Must-see attractions in Kraków

  • Wawel Cathedral, Wawel Hill.

    Wawel Cathedral

    Kraków

    Wawel Cathedral has witnessed many coronations, funerals and burials of Poland’s monarchs and nobles. The present cathedral is basically a Gothic, but…

  • Wieliczka Salt Mine

    Wieliczka Salt Mine

    Kraków

    Some 14km southeast of Kraków, the Wieliczka (vyeh-leech-kah) salt mine has been welcoming tourists since 1722 and today is one of Poland's most popular…

  • St. Mary's Church on Market Square in Krakow.

    St Mary's Basilica

    Kraków

    This striking brick church, best known simply as St Mary’s, is dominated by two towers of different heights. The first church here was built in the 1220s…

  • The Wawel Royal Cathedral (Polish: Katedra Wawelska, na Wawelu) by night in Krakow, Poland, city landmark dating back to the 11th century.

    Wawel Royal Castle

    Kraków

    As the political and cultural heart of Poland through the 16th century, Wawel Royal Castle is a potent symbol of national identity. It's now a museum…

  • Collegium Maius

    Collegium Maius

    Kraków

    The Collegium Maius, part of Jagiellonian University, is the oldest surviving university building in Poland, and one of the finest examples of 15th…

  • Pharmacy under the Eagle, Plac Bohaterow Getta 18, Podgorz.

    Museum of Pharmacy

    Kraków

    The name of this museum doesn’t sound that exciting, but the Jagiellonian University Medical School’s Museum of Pharmacy is one of the largest museums of…

  • Church of SS Peter & Paul

    Church of SS Peter & Paul

    Kraków

    The Jesuits erected this church, the first baroque building in Kraków, after they had been brought to the city in 1583 to do battle with supporters of the…

  • Kosciuszko Mound Hill and fortification, Krakow, Poland

    Kościuszko Mound

    Kraków

    This mound, dedicated to Polish (and American) military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746–1817), was erected between 1820 and 1823. It stands 34m high and…

  • The underground trail In the Footsteps of Krakow European Identity under the Krakow Main Market Square introduces the atmosphere of the medieval city.; Shutterstock ID 248121478; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

    Rynek Underground

    Kraków

    This fascinating attraction beneath the market square consists of an underground route through medieval market stalls and other long-forgotten chambers…

  • Galicia Jewish Museum

    Galicia Jewish Museum

    Kraków

    This museum both commemorates Jewish victims of the Holocaust and celebrates the Jewish culture and history of the former Austro-Hungarian region of…

  • Basilica of St Francis

    Basilica of St Francis

    Kraków

    Duck into the dark basilica on a sunny day to admire the artistry of Stanisław Wyspiański, who designed the fantastic art nouveau stained-glass windows…

  • Camaldolese monastery and baroque church in the wood on the hill in Bielany, Krakow, Poland , Aerial view in winter with Vistula River and far view of Cracow city in the background

    Monastery of Camaldolese Monks

    Kraków

    The secluded Monastery of Camaldolese Monks sits atop Silver Mountain, overlooking the Vistula, in an outlying area west of the Old Town. It's worth…

  • Exterior of the Czartoryski Museum, home to a rich collection of art

    Czartoryski Museum

    Kraków

    The Czartoryski boasts the city's richest art collection, including Leonardo Da Vinci's 15th-century masterpiece, Lady with an Ermine (1489–90). Other…

  • G8N5WB Plaszow Labour and Concentration Camp Memorial, Krakow, Malopolska, Lesser Poland, Poland, Europe

    Płaszów Labour Camp

    Kraków

    The former Płaszów forced-labour and concentration camp was built by occupying Germans during WWII to facilitate liquidation of the nearby Podgórze Jewish…

  • Benedictine monastery and Saint Peter and Paul church on the rocky hill by the Vistula river in Tyniec near Cracow, Poland; Shutterstock ID 101821510; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Benedictine Abbey of SS Peter & Paul

    Kraków

    About 12km southwest of the centre in Tyniec, the Benedictine Abbey of SS Peter and Paul rises dramatically on a cliff above the Vistula. Enter through a…

  • Exterior view of the High Synagogue, Kraków

    High Synagogue

    Kraków

    This former place of worship was built around 1560, in Renaissance style, and is the third-oldest synagogue after the Old and Remuh synagogues. The High…

  • Entrance to Kraków's Jewish Museum

    Old Synagogue

    Kraków

    This synagogue, dating from the 15th century, is the oldest surviving Jewish house of worship in Poland. During WWII, it was plundered and partly…

  • Exterior of the Kraków Barbican

    Barbican

    Kraków

    The most intriguing remnant of Kraków's medieval fortifications, the Barbican is a powerful, circular bastion adorned with seven turrets. There are 130…

