Welcome to Cracow – we think that you've just arrived to this wonderful city and you're wondering how to spend a little bit of your free time. Perhaps taking a walk through the historic old town of Cracow would be the solution?

Start Your Walk at Wawel Hill

Let's start at the most important place of our city which is, of course, the Wawel Hill. At the end of Grodzka street, (whose name you can easily translate into “the way to the castle”) nearby one of entrances to the hill, you can see a stone statue.

That's a copy of the famous Zbruch Idol – a depiction of one of the most important Slavic gods, Światowid. The original sculpture is kept at the Archeological Museum of Cracow. But here, at the location of the first traces of human settlements in the area of Cracow, the sculpture copy reminds everyone of the Slavic roots of our city.

Kanonicza Street and Długosz’s House

If you're interested in looking for layers of history, step into Kanonicza Street. One of the oldest streets inside the old town, it’s also called the most stunning and picturesque places of Cracow. There, you can see huge palaces which used to belong to Polish bishops and cardinals.

At the beginning of the street, under the number 25, there's a tenement called “Długosz’s House”. Jan Długosz was alive in the 15th century. He worked at the royal court as the tutor of the king's children, but he was also a chronicler, author of one of the most famous books of history of Poland.

What's also quite interesting, he's got eleven brothers and all of them were called... Jan!

Mary Magdalene’s Square and Cracow’s Churches

At the mid-point of Kanonicza you can turn into Mary Magdalene‘s Square. That's where a gothic church once stood, until it was destroyed in the 19th century.

But don't worry, we still have a lot of churches in Cracow. In fact, sometimes our city is nicknamed „a small Rome”.

So, let's count! Facing Grodzka street, you can see in the front of you two white buildings - on your left hand side, a romanesque church of Saint Andrew, one of the oldest in Cracow, built in the 11th century.

On your right hand side, there's a baroque temple dedicated to saint Peter and Paul. As that was the first building made in this style in Cracow, founded by the kings Sigismundus the Third, some people who were used to the more traditional medieval way of building, used to call it controversial and... so small, that the Apostles cannot fit in, so they need to stay at the fence.

What's more, the church, created for the Jesuits, as all of their churches, is inspired by the Roman church of Il Gesù. So yes, it is highly possible that you've seen it before somewhere else.

If you're lucky and you're visiting Cracow on a Thursday, step inside St. Peter and Paul’s – throughout the day there is a presentation of Foucault ‘s pendulum proving Earth’s rotation.

Collegium Iuridicum and the Art of Igor Mitoraj

Opposite the two churches, there is the second university building ever built in Poland. That's Collegium Iuridicum, created from two tenements joined together at the beginning of 15th century.

It used to be build for law faculty, but nowadays it's shared both by law and art history students. If you step into its courtyard, take a look especially at the arcades, inspired by the Wawel Castle, and the bronze sculpture by Igor Mitoraj, one of the well known Polish modern artists.

His second work of art is placed right at the Main Market Square, opposite to the former town hall tower, and it’s the big head of beheaded Amor, ancient god of love.

A Taste of Communist-Era Cracow

Now, let's go down Grodzka street. On the right hand side you can see first a milk bar, called “Pod Temidą” (“Under the Themis”) one of the most iconic food places from the Polish People Republic, the communist era time.

That's a bar with tasty, homemade food, mostly basic dairy and flour dishes and soups. The prices are low, the dishes are yummy, but be careful – thanks to those pros, it’s always crowded.

The Home of Veit Stoss

Nearby the milk bar you can spot also a beige building (number 39) which was a home of Veit Stoss, German sculptor from Nuremberg, who was the author of the most famous altar in Cracow.

This masterpiece is the altarpiece from St. Mary’s Basilica, the largest wooden gothic altarpiece in the world.

Why Cracow Is Called “a Small Rome”

In the middle of the All Saints Square, you can see for yourself the reason why Cracow is compared to Rome. If you stand there and look all around, wherever you look, you’ll see a church.

At Grodzka street - St. Andrew's in front of you, at the Main Market Square - St. Adalbert’s (also, one of the oldest and smallest christian temples in Cracow), on your left - the Holy Trinity church which belongs to Dominican monks, and on the right – St. Francis church, which is under the care of the Franciscan order.

It's also worth visiting for the stunning mix of gothic architecture and art nouveau frescos, and stained glass windows.



Discover the Hidden Gems of Cracow

Grodzka street will lead you straight to the beating heart of the city, which is, of course, the Main Market Square.

But as you can see, it's always worth it to take a step away from the main path and have a look to the sides, to discover hidden gems and underappreciated stories.

And the best way to see the city is taking part in one of our walking tours, lead by our licensed guides. Check it out!