Although Kraków (KRAH-koof; pop 758,000) only recently emerged as a trendy international capital, it has long been Poland’s darling. The regal architecture, cafe culture, and palpable sense of history that now bewitch throngs of visitors have drawn Polish kings, artists, and scholars for centuries. Unlike most Polish cities, Kraków emerged from WWII and years of socialist planning unscathed. The maze-like Old Town and the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz hide scores of museums, galleries, cellar pubs, and clubs; 130,000 students add to the spirited nightlife. Still, the city’s gloss and glamor can’t completely hide the scars of the 20th century: the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camps provide a sobering reminder of the atrocities committed in the not-so-distant past.
The heart of the city is the Rynek Główny (Main Marketplace), the center of Stare Miasto (Old Town). Stare Miasto is encircled by the Planty gardens and, a bit farther out, a broad ring road, which is confusingly divided into sections with different names: Basztowa, Dunajewskiego, Podwale, and Westerplatte. South of Rynek Główny looms the Wawel Castle. The Wisła River snakes past the castle and borders the old Jewish district of Kazimierz. The train station sits northeast of Stare Miasto. A well-marked underpass cuts beneath the ring road and into the Planty gardens; from there several paths lead into the Rynek (10min.).
New hostels frequently open in Kraków to meet the growing demand, but budget accommodations fill up quickly in summer. Be sure to call ahead. University dorms open up in June, July and August; Kraków in Your Pocket has a list.
Many restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores are located on and around Rynek Główny. More grocery stores surround the bus and train stations.
Stare Miasto. At the center of Stare Miasto is the Rynek Główny, the largest market square in Europe, and at the heart of the Rynek stands the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall). Surrounded by multicolored row houses and cafes, it’s a convenient center for exploring the nearby sights. The Royal Road (Droga Królewska), traversed by medieval royals on the way to coronations in Wawel, starts at St. Florian’s Church (Kosciół św. Floriana), crosses pl. Matejki, passes the Academy of Fine Arts (Akademia Sztuk Pieknych), and crosses Basztowa to the Barbakan. The Gothic-style Barbakan, built in 1499, is the best preserved of the three such defensive fortifications surviving in Europe. (Open daily 10:30am-6pm. 6zł, students 4zł.) The royal road continues through Floriańska Gate, the old city entrance and the only remnant of the city’s medieval walls. Inside Stare Miasto, the road runs down Floriańska, past the Rynek and along Grodzka. A map marking all the points can be found in front of Florianska Gate. Every hour at St. Mary’s Church (Kościół Mariacki), the blaring Hejnał trumpet calls from the taller of St. Mary’s two towers and cuts off abruptly to recall the near-destruction of Kraków in 1241, when invading Tatars shot down the trumpeter as he attempted to warn the city. A stunning interior encases the world’s oldest Gothic altarpiece, a 500-year-old treasure dismantled, but not destroyed, by the Nazis. (At the corner of the Rynek closest to the train station. Cover shoulders and knees. Church open daily 11:30am-6pm. Tower open Tu, Th, and Sa 9-11:30am and 1-5:30pm. Tower 6zł, students 4zł. Altar 4/2zł.)
Collegium Maius of Kraków’s Jagiellonian University (Uniwersytet Jagielloński) is the third-oldest university in Europe, established in 1364. Alumni include astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik (Copernicus). The Collegium became a museum in 1964 and now boasts an extensive collection of historical scientific instruments. (ul. Jagiellońska 15. ☎012 663 1307; www.uj.edu.pl/muzeum. Open Apr.-Oct. M,W,F 10am-2:20pm, Tu, Th 10am-5:20pm, Sa 10am-1:20pm, Nov.-March M-F 10am-2:20pm, Sa 10am-1:20pm. Closed Sundays and holidays. Guided visits only; tours 3 per hr. English-language tour daily 1pm. 12zł, students 6zł, Sa free.) Ulica Floriańska runs from the Rynek to the Barbakan and the Floriańska Gate, which formed the entrance to the old city; they are now the only remnants of the medieval fortifications. The Czartoryskich Museum has letters by Copernicus and paintings by Matejko, da Vinci, and Rembrandt. (św. Jana 19. ☎012 422 5566. Open T-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 10am-4pm; closed last Su of each month. 10zł; students 5zł; Su free.) From the Rynek, walk down Grodzka and turn right to reach the brightly colored Franciscan Church (Kosciól Franciscańska), decorated with vibrant colors and Stanisław Wyspiański’s amazing stained-glass window God the Father. (Pl. Wszystkich Swiętych 5. ☎012 422 5376. Open daily until 7:30pm. English-language tours free; donations requested.)
