10 ESSENTIAL PLACES TO VISIT IN KRAKOW

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There are many essential places to visit in Krakow, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and, without realizing it, you fall in love at first sight.
The old town of Krakow was one of the first to be declared a World Heritage Site, with an incredible epicenter, which is the wonderful Market Square, with its Church of Santa Maria, one of the places you can not miss at several times of the day, to see how it changes with the passing of the hours.
Other places in Krakow that you can not miss, although they will remind you of their saddest past are the Jewish quarter and the old ghetto, places that although overwhelming, we believe they are essential visits, to know the history of the city.
In addition to enjoying many of its tourist spots, something that we are sure will surprise you and that for us is the best of Krakow are its people, who in the most kind and polite way, will make you feel at home.

Krakow is a perfect city to visit on a weekend, although if you have more days we recommend you to make excursions to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp and the incredible Wieliczka Salt Mines.
After our experience we have made a selection of 10 most essential places to visit in Krakow, based on our new trip to Krakow in 5 days. We start!

1. Market Square

The Market Square is the most famous place in Krakow and one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. Located in the center of the historic center, it is surrounded by colorful palaces and houses of medieval origin, in which the Basilica of Santa Maria stands out. This church, with a beautiful interior in which a huge medieval wooden altarpiece stands out, has the best views of the square from its tower "Hejnalica"in which every hour a trumpeter plays a melody.
Other essential places of this square are the Cloth Hall, full of souvenir shops, the small Church of San Adalberto and the Tower of the Old Town Hall. The square is full of restaurants and terraces for drinks, which highlights one of our favorite places, the Cafe Szal, where you can eat or have a good milkshake with incredible visits to the square.
A good option to learn more about the history of the city is to book this free tour of Krakow in Spanish Free!

Marketplace

2. Jewish Quarter or Kazimierz

The Jewish quarter, located very close to the old town, is one of the areas with more atmosphere and one of the essential places to visit in Krakow.
This 14th century neighborhood was devastated during the Nazi occupation with the transfer of the Jews to the Krakow ghetto and it was not until the filming of the film Schindler's List, which gave the final impulse to complete the restoration and recovery of it.
There are several places to see in the Jewish district of Krakow, among which you can not miss the visit to some of its synagogues, we recommend the Remuh with its old cemetery and the Old Synagogue, the oldest in Poland, in addition to other points of interest such as Nowy Square and the Basilica of Corpus Cristi.
This neighborhood has some of the best restaurants to try delicious Polish food, such as pierogis in the Przystanek Pierogarnia or some of their typical soups and meats in the restaurant Starka.
A good option to not miss anything is to book this free tour of the Jewish quarter or this complete tour of the city of Krakow, both with guides in Spanish.

Jewish Quarter

3. Wawel Hill

Going up to Wawel Hill, located at one end of the historic center, to visit the castle and the cathedral is one of the best things to do in Krakow. The Cathedral is one of the most important religious buildings to see in Poland and the ensemble that forms with the castle, overlooking the Vistula River, is one of the city's icons.
Inside the Wawel Castle you can see the state halls, the crown treasure, the armory, the royal apartments and end up touring the Wawel Dragon Cave. In addition to the castle we recommend a visit to the Wawel Cathedral, dedicated to St. Stanislaus and where there are several places of interest such as its mausoleum, the chapel, the crypts of illustrious characters and the great bell of Sigismund.
A good option to get to know the history better and not miss anything in this area is to book this tour through Krakow Cathedral and Wawel Hill with a guide in Spanish.

Wawel Hill

Recommended travel cards
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.

4. Florián and Barbacana Gate

The Florian Gate was for centuries the main gateway to the walled city and is now one of the places to visit in Krakow With more charm.
Of the great wall that surrounded the medieval city, its 8 doors and its 39 towers only the Florián door, a piece of 200 meters of wall and two towers, the Carpenters and the Cabinetmakers, are preserved.
The Royal Road began at Florián's door, a path that the ancient kings traveled before being crowned and ending at Wawel Castle.
Crossing the Florián gate you will find the Barbican, a circular fortification surrounded by a moat that helped to defend the city.
This part of the city is one of our favorite corners, where you can not miss, in the area of the Florián Gate, the place where a large number of beautiful paintings by local artists are exposed, filling the walls of the wall , a perfect option to take home as a souvenir or as a gift.

Florian Gate, one of the places to visit in Krakow

5. Collegium Maius, one of the places to visit in Krakow

If you are going to visit Krakow in a day or two, one of the places you cannot miss in the old town is the Collegium Maius. In this building, the oldest in the University of the city, he studied the most famous astronomer in history, Nicolás Copernicus.
Inside the Collegium Maius is the museum of the Jagiellonian University with ancient instruments for astronomy and other sciences. We highlight its beautiful central courtyard, a perfect place to relax at sunset, when organized groups no longer visit it and watch the wooden carving parade on their old clock that takes place every two hours.

