If you ask any Polish person where should you travel to in Poland, 99% of the time, the first place they will tell you to go is: Kraków. Come explore the heart of Poland before our wedding.

The historic city of Kraków, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Wisła River, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 and has traditionally been one of the leading centers of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life. Cited as one of Europe's most beautiful cities, its Old Town with Wawel Royal Castle was declared the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world in 1978.

One of the reasons that Kraków escaped most of the World War II destruction was because the Nazi's found it so beautiful. The Main Market Square, which is the largest Medieval square in Europe, was renamed to Adolf Hitler-Platz. Wawel Royal Castle became the residency for Hilter and the headquarters for the capital of the General Government. While other important Polish Cities were destroyed to the ground during this war (Warszawa, Poland's capital being more than 85% destroyed), Kraków's stunning medieval architecture remains till today.

OUR MUST SEE ATTRACTIONS & TOUR RECOMMENDATIONS

Kraków has far too many wonderful places to see in just one day! Here are a few of our must see attractions.

1. Old Town (St. Mary's Cathedral, Main Market Square)

The entire medieval old town is among the first sites chosen for the UNESCO's original World Heritage List. The Main Market Square is the largest medieval Market Square in all of Europe. You must visit St. Mary's Basilica (pictured above). Half of the Basilica is reserved at all times for prayer and mass (free of course), the other half can be toured through a small ticket fee. During masses, the Basilica is closed for touring. I really recommend climbing up the tower for an incredible view of the whole square. At every full hour, a trumpeter plays a melody to all 4 sides of the Square. If you climb up right before a new hour, you can see him play. 

2. Wawel Castle

The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill constitute the most historically and culturally important site in Poland. For centuries the residence of the kings of Poland and the symbol of Polish statehood, the Castle is now one of the country's premier art museums. You can walk up into the Castle grounds for free, visit the Royal Cathedral, see the Main Courtyard, but if you would like to take one of the tours of the insides, you definitely need to reserve a ticket beforehand because they sell out quickly the day of. Some exhibitions and tours are free (for example: "Lost Wawel", "Wawel Rediscovered", "The Armory" etc. check the website below for obtaining free tickets). The "State Rooms" tour is quiet neat to see. For the "Dragon's Den" tour, you do not need to reserve a ticket beforehand, you can get it right before you want to leave the castle. According to a legend, there was a dragon that lived underneath the castle and you can visit his cave and see a fire-breathing statue near the Wisła River. This is why you will see dragon images all over the city.

3. Jewish District