Kraków Old Town & Wawel Castle

Background

The Old Town lies in Kraków, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, on the left bank of the Vistula, inside the Planty ring park in the city centre; Wawel Hill stands at the southern end of the Old Town by the river. The Old Town, Wawel Hill, Stradom and Kazimierz together form the "Historic Centre of Kraków", inscribed on the first UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978 (criterion iv). At the centre of Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) stands the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), gutted by fire in 1555 and rebuilt in Renaissance style; the square also has the free-standing Town Hall Tower and the Gothic twin towers of St Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki). St Florian's Gate and the Barbican stand at the northern end of the Old Town. The Sigismund Bell hangs in Wawel Cathedral and is rung only on special occasions. From 1038 until Sigismund III moved his court to Warsaw in 1596, the Old Town was Poland's political centre. After the Tatar invasions, the Old Town was rebuilt to a new plan in 1257, and the city received Magdeburg rights the same year. During World War II the Old Town was plundered and many works of art were stolen, but the layout of the historic quarter survives to this day. Wawel Castle is now a museum holding Italian Renaissance paintings and the Jagiellonian tapestries bought by Sigismund I and his son Sigismund II Augustus.

Local customs

• Walk the Royal Route: St Florian's Gate — Main Market Square — Grodzka Street — Wawel Hill
• go up to the Wawel walls and courtyards and visit exhibition rooms such as the State Rooms, the Crown Treasury and the Armoury (separate tickets for each room
• advance booking is advised for popular rooms
• ticket prices as shown on the official website)
• look inside St Mary's Basilica
• the gallery upstairs in the Cloth Hall
• the Dragon's Den below Wawel Hill and the fire-breathing dragon sculpture by the river (the fire-breathing is a modern installation).

Travel tips

• The Old Town is best explored entirely on foot, and comfortable shoes are advised for the cobblestones
• opening and booking arrangements for the castle's exhibition rooms follow the official website
• there are many restaurants and shops around the square, and prices are as marked on site. Kraków's main railway station is within walking distance of the northern end of the Old Town, trams and buses serve the Old Town from all directions, and Wawel Hill, at the southern end of the Old Town, is reached on foot
• for specific routes and services, check the latest local information.
• Late spring to early autumn is best for strolling
• summer is crowded
• during the winter Advent market the square has a special atmosphere
• the indoor exhibition rooms can be visited all year round and are little affected by the seasons.