Krakow Things to Do

I passed 4-5 times in front of the Smok Wawelski, down the Wavell Hill, expecting to film the Dragon's sculpture when breathing fire but each time my camera was ready "Smok" as he is called in Krakow...

I much hesitated to join the VT euromeet for the visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau. The reason may sound paradoxical, I feel too much concerned, impregnated by WW II and its horrors. I was a child when...

A World Class Attraction: "The Salt Mine of Wieliczka" Note: Temperature in the Wieliczka Salt Mine stays uniform 15 degrees Celsius, i.e. 59 Fahrenheit, round the year. Except it's closed on...

It might sound odd but several of the most famous and beautiful churches of Krakow are located in the Kazimierz district. I started, on a sunny morning, my visit of Kazimierz by following the...

On the north side of the Rynek Glowny market square, not far from the Mariacki church, you can not avoid the horse-carriages standing there and inviting couples for a romantic promenade. They are well...

What first strikes the visitor entering the vast and magnificent chorus is the abundance of bright colors. Walls and vault are decorated with mural paintings by Jan Matejko in 1890. Superb is the...

The Cloth Hall (Polish: Sukiennice) is one of symbol of city. It is a central building on main market in Old town. Besides small shops under arcade here is also and The Gallery of 19th-Century Polish...

Coming from the central market Rynek Glowny by the very touristy Florianska street - with burger and kebab shops - the contrast is great with the medieval St-Florian Tower gate from 1307 and the...

This is with St. Barbara the second Jesuit church in Krakow but the first baroque church in the town. Construction started in 1597. The impressive baroque façade in stone was inspired by the Gesu...

Founded in 1364, the University of Krakow is amongst the oldest in the world. King Wladislaw II. Jagiello bought that former noble mansion from the Anjou family for the University in 1400 which became...

The old town hall was pulled down in 1820 to create the big spaces we all love at market square. Only the Gothic clocktower remained. It dates back to the 13th century but got its present appearance...

Our plane in its approach of the Krakow-Balice airport did fly over Krakow. I could easily distinguish the Wawel hill and the green belt of the Planty gardens around the old town, something unique in...

This stunning statue commemorates the victory over the Teutonic Knights in 1410. At the top on his horse is the King of Poland Władysław Jagiełło, his sword pointing downwards in...

When I visited Krakow in 2006 the museum in Schindler's Emalia factory had not yet opened, although it was planned. When I visited in 2010 I missed the opening by just a few weeks. So I was very...

Zakopane is in the Tatra mountains of south Poland 110km [ 68 miles] from Krakow. Can be reached by train or bus from Krakow, bus is far quicker [2hours journey]. It is a pretty place of wooden...

Muzeum Czartoryskich: This museum was founded in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska to preserve the Polish heritage in keeping with the Princess' motto: "The Past to the Future". It is the oldest...

If you are looking for bar, pubs, restaurants and little shops – this is the street to go to in Kraków. Florianska Street is busy day and night and has something for everyone. The street leads from...

The bright yellow Slowacki Theatre (Teatr im. Juliusza Slowackiego) is a architectural masterpiece of Jan Zawiejski. It was finished in 1893 after some medieval buildings had to make way for...

The third most important church of Krakow is the Basilica of Corpus Christi (Kosciol Bozego Ciala) located in the district of Kazimierz. It is a huge structure mainly of bricks whose construction...

St. Andrew's Church is old, built in 1086. It has kept much of its Romanesque exterior, however, as soon as one gets inside the experience is totally different: it's all Baroque from 17-18th...

You can't miss this little cuboid church in the SE corner of Rynek Glowny. It's one of the oldest churches in the city, dating back to the 11th century (1000s), although there was a wooden church on...

In the 16th and 17th c. the Polish hussars were the leading branch of cavalry. They were equipped with a long lance as their main weapon and were wearing plate metal body armour. The hussars fought...

In front of the entrance to the Wawel castle at the end of the Grodzka street stands a memorial cross erected in 1990 on the 50th anniversary of the massacre in the Katyn Forest in Russia, the Kalinin...

At the feet of the Wawel castle on the southern side stands St. Bernard's church. Last year I could not make a detailed visit of the splendid church interior because a mass was going on and there are...

The nicest way to discover the Kazimierz district is by following the promenade along the Vistula so as to discover the beautiful riverside sanctuary called Skalka = small roc (photo 1) . In 1079 the...