Tourist attractions Cracow

Proudly standing between two bends of the River Vistula, this hill is the heart of the city of Poland itself. Discover the admirable Cathedral and the superb Royal Palace . Together they seem to watch over the city. Along the access ramp, an eques..

The castle was built in the Renaissance style by two Florentine architects for King Sigismund I. On the ground floor, the Gothic-style rooms include the crown jewels (sword of state takes pride of place). On the first floor, there is a collection o..

The Gothic cathedral dedicated to St Stanislas and St Wenceslas contains many works of art, including St Stanislas' mausoleum (1629 and King Wladyslaw II Jagiello's Tomb , in red marble. Italian artists created the finest example of Renaissance ar..

This big square is always lively. The ground floors of the attractive buildings house boutiques and cafés. In the centre, near the Church of Our Lady , stands a statue of the poet Adam Mickiewicz (a popular meeting point). Every hour, trumpets ring ..

This surprising monument with a yellow ochre frontage is lined with arcaded galleries supported on columns with carved capitals. The Cloth Hall was built in the 14C, and has been renovated many times. The mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque el..

The Church of Our Lady is an impressive redbrick Gothic building with a pentagonal porch flanked by two square towers. The ornate interior reveals a combination of styles and colours. The main point of interest is undoubtedly the monumental altarpie..

Inside the green swathe of Planty Park , developed in the 19C on the site of the old city walls, the historic old town occupies a beautiful location. Around the Marketplace , the medieval character of Krakow is revealed, and there are many remarkab..

This salt mine, on the Unesco World Heritage list, is comprised of 330km of galleries built on 9 levels. The descent down 135m is on foot. Various curiosities await; carvings, saline lakes, deep wells, but the high point of the visit is the St Kinga ..

The church’s Gothic character was overlaid in the 19C by stained-glass and wall painting by Stanislaw Wyspianski, for which the building is now renowned. The paintings incorporate floral, geometric and heraldic motifs plus some figurative scenes and ..

The Gothic-style Collegius Maius is the principal building of the Jagiellonian University (one of Europe’s oldest). The courtyard, with clock incorporating moving figures, is charming. Guided tours allow visitors to see the Libraria Magna (library)..

One of the largest and most important basilicas in Krakow, the church was consecrated in 1249 and rebuilt several times, notably in 1872 after the fire of 1850. Of particular interest are the relatively original lateral chapels, the result of 17C pat..

Sited in the 17C Szolayski residence, the museum has works and mementoes pertaining to Stanislaw Wyspianski (1869-1907), a key figure in the Young Poland movement, a local variant of Art Nouveau. Loyal to his town and country, he was primarily a pain..

With its external mirrors reflecting the castle and the Vistula, this futurist building houses the Kyoto-Krakow foundation, created by film-maker Andrzej Wajda and his wife Krystyna Zachwatowicz, who commissioned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki to b..

The pride of Krakow, this museum houses an important collection of European pictures from the 16C to the 19C. Looted by the Nazis, it was partially restocked prior to its nationalisation and incorporation into the National Museum in 1949. The jewel o..

This is Krakow’s finest café and its astonishing decor gives it the air of a museum. A simple cake shop in the late 19C, this establishment opened by Jan Apolinary Michalik became in the Belle Époque period the hub of the Mloda Polska (Young Poland) ..

The hub of Jewish Krakow’s commercial and religious life from the 15C to the 19C, the street is today the epicentre of Kazimierz and teems with tourists and traffic. In the courtyard of the Alef restaurant is the old Popper synagogue founded in 162..

This cone-shaped mound was raised in 1820 in honour of Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817), a national hero. He served in the American War of Independence, fought in his homeland against the Russians and the Prussians, before dying in exile in Switzerla..

Lying about 1km west of the centre of Krakow, this district is worth a detour on account of its numerous curiosities: churches, monasteries and a unique view over the city. Two of the region’s oldest festivals take place here, namely those of Emmaus ..

Like a miraculous island in a sea of concrete, this monastery founded by Bishop Iwo Odrow of Krakow is a rare surviving vestige of the old village of Mogila. Behind its Baroque façade is one of the country’s oldest Gothic churches. Don’t miss the Ho..

Perched on a promontory overlooking the Vistula, Poland’s oldest monastery has the characteristics of a fortified church. Of Romanesque origin, the building today is principally Baroque withs some Gothic elements. Only the church, renowned for its su..