Cracow, old royal city is a unique place. Qualifed to the ninth of the european cultural capitals in 2000. It’s not instance that Cracow is named north Florence city or Polish Rome.

Architecture treasures, monuments, certification of past era culture, release long since at 1978 interline Cracow for a list of UNESCO. Visitors will be surprise of whale cultural things:

58 churches and palaces from various periods, 331 elevations of buildings and more then 2 milions objects of arts in museum and gallery.

In Cracow we have very popular Jagiellonian University (www.uj.edu.pl), founded in 1364, one of the eldest University in the Central Europe. You should see Collegium Maius (www.studio777.pl/krakow/maius.htm) on the Jagiellonian street, the eldest seat of JU. This is one of the city in the world in which live (one of them lived) two laureate of Nobel Price in literature range.: Czesław Miłosz and Wisława Szymborska. In 34th of museum in Cracow except Polish art., we find picture „Lady with an Ermine” Leonardo da Vinci (www.muzeum-czartoryskich.krakow.pl) and one of the precious collection olden Turkish, Persian and Japan arts.Cracow is a distant to be a huge museum, but Cracow is cultural and intelectual center. Theatre, musical and other festivals are offering all the year.

More information You can find:

www.cracow-life.com

www.cracow.pl

PROPOSALS OF SIGHTSEEING TOURS:

Horsy Tram and Cabs

Proposal of tours of the Old City by horsy tram equipped with audio system making possible the visits in Polish, English, German, French and Russian. The itinerary way begins near by Barbakan (museum) and pass by Szpitalna street, the Main Square, Grodzka street (to the Royal Castle Wawel), Podzamcze, Powiśle, Zwierzyniecka street, Basztowa street and come back to Barbakan. The visits are every day (no Monday) from 11 a.m. till 7 p.m., every 2 hours.

The visit’s cost it’s 69 PLN/19 euro. If you want to rent a tram for one hour for 20 people, the price it’s 1200 PLN/338 euro.

On the Main Square there are also many cabs waiting for you to show you Cracow.

TourBus

Proposal of city sightseeing by Double-Decker bus equipped with audio-commentary in 8 languages: Polish, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japan. Hop on and hop off is possible unlimitedly at any stop that are located close to the main tourists’ points of interests and attractions. You can buy tickets on the bus or in Tourists Information Centers.

Prices: Regular ticket: 50 PLN/14 euro – 1 day or 65 PLN/18 euro – 2 days

            Discount (kids, students): 25 PLN/7 euro – 1 day or 32 PLN/9 euro – 2 days

Timetable:

Melex

Proposal of city sightseeing by melex with 13 places equipped with audio-commentary in a few languages: Polish, German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portugal. These cars are going every day from Mikołajska street (near by St Mary Church)at 10 a.m. and 12 a.m. Price of regular ticket it’s 30 PLN/8 euro.

Daily walking tours proposed in English and German starting on the Main Square and continue on to the old buildings of the Jagiellonian University where you visit the Gothic courtyard of Collegium Maius. Walking through All Saints’ Square you can see the Gothic Dominican and Franciscan churches. You stroll across the Royal Route to the Wawel Hill, on the way back you go down the Kanonicza street to return on the Main Square and see St. Mary’s church.

You can also see the best preserved Jewish district in Europe named Kazimierz founded in the 14th century. Now it’s an artistic neighbourhood of Kraków with lots of bars and cafeterias, but also a district of an impressive historical value. Visit the synagogus, the unique 16th century cemetery and the sites from Steven Spielberg’s ‘Schindler’s List’.

Daily walking tours in Old City Center in English and German are possible from 1 April till 10 November at 10 a.m and the tours in Kazimierz at 13:30 p.m.. The price of the ticket it’s 45 PLN. Meeting point is at the Tourist Information Office, 3 Mariacki Square (next to St Mary’s Church), there you can buy also the tickets.

Association of Tourists’ Guides in Cracow propose the sightsseing tours like:

-         Architecture way

-         Celebrities way

-         Young Poland (XIXth century)

-         Saints and blessed

-         Jewish tradition and culture

-         University center

-         Cemeteries

-         Museums and galleries

-         Festivals

They organize also the seasonal visits relevant to Christmas, Easter, St Stanislas Procession, Lajkonik and in summer the sightseeing of Cracow’s neighbourhood: National Parc in Ojców, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Niepołomice.

