Krakow

Krakow is Poland's most beautiful city — the medieval capital that escaped wartime destