Krakow: a mesmerizing beauty where past and present meet.

Get lost with me in Krakow's colorful streets and find out what makes this city one of the oldest, most beautiful and most capturing cities in Poland.

View from Grodzka street, just outside the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

I visited Krakow in early September this year and, by the photos I had seen before getting there, I thought I knew pretty well what I could expect from this trip. But I was wrong. What the photos simply fail to capture is the unique vibe of the city- a place where culture, tradition and innovation meet. As soon as I reached the city centre I was struck by the utter simplicity of the houses, avenues and smaller streets, all so beautiful in their vibrant colours. Since I had a whole week in front of me, I decided to let the city dictate the pace at which I was meant to discover its corners and I sometimes let myself purposely get lost in a quarter just for fun.

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If you are ever to visit any big city I would personally recommend to choose your path in advance and leave a few gaps here and there to explore, free from impositions of any kind. This is exactly what I did. During the days I spent there I visited some of the city’s most important buildings and attractions, which I am here going to mention and group according to their geographical proximity.

1. Area of the Main Market Square (in Polish Rynek Główny): this is the centre of the city as well as being one of Europe’s biggest squares. The three main attractions you can find here are two churches (St. Mary’s Basilica and St. Adalbert Church) and the Cloth Hall. I would personally recommend visiting both churches because even though they within a few meters from one another they are pretty different. I personally believe that St. Mary’s Basilica has one of the most beautiful interiors I ever did see. While on the square don't forget to stop and listen to the trumpet call which is played on the hour every hour of the day. To see the meaning behind it click here. St. Adalbert's Church is the smallest church of the two but its dome is worth to be seen. Last but not least, I would also recommend visiting the famous Cloth Hall, where you can find small stalls that sell any kind of souvenir, including the very famous amber. Don't forget to find the hanging knife on of the entrances and discover the legend behind it.

2. Area of Wawel Castle: this castle is just a twenty minute walk away from the rest of the city and is a great place to learn more about the history of the rulers of the city and of the whole Polish nation. While there, make sure you visit the State Rooms and, if you can, book a guided tour of the Royal Private Apartments. Before taking a stroll around the gorgeous gardens and admiring the view on the Vistula river, check out the Church you find at the centre of the square.

3. Area of the Jewish Quarter (in Polish Kazimierz): I would personally recommend taking a whole day to visit the Jewish Quarter, as it is expands over basically the whole city and offers a good variety of places to visit. While taking a walk across it, you will be taken back in time and discover beautiful wall arts, great churches and synagogues scattered across it. But that's not nearly all. If you keep going until you walk on the bridge over the Vistula river, you'll be able to reach the part that's furthest away from the centre of the city, where two adjacent buildings are situated. The first and most known one is Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory, dedicated to the city Krakow before and during World War II. This museum may not be very big but its great historical importance and thought-provoking displays are definitely worth to be seen. Next to it there's the MOCAK (Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow), which I will fully describe in another post.

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There are many more places I visited in this beautiful Polish city, like the National Museum in Krakow (in Polish Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie) and the Rynek Underground, but I will describe them better in a post under the /Arts section. In Krakow I found beauty in every corner and I quickly fell in love with this ever changing and truly magical place.

Do zobaczenia wkrótce, Kraków!