17 essentials: what to see and do in Krakow (Poland)

Surely you will have planned get to know Krakow in your first tourism trip a Poland, or even take a specific getaway to discover the attractions of the most visited city in said Eastern European country.

Therefore, at the time of travel to Krakow and its surroundings you should know in advance what are the best places to visit so you can plan your stay.

At the outset you should know that Krakow It is considered the city with the greatest tourist attraction of Poland.

But I tell you that also in its surroundings you have various lplaces of great interest, above all, the memorial and museum of the former Auschwitz concentration camp, with its extension of the field of birkenau.

Or also the Wieliczka Salt Mine. another of the attractions essential in a sightseeing trip to Krakow.

For your trip you have several options to sign up for tours in Spanish in Krakow, Auschwitz or the Salt Mines.

But if you prefer to go on your own, here is information about what to see and what to do during your stay, with the best places to visit in Krakow and its surroundings.

What to see and visit for tourism in Krakow

Did you know that this historic city was the residence of the Kings of Poland ?And that it also has a long and strong religious tradition as a Catholic city, an example of which was the celebration in 2016 of the World Youth Day?.

Market Square in Krakow

The central axis of the ancient medieval city of Krakow is the great marketplace, of enormous dimensions, in which some of its iconic buildings meet, and it is the place where you will focus your visit.

Within the largely walled enclosure of the medieval city of Krakow, in the inner area of ​​the large garden ring Planty garden Ring, all the streets converge into the Marketplace, the largest in Europe due to its dimensions, 200 meters long on each side.

In this large square you find two of the most outstanding monuments of the city, the Basilica of Santa María and Cloth Hall, but also at dusk and during the night there is a great atmosphere of cafes, bars and restaurants, as well as other activities.

La Krakow Market Square, whose Polish name is Rynek Glowny, it was already built in the middle of the 13th century.

In addition to the aforementioned monuments, the statue of adam mickiewicz, and a small church, that of Saint Adalbert, also known as Voitek.

When you arrive at the square, apart from seeing its monuments, you will see the great life that exists there, always full of visitors.

Many horse carriages, highly decorated, which are offered to tourists to take a tour of the streets of the old medieval city.

You can also opt for small Power Plants, similar to those on golf courses, where you can also make a Guided tour of the city.

St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow

La Basilica of Santa María It is one of the icon images of the Krakow Market Square,

This great church stands solemnly right in front of the Cloth Hall and it is a building polish gothic style which began to be built in the middle of the 13th century and was completed at the end of the 15th century.

Its two towers of unequal height stand out greatly, an aspect that will catch your attention as soon as you see it, not only because of their different height, but also because of their different configuration.

Towers of the Basilica of Saint Mary

As a curiosity, Do you know why the towers of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Krakow have different heights?

This is due to the great competition that existed between the two architect brothers who built it, who bet on who would build the tallest tower.

In this competition, one of them decided to murder the other, and after repenting, he committed suicide by jumping from one of the towers. In fact, in the neighboring Cloth Hall the knife that is said to have been used in the murder is kept.

The truth is that when visiting the beautiful Krakow Market Square You will find yourself facing two towers of different heights, the tallest 81 meters and with a Gothic style roof, and the lowest, 65 meters with a Renaissance style roof.

The tallest of the towers is known as the Vigia tower, or the Bugle Tower, given that for 600 years, every hour of the day, a bugle has been sounded from the top of the tower as a warning to the citizens.

For its part, inside the basilica the altar built at the end of the 15th century, as well as the spectacular choir, with organ included, although to see them you must pay an entrance fee.

Cloth Hall in Krakow

One of the most visited places by tourists in Krakow is the Cloth Hall, building located in the center of the marketplace, Renaissance style, which has become a large market of grocery stores remembrances.

Denominated in Polish Hall, the history of this great and beautiful Renaissance style building It dates back to just after the year 1300.

In the place it occupies in the very center of this medieval square, a covered area was set up under which the clothing merchants gathered.

Some time later, at the end of the 14th century, a first building of Gothic style, 108 meters long and eight meters wide, but after a fire in 1555, the building of the Cloth Hall was rebuilt with the current configuration of Renaissance style.

