The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 2 miles (3.22km)
Time to walk: This is basically an introduction to the Old Town of Krakow. It points out some of the major sights, but you should also just wander & explore the nooks & crannies plus the bars & coffee shops. So there’s no time limit, just a suggested route
Difficulty: Easy & all on hard surfaces
Parking: n/a
Public toilets: Cafes & Bars
Map of the route:
Do you believe in dragons?
If you do then you’ll be pleased to know that Krakow was built around the defeat of a dragon who we’ll meet towards the end of this walk!
We visited Krakow in 2025 with a view to paying our respects at places of the Holocaust including Auschwitz, Birkenau & Oscar Schindler’s factory
See also our Walk 203 around the ‘Kazimierz…the Jewish Quarter. See this link…
But there’s so much more to appreciate than the darker side of history in this wonderful city which was once the regal capital of Poland. Whilst the area this walk covers is the Old Town we’ll also touch on the local food & culture
The Old Town has been the centre of life in Krakow since the invasion of the Tatars in the 13th century. It was the centre of Poland’s political life from 1038 until King Sigismund III Vasa relocated his court to Warsaw in 1596
Today the Old Town attracts visitors from all over the world. The historic centre is one of 17 places in Poland that are included on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The architectural design of the Old Town has survived many cataclysms of the past & has retained the original form that was established in medieval times
Throughout the year the Old Town is lively & crowded. There are many tourists, indefatigable florists, & lined up horse-drawn carriages waiting to give you a ride. The place is always vibrant with life, especially in & around the Main Market Square
Let’s Walk!
1. This walk starts just outside the Old City Walls at the Barbican…
…which is one of the few surviving remnants of the the medieval defence walls. With its circular walls & seven turrets it was built at the end of the 15th century
Built around 1498, it’s one of only three such fortified outposts still surviving in Europe, & the best preserved. It’s a moated cylindrical brick structure with an inner courtyard & seven turrets. The Barbican was originally linked to the city walls by a covered passageway that led through St. Florian’s Gate & served as a checkpoint for all who entered the city
The building was threatened with demolition early in the 19th century. However, in 1817 two senators of the Free City of Kraków, Feliks Radwanski & Jan Librowski, convinced the Senate to preserve the Barbican & other parts of the old fortifications
2. With your back to the Barbican look to the right to see a lovely statue of Jan Matejko…why not go & sit next to him in that frame for a few minutes…
Jan Alojzy Matejko was a Polish painter & a leading 19th century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale oil & portrait paintings & he’s considered by many to be the most celebrated Polish painter, & sometimes as the “national painter” of Poland
3. It’s time to enter the Old Town & what better way than through St Florian’s Gate which, we were told, was once connected by a long bridge back to the Bastian…
The 33.5 metre tall tower was first mentioned in 1307 & the gate, named after St. Florian, became the main entrance to the Old Town. According to records, by 1473 there were 17 towers defending the city; a century later, there were 33. At the height of its existence, the wall featured 47 watchtowers & eight gates
Pass through the arch & turn around & look up…
The south face of St. Florian’s Gate is adorned with an 18th-century statue of St. Florian
4. Directly ahead you can see the striking towers of St Mary’s Basilica which we’ll see closer later in this walk…
For now though bear right along the Old Town wall. There’s many artists along this stretch. The tower on the right in the picture below’s Baszta Stolarska also known as the Carpenter’s Tower. It has three stories & is owned by the Czartoryski Princes’ Museum, which maintains its warehouses within the tower. Currently, it’s not open to tourists,
The tower was most likely built in the 14th or 15th century & its main purpose was to defend St. Florian’s Gate & later the Barbican from the west. The Carpenters’ & Ropemakers’ Guilds were responsible for its defence
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Carpenter’s Tower, along with the rest of Kraków’s city walls, was slated for demolition. Professor Feliks Radwański, among others, defended the tower, writing about the walls: “They protect against the winds blowing towards St. Mary’s Church from Kleparz. These winds are bad, because they will carry stench & garbage, & will also impiously blow up the skirts of the ladies, mothers, & wives.”
