10 reasons to visit Krakow

How come you haven’t been to Krakow yet? What an unfortunate oversight. Read why you should go there immediately!

Krakow is close! It’s not a transatlantic flight to the US or a long drive to Asia, and not even Spain to Portugal, it’s a neighboring country and one of the closest cities. Even if you do not fly by plane, it is no more than three hours from the border to Krakow. And it’s even faster by plane. An excellent plan for a trip abroad, especially the first.

Krakow is the former capital of Poland. Polish kings ruled from here until the beginning of the seventeenth century, then the capital moved north to Warsaw, but Polish rulers continued to be crowned in Wawel for a long time. Wawel Royal Castle is a whole fortress on a hill, with many palace buildings and churches that were not damaged even during the Second World War.

Krakow is a fabulous city. According to legend, the founder of the city, Prince Krak, personally killed the dragon that settled under the hill. Let’s say, one legend will not surprise anyone, but in Krakow, the dragon’s hole has been preserved – a tunnel that begins on the territory of the royal castle and ends below on the embankment. Near the exit from the cave stands a dragon figure that emits a fountain of flame every few minutes.

And there is also the amazing beauty of the Vistula. Just near Krakow, several tributaries flowing down from the Carpathians join it, and the river becomes full of water. At the same time, it is not as muddy as, say, in Warsaw. An embankment has been built along the river.

It has its own avenue of stars with handprints of celebrities. Famous Poles – Andrzej Wajda, Daniel Olbrychski and others – and famous guests, for example, Benedict Cumberbatch, left their mark here.

In addition, Krakow has great zoo. Even if you are traveling without children, it is worth spending a day there. And with children, it is simply a must-see. The zoo is arranged in such a way that it is convenient for both animals and visitors.

Krakow is a city of bicycles! You can rent a bicycle at one of the numerous parking lots. Return – to any other parking lot. Payment by card through the site. The first half hour is free, and the lucky ones manage to roll into the shop and return the bike without paying a single penny.

Krakow is also the cultural capital of Poland. There are many museums here, from monumental art and history museums to contemporary Japanese manga exhibitions. In addition, Chopin, the favorite composer of the Poles, often performed in Krakow, and classical music festivals are regularly held here in his honor – and not only classical music, there are also rock festivals here. In several churches you can listen to the organ.

By the way, about churches. Krakow is also the capital of Polish Catholicism. It was here that Karol Wojtyla, Pope Ivan Paul II, served for many years. The first non-Italian pope since 1523, Ivan Paul II surpassed Yuri Gagarin and Mikhail Gorbachev in terms of popularity — he reformed the Catholic Church, negotiated with heads of other denominations, and spoke out against wars and poverty. In 2014, he was canonized. Catholics also like to come to Kraków shops – puppet shows on biblical themes, similar to Ukrainian nativity scenes, which are set up in churches at Christmas. And in the summer, the pilgrimage route of St. Jacob passes through Krakow.

Krakow is a city of shopping. On the market square you can buy souvenirs for every taste and wallet, and in Galeria Krakivska you can look like boutiques of famous brands.

And of course, Krakow is a gastronomic capital! It is not for nothing that the most delicious Kraków sausage was invented here. Many restaurants and cafes with cuisines from all nations of the world await guests. Polish cuisine rules the ball – dumplings, zhurek soup and Kraków obwazanki. Fresh crispy bagels with poppy seeds, sesame or salt have been prepared for 400 years according to a special recipe – before putting the bagels in the oven, they are dipped in boiling water. «respect». Food prices in Poland are low, so you can indulge from morning to night.

Well, are you ready to buy a ticket?