If you need to find a guide speaking: bulgarian, croatian, czech, serbian, slovak, swedish, hungarian, you’ll see more informations on www.guide-cracow.pl

Wawel, Royal Castle you can see there the fine arts and royal chambers, unique collection of  tapestry and much more treasures of Polish Kings. Also it is good to interest and visit cathedral of Wawel. Inside there you can watch sarcophagus of Polish Kings and Polish famous people. You can’t forget to touch Zygmunt Bell. Wawel comprehend close to Vistula River, when you can go for a romantic walk all the time. www.wawel.com.pl , www.wawel.net

You can visit Wawel Hill everyday from 1.04 to 30.09 (from 6am till 8pm)

                                                             1.10 to 29.10 (from 6am till 6pm)

                                                             30.10 to 31.03 (from 6am till 5pm)

Contact and booking ticets:

Service Office of Tourists

Wawel 5

Tel: (+48 12) 422 52 55 ins.291, tel/fax (+48 12) 422 16 97

Kazimierz, (www.kazimierz.com) you need to go there for a beautiful walk, one of the oldest district, where you can find a lot of monuments Jewish culture: synagogue (especially Old Synagogue with Judaism museum or Synagogue Remuh with worship of  Hebrew), graveyard (Remuh at Szeroka street fancy oneself as rich and beauty among Jewish graveyards in Europe www.altacarya.com/cm-zydowski-krakow.htm). Restaurants like Ariel (www.ariel.ceti.pl), Arka Noego, Eszeweria offer tasty dishes and desserts of Jewish kitchen, you should try: cymes, kugel, gęsie szyjki, macę, kreplach and Israelite wines. At 8pm at most of restaurants start a klezmers music concerts. People who are looking for a various fashion every Sunday morning at New Square can feel like in „garden” because they can buy new and second hand clothes (for those who prefer the large centers of commerce we propose to go to Galeria Kazimierz, more: www.galeriakazimierz.pl), however at Saturday nights Kazimierz welcome to bars with special climate, famous: Alchemia (www.alchemia.com.pl), Drukarnia, Trzy Kolory, Any Time.

Others, Old Town with Main square is the biggest square the Middle Ages Europe, beside whale quantity of bars, café, restaurants is surrounded by a historical buildings the supreme value i.e.Mariacki Gothic basilica (www.bazylika-mariacka.krakow.pl) pass by name high altar of Wit Stwosz, art objects from XII to XIX century, wall painting of Jan Matejko, olden tower of town hall, tenement monuments (Kamienica Szara, Montelupich Chateau, Bonerów Chateau, Pod Baranami Chateau).

Worth to see Royal Road with barbican, the Middle Ages objet d'art. also you should see section of baileys with Florianska Gate (www.wsp.krakow.pl/geo/krakow/florian.html), Florianska street ( with historical coffee-house Jama Michalika www.jamamichalika.pl) in number 45 of street Hotel Pod Różą /toward rose where visited Balzac, Charles de Gaulle), Grodzka street ( eldest Cracow restaurant Wierzynek,  St.Andrew Church, St. Peter and Paul Church www.krakow4u.pl)

Mariacki Church

Famous high altar of Wit Stwosz is a thing what you need to see, interior and bells with baroque arch. From Tower of the Church every hour you can hear clarion of trumpet and its worth to introduce the legend of this an established custom.

St. Wojciech Church

The eldest though skimpy church in Cracow, topped in the Main square, you can separate in this church a lot of architecture styles.

St. Peter and Paul Church

Jesuits Church pattern from a Jesus Church (Il Gesu) at Rome. Outside you can see sculpture of twelve sculpture, basrelief show crucifiction of St. Peter and coagulation of  St. Peter and crypt.

St. Andrew Church

Equally one of the eldest church at roman style, structured from stones. Interior in this church is all in baroque style.

More informations on: www.krakow4u.pl

St. Andrew Church

Equally one of the eldest church at roman style, structured from stones. Interior in this church is all in baroque style.

Named also as a saucepan, raised as a consolidation baileys because of apprehension fromTurkish invasion. Possibility of visiting from 26.04 to 29.10. Ticet price about 3-5 zl.

For all involved of life and creativity one of the famous Polish painters.

Florianska 41 street, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 10am – 3:30pm,

Friday 10am-6pm. It is worth to visited museum at Thursday because most of it have free entrance.

Szczepańska 11 street (close La Fontaine)

For all people who what to discover creativity of Polish performer especially his paintings, outlines and stained glasses. Open: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 10am – 3:30pm,

Friday 10am-6pm.

Center of Arts and Japan technology Manggha

More informations on: www.muzea.krakowskie.pl  

"Wieliczka Salt Mine, world material culture heritage, is among the most eagerly visited tourist sites in Poland. After nearly 900 years of salt extraction it resembles vast underground city, mysterious and unique. It constantly causes admiration and awe towards power of nature and faculties of man. Walking through excavations of tourist route you can see:

- unique chambers with traces of salt extraction preserved, collection of mining equipment and tools,

- chapels with salt sculptures and bas-reliefs, with the most beautiful in the world Chapel of St. Kinga situated 101 meters under the ground." (teksty pochodzą z ulotek rozpowszechnianych na zlecenie Kopalni Soli w Wieliczce).

The tours ith English speaking guides are:

From January till March and from October till December: 10:00, 11:30, 12:30, 13:45, 15:00, 17:00

April and May: 10:00, 11:30, 12:30, 13:45, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00

June and September: 9:00, 10:00, 11:30, 12:30, 13:45, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00

July and August: from 8:30 till 18:00 every 30 minutes

More informations on:

www.kopalnia.pl

www.kopalnia-pp.pl