Where to spend your time in Krakow

Krakow is the former capital of Poland and the area of Wawel was once the royal residence. The times of peace here during the golden ages were superseded by some of the most horrific periods in history. Today Krakow is worth a visit for many reasons. What’s great is that there is plenty to enjoy over a couple of days, a longer trip, or on a return visit. I recommend exploring one area at a time, trying the local food and drink and of course checking out some creative travel experiences. But where in Krakow should you start…

Old town

The fairy tale main square in the old town (Rynek Glowny) is the central point for both tourists and locals. With eateries back to back, a coffee or lunch stop is compulsory here, as is the people watching.

Rynek Glowny (main square)

Those interested in history may want to consider visiting the museum beneath the Main Square, which recaptures life in Kraków’s Old Town 700 years ago.

Exploring the area is best on foot and I would always recommend taking a free walking tour. Walkative offers a specific tour of the Old Town and a number of other free tours.

Wawel

The Wawel district, immediately sprang to the top of the list when I read about the chocolates. However I have to admit that I was very disappointed with the largely Quality Street standard of these chocolates, mostly nutty or fruity, there was a distinct lack of luxury to the selection I tasted.

Fortunately the sights in Wawel made up for the chocolates. Don’t miss the:

Cathedral – dating back to the 14th Century. You can enter and view the main chapel for free, the tombs, bell tower and museum require tickets.
Castle – it’s free to enter the grounds, which are beautiful. Expect to pay different fee’s to access the buildings and exhibitions. At the far end there are steps leading down to what is said to have once been the cave of a dragon (!).

Flame blowing dragon, Wawel district, Krakow

To add to the effect, there’s a flame blowing dragon outside the cave, also considered a child magnet, it’s definitely a tourist attraction. If that isn’t enough, you can get fluffy green dragons by the stall load every few metre’s around the castle area. They remind me more of Nessie, with token red hats too!

Jewish areas

The area of Kazimeirz, South of the river, was the Jewish district. Today it feels like a separate town. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there’s plenty to interest every visitor, with art galleries, street art, museums and some great places to eat.

Further South is the area of Podgorze, which was Krakow’s ghetto during WWII and the last home of many thousands of Jews who were sent to their death at Plaszow (the concentration camp there) or Auschwitz.

The events that took place during 1939 to 1945 are widely known following the production of the film Schindlers List, and I can highly recommend the Schindler Museum, which is located within his Enamel Factory as totally unmissable.

There is endless amounts of data available to those of you who are not familiar with what Oskar Schindler did – but this museum is not solely about that. In fact, it’s the ideal place to start any visit to the West of the city.

Auschwitz and Birkenau

Krakow became the capital of Germany’s General Government during the second world war, with the villages of Oswiecim and Birkenau, situated just 60 km’s west, and more commonly known as Auschwitz and Birkenau.

Starting with Auschwitz I, each red brick block is dedicated to the nationalities that died there, and a typical tour will take around 3 hours but only allow you to experience a small fraction of the devastation…

The second camp at Birkenau, which became the main site of extermination of the Jewish race is not as in tact as Auschwitz, but it certainly captures what went on there to a greater extent.

These are difficult places to visit but cannot be missed. Take some tissues and brace yourself. It’s important to learn about what went on here.

Creative travels

These are a few of my suggestions of where in Krakow to find creative travel experiences:

Stained glass museum – there are more than 200 windows in Krakow produced by the workshop attached to this museum. The best bit is you can join a workshop and make something of your own.
Street Art – grab a copy of the In Your Pocket guide for a map of the street art in Krakow. Full details of some of the key art work can be found here.
Wieliczka salt mine – get out of the city centre and see elaborate statues carved from salt. An added bonus is that apparently the uniquely salty and damp micro-climate is good for your health.

Food and drink

Poland has plenty of traditional dishes and Krakow is certainly one of the best places to taste local delicacies. Some of my favourites were kielbasa (polish sausage) and pierogi (dumplings) and of course try the czysta (vodka) and the piwo (beer).