reflect your own impressions on another occasion.
Places to visit - recommended for a short city break
Cracow has a lot to offer to tourists who love history and those who are looking to have a good fun with friends in a variety of pubs, clubs and restaurants. It is a great place for a short city break and for a slightly longer holiday.
If you are staying in the city just for a few days, you will certainly have a limited time to explore. If this is the case, we would recommend that you visit the sights in the city centre. After a couple of hours of strolling around, you will be familiar with the most beautiful / interesting places. All sights are located within a walking distance from each other, so you will not have to use any type of public transport (assuming that your hotel is located centrally).
The Wawel Hill and the Castle of Polish Kings (Zamek Królewski) - this is the place you really should see during your stay in Krakow. On the hill you will find royal castle, the cathedral and the residence of Polish Kings from the 10th to the 17th century. Until 1611 this was the official residence of Polish Kings and Cracow was the capital city of Poland. The most interesting places include: Representative State Rooms, Royal Private Apartments, Crown Treasury and Armoury, Wawel Cathedral with Zygmunt’s Bell and Royal Crypts, and the Dragon’s Den.
The Market Square and The Cloth Hall (Rynek and Sukiennice) was planned in 1257 is 200 x 200 metres square (the largest market area of any city in Europe). It used to be a place of trade, with many small shops. Nowadays, it is a great place to go and relax. It is surrounded by many restaurants and pubs. In the centre you will find the Cloth Hall - one of the most important buildings in the city. It used to be a street crossing the market from north to south with shops on both sides. The street was then roofed. Nowadays it is our favourite shopping place in Kraków where you will find plenty of interesting souvenirs.
St. Mary’s Church (Kościół Mariacki) - the church was originally built between 1278 and 1320 in the Gothic style with Baroque chapels and altars. If you decide to visit it, you will see remarkable frescoes by Jan Matejko and stained glass windows by Stanisław Wyspiański and Józef Mehoffer. The church has two towers. The higher one had very important role in the city defence system. A regular sentry was posted on the lookout to watch over the countryside, and a horn was blown in case of the emergency to close the city gates against enemies. Nowadays, the horn ‘Hejnał’ has became part of Polish tradition and can be heard daily at midday on Radio 1.
The Barbican (Barbakan) - the gothic barbican was built between 1498 and 1499 and used to be surrounded by a deep 26-metre-wide moat. It is the largest and best preserved building of its kind in Europe.
The Floriańska Gate (Brama Floriańska) was the main city gate built, at the end of XIII century to protect the northern entrance to the city. It was an important feature on the Royal Route leading from the Sukiennice to the Wawel. On both side of the gate are the medieval city walls, nowadays covered by paintings.
Wisła River - just outside the castle you may want to stroll along the river which offers a fantastic opportunity to take a couple of nice photos. While strolling, you will certainly see the Dragon Statue located just beside the castle walls and if you are lucky enough you may also see fire and fumes coming out of his mouth! (as far as I remember, this was happening every 15 minutes).
The Kazimierz District is a special place, developed by two cultures: Polish and Jewish. To fully explore it we recommend that you take a stroll through the streets of Kazimierz and visit the New Cemetery, the Temple Synagogue, the New Square, the Centre for Jewish Culture, Isaac Synagogue, the tall Synagogue, the Krakow Historical Museum and the Synagogue and the Cemetery Remuth.
Published on 2nd December 2009
By Arek Zasowski
Photographs by Viola and Arek Zasowski
Places to visit - recommended for longer holidays
If you are planning to stay in Krakow a bit longer, we recommend that you to hire a car and go outside the city to discover some interesting places (listed below) located within approximately 2 hours’ drive form the city.
Salt mine in Wieliczka
Oświęcim - Auschwitz - Birkenau - IIWW concentration camp
Zakopane - winter capital of Poland
Wadowice - the birthplace of Pope John Paul II
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - the monastery
Eating and Drinking
Although Cracow has to offer almost an unlimited number of bars and restaurants and choosing the right place to eat is a personal choice, we recommend that you visit the following two places.
Good Restaurant - traditional polish cuisine
Pod Aniołami Restaurant ‘Under the Angels” (35 Grodzka Street, Kraków) - offers a delicious truly Polish cuisine. We had a dinner there once and must admit that the food is really good. Apart from the food, you may also enjoy the ‘cellar’ atmosphere. The restaurant is located in 13th century gothic cellars building. Really recommend that you to have at least one dinner or supper there.
Great Pub - a place where celebrities used to come
Piwnica Pod Baranami (Market Square (Rynek) 27) - is one of the most famous cellar clubs in Kraków and I feel that every tourist should see it and at least have a beer. The club pub was founded in 1956 by students and many famous artists (both singers and actors) used to come there. Their talent nurtured and appreciated here. Apart from the atmosphere, Bison Vodka (Żóbrówka) and beer used to be cheaper than anywhere else. It is also a great and popular place for stag parties.