Collegium Maius

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Krakow in Spanish by travelers:
- Excursion to Auschwitz-Birkenau
- Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour
- Offer: Auschwitz + Salt Mines in one day
- Private guided tour of Krakow
- Free tour of Krakow Free!
- Excursion to Zakopane and the Tatras Mountains
- Many more excursions and tours in / from Krakow here

6. Planty

As the years went by, the defensive wall and the towers surrounding the medieval city of Krakow bothered in its rapid growth, so at the beginning of the 20th century all the walls were demolished, leaving only those on the side of the Florian Gate, with the success of occupying this space with the beautiful Park Planty.
This tree-filled park that surrounds the entire city center is perfect for walking, running or just sitting on one of its benches to read or chat.

Plenty Park

7. Old Ghetto and Oskar Schindler's Factory

Near the Jewish quarter across the Vistula River is Podgorze, the old Jewish ghetto. During World War II, the Nazis moved and crowded thousands of Jews throughout the city in this neighborhood surrounded by walls.
One of the most special places is Bohaterów Square, where the Nazis chose those who went to the nearby Auschwitz concentration camp. In this square, Roma Polansky, survivor of the ghetto, honored the victims with the chairs monument, an authentic work of art, which you cannot miss.
Another important place in the square is the Eagle Pharmacy, in which its owner saved several Jews and was the only one who supplied medicines to the residents.
In addition, if you have a few extra minutes in this area, you can not miss, near the square, the visit to two pieces of the ghetto wall, which are still preserved today.
Another of the places to visit in Krakow and found in this neighborhood is the Oskar Schindler Factory, a German who saved hundreds of Jews from death and made known to everyone by Steven Spielberg's film "Schindler's List". A good option to get to know the history better is to book this guided tour in Spanish by the Schindler factory or this tour through the scenarios of Schindler's List.

Old Jewish Ghetto

8. Old Town or Stare Miasto

There are many places to visit in Krakow, found in its old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, although for us the best thing you can do is lose yourself in its streets, sit on a terrace and enjoy the atmosphere.
But how could it be otherwise, you can not miss a tour of this area, one of the most important and interesting in the city.
You can start this route through Wawel Castle, going down Kanonicka Street to the Market Square, where the beautiful Renaissance houses and churches will make you go through all the adjacent streets, surprising you at every step.
After visiting the Market Square, you can continue along Florianska Street to the Barbican, to end at sunset with a walk through the Plenty Park, to the banks of the Vistula River.
A good option to visit Stare Miasto is to book this free tour of the old town or this complete tour of the city of Krakow, both with guides in Spanish.

Krakow Old Town

Our recommended hotel in Krakow
Although you have a multitude of options accommodation in Krakow, we recommend the Hotel Logos, located very close to the historic center, in a very quiet area. The rooms are spacious and very clean, besides being in a very quiet area. In addition, the staff is very friendly and a large and good breakfast is included in the room price.

9. Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp

The moving visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp is one of the most essential excursions in Krakow.
We know that Auschwitz is not a pleasant place, but we believe it should be a must visit to raise awareness of the atrocities that occurred there during World War II and the Nazi occupation of Poland.
In this concentration camp, more than one million innocents, mostly Jews, were killed and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum was created to remember the victims, comprising the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau camps.
We believe that the best way to go through it and as we did, is to book this excursion with a guide in Spanish, so that we can explain the history and the events that happened there.
A good option if you have little time is to book the offer that includes the visit to Auschwitz and the Salt Mines, in a day with a guide in Spanish.
To visit Auschwitz from Krakow on your own you can take a bus from the main station of the city, although you have to take into account that only the unguided visit to the countryside is allowed before 10 am and after 4 pm .
For more information you can consult this post on how to go from Krakow to Auschwitz.

Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp

10. Wieliczka salt mines

The salt mines of Wieliczka, is another of the wonders found near Krakow. These impressive salt mines, a World Heritage Site, are the oldest in Europe and have more than 3 kilometers between rooms and galleries.
During the visit to more than 300 meters deep, more than 700 stairs are lowered, although the ascent is done by elevator, so it is suitable even without being in physical form, although not recommended for people with claustrophobia.
The most incredible place on the tour is the Chapel of St. Kinga, a huge room decorated with statues and religious monuments with salt from the mine.
To go to the salt mines from Krakow on your own, you can take local bus 304 at the Krakowska Gallery stop.
Visits to the mine are always guided, although to avoid running out of space it is better to book in advance, especially if you want to do it with a guide in Spanish. We in this case chose to book this tour with a guide in Spanish that includes the journey from Krakow by bus.