Krakow Old Town (Kraków Stare Miasto)

The cobblestone Main Square (Rynek Główny) of Krakow Old Town (Kraków Stare Miasto or, more correctly, Stare Miasto w Krakowie) is Central Europe’s largest and has been the center of the city’s social, religious and political life since the Middle Ages. Today the Old Town still serves as Krakow’s modern pulse, dominated by the splendid Renaissance arcades of the Sukiennce (Cloth Hall), the lop-sided St Mary Basilica and an endless supply of cafés and bars.

From the square, Krakow’s complex medieval alleyways peel off in all directions and work as the focus of most visits. The Old Town contains Baroque churches by the handful, a gorgeous ensemble of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, as well as about 25 museums covering subjects as diverse as Japanese manga, photography and stained glass. The standout historical collections are found in the many branches of the National Museum and in the Rynek Underground below the Cloth Hall.

The so-called “royal route” leaves the square down Grodzka and leads directly to the great architectural mish-mash of Wawel, perched on a rocky crag south of the square. Some of Poland’s most important buildings are assembled here, including the Renaissance castle, the flamboyant cathedral and the Crown Treasury, which houses the Polish crown jewels.