Currently, when you visit it you will be able to contemplate the great architectural beauty of this building that is framed between the Basilica of Santa María and the tower old town hall of krakow, which was demolished in the 19th century.

Of course, I can tell you that the interior of the historic Cloth Market has now become a large market of shops remembrances, so don't expect to arrive and find traditional clothing stores.

On both sides of the long corridor of the Hall There are a large number of small shops where you can buy all kinds of souvenirs.

The remembrances The most popular are religious figures or objects, but you will also find handicraft products made of wood or gold, and classic t-shirts and caps.

Wawel Hill in Krakow

La Wawel Hill It is the enclave of the medieval city of Krakow where political and religious power has historically been concentrated, which is represented by the presence of the Royal Castle and cathedral.

Going down south from the marketplace awarded by the Kanonicza street, you will reach the Wawel Hill, a small promontory on the banks of the Vistula river.

The history of that place dates back to the 6th century, when according to medieval legends, a dragon lived in one of its caves, but at the end of the 9th century the fortification of the Royal Castle and Wawel Hill begins to acquire a role as political center of Krakow.

From then on, said castle became the residence of different Polish kings.

In parallel, it became the main center of the Christianity in Poland, especially after the construction of the cathedral in the 11th century.

This preeminence of Wawel Hill in the life, not only of the city of Krakow, but throughout Poland, had a milestone when in 1291 Wenceslas II was crowned king of poland in the Wawel Cathedral.

During later centuries the Wawel Hill It had great political importance as the headquarters of the Government of Poland, until in the 17th century the city of warsaw assumed the capital of the country.

Finally, when in 1918 Poland regained its independence after the occupation by Austria, the Wawel Royal Castle became the residence of Head of state.

Royal Castle in Krakow

The original fortification of Krakow Royal Castle During the 16th century it was rebuilt to become a Renaissance palace.

Now on your trip to Krakow you can visit the most important rooms of the Royal Castle, since the State Rooms and Royal chapelUntil the Royal Private Apartments, rooms that maintain the Gothic style in their construction.

Here you have more useful information for visit the Royal Castle in Krakow.

Wawel Cathedral in Krakow

The current building of the Krakow Cathedral It dates back to the 14th century, although in the 11th century there was a first Romanesque-style church.

When during your visit to the Wawel Hill When you go to the cathedral, you will notice that the building displays a great mix of architectural styles, from the original Gothic to the Renaissance and Baroque.

Here you have all the information for you visit of the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow.

Krakow medieval wall

In your Krakow visit you can still see some section of the medieval wall that surrounded the city, and one notable corner is the Florian Gate.

It began to be built in the 47th century and was three kilometers long with 8 towers and XNUMX gates.

It was in 1810 when it was decided to tear down the wall and create in said space the current circular park that you can see how it surrounds the old enclosure of the medieval city.

Florian Gate in Krakow

La Florian Gate  It was historically the traditional entrance to the medieval city of Krakow, and today it is still a very common point to start a visit to this Polish city.

I was in the thirteenth century when it was decided build a wall around the medieval city of Krakow to defend it from invasions, although it had natural defenses such as the Wawel hill or the river that surrounds the city.

La Krakow wall It was completed in the 47th century, and was three kilometers long, with XNUMX towers and eight main access gates. Access to the doors was through some circular walls based on the Arab fortifications, called Barbican.

Finally, between the year 1810 The Krakow authorities decided tear down the wall and beautify the city with creation of a large circular park to occupy its original location. But there was part of the population of Krakow that opposed this, so that in the end some areas of the wall remained standing.

Planty Park in Krakow

In our visit to Krakow, we find that the ancient medieval city is surrounded by large circular park, Planty Park. But, luckily, we can still visit some walled area.

If we head from the great Marketplace towards the north through the very commercial Florian Street, we will arrive at the area that still remains of the ancient wall, with the great Florian Gate tower, and in its vicinity we can visit the only Barbican that still persists. Three other towers and some other small sections of the wall also remain.

In the Florian Gate the great exhibition of paintings that covers a large part of the walls of the wall. This is a permanent exhibition of works by students of the Krakow Art School and local artists, which has become the Florian Gate icon.

