Krakow: Travel Guide
Krakow, the second largest city in Poland, is a lively university city with a centuries-old history. Considered the cultural capital of the country, the city has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Eastern Europe. Visitors are attracted by the great cultural and historical heritage that the city offers, the lively nightlife and the good food.
Krakow is a destination that can be enjoyed in every season, considering however the harsh climate of the region that makes the city cold in the winter months. However, during the Christmas period Krakow offers some of the most characteristic and popular markets in Eastern Europe.
To reach the Polish city the best way is to land at the nearby international airport, well connected, even by low-cost airlines, to the major cities of the old continent.
The historic center is the real attraction of the city. From the top of the Wavel (hill) you can see the extension of the city. Here you will find the Castle, where Polish kings were once crowned, and the Cathedral. The richness of the architecture is combined with the beauty of the gardens, which in autumn are filled with colors, making the atmosphere unique. Here you will also find one of the symbols of the city, the dragon, famous for the legend that it was defeated by the founder of the city, Prince Krakus.
At the foot of the hill, the old town (Stare Miasto), a UNESCO world heritage site, is a whirlwind of streets that open onto what is considered the largest square in Europe, Rynek (Market Square). In the center of the square you will find the Cloth Hall, while to its side is the Basilica of Saint Mary with its characteristic different towers. Another tower that stands out in the square is the bell tower of the Town Hall, from whose 70 meters visitors can admire a unique panorama.
The streets around the square are ideal for finding the best restaurants where you can taste the delicacies of Polish cuisine (piroghi, barszcz, bios, etc.).
Not far from the old city is a neighborhood made famous by the film Schindler’s List: the Kazimierz neighborhood. The Jewish neighborhood is undoubtedly one of the neighborhoods to visit. Before the Nazi deportations, it is estimated that over 65,000 people lived there. A few kilometers from Krakow (about an hour and a quarter by car) you can visit the place par excellence of the Holocaust tragedy, the Auschwitz concentration camp. A tour of the places of the tragedy of the Nazi deportations is undoubtedly a painful and touching experience but certainly one to do to reflect and not forget. The guided tour lasts about half a day and several private and organized tours guarantee transfers and visits starting from Krakow.
About 13 km from the city is another symbolic place of Krakow: the Wieliczka salt mines. The monumental mines that ensured the supply of salt for all of Poland for centuries are one of the most visited tourist sites.
Krakow is known for being the birthplace of Pope John Paul II. The signs of his passage are countless in the Churches and other symbolic places of the city as well as numerous monumental churches that demonstrate the Catholic tradition of the country.
Krakow is a dynamic, modern city, full of life, to be discovered in every season and to be lived calmly to savor the unique atmosphere that can be breathed in its centuries-old streets.