Wawel Castle And Surroundings. Wawel Castle (Zamek Wawelski), one of Poland’s top attractions, is an architectural masterpiece overlooking the Wisła River. Begun in the 10th century and remodeled in the 16th, the castle contains 71 chambers, including the Komnaty (state rooms) and the Apartamenty (royal chambers). Among the treasures are a magnificent sequence of 16th-century tapestries commissioned by the royal family and a cache of armor, swords, spears, and ancient guns. The Lost Wawel exhibit traces Wawel Hill’s evolution from the Stone Age, displaying archaeological fragments of ancient Wawel. You can also visit the Oriental Collection of Turkish military regalia and Asian porcelain. (Open Apr.-Oct. M 9:30am-1pm, Tu-F 9:30am-5pm, Sa-Su 11am-6pm, Nov.-Mar. Tu-Sa 9:30am-4pm, Su 10am-4pm. Royal Private Apartments and Oriental Collection closed M. Wawel Castle Apr.-Oct.15zł, students 8zł, Nov.-Mar. 14/7zł, M free. Lost Wawel and Oriental Collection 7/4zł each. Royal Apartments 22/17zł, Treasury and Armory 15/8zł.) Next door is Wawel Cathedral (Katedra Wawelska), which once hosted the coronations and funerals of Polish monarchs. Famed poet Adam Mikiewicz lies entombed here, and Kraków native Karol Wojtyła served as archbishop before becoming Pope John Paul II. Steep stairs from the church lead to Sigismund’s Bell (Dwon Zygmunta); the view of the city is worth the climb. (Cathedral open M-Sa 9am-5pm, Su 12:30pm-5pm. Buy tickets at the kasa across the castle courtyard. 10zł, students 5zł.) In the complex’s southwest corner is the entrance to the D Dragon’s Den (Smocza Jama), a small cavern. The real treat is down the path that borders the castle walls: a wonderfully ugly metal statue of the fire-breathing dragon. ( Open daily Sept.-Apr. 10am-5pm, July-Aug. 10-6pm. 3zł.)
Kazimierz. South of Stare Miasto lies Kazimierz, Kraków’s 600-year-old Jewish quarter. On the eve of WWII, 68,000 Jews lived in the Kraków area, most of them in Kazimierz, but the occupying Nazis forced many out. The 15,000 remaining were deported to death camps by March 1943. Only about 100 practicing Jews now live here, but Kazimierz is a favorite haunt of Kraków’s artists and intellectuals, and it is the center of a resurgence of Central European Jewish culture. (From the Rynek, go down ul. Sienna, which turns into Starowiślana. After 1km, turn right onto Miodowa, then left onto Szeroka.) The Galicia Jewish Museum documents the past and present of Galicia, a region in southern Poland that was once the heart of Ashkenazi Jewish culture. (Dajwór 18. ☎012 421 6842; www.galiciajewishmuseum.org. Open daily 9am-7pm. 12zł, students 6zł.) The tiny Remuh Synagogue is surrounded by Remuh’s Cemetery, which has graves dating to the plague of 1551-1552 and a wall constructed from tombstones recovered after WWII. For centuries, the cemetery was covered with sand, protecting it from 19th-century Austrian invaders and from the Nazis, who used the area as a garbage dump. (Szeroka 40. Open May-Oct. M-F and Su 9am-6pm, Nov.-Apr. M-F and Su 9am-4pm. Services F at sundown and Sa morning. 5zł, students 2zł.) Also on Szeroka, the Old Synagogue is Poland’s earliest example of Jewish religious architecture and now houses a museum of Jewish history and traditions. (Szeroka 24. ☎012 422 0962. Open Apr.-Oct. M 10am-2pm, Tu-Su 10am-5pm; Nov.-Mar. M 10am-2pm, W-Th and Sa-Su 9am-4pm, F 10am-5pm. 7zł, students 5zł, M free.) The Center for Jewish Culture organizes cultural events and arranges heritage tours. (Meiselsa 17. ☎012 430 6449; www.judaica.pl. Open M-F 10am-6pm, Sa-Su 10am-2pm.)
The Cultural Information Center, św. Jana 2, sells the monthly guide Karnet (4zł) and directs visitors to box offices. (☎012 421 7787. Open M-Sa 10am-6pm.) The city jumps with jazz; check out U Muniaka, Florianska 3 (☎012 423 1205; open daily 7pm-2am) and Harris Piano Jazz Bar, Rynek Główny 28 (☎012 421 5741; shows 9pm-midnight; Tu-Sa and Su 1pm-2am.) Classical music-lovers will relish the Sala Filharmonia (Philharmonic Hall), Zwierzyniecka 1. (☎012 422 9477, ext. 31; www.filharmonia.krakow.pl. Box office open Tu-F 11am-7pm, Sa-Su 1hr. before curtain; closed June 20-Sept. 10.) The opera performs at the Słowacki Theater, sw. Ducha 1. (☎012 424 4525. Box office open M-Sa 9am-7pm, Su 4hr. before curtain. 30-50zł, students 25-35zł.) The Stary Teatr (Old Theater) has a few stages that host films, plays, and exhibits. (☎012 422 4040. Open Tu-Sa 10am-1pm and 5-7pm, Su 5-7pm. 30-60zł, students 20-35zł.)
