Krakow's
Guide to the Best in the City.
All roads lead to the Rynek Glowny square in Krakow. The
immense central plaza has always been the hub of the city’s
life. Krakow residents and visitors converge on its ten acres
for business and for pleasure - to shop in numerous stores, to
enjoy themselves in myriad restaurants, cafés and clubs, to
see each other, to attend major events from traditional
festivals to open-air concerts to political rallies.
Wawel Hill basks in glory, fable, and the magic of things
eternal. Also, historical significance and its world-class
landmarks as well as accumulation of superb art and
unparalleled curiosities make this place a must for a visitor
to Poland.
The subterranean world of labyrinthine passages, giant
caverns, underground lakes and chapels with sculptures in the
crystalline salt and rich ornamentation carved in the salt
rock have attracted enthralled visitors for centuries.
Kazimierz district with its mushrooming cafes and nightlife
spots has become Krakow’s equivalent of London’s Soho,
Paris’ Quartier Latin, and New York’s Village. Its
recreated Jewish past and newborn reputation as a haven of
artists and the young have made the rundown area near the Old
Town trendy among tourists and the locals alike. Plus
Kazimierz boasts several first-rate landmarks.
1.
Wawel Cathedral.
Krakow’s monumental Gothic cathedral is the most venerated
Polish church and one of the most interesting landmarks of
Europe.
2.
Wawel Royal Castle.
Krakow’s Wawel castle was a royal residence for eight
centuries and the home to Poland’s three dynasties. Restored
to its historical grandeur, the Royal Castle features
first-rate period furniture and excellent works of art.
3.
Church of the Virgin Mary.
The imposing 14th-century basilica of the Virgin Mary at
Krakow’s central Rynek Glowny grand square, the best known
and liked church in Poland, has been traditionally the
city’s showcase temple. Also, it boasts the world’s
arguably greatest medieval altarpiece.
4.
Collegium Maius, the Great College.
Impressive Gothic Collegium Maius college is one of the
world’s few medieval universities that have survived till
now. In its long history it was familiar to many of Poland’s
best minds, from Copernicus to John Paul II.
5.
Barbican and city walls.
Krakow’s barbican, the world’s biggest, is the crowning
achievement of the medieval art of fortifying. Together with
the nearby remnants of city walls it forms possibly the most
comprehensive example of municipal fortifications in the
Middle Ages that has survived in any of then European
capitals.
6.
Skalka sanctuary.
The scenic Baroque complex of the Skalka sanctuary, Poland’s
oldest shrine, sits on the Wisla river bank half a mile
downstream from the Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel
Cathedral. The place has attracted pilgrims for 900 years and
doubled as the nation’s pantheon from the late 19th c.
7.
Sanctuary of Divine Mercy.
One of the world’s youngest Catholic shrines ranks among the
most popular pilgrimage destinations, attracting millions of
believers from all over the world to Krakow’s Lagiewniki
district as the heart of the worldwide movement to worship
Divine Mercy.
8.
Tyniec Abbey.
The spectacular Benedictine abbey in Tyniec upon the riverbank
some 12 km upstream from the Wawel Royal Castle, on the
western outskirts of today’s Krakow, boasts glorious and
dramatic history of nearly 1000 years rich in eventful
episodes.
9.
Old Synagogue.
Krakow’s Old Synagogue ranks with the most ancient
Jewish places of worship in Europe. For centuries it was
central to the life of the former Jewish quarter in Kazimierz.
10.
Bielany Monastery.
Cameldolite monks subject themselves to the extremely severe
rules of their order to live simple, peaceful, secluded life
close to God in their beautiful Krakow hermitage atop Srebrna
Gora (Silver Mountain), a ten minutes’ drive west from
Krakow’s center.
1.
The Czartoryskis' Museum, 19 sw. Jana street at Pijarska
street.
2.
Wawel Royal Castle.
3.
Museum of Archeology, 3 Poselska street at Planty gardens.
4.
Palace of Bishop Erazm Ciolek, 17 Kanonicza street.
5.
Krakow National Museum, Main Gallery at 1, 3 Maja street.
6.
Old Synagogue, 24 Szeroka street.
7.
Museum of Aviation, 39 Jana Pawla II street.
8.
Cathedral Museum, 3 Wawel.
9.
The Hipolits' House, 3 Plac mariacki square.
10.
