Kraków: Poland’s Historic Capital

19 places in this vlog

In the order they appear. Tap a time to play it here, or ↗ to open YouTube at that second.

1. 2:19

   Main Market Square (Rynek Główny)

   🏢 Landmark · Stare Miasto

   Worth returning at sunset, when the square is floodlit and the cafes fill with locals and visitors.

2. 2:45

   St. Mary's Basilica

   ⛩️ Temple · Stare Miasto

   A trumpeter plays a broken-off tune every hour, 24/7, and a nun opens the altarpiece each midday.

3. 4:09

   Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

   🛒 Market · Stare Miasto

   Look for painted wooden plates, hand-stitched embroidery, Silesian pottery and Baltic amber jewelry.

4. 4:40

   Old Town (Stare Miasto)

   🏘️ Neighborhood · Stare Miasto

   Has 23 churches in the Old Town alone, which is why Kraków is nicknamed 'little Rome'.

5. 5:08

   Barbican (Barbakan)

   🏛️ Historic site · Stare Miasto

6. 5:22

   Planty Park

   🌳 Park · Stare Miasto

   A good escape from the crowds: bike or walk the Planty, then continue along the riverbank.

7. 5:46

   Wawel Dragon Statue

   🏢 Landmark · Wawel · brief mention

8. 6:02

   Vistula River Boulevards

   🚡 Activity · Wawel · brief mention

   Chess players along the river are happy to take on a challenger.

9. 6:02

   Father Bernatek Footbridge (Kładka Ojca Bernatka)

   🏢 Landmark · Kazimierz · brief mention

10. 7:50

    Franciscan Church (Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi)

    ⛩️ Temple · Stare Miasto

    John Paul II's favorite pew is way in the back, where he came alone to pray.

11. 8:59

    Stanisław Wyspiański Museum

    🏛️ Museum · Stare Miasto

    The works carry a patriotic message: the spirit of Poland will live on.

12. 12:07

    Wawel Royal Castle

    🏰 Palace · Wawel

    Reached by a ramp leading up from the Old Town.

13. 12:29

    Wawel Cathedral

    ⛩️ Temple · Wawel

    The one name to remember among the tombs is Kazimierz the Great, the 14th-century king.

14. 13:46

    Kazimierz

    🏘️ Neighborhood · Kazimierz

    Touristy restaurants feature live klezmer music.

15. 15:06

    Remuh Cemetery

    🏛️ Historic site · Kazimierz

    Visitors tuck prayers into cracks in the rabbi's tombstone and stack stones on tombs.

16. 16:05

    Auschwitz-Birkenau

    🚆 Day trip · Oświęcim

    About an hour from Kraków; the exhibits are difficult to see but should be seen out of respect for the victims.

17. 20:05

    Nowa Huta

    🏘️ Neighborhood · Nowa Huta

    Guided tours in communist-era Trabant cars are an entertaining way to see it.

18. 22:56

    Ronald Reagan Central Square (Plac Centralny)

    🏢 Landmark · Nowa Huta · brief mention

19. 23:25

    Plac Nowy

    🍜 Street food · Kazimierz

    A zapiekanka here makes a cheap date.