Attractions in Krakow

Wawel Royal Castle crowns a limestone hill above the Vistula, the seat of Polish kings for five centuries. Its Renaissance courtyard, Gothic cathedral, and royal apartments make Wawel Poland's most important historical and symbolic site.

Wawel Cathedral is Poland's national sanctuary—the coronation and burial site of Polish kings, with 18 royal chapels including the Renaissance Sigismund Chapel, considered the finest Renaissance chapel north of the Alps.

Kraków's Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) is the largest medieval square in Europe—200 × 200 metres of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture surrounding the Cloth Hall and St. Mary's Basilica.

The Kraków Barbican is a massive 15th-century circular brick fortification that once guarded the northern approach to the city. Connected to the Floriańska Gate, it's one of the best-preserved medieval barbicans in Europe.

St. Mary's Basilica dominates the northeast corner of the Main Square with its asymmetric twin towers. Inside, Veit Stoss's 1489 altarpiece—the largest Gothic wooden altarpiece in Europe—unfolds in a blaze of polychrome and gold.