  • Pauline Church of SS Michael & Stanislaus

    Pauline Church of SS Michael & Stanislaus

    Kraków

    Skałka, as this functioning monastery and religious shrine is called locally, dates to the early days of the Polish kingdom. In 1079, Bishop Stanisław…

  • Cloth Hall

    Cloth Hall

    Kraków

    Dominating the centre of the Main Market Square, this building was once the heart of Kraków’s medieval clothing trade. Created in the early 14th century…

  • The Florian Gate is the only original fortress gate remaining of the original eight

    Florian Gate

    Kraków

    This attractive stone gateway is the only one of the city’s original eight gates that was not dismantled during the 19th-century modernisation. It was…

  • Remaining section of Kraków's medieval defensive wall

    City Defence Walls

    Kraków

    This small museum includes entry to both the Florian Gate and Barbican, among the few surviving remnants of the city's medieval defence walls. The Florian…

  • Church of St Anne

    Church of St Anne

    Kraków

    Designed by Tylman van Gameren and built in the late-17th century as a university church, the Church of St Anne was long the site of inaugurations of the…

  • Exterior of Corpus Christi Church, the first church in Kazimierz

    Corpus Christi Church

    Kraków

    In the northeastern corner of Plac Wolnica and founded in 1340, this was the first church in Kazimierz and for a long time the town’s parish church. Its…

  • The ornate frontage of Kraków's Ethnographic Museum

    Ethnographic Museum

    Kraków

    The permanent exhibition here features the reconstructed interiors of traditional Polish peasant cottages and workshops, folk costumes, craft and trade…

  • Exterior of the Isaac Synagogue, Kraków's largest synagogue

    Isaac Synagogue

    Kraków

    Near the southwestern edge of the Remuh Cemetery is Kraków’s largest synagogue, dated from 1638. Following partial destruction in WWII, it was returned to…

  • Church of St Barbara

    Church of St Barbara

    Kraków

    This sombre 14th-century church is located on the small, charming Plac Mariacki, which was a churchyard until the early 19th century. St Barbara’s was the…

  • Cloth Hall from above, Krakow, Poland

    Main Market Square

    Kraków

    The vast Main Market Square is the focus of the Old Town, and is Europe's largest medieval town square (200m by 200m). Its most prominent features are the…

  • Historical Museum of Kraków

    Historical Museum of Kraków

    Kraków

    At the northern corner of the square, the collection within the 17th-century Krzysztofory Palace is home to Cyberteka, an interactive exhibition which…

  • Bunkier Sztuki "art bunker" is nestled in the Planty Park

    Bunkier Sztuki

    Kraków

    While Kraków's art scene focuses mostly on the 19th and 20th centuries or earlier, Bunkier Sztuki – literally 'art bunker' – houses three floors of…

  • Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace

    Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace

    Kraków

    Quaint Kanonicza is the perfect street to put a palace and fill it with age-old paintings and sculptures. This newish branch of the National Museum…

  • Krakow - St. Catherine's church interior; Shutterstock ID 78496810; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    St Catherine's Church

    Kraków

    One of the most monumental churches in the city, and possibly the one that has best retained its original Gothic shape, St Catherine’s was founded in 1363…

  • Remuh Synagogue

    Remuh Synagogue

    Kraków

    Near the northern end of ul Szeroka is the district’s smallest synagogue and one of only two in the area still used regularly for religious services. The…

  • Church of St. Adalbert, the domed ceiling of the small church.

    Church of St Adalbert

    Kraków

    This small church on the southern corner of the Main Market Square is usually regarded as the city's oldest place of worship, with a history that…

  • Archdiocesan Museum, ul Kanonicza 21, Old Town.

    Archdiocesan Museum

    Kraków

    This collection of religious sculpture and paintings, dating from the 13th to 16th centuries, is located in a 14th-century townhouse. Also on display is…

  • Papal Window

    Papal Window

    Kraków

    When visiting Kraków, Pope John Paul II used to address his followers from this window of the Bishop's Palace, overlooking ul Franciszkańska. The area is…

  • Holy Trinity Basilica

    Holy Trinity Basilica

    Kraków

    Originally built in the 13th century, this massive church was badly damaged by fire in 1850. Note the original 14th-century doorway at the main (western)…

  • Szołayski House

    Szołayski House

    Kraków

    This former home of the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum is now used to house rotating exhibitions of art and culture. Check the website to see what's showing…

  • Church of St Andrew

    Church of St Andrew

    Kraków

    This church is almost a thousand years old. Built towards the end of the 11th century, much of its austere Romanesque stone exterior has been preserved…

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