Krakow Travel Guide - Top 5 Places to Sightsee

In this Krakow Travel Guide we'll cover the Top 5 Places to Sightsee, including Wawel Castle, Old Town and the Main Square, the Jewish district of Kazimierz, Krakow's Mounds and the Vistula River.

My name is Michael Johnson, travel guide and owner of Film Compass, and I used live in Krakow, Poland. Without further ado here are my top 5 places to sightsee and things to do in Krakow.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:18 Wawel Castle
01:19 Old Town & Main Square
03:34 Kazimierz
05:32 Krakow Mounds
06:10 Vistula River


1. Wawel Castle

If you're looking at Wawel Castle from across the river you'll see the tall walls of the castle and Sandomierska Tower on the right. Just below the castle walls is the Wawel dragon statue that breathes real fire!

Once you enter the castle you'll immediately see Wawel Royal Cathedral. Upon a closer look at the cathedral, you'll notice the very popular Sigismund's chapel, a Tuscan Renaissance funerary chapel with a golden dome!

It costs about 14zl(Around 3 Euro) to enter the cathedral. After you have visited the main floor be sure to climb the stairs to see Wawel Cathedrals bell tower.

Another important fact that is close to the Polish people's heart is that Wawel Cathedral was the consecration site of Pope John Paul ii.


2. Old Town and the Main Square

St. Mary's Cathedral:

The cathedral along with the Historic Centre of Krakow is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the most beautiful aspects of St. Mary's cathedral is the alter piece. St. Mary's Altar was carved between 1477 and 1489 and is one of Europe's largest Gothic Altarpieces and is made completely out of wood!

What's really cool is that if you are standing almost anywhere in the old town you'll hear St Mary's trumpet signal - called the Hejnał mariacki. You'll notice that the song cuts off and ends abruptly. This is to commemorate a famous 13th century trumpeter who was said to be shot all the way from the other side of the wall by Mongols invading the city.

The Cloth Hall:

The Kraków Cloth Hall(Sukiennice in Polish) sits in the center of Krakow’s main square. Originally, the Cloth Hall was used as a center for international trade by travelling merchants. Many exports and imports came through the hall but now it’s a wonderful place to see handmade crafts, fine jewelry made from Amber and exotic gifts only found in Krakow!

Town Hall Tower:

You may have noticed this large clock tower first if you were coming from Grodzka street. Part of the tower was destroyed to make more room for the main square. You can visit the top of the 70 meter tower and get an epic look of the city for only 14zl(About 3 Euro) but Mondays are free!

Florianska Street:

One of the most famous aspects of this street is St. Florians Gate which used to be the main entrance to Krakow’s Old Town. To enter the Old Town, visitors had to pass through the Barbakan, a fortress structure and then head through St. Florian’s Gate to enter the Old Town.
Next to the gate you’ll find The Princes Czartoryski Museum that is home to the Leonardo da Vinci painting “Lady with Ermine”


3. Kazimierz

The Jewish District of Kazimierz is my favorite place to take a walk!
If cheap but amazing food is on your mind then head to Plac Nowy, a small square with multiple little kiosks that serves up great food at low prices.

Before Kazimierz was systematically destroyed during World War 2 it was the center of Jewish life. Many museums, such as Schindler’s Factory, documents the hardship Kazimierz and Lesser Poland went through during WW2.

At this time, Oskar Schindler saved over 1,200 Jews by employing them within his factory and his heroic efforts even led Steven Spielberg to film the movie Schindler’s List.


4. Krakow Mounds

There are a total of 4 mysterious mounds in Krakow, but my favorite would be Krakus Mound as it is within walking distance of the Old Town. Other mounds around Krakow are Tadeusz Kościuszko Mound, Wanda Mound, Piłsudski Mound.


5. Vistula River

Also known as Wisła to the Polish, the river is the longest in Poland. The Vistula flows through the city by Wawel Castle and venues like The Forum where you can relax with friends or catch Krakow’s Observation Balloon Ride to see more of the city.