City of Krakow History Museum, Krzysztofory palace at 35 Rynek
Glowny (Grand Square).
1.
The Virgin Mary's altarpiece by Veit Stoss
in the basilica of the Virgin Mary at Rynek Glowny central
square.
2.
Leonardo da Vinci's 'Lady with an Ermine' in
The Czartoryskis' Museum at 19 s. Jana street and Pijarska
street.
3.
Sigismund chapel of the Wawel Cathedral.
4.
Wawel arrases, the royal tapestries in the Royal
Castle.
5.
Sigismund the bell in the Wawel Cathedral.
6.
Wyspianski's window in the basilica of St. Francis,
Franciszkanska street at Planty gardens.
7.
Swiatowit idol in the
Museum of Archeology, 3 Poselska street at Planty gardens.
8.
Our Lady of Piasek in the Carmelite church (Kosciol
Karmelitow) at 19 Karmelicka street.
9.
Kmita's chasuble in the Cathedral Museum on Wawel
Hill.
10.
Ice-age hairy rhinoceros in the Museum of Natural
History at 9 sw. Sebastiana street.
1.
Royal Road through the Old Town.
2.
Planty garden ring, round historic Krakow.
3.
Across Kazimierz historical district.
1.
Calvary sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. 42
baroque churches and chapels make up Europe's largest Calvary
sanctuary 33 km southwest of Krakow. The complex, famous for
its miraculous image of the Virgin Mary and Holy Week’s
festivals, dates back to 1600.
2.
Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Gory site of the Nazi infamous Auschwitz death camp in Oswiecim,
an hour's drive west from Krakow, is left largely intact as a
monument in memory of over million people who perished here
from 1941 to 1945 and testimony to genocide.
3.
Tatry Mountains.
The alpine range of Tatras, some 120 km south of Krakow, has
been mostly turned into a national park long ago. Stunning
views, pristine nature, and nearly 250 km of hiking trails.
Plus winter sports galore as well as rock climbing, cave
exploration, paragliding, etc.
1.
The long Christmas
in Krakow.
2.
Midsummer Fiesta of Garlands on the first Saturday after June
24.
3.
Lajkonik parade on the next Thursday after Corpus Christi
Feast.
The
best
hotels in Krakow, various categories.
1.
Sheraton Krakow at 1 Poswisle street /five
stars/.
2.
Hotel Sympozjum at 47 Kobierzynska street /five stars/.
3.
Hotel Stary at 5 Szczepanska street /five stars/.
4.
Holiday Inn at 4 Wielopole street /five stars/.
5.
Hotel Senacki at 51 Grodzka street /three stars/.
6.
Hotel Polski "Pod Bialym Orlem" at 17 Pijarska
street /three stars/.
7.
Hotel Pollera at 30 Szpitalna street /three stars/.
8.
Hotel Alexander at 18 Grabarska street /three stars/.
1.
Pod Roza at 14 Florianska street with the Italian and Polish
cuisine.
2.
The Olive at 7 Powisle street (in hotel Sheraton Krakow) with
the Mediterranean cuisine.
3.
Nostalgia at 10 Karmelicka street with the Polish
cuisine.
4.
Szara at 6 Rynek Glowny (Grand Square) with the Scandinavian
and Mediterranean cuisine.
5.
Szara Kazimierz at 39 Szeroka street with international
cuisine.
6.
Il Calzone at 15A Starowislna street with the traditional
Italian cuisine.
7.
Jarema at 5 Plac Matejki square with the Polish eastern
cuisine.
8.
Cherubini at 15 Sw. Tomasza street with the Polish and Italian
cuisine.
9.
Pod Aniolami at 35 Grodzka street with the old Polish
cuisine.
10.
Restauracja w Hotelu Starym at 5 Szczepanska street (in Hotel
Stary) with the Polish exquisite cuisine.
11.
Edo Sushi at 3 Bozego Ciala street with the Japanese
cuisine.
12.
San Sebastian at 25 Sw. Sebastiana street with international
cuisine.
Vegetarian:
Green Way at 14 Mikolajska street.
The
best tours and day trips: Cracow Tours at 3
Krupnicza street.
Best
hairdresser's and beauty salon: Roman at 1 Golebia
street.
Best
shopping arcade: Pasaz Handlowy Rynek 13 at 13 Rynek Glowny
(Grand Square).
Best
commercial art
gallery: Space Gallery at 13 Florianska street
(upstairs).
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