What are the top things to do in Krakow and the old town centre, surrounded by a green ring-shaped park?

The Papal Window, Bishop’s Palace | Photo: Travel In Culture

Krakow is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its cultural heritage buildings, art nouveau façades, stairs and theatres, solid fortifications, and ornate churches. The old town boasts a concentration of large, impressive churches unparalleled in most other European cities. Catholic nuns are a common sight in the streets, and Krakow is proud of its former papal visits by Pope John Paul II, who used to greet the citizens from the Papal Window of the Bishop’s Palace.

The Royal Route begins in front of the St Florian Church, continues in the footsteps of the former Polish Kings around the Barbican Defence Gateway, through St Florian’s Gate and down St Florian’s Street (Floriańska) until it reaches the Main Square with its horse-drawn carriages and the iconic Cloth Hall, Sukiennice, before ending at Wawel Hill at the Royal Castle and Cathedral.

Juliusz Słowacki Theatre and world clocks | Photo: Travel In Culture

Krakow also has a harsh history associated with one of its former kings. The Bishop of Krakow, Stanislaus of Szczepanów, had a conflict with King Boleslaw the Bold, and it was ‘resolved’ by the King by brutally ordering the murder of the bishop! The crime scene is in the southern part of Krakow.

Auschwitz concentration camp | Photo: Travel In Culture

Kazimierz District is just southeast of Wawel Royal Castle and Cathedral (and the limestone Dragon’s Den). This district oozes genuine Jewish culture, synagogues, history, and eateries with local food specialities and is an alternative to the old town centre. It is also easy to combine a visit to Kazimierz with a day tour to the concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau. Auschwitz and Birkenau can be visited separately or combined on a day trip.

Wawel Cathedral & Royal Castle | Photo: Travel In Culture

When visiting Krakow, a visit to the imposing castle construction is one of the things one must prioritise. Towering majestically above the city, Wawel Royal Castle is one of the highlights of Krakow! As a home to former Polish kings when Krakow was the capital of Poland, the Royal Castle has a fascinating history. Later, the city also became a royal necropolis. Today, the castle complex atop the hill is a landmark of Krakow, visible from many places around the city.

Coronation sword | Photo: Travel In Culture

From being the site of the first Celtic and Vistula tribe settlements in ancient times, due to its strategic position on the Jurassic hill high above the river, it became the seat of the secular society in the Middle Ages. Many centuries later, the castle became the seat of the Krakow Kings and the place of coronations, which took place there from the 14th century until the beginning of the 17th century.

Due to fires and wars, the castle has appeared alternately in Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance architectural styles. Today, Krakow Castle is a unique museum with spectacular pieces of artwork, sculptural works, paintings, tapestries, banners, armoury, and, not least, the crown treasures, including the coronation sword.

Photo: Travel In Culture

No castle without a dragon – and Wawel has its own Dragon Den, linked to the legend of the medieval terrifying dragon, which breathed fire and terrorised the Krakow inhabitants. The Wawel Dragon lived in a limestone cave under Krakow city. The beast was invincible by all the brave knights who tried to slay it – until King Krak (Krakus), according to the myth, let a young shoemaker, Skuba, try. He let the boy, who had no weapons, only a needle and yarn, challenge the monstrous Wawel Dragon. Skuba filled a lambskin with sulphur, sewed it together, and lured the dragon into eating the bait. The sulphur burned the dragon’s throat, and the monster immediately sought the river, where it drank immeasurable quantities of water – until it burst!

The dragon’s den is beneath the Wawel Castle and Cathedral along the river, where there is also the dragon skeleton, sculptured by Bronislaw Chromy to commemorate the beast.

Krakow Royal Castle & Cathedral | Photo: Travel In Culture

There have been several cathedral constructions in Krakow. The current Wawel Cathedral is the third on this site, replacing a medieval cathedral from the year 1000 and a subsequent remodelling of this. It dates back to the 14th century and appears in mainly Gothic and Baroque styles.

Sigismund Bell Tower | Photo: Travel In Culture

One of the highlights of Wawel Cathedral is the Sigismund Bell Tower, with several imposing church bells, including Poland’s largest bell (11 tons).

Wawel Cathedral Crypt, sarcophagi | Photo: Travel In Culture

Wawel Royal Castle and Cathedral have contributed to shaping the history of Krakow, and the tombs of the former kings still stand in the crypt of the Cathedral. The crypt is a real gem with its spectacular sarcophagi of the Krakow kings, bishops, and famous Polish heroes.

Main Square | Photo: Travel In Culture

The Main Square (Rynek Główny) is the picturesque 13th-century plaza in the heart of the city, from where visitors can take in some of the most significant cultural sights in Krakow, including the iconic Cloth Hall (Sukiennice). The square is full of food stalls, where visitors can try all kinds of Polish food specialities and buy traditional Polish souvenirs. Moreover, it is a popular and romantic place to begin a horse carriage ride around the city.

