Three Days in Kraków

Quite often, a tourist can only spend three days visiting a city which would in fact need months to be experienced in depth. Kraków may very well be one of those well-known historical cities where even a short visit offers a wealth of experiences and a feeling of complete satisfaction. This is why we have prepared a mini-plan for you, detailing three extraordinary days in Krakow.

Selected routes

Walk 1: Old Town

The Old Town is a unique treasure trove of works of art, historic landmarks and monuments. The Main Market Square - the largest medieval square in Europe – has been preserved unaltered since 1257 and was included on the first UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in 1978. The Cloth Hall was a medieval trade hub and is nowadays one of the city’s most popular shopping arcades. It also features a gallery of 19th and 20th century Polish art on the first floor. Looming over the rest of the square is the epic St. Mary’s Church, from one of whose towers a bugle call is played every hour in the four directions of the city. Finally, the Old Town is bordered to the south by the Wawel Royal Castle, once the residence of Polish monarchs until the late 16th century and now an incredible museum with 71 exhibition rooms.

Walk 2: Kazimierz

Formerly a separate city, today Kazimierz is a district of Krakow itself, and the home of the long-standing coexistence of two cultures: the Christian and the Jewish. It is a space full of globally-significant monuments of Judaism, but most of all, it is an area bustling with life, both artistic and social. Numerous antiques and art markets are held here and live music resounds throughout the district’s numerous cafés, restaurants and bars.

Walk 3: Podgórze

Located in the geographical centre of Krakow, Podgórze entices visitors with its greenery, mysterious atmosphere, intimacy and variety of modern museums. The historic buildings of the former Oskar Schindler Emalia Factory at ul. Lipowa 4 are now home to a branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków, which here houses an innovative permanent exhibition: ‘Krakow under Nazi Occupation 1939–1945’. Right next door is the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow (MOCAK).

Walk 4: Nowa Huta

Nowa Huta is the most interesting and complete realisation of a socialist-realist project. The legendary Plac Centralny (Central Square), Aleja Róż, the Administrative Centre of the former Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks and the Żeromski Hospital surprise visitors with their monumental character and unusual symmetry. The unique urban layout of Nowa Huta has also been included on the list of monuments of the City of Kraków, and efforts are being made to have it included on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites.

Cultural Kraków

Kraków is primarily the vibrant cultural capital of the country. It is home to ca. 60 museums, over 30 theatres and 70 galleries. Each year Kraków holds almost 100 festivals and other cultural events. Some of the most notable of these include the musical events brought together under the banner of the ‘6 Senses’ project: the Misteria Paschalia, the Opera Rara series and the enormous Sacrum Profanum - which unites music fans from all across Europe and the Americas.

Outside the city

Kraków is also a good base camp for trips around the surrounding area. Whilst in Kraków, take a walk through the Jurassic valleys of Ojców and Pieskowa Skała, tour deep underground in Wieliczka Salt Mine, and take part in an important history lesson at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Oświęcim.

For more information visit:
www.cracow.travel
www.krakow.pl

Text by Municipality of Kraków


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