Rescued from destruction, the tower, along with the neighboring Carpenters’ Tower & the Arsenal, was donated by the city to Prince Władysław Czartoryski in 1874 to house the Czartoryski Princes’ Museum
5. Bear through the arch…
At the junction of the streets, on the right’s Christo Configurato…’Church of the Transfiguration’ which was founded by the Piarist Order, & built between 1718 & 1728
6. On the opposite side of the junction’s the Czartoryski Museum which contains Krakow’s richest art collection including Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Lady with an Ermine’. It’s also one of the oldest museums in Poland
The treasures of the museum have been on many journeys over the years, most recently in World War II
On September 22, 1939, Prince Agustyn removed what remained of the treasures & took them to his cousin’s property in Pełkinie. However, soon afterward the Gestapo found the cases & took them back to Kraków, though not to the museum. On January 25, 1940, the 85 most important items from the Museum were sent to Dresden, where it was decided that all the objects were to be part of the Führer’s own collection at Linz. From that moment the museum, whose curator was to die in a Nazi concentration camp, was closed to the public
In 1945 Dr. Hans Frank, German governor of Poland & personal friend of Hitler, brought the paintings from Berlin for his own use at Wawel Castle. But when the Germans evacuated Kraków in January 1945, he took the paintings with him to Silesia & then to his own villa in Neuhaus. The Americans arrested Dr. Frank on May 4, & the Polish representative at the Allies Commission for the Retrieval of Works of Art claimed the stolen paintings on behalf of the Czartoryski Museum
However, the Raphael & 843 other artifacts were missing from the collection. The whereabouts of these works, remain unknown to this day
7. Walk along Swietego Jana…
…where further down on the left’s a wonderfully eye-catching, coloured pink church…St. John the Baptist & St. John the Evangelist, known colloquially as the ‘Presentation Sisters Church’. Built in the 12th century the baroque interior is well worth seeing
8. The street now arrives at Krakow’s best known place…the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny), which was established in 1257. Covering 40,000 square metres it’s the largest medieval town square in Europe & the heart of the Old Town. It’s surrounded by historic townhouses & iconic landmarks
The best advice we can give you is to spend a good couple of hours exploring the various treasures & cafes etc. It’s also the place from where, if you wish, to catch one of the many horse & carriages that will take you around some of the sights
9. So let’s visit a few of the most well-known parts. In the picture above is one of the entrances into the Cloth Hall, the central feature of the Sqaure. What we suggest you do though is wander around either corner where you’ll see the sheer size of it. We went right…
It was once a major centre of international trade. Travelling merchants met here to discuss business & to barter. During its golden age in the 15th century, the hall was the source of a variety of exotic imports from the east – spices, silk, leather & wax – while Kraków itself exported textiles, lead, & salt from the Wieliczka Salt Mine
Enter the hall at the side entrance & spend some time exploring all the various stalls & imagine the traders of a time gone by
10. When you’ve perused enough come out the main entrance on the other side, & look for the small knife hanging on the wall. Theory suggests that the knife was used as a deterrent against thieves tempted by the merchants’ goods during the Middle Ages. At that time, theft was harshly punished; a thief risked losing an ear or, for more serious offences, an arm!
But there’s another possible explanation of this relic steeped in 14th century intrigue & legend. This knife, prominently displayed for all who gaze upward, is more than just an ornament; it symbolises a gruesome & fatal tale of sibling rivalry, tied to the asymmetrical twin towers of the renowned church across the square
Legend has it that two local builder brothers were hired to construct the towers of St. Mary’s Basilica. When the younger brother saw that the elder’s tower was taller, jealousy drove him to murder his sibling with a knife. He then hastily finished his own north tower, making it the tallest, & completed his brother’s south tower with a cupola. Overcome with guilt on the day of the towers’ consecration, he climbed to the top, confessed his crime to the crowd, &, in despair, drove the very knife into his heart before falling to the ground below
11. Step slightly away from the Cloth Hall to appreciate how ornate it is…
The above legend mentioned the two towers of the imposing St Mary’s Basilica in the north-east corner of the square. Built in the 14th century, its foundations date back to the early 13th century & serve as one of the best examples of Polish Gothic architecture. Standing 262 ft tall, it’s certainly impressive
On the strike of every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, a trumpet signal called the ‘Hejnał mariacki’ is played from the top of the taller of Saint Mary’s two towers. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate a famous 13th century trumpeter who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before a Mongol attack on the city. The noon time Hejnał is heard across Poland & abroad broadcast live by Polish Radio Jedynka
A window opens & away he goes!