St. Andrew's Church in Krakow

Krakow is one of cities of Europe where you will be able to see more churches, which have different architectural styles.

In fact, it is known as the City of 200 churches, and, indeed, if you turn 360 degrees anywhere in its historic center, you will see that you will always see at least one church.

Among them is the church of San Andrés, the best surviving example of Romanesque architecture in the city.

You will find it in the Grodzka street, halfway between the aforementioned Marketplace y Wawel Hill, within the medieval city enclosure.

Located next to the church of San Pedro and San Pablo, is easy to recognize by its two tall Romanesque towers that are covered by a baroque style roof, as well as by the image of robustness given by its brick walls.

Built in the 11th century, the style of interior of the church of Saint Andrew Is completely baroque, from the 18th century, which is a new reflection of that contrast that is already reflected in the towers.

Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Krakow

Located next to the aforementioned church of San Andrés, the church of San Pedro and San Pablo is Baroque, and was built in the 17th century by the Jesuits, and in fact it was first church of the Jesuits in Krakow.

The highlight of this church, without a doubt, is its beautiful white baroque façade, built in the image and likeness of the façade of the Church of the Gesu in Rome, main headquarters of the Jesuit Order.

On the façade of the Krakow church you can see twelve stone sculptures with the figures of the twelve apostles, which are copies of the original sculptures that in the 18th century were relocated to an interior courtyard of the church.

Krakow Jewish Quarter

One of the essential visits on your trip to Krakow is the Jewish quarter known as Kazimierz, a corner that currently shows a great cultural atmosphere with numerous cafes and restaurants.

The quoted Jewish quarter It is located outside the historic center and its location dates back to the 1495th century, when a new city began to be built outside the walls where the Jewish community was moved in XNUMX.

On your trip to the Polish city you will see that it is worth visiting and you will be able to see two historic synagogues, as well as other corners among which the old one stands out. Jewish Ghetto and the old Schindler's factory.

Old Synagogue in Krakow

Of those preserved in Krakow, the one known as Old Synagogue es the oldest in Poland and dates back to the second half of the 15th century.

You find it in one of the axes of the Jewish quarter, marketplace, and inside you can visit the Museum of Jewish History in Krakow.

Remuh Synagogue in Krakow

In the same square you can also visit the Remuh Synagogue founded in 1533, and next to which is located an old Jewish cemetery in which was built what is known as Wailing wall.

Jewish Ghetto in Krakow

Another notable corner near the Jewish Quarter is the old Krakow Jewish Ghetto, a neighborhood where the Germans concentrated the Jews during the Second World War, and where you can still see some section of its wall.

In the known as Ghetto Heroes Square Located at the entrance to said neighborhood is a memorial in memory of the Jews who were banned from said ghetto.

And also in that area you can visit the old Schindler Factory, whose story was reflected in one of the most famous films of Steven Spielberg.

What to see and visit around Krakow

Near Krakow There are two places whose visit you should include in your travel agenda, the memorial of the former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wielizca Salt Mine.

Auschwitz-Birkenau near Krakow

Essential in a trip to Krakow is to take the excursion to the memorial of the former Auschwitz concentration camp, where you can also visit its extension birkenau.

Located 90 kilometers from Krakow, this concentration camp was created in 1940 and housed up to 90.000 prisoners.

Auschwitz It gained fame as the largest extermination camp for Jews by the Nazis, who built an extension known as birkenau, whose remains you can also visit on your trip.

It will be useful for you to know how to sign up for a tour in Spanish to Auschwitz from Krakow, and if you prefer to go on your own, how to go by bus to Auschwitz.

And here you have another alternative Auschwitz excursion from Krakow with guide in spanish with a duration of seven hours.

Wieliczka Salt Mine near Krakow

Another highly recommended visit in Krakow are Wieliczka Salt Mine, located very close to the city, and which have become one of the most important tourist attractions.

They are located 14 kilometers from the Polish city and declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco, are considered one of the most famous salt mines in the world.

The most outstanding corner that you will see on your visit is the St. Kinga's Chapel.