Krakow: Main Market Square & Old Town, Poland
This time we visit Krakow, the former ancient capital of Poland. A visit to Krakow is not complete without visiting the Old Town, so first of all we want to walk to the Main Market Square which is located in the centre of the Old Town of Krakow.
Parking in Krakow
There are many parking lots in the vicinity of Krakow's old town. Interesting are two locations at Karmelicka street, that are practically opposite to each other (Karmelicka 26 - P1; GPS: 50.065439, 19.929920 and Karmelicka 21 - P2; GPS: 50.065491, 19.931163). Both are quite capacious - the second one is a bit cheaper. If you are interested in price, check the information in Parkopedia.
The Main Square
The Main Square is very large and yet quaint. This is just breathtaking place. We find a lot of tourists and the atmosphere is just outstanding. This is a remarkably well preserved piece of living history, still an active part of city life throughout the day and night. The whole place is beautiful. Between others, you must visit the St. Mary's Basilica (A; GPS: 50.061706, 19.939022) and the Renaissance Cloth Hall in the very centre (Sukiennice) (B; GPS: 50.061685, 19.937356).
As you can see, always something is happening in the square. Children playing, tourists strolling and restaurants tempting you in, all of them make you want to explore everywhere.
The Old Town
The whole Old Town itself is fabulous. It is clean and immensely safe. You can see more when you walk around, although there is always a tram or a carriage. You can enjoy all the attractions & architecture that the Old Town of Krakow has. Get to see the sights of the history and savour the passed with the present.
The Barbican
Don't miss the Barbican, the last remaining watch tower (C; GPS: 50.065401, 19.941573), the Florian Gate (D; GPS: 50.064826, 19.941358) and its open air art exhibition. The St. Florian Gate (Brama Floriańska) was one of the eight defence gates in Krakow existing in medieval walls of the city. We entered the Haberdashers' Tower (Baszta Pasamoników) (E; GPS: 50.064719, 19.942179) located next to St. Florian Gate. It was originally defended by haberdashers, that means craftsmen who manufactured belts, braids and fringes. We went up the stairs to the second floor and then walked a long and narrow balcony towards the chapel of Czartoryski located just opposite the street of St. Florian. We came back the same way, and then went through the Florian Gate to get to the Barbican itself. There we accidentally hit an interesting staging of the series "The Middle Ages is cool! Become a medieval detective". It was a kind of interactive game about unraveling the mystery of the murder of one of Krakow's councilors.
The Grodzka Street
Make sure to also take a stroll the Grodzka Street leading to the Wawel Royal Castle. We start at the All Saints Square (F; GPS: 50.059126, 19.937836). As you can see in the video, the street is quite crowded - everyone wants to walk to the Castle :). On both sides of the street we see beautiful tenement houses, with a variety of restaurants, boutiques and shops. Finally we got to the church of Saints Peter and Paul built in 1597–1619 (G; GPS: 50.056946, 19.938488). Opposite the church, in the Square of Mary Magdalene, we find a monument of Piotr Skarga, jesuit theologian and preacher. By the way, we also saw Lajkonik, a symbol of Krakow - bearded man resembling a Tatar in a characteristic pointed hat. Going farther in the direction of the Wawel Royal Castle we pass another three sacred buildings: the church of St. Andrew, built in the years 1079-1098, the church of St. Martin, built in the years 1637-1640, and a very old church of St. Giles - it was built in the end of the eleventh century.
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