Krakow, Poland

Krakow was Poland’s capital for five centuries before Warsaw took over in 1596, and the city still carries that weight intact. The Old Town and Wawel Hill were not bombed during the Second World War – which makes Krakow something genuinely rare in central Europe: a medieval city that still looks and feels medieval. The Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square) is the largest medieval market square in Europe, roughly 200 metres on a side, ringed by townhouses and dominated by the Cloth Hall and the twin-towered St Mary’s Basilica. Walking into it for the first time produces something close to disorientation from sheer scale. Most European cities that claim medieval grandeur are assemblies of reconstructed fragments; Krakow is the real thing.

The Old Town

St Mary’s Basilica on the northeast corner of the Rynek contains Veit Stoss’s polychrome altarpiece, the largest Gothic altarpiece in the world, carved in limewood between 1477 and 1489. It is a genuinely extraordinary piece of work – the folded drapery and carved expressions hold up against anything in European art. Admission is around PLN 15. Every hour on the hour, a bugler plays the Hejnal Mariacki from the top of the taller tower, the melody breaking off mid-phrase: tradition holds that the medieval trumpeter warning of a Tatar invasion in 1241 was killed mid-note.

Wawel Castle and Cathedral sit on the hill above the city. The castle was the royal seat of Poland’s Piast and Jagiellonian dynasties; the cathedral is where Polish kings are buried. Pope John Paul II served as Archbishop of Krakow before his election in 1978. The cathedral’s interior is the densest concentration of Polish royal history in one building. The Dragon’s Den below the hill is lightweight entertainment, but the steel fire-breathing dragon at the entrance is worth a photograph.

Kazimierz

Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter southeast of the Old Town, was established in 1335 and remained a separate city until the 19th century. The pre-war Jewish community numbering around 65,000 was effectively destroyed during the occupation; the neighbourhood now carries a complex identity as a site of memory, a lively arts and cafe district, and a Jewish heritage destination. The tension between those roles is what makes it interesting rather than merely sad.

The Galicia Jewish Museum on Dajwor Street takes this complexity seriously and rewards several hours. Oskar Schindler’s factory – the DEF Emalia Factory, now a city museum about 1 km southeast across the Vistula – covers the occupation-era history of Krakow with real depth. It is one of the better regional history museums in Poland.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz is 75 kilometres west of Krakow and most visitors come as a day trip. Since March 2026, all admissions must be booked online in advance via visit.auschwitz.org – there is no longer any option to buy tickets at the site. Book as far ahead as possible; popular English-language guided tours sell out months in advance. Allow at least 4 hours for both Auschwitz I and the larger Auschwitz II-Birkenau site, 3 kilometres away.

More than 1.1 million people were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the majority Jewish. The physical evidence – the scale of Birkenau in particular, the collapsed gas chamber ruins, the warehouse buildings containing the personal property of those murdered – makes an impact that reading history does not. Go.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Wieliczka, 14 kilometres southeast, has operated since the 13th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tourist route runs 3.5 kilometres through underground chambers including the St Kinga’s Chapel, carved entirely from salt with chandeliers, sculptures, and bas-reliefs. Entry is around PLN 120; the guided tour provides significantly more context than wandering alone. Minibuses from Krakow’s Galeria Krakowska bus station run frequently. It is more impressive than the brochure photographs suggest.

Food and Drink

Polish food is not subtle, and there is no reason to pretend otherwise. Pierogi (dumplings filled with potato and cheese, meat, or sauerkraut and mushroom) are the staple, and a well-made plate of them holds up to anything more fashionable. Bigos is the hunter’s stew of sauerkraut, various meats, and dried mushrooms – deeply savoury and better in a cold October than a warm July. Zurek is a sour rye soup with hard-boiled egg and kielbasa, often served in a bread bowl.

Bar Mleczny U Stasi on Mikolajska Street is the local canteen option in the Old Town – subsidised, counter-service, main courses running PLN 12-18, and genuinely good. Most meals in tourist-facing restaurants now run 60-70 PLN (around 14-16 euros) for a main course. For something more refined, Pod Nosem on the Rynek does creative Polish cooking without trying to be French about it.

Getting There

Krakow John Paul II Airport has direct flights from most European cities. The centre is 15 kilometres away; a train runs every 30 minutes (PLN 19, 18 minutes to the main station). Direct trains from Warsaw take about 2.5 hours and are the most comfortable way to arrive from the east.