Krakow. The best city in Europe. Its old town is said to have more cafes and bars per square meter than any other city in Europe. It’s a city that draws in visitors from around the world to revel in its beauty. The city that has withstood hundreds of years of history and perfectly encapsulates the history of its country. You’ll find yourself in awe by being surrounded in an extraordinary main square that houses a market (the sukiennice) that’s been operating since the 15th century, in fact, it’s said to be the oldest indoor shopping mall in the world that’s still operating as well. In addition, you’ll hear the same trumpet go off that have been announcing the time since medieval times on the top tower of Saint Maria church (on the hour - 24 hours a day). You won’t believe how much history and culture you can experience in one place.

Having been to over 50 countries, I still stand by Krakow being among the best cities there are and I’ll explain why. Poland is often associated with the dark war-time era or Soviet occupation. It was invaded time and time again and many of its gems were destroyed by the Nazis. Krakow, however, was beautifully preserved and persevered through multiple wars and invasions as it was the capital of Nazi-occupied Poland. The city itself has different districts which date to different time periods: Old Town from the medieval times, Kazimierz which thrived independently as a Jewish district between 14th century and the 19th century, from Podgórze, which is across the Wisła river and was the location of the Jewish ghetto during the Nazi occupation. Furthermore, there is the newer district of Nowa Huta, built post-World War II during the Communist occupation.

The Old Town is surrounded by an expansive park called the Planty. The park wraps around the entirety of Old Town and walking along it will offer sights of the opera house, the Floriańska Gate, the old medieval armory, Barbakan, parts of Jagiellonian University, and of course Wawel castle.

Floriańska Gate is part of the last remaining parts of the old city wall and usually have trumpets in traditional clothes performing next to it. If you walk through Floriańska Gate, you’ll be on Floriańska street which empties into the main square (the Rynek), the Mały Rynek (the small main square) and St. Maria’s church. The street also houses the oldest operating café in Krakow, Jama Michalika. Jama Michalika boasts its original 19th century décor and has an in-house pianist that plays throughout the day. Furthermore, it was a marionette playhouse in the early 20th century and its puppets are on display.

Jagiellonian University is a lovely site to visit when in Krakow. Collegium Maius, which dates back to the 14th century, was home of Cracow Academy. The Academy was founded by King Casimir III the Great because he wanted to have a more educated population. It was further expanded by the first female “king” of Poland, Jadwiga and her Lithuanian husband, Jagiełło in the 14th century. There’s a rather interesting cuckoo clock that pops out hourly and some impressive lecture halls inside the building.

Near to Collegium Maius is Collegium Novum which has a statue of the notable alumni Nikolas Copernicus in front of it and some beautiful corridors. The professors of Jagiellonian dress up in traditional robes at the beginning of each school year as well and they gather outside these traditional buildings.

Collegium Novum, Jagiellonian University, Krakow

Although it’s not in the city center, there is another impressive part of Jagiellonian University. 6.5 kilometers outside the city is Przegorzały Castle. This impressive building sits along the Wisła River and was built in the 1920s. It taken by the Nazis in World War II and actually still has remnants of the occupation on its premises. While I was a student there, it hosted the Department of European Studies and Holocaust Studies. However, after 2018, it seems this building was turned into a restaurant and café.

Going back to the city center, in the main square, you can find the beautiful sukiennice which was the former cloth hall during medieval times. Today, however, it is a large souvenir market where you can buy traditional goods such as wool clothes, Polish pottery, and amber jewelry. There is also an excellent archeological museum, Rynek Underground, beneath the Cloth Hall that shows the history that was discovered below the main square in 2005.

Saint Mary’s, Mariacki Kosioł, is the iconic church in the main square. I’ve been to thousands of churches in my travels but this is one I recommend visiting because it is pretty special. If you’ve ever seen Schindler’s List, you probably have already seen the church. The ceiling is painted in royal blue with yellow stars and well, I think if you take the time to see any one church, this is the one to visit in Krakow. There’s also a legend about the construction of St. Mary’s towers and their differing heights. There were two brothers who were competing to construct the two towers. The younger brother was jealous of his older brother’s taller tower and stabbed him and then eventually killed himself due to guilt.

