"krakow poland" a Krakow Travel Page by doug48

krakow was the largest city and the capital of poland for centuries. the kings of poland ruled from wawel castle. in 1609 the capital of poland was moved to warsaw. krakow was virtually untouched in WWII thus saving it's beautiful and historic buildings from destruction. since the fall of communism in poland krakow's beautiful castle, churches, and historic buildings have been carefully restored. krakow's city center is very compact and you can walk to most of the attractions of krakow from market square. central krakow is a collection of neighborhoods which have their own individual charm. the main attractions of krakow are wawel hill, the old quarter, the kazimierz quarter, and the okol quarter. near krakow is it's world famous salt mine and the infamous auschwitz concentration camp.

i think krakow can be compared to it's more famous central european neighbor, prague. krakow is smaller than prague but it is less touristy and less expensive. to really see the city you need at least three days or more. i found the people there friendly and in the tourist area many spoke very good english. of all of the places i have visited in europe i found krakow to be one of the best values in terms of food and lodging. if you are considering a visit to krakow do it soon before it gets "discovered".