Kraków in Your Pocket has up-to-date info on the hottest club and pub scenes, while the free monthly English-language KrakOut magazine has day-by-day listings of events. Most dance clubs are in Stare Miasto, while bohemian pubs and cafes cluster in Kazimierz. For tips on Kraków’s GLBT nightlife, see www.gayeuro.com/krakow or www.cracow.gayguide.net.
Auschwitz-Birkenau. An estimated 1½ million people, mostly Jews, were murdered and thousands more suffered unthinkable horrors in the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz (in Oświęcim) and Birkenau (in Brzezinka). The gates over the smaller Konzentrationslager Auschwitz I are inscribed with the ironic dictum “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work Will Set You Free). Tours begin at the museum at Auschwitz. As you walk past the remainders of thousands of lives, the enormity of the atrocity becomes apparent. A 15min. English-language film, with footage shot by the Soviet Army that liberated the camp on January 27, 1945, is shown every 30 min. Children under 14 are strongly advised not to visit the museum. (☎844 8102. Open daily June-Aug. 8am-7pm; Sept. and May 8am-6pm; Oct. and Apr. 8am-5pm; Nov. and Mar. 8am-4pm; Dec.-Feb. 8am-3pm. English-language tour 4 per day at 10am, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm. Museum free. Film 3.50zł. Guided 3hr. tour 39zł, students 30zł; film and bus included. English-language guidebook 3zł.)
The larger, starker Konzentrationslager Auschwitz II-Birkenau is in the countryside 3km from the original camp, a 30min. walk along a well-marked route or a short shuttle ride from the Auschwitz museum parking lot (1 per hr., free). Birkenau was built later in the war and hosted much of the apparati of mass extermination. Little is left of the camp today; most was destroyed by retreating Nazis to conceal the genocide. Reconstructed train tracks lead to the ruins of the crematoria and gas chambers. Near the monument lies a pond still gray from the ashes deposited there over 60 years ago. (Open mid-Apr. to Oct. 8am-dusk. Free.) Auschwitz Jewish Center and Synagogue features exhibits on pre-war Jewish life in the town of Oświęcim, films based on survivors’ testimonies, genealogy resources, and a reading room. Take a taxi for about 20zł, or take bus #1, 3-6, or 8 from the train station in the town center, get off at the first stop after the bridge and backtrack. (Pl. Ks. Jana Skarbka 3-5. ☎844 70 02; www.ajcf.pl. Open M-F and Su Apr.-Sept. 8:30am-8pm; Oct.-Mar. 8:30am-6pm. Donation requested.)
Buses from Kraków’s central station go to Oświęcim (1½-2hr., every 30 min., 7-10zł). Return buses leave frequently from the stop on the other side of the parking lot; turn right out of the museum. PKS buses depart from the stop outside the premises. Less convenient trains leave from Kraków Plaszów, south of the town center (10zł). Buses #2-5, 8-9, and 24-29 connect the Oświęcim train station to the Muzeum Oświęcim stop; or, walk a block to the right out of the station, turn left onto ul. Więźniów Oświęcimia, and continue 1.6km.
Wieliczka. The tiny town of Wieliczka, 13km southeast of Kraków, is home to a 700-year-old salt mine. Pious Poles carved the immense underground complex of chambers out of salt; in 1978, UNESCO declared the mine one of the world’s 12 most priceless monuments. The most spectacular cavern is St. Kinga’s Chapel, complete with an altar, relief works, and salt chandeliers. Most hostels and travel companies, including Orbis , organize trips to the mines, but it’s cheapest to take a private minibus like Contrabus that departs near the train and bus stations (30min., 4 per hr., 3.50zł). Look for “Wieliczka” marked on the door. In Wieliczka, head along the path of the former tracks, then follow signs marked “do kopalni.” The only way to see the mines is by taking a lengthy guided tour, so allot at least 3hr. for the daytrip. (ul. Daniłowicza 10. ☎278 73 02; www.kopalnia.pl. Wheelchair-accessible. Open daily Apr.-Oct. 7:30am-7:30pm; Nov.-Mar. 8am-4pm; closed holidays. Polish-language tours Apr.-June 47zł, students 32zł, July-Dec. 48/33zł, Jan.-Mar. 45/30zł. English-language tours June and Sept. 8 per day, July and Aug. every 35 people. 8:30am-6pm. Apr.-June 63zł, students 48zł, July-Dec. 64/49zł, Jan.-Mar. 61/46zł. MC/V.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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