Mariacki Kosioł, St Maria's Church at Night Krakow

If the church is behind you, walk to the left towards Grodzka street. This street leads to Wawel Castle. Along the walk, you can see the oldest church in Krakow, St. Andrew's Church, which dates back to the 9th century and the rather picturesque church next door, the 14th century Saints Peter and Paul Church which has daily evening classical music concerts. Grodzka is parallel with Kanonicza Street which is said to be one of the most beautiful streets in Krakow. You can find Pope John Paul II’s former residence on the street too.

At the end of both Grodzka street and Kanonicza Street, you’ll see Wawel Castle. The beautifully preserved castle sits in front of the Vistula river and offers a rather serene escape from the bustling of the city life in the main square. Out of the times I’ve visited the castle, the most memorable rooms to me was the room with heads staring at you from the ceiling. Mondays are free for the castle so aim for then but if not, you can pre-book your ticket here.

Next to the castle, along the river, you can find a fire-breathing dragon (statue) and his den below it. The rather entertaining dragon myth about a dragon who enjoyed feasting on virgins can be read about here. One of my favorite places to bring friends and visitors to is at the end of Grodzka street. This fabulous restaurant - assuming you eat meat, of course, is one of the best the city has to offer. Pod Wawelem serves the largest meat plates and beer you’ve surely ever seen and they so kindly assume that your stomach won’t be able to handle their portions and thus offer a place to vomit in their bathrooms.

If you continue down from the castle, Kazimierz is the next stop. As mentioned above, it housed a sizable Jewish population as far back as the 1200s and some of its synagogues still stand today. There are less than 100 people that are active in the Jewish community in Krakow today, however, Jewish groups do visit these cultural relics and events are still held yearly. If you’re going to visit only on synagogue, I recommend Remah Synagogue because its cemetery is rather memorable. The cemetery was used as a dump during World War II and after the war, the remainders of the graves were made into a memorial wall.

In the main square of Kazimierz, Plac Nowy, you’ll find the biggest hotspot for Krakow’s famous zapikanka (essentially “pizza”) and numerous charming cafes, namely Singer and Alchemia. Singer, named for the sewing machine tables used, plays jazz music and has excellent grzaniec in the winter (mulled wine). Alchemia has an iconic Harry Potteresque candle chandelier and some of the rooms require you to walk through wardrobes to get into.

If you continue through the alleys and crevices of Kazimierz, you’ll find yourself crossed a bridge into Podgorze. There isn’t too much to see in terms of tourist attractions in Podgorze, however, there are some World War II memorials. Although Podgorze does date back to the 18th century, its most known for being the location of the Krakow Ghetto during World War II. There’s a small museum in the former pharmacy that was used to smuggle things into the former ghetto, some remnants of the ghetto wall, and houses the rather famous Schindler’s factory. A rather random find on my part in Podgorze was St. Joseph’s church which is a bit Disneyesque in my opinion. You can climb it and get a great view of the city too.

Podgorze isn’t the last district we should mention in terms of history though. There’s also the area left from the Soviet era known as Nowa Huta. Although this district predated the Soviet occupation, the expansion and development of the district mostly happened post World War II. You can find remnants of rebellious memories remaining such as The Lord’s Ark church which was denied any funding from the Soviets and was instead built brick-by-brick by volunteers without assistance in the 70s. Unfortunately my only photo of this church was taken on a digital camera in 2009 so please forgive the quality.

The Lord's Ark Church, Howa Huta, Krakow

Another notable attraction in Krakow takes some venturing outside the city center. The Camaldolese Hermit Monastery (one of two in Poland) is a 15th century monastery which houses monks to this day. It only allows men to visit except for special days throughout the year.

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