Krakow was one of our last trips in 2024 and it was not what we expected. The majority of people head to Krakow to take a day trip to Auschwitz. However, we decided not to head out there on this trip and spent the best part of 3 days exploring the city. Highlights below!
Main Square (Rynek Glowny)
The Main Square has got so much character to it and is surrounded by shops, restaurants, and St Mary’s Basilica. In the middle of the square is the Cloth Hall which has a bunch of local market stalls – lots of interesting things to see here. If you’re like us, you can pick up a Christmas decoration for the tree here too. Behind the Cloth Hall is the Town Hall Tower, which is also a museum within itself. The Main Square is also the location for the famous Krakow Christmas markets.
St Marys Basilica
This is definitely worth a visit! You do need to pay to get in, but it’s around £3 each. We walked around in circles trying to find the ticket office, the direction arrows were pointing in strange directions. The ticket office is opposite the Basilica on Plac Mariachi. Once you’ve picked up your tickets, the entrance is on the side of the Basilica. The inside is fabulous, certainly worth spending some time taking it all in!
If you arrive at the Main Square, try and stick around for an hour to hear the trumpet call from the top of the Basilica tower – happens every hour, on the hour. You’ll see everyone swarm to take pictures and videos!
Old Town
The Basilica and Main Square are part of the Krakow Old Town – it’s such a lovely place. The surrounding streets are full of independent stores, bars, and restaurants. We’ve listed some of these places in our post about eating and drinking in Krakow. The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre and its gardens are fantastic to see, along with Planty Park which surrounds the Old Town.
Wawel Royal Castle & Cathedral
Over towards the West of Krakow, you’ll find Wawel Royal Castle and adjoining Cathedral, high up on a hill. We went to the castle for two reasons, the first…to see the castle, but the second reason was to see the Wowel Dragon which is at the foot of the hill. It’ll produce fire from its mouth every 5 minutes or so, really cool to see while you’re in the area.
Jewish Ghetto Memorial
A short walk across the river from our hotel, this is essentially an open-air exhibition about the Jewish Ghetto’s in WW2. It’s a bit of sobering and sombre place to be, a reminder of how Jewish people were treated in the war, it’s interesting to see (abet small).
St Joseph’s Church
Continuing through the Podgórze district, we ended up at St Joseph’s Church – we arrived just as a service was starting, so decided to explore the exterior and found a small park full of sculptures (which was nice and quiet, away from the hustle!)
Hala Forum
Located in the South West corner of the City, the Hala Forum is an experience within itself! It contains food outlets, coffee shop and a bar. Lots of choice, and certainly lots of space inside and out. We stopped here for food overlooking the river, it was a nice place to stop and rest. A few minutes walk up the path from here is the famous Krakow sign – perfect picture opportunity!
