Krakow

Cracow, famous for its priceless historical monuments of culture and art, is Poland’s former royal capital and one of the most attractive spots on the tourist map of Europe.

 

Besides history, art and an atmosphere all of its own, Cracow offers visitors entertainment and leisure: theatres, cabarets, clubs, cafes, bars, wine cellars and restaurants having something to offer for everyone. International festivals and other events are held either in the Main Market Square or at the foot of the Wawel Castle.

Also, Cracow’s surrounding areas offer plenty of tourist attractions. Wieliczka is famous for being one of the world’s oldest salt mines open to sightseers. The valley of the Prądnik River, part of the Ojcowski National Park, is a unique nature reserve with a fairy-tale landscape carved from limestone. The ruins of the Gothic castle in Ojców and the beautifully preserved Renaissance castle in Pieskowa Skała are two more reasons to visit the park. Just 35 km south of Cracow is the Beskidy mountain range, and 100 km further, in the Tatra Mountains, lies Zakopane, which is often referred to as “the winter capital of Poland”.

Krakow is sometimes referred to as ‘Rome of the North’, due to its vast amount of churches (over 350 churches!) & places of religious significance such as:

 

Wawel Cathedral
The Cathedral, which is thousands of years old, was the place where Polish kings were crowned and buried. As time went by, the greatest Polish heroes, poets and saints were also laid to rest there. For this reason, Wawel became Poland’s key necropolis.

 

St. Mary’s Church
The gothic St. Mary’s Basilica situated in the vicinity of the town square was built in the fourteenth century. Its main attraction is the world’s greatest wooden altar, sculpted by Wit Stwosz (Veit Stoss). This church is also well known for its bugle-call played every hour from the top of one of the towers.