12. Why is there a random stagecoach in the square?…
It stands outside No.7…Montelupich Mansion. A 16th century member of the Montelupi family was the administrator of the first Polish regular post. The horse-drawn coaches covering the route from Kraków to Venice departed from outside his mansion here on the square
13. Walk round the southern end of the Cloth Hall towards the tower, looking for a plaque on the ground with the inscription ‘Hold Pruski 1525’
This memorial plaque, embedded in the ground, commemorates the 1525 Prussian Homage (Hołd Pruski), where Albert, Duke of Prussia, pledged allegiance to Polish King Sigismund I. It marks the spot of this significant 16th century political event
14. Next up’s the Town Hall Tower which is the only remaining part of the old Kraków Town Hall demolished in 1820 as part of the city plan to open up the Main Square. Its cellars once housed a city prison with a Medieval torture chamber
Built at the end of the 14th century, the massive Gothic tower stands 70 metres tall & leans just 55 centimetres, the result of a storm in 1703. The top floor of the tower with an observation deck is open to visitors
The original Gothic helmet adorning the tower was consumed by fire caused by a lightning in 1680 & reconstruction of the tower took place between 1683 & 1686. The entrance is guarded by a pair of stone lions carved at the beginning of the 19th century
In the middle of the deck, there’s an old clock mechanism that visitors have the opportunity to examine from inside. The mechanism of the clock is controlled by radio waves receiving the signals from the transmitter in Mainfligen, which gives it the accuracy of the atomic time standard. In the event of a power failure, the clock stops & sets back automatically to the correct time when the power is back on
Also, the clock sets a time change itself in accordance with daylight saving time
15. You simply can’t miss the large, hollow head laying on its side…
Affectionately referred to as ‘The Head’, & used as a traditional meeting place, the bronze body part’s official title is ‘Eros Bendato’ (Eros Bound) & is the work of Polish artist Igor Mitoraj. It’s commonly interpreted as a symbol of being enslaved by love
16. Leave the Square on the south-west corner along Swiette J’Ann…
…& then left down Jagiellonska
17. On the right’s Collegium Maius, Latin for “Great College” It’s the Jagiellonian University’s oldest building, dating back to the 14th century. The then 36 year old first university in Poland, known at the time as Akademia krakowska the Krakow Academy, moved into the building some time in the 14th century after King Władysław II Jagiełło had purchased it as an educational grant with funds bequeathed by his late wife, Queen Jadwiga
The Collegium Maius was rebuilt in the late 15th century as a late Gothic structure surrounding a large courtyard bordered with arcades. In 1517 a well was built in the centre of the courtyard. Professors lived & worked upstairs, while lectures were held downstairs
18. Continue along the street but have a quick diversion to the left along Golebia to see a plaque…
The plaque commemorates one of the University’s most renowned scholars…Karol Wojtlya also known as Pope John Paul II
19. Continue back in the other street & then, at the end turn left with the green space on your right…
Carefully cross the road & then you’ll come across lots of information boards regarding Pope John Paul II
20. Pop into the park on the left & look for the yellow building. You’ll see a picture of the Pope in one of the windows…
We were told lots of stories about the significance of this window including how, on the first visit of the new Pope to Krakow, the communist part tried to block it & restrict the crowds by cancelling all holidays & public transport – they failed
The window itself is part of Archbishop’s Palace where Karol Wojtyła lived from 1964 to 1978 while serving as auxiliary bishop & later Metropolitan Bishop of Kraków. When becoming Pope, he broke tradition by appearing at this specific window to speak with crowds at night during his visits
It was so popular that, after his death, his picture was placed in the window
21. Continue along to arrive at Wawel Royal Castle…
The Wawel Royal Castle & the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically & culturally significant site in Poland
A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established on the orders of King Casimir III the Great & enlarged over the centuries into a number of structures around a Polish Renaissance courtyard
The castle is part of a fortified architectural complex erected atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River & consists of numerous buildings of great historical & national importance, including the Cathedral where Polish monarchs were crowned & buried
22. Walk up the slope & pass through the gate…
The courtyard is impressive
23. Walk down to te right & exit through the gate below…
…& walk along the wall before turning right down the steps towards the river
24. Did we promise you a visit to the dragon at the start of this walk? Well follow the path around to the right & there it is…
According to legend, the dragon demanded daily food offerings from local residents. A shoemaker named Skuba defeated it by filling a sheep’s skin with sulfur, causing the dragon to drink until it exploded from the Vistula River
So that’s where our walk around the Old Town of Krakow ends & what history his place has seen. Warsaw was almost completely destroyed by the Nazis, but most of Krakow remains as it was & it’s just stunning
So after a walk like this it must be time for some food so why not try a huge bowl of Pierogies…stuffed dumplings. They’re cheap, stuffed with several flavours & extremely filling so don’t over-order
Krakow Old Town is amazing so…
Go Walk!