The marketplace | Photo: Travel In Culture

St Mary’s Basilica is one of the most significant churches in Krakow. It holds the largest Gothic-style altarpiece in the world, which, temporarily, was removed by the Nazis during WWII. A unique feature is the hourly trumpeter tune from the highest tower, which, according to the legend, commemorates a trumpeter during a Mongol invasion in 1241. He was interrupted in his warning of the citizens. Shot by an arrow, he couldn’t complete his anthem. That is why the trumpeter tunes today end unexpectedly every hour.

The marketplace and Town Hall Tower | Photo: Travel In Culture

However, this is not all, since the Main Square also boasts the beautiful Town Hall Tower, a landmark which is the only remaining building of the former Town Hall. Although leaning a little, it still stands and offers the opportunity to get a panoramic view of the city from the top. The Church of St Wojciech is also a fine Romanesque building in the Main Square, among the oldest stone churches in Poland!

The Cloth Hall, Sukiennice | Photo: Travel In Culture

Another spectacular building in the square is the Cloth Hall, also known as Sukiennice, surrounded by tempting stalls in the marketplace. It dates to the 13th century and is where traders have sold colourful silk fabrics, pieces of clothing, handcrafted items, spices, and local food specialities since the 1400s. From being a medieval marketplace with only two rows of stalls, the stalls had later a roof added. Over the centuries, it further expanded, despite a devasting fire in 1555, to the impressive 2-storey construction that it is today.

The Cloth Hall is the place to find the perfect souvenirs to take home, whether it is amber, Polish icons, Easter eggs, or a dragon sculpture. Also, the Gallery of Polish 19th-century Art, with 18th- and 19th-century paintings, is housed in the Sukiennice building. Also, Rynek Underground can be explored here. It is an underground site of ruins and artefacts from Krakow’s past.

Florianska Street | Photo: Travel In Culture

Florianska Street is an iconic street in Krakow, existing since the 13th century. St Florian’s Gate north of Florianska Street marks the beginning of the cobbled Florianska Street (named after Poland’s Saint Florian). The Gate is part of the medieval fortifications and was one of eight possible entranceways to Krakow and the only one remaining. The defence structure is one of the best-preserved East European fortifications.

St Florian’s Gate | Photo: Travel In Culture

St Florian’s Gate also marks the beginning of the Royal Route or Royal Road that runs through Florianska Street down to the Main Square. Once, when Krakow was a royal city and capital of Poland, it was the formal route for royal processions such as crownings.

Medieval fortifications | Photo: Travel In Culture

Along Florianska Street, many bars and restaurants serve traditional Polish food and beer. In addition, several popular bagel (obwarzanki) street stands also line the street.

Collegium Maius | Photo: Travel In Culture

Krakow’s medieval university, the Jagiellonian University, was founded in 1364 by King Casimir the Great. It is the oldest university in Poland, and it is among the oldest universities in the world.

Collegium Maius | Photo: Travel In Culture

The Collegium Maius is the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University and is well-preserved with an arcaded courtyard and an interior balcony. A history museum, the Jagiellonian University Museum, is included in the buildings.

Kazimierz | Photo: Travel In Culture

South of the old town, across the Vistula River, the Kazimierz district represents another angle of Krakow. This part of Krakow is the historic Jewish district, existing since the 14th century. Until the early 1900s, Kazimierz was an independent Polish royal city south of Krakow with a majority of ethnic Polish and Jewish people. Today, it is considered a district of Krakow.

However, in 1941, the Nazis forced the Jews to relocate into a ghetto before being transported to concentration camps, where most of them ended their lives.

The Old Synagogue, Kazimierz | Photo: Travel In Culture

Although the Nazis destroyed a large part of Kazimierz, restoration has taken place over the last decades, and the district has seen a growth in Jewish immigration from many countries with a corresponding focus on Jewish restaurants, bookstores, and cultural life. Several synagogues are open for visitors. These include the Old Synagogue (with a Jewish Museum), the High Synagogue, and the Remah Synagogue, with the adjoining 16th-century cemetery having graves of many famous Polish Jews.

The Steven Spielberg film Schindler’s List has scenes from Kazimierz, and visitors can enter Schindler’s Factory.

Auschwitz concentration camp | Photo: Travel In Culture

Birkenau concentration camp | Photo: Travel In Culture

A visit to the concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau can be done on a day trip from Krakow. There are many tour options to choose from. Book tour to Auschwitz and Birkenau (affiliate link)

You can get more inspiration and see where to stay in Krakow: Where to Stay in Krakow

Read next: Visit the Historic Zaanse Schans in the Netherlands and 5 Cultural Things to Do in Cologne

What is the Story Behind the Oracle of Delphi in Greece?

Travel In Culture

Continue reading →

Where to Stay in Amsterdam – Amsterdam’s Historic Areas & Places

Travel In Culture

… Continue reading →