One of Unesco's World Heritage Sites, Kraków's charming old town is a long-standing favourite with visitors. The Cloth Hall on the side of Rynek Główny square was a place of trade as early as in the 1200s.
Kraków was the capital of the country up to the end of the 1500s, and it shows. The city can boast more historic buildings, monuments, and art treasures than any other Polish city.
The centre can be easily explored on foot. There are hundreds of inviting, inexpensive cafés, bars, and restaurants. Why not try Trzy Rybki at u. Szczepańska 5, as it has received many positive reviews? Traditional pierogs, filled dumplings,represent fast food at its best.
Wawel Hill is one of the city's most popular attractions, also at a walking distance from the old town. In addition to the cathedral, you can find Wawel Castle on the hill, built in the renaissance style and the long-ago home of Polish monarchs for over five hundred years.
The old town is surrounded by a beautiful park area offering a good view of the city's architecture, an enchanting blend of old and new.
The other aspect of Kazimierz history
At a fifteen-minute walk from the centre lies Kazimierz, which many consider the most interesting area of Kraków. All inhabitants of this former Jewish quarter were forcibly relocated during WW2. 40,000 Jews lost their lives in Kraków during the war.
In the post-war period the quarter fell into decay, but today its restored area is one of the city's trendiest. This bohemian quarter is home to welcoming terraces, delightful cafés, and trendy clubs, happily coexisting with run-down synagogues.
From Kraków you can easily visit Auschwitz and Birkenau – the infamous WW2 concentration camps – or Wieliczka salt mines, another World Heritage Site.
Read more about what's going on in Kraków in the Karnet magazine at: http://en.karnet.krakow.pl/
Finnair flies direct to Kraków from Helsinki Airport in two hours. There are three flights each week during the winter season and five in the summer. Balice Airport is about 12 km from the city centre, and is easy to reach by train.
