A Feast For The Eyes: 10 Kraków Landmarks 

Kraków surprises people in a lot of ways. One of the main ways is simply how beautiful it is. The city is a real feast for the eyes. It’s full of architecture and cultural history. In addition, there are also many famous landmarks to visit in the city. That’s where we come in. We’ve narrowed this list down to include all our very favourite krakow landmarks.

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

First up on the list of krakow landmarks is the Cloth Hall. This unmissable feat of architecture lies in the middle of the Old Town’s main square. The Cloth hall was once a meeting place for merchants. Here at the Cloth Hall, goods were imported from Eastern countries, including spices and silk, while Kraków exported its own goods. Krakow mainly traded in Amber, wool, wood, and agricultural products.  

Today, the Cloth Hall features a range of shops selling jewellery, Baltic amber, gifts, souvenirs, fashion accessories and more. The Rynek Underground museum is below, where you can learn more about the city’s history.

St Mary’s Basillica (Kościół Mariacki)

Just across the square from the Cloth Hall is the gorgeous 14th century St. Mary’s Basilica. In summer, it’s great to sit in a cafe on the main square and do some people watching/dodge the pigeons swooping overhead. Inside the church you’ll be greeted with some of the most beautiful interior architecture in the world.

St. Mary’s is arguably the best landmark for anyone to recognise who’s prone to getting lost after a beer or two. The cathedral spires are visible from all over the city. This means that if you get lost, you can easily walk towards them and find yourself back in the centre of the Old Town. 

Every hour, a trumpet signal is played from its tallest tower. It commemorates a trumpeter that was shot in the 13th century, when sounding a warning about an attack on the city.  

Wawel Royal Castle

A short walk from the square brings you to the Waweł Castle. The castle sits atop a rocky hill, overlooking the Wisła river. According to Kraków’s mythology the cave at the base of the hill was once home to a mighty dragon. While any real dragons are fortunately long gone, the legend is marked with a fire breathing dragon statue. 

Tickets are available for its various exhibitions, which also feature works of art, intricate tapestries and fine porcelain. 

The Barbican and Royal Gate

Floriańska gate, or St. Florian’s gate, is a remnant of the medieval walls that surrounded the city until the 19th Century. This gate, like most of the other krakow landmarks, is beautifully maintained. It’s also easily accessible, with only a short walk up Florianńska Street from the main square.

At the top of Floriańska, and just beyond it, you’ll find the Barbican. Access to Floriańska Gate from outside the city was guarded by this impressive mini-castle known as the Barbican (pictured above). The Wawel Castle, Barbican and Royal Gate are now sadly some of the only surviving complete structures from the original defensive walls.

The Old Synagogue

Now, we progress from the Old Town, to some of the other krakow landmarks. There’s plenty to see in Kazimierz, Kraków’s Jewish quarter south of the main square. There are several synagogues in this area that are open to visitors.

The most iconic is the Old Synagogue. Built in the 14th Century, it’s the oldest synagogue still standing in Poland. It’s now a permanent exhibition, revealing the history of Jewish culture in Kraków.

Plac Nowy

Plac Nowy is the main square in Kazimierz. It was originally the main marketplace in the Jewish Quarter and today, it features a market on Sundays. 

The main attraction of Plac Nowy is its Zapiekanka stalls – tourists flock here any day of the week to try this local delicacy. It’s like a pizza, except on a baguette. And it’s great value for money.

Plac Nowy is also the nightlife center for the Jewish district, surrounded by distinctive and very cool little bars and cafes.   

Kraków’s Mounds

If you fancy a bit of greenery and panoramic views, why not visit the mounds? They make for some of the best viewing spots in the entire city. Of all the krakow landmarks, these ones are a little further out of the main city. Kraków has three ancient mounds, all only a short distance from the city centre. 

The Piłsudski Mound is named after Józef Piłsudski, a Polish military leader. Another monument of Polish military success is the Kościuszko Mound. This mound has a museum on the grounds if you’d like to learn more. 

The Krakus Mound is named after the legendary King Krakus – the mysterious, mythical founder of Kraków.

Nowa Huta (The District)

Nowa Huta, the city’s most Eastern district, was originally a separate city and later became a district of Kraków. This district was designed to be a shining example of modern and effective communism, standing in contrast to the decaying old world architecture in the rest of the city.

When the Soviet Union came crashing down, so did the financing for the steel industry that supported Nowa Huta’s work force. The area went into decline and if you want to seem some real Soviet landmarks, this is the place to go.

The Central Square was renamed as Reagan Square in 2004, due to Ronald Reagan’s support of the anti-communist Solidarity Movement. One of the best ways to view the district is doing a tour in one of the cool little soviet-era cars like the one picture above.

That’s it! This list only scratches the surface of everything there is to do in Kraków – but will keep you busy on your first visit! For where to stay in Krakow, check out our blog on Krakow’s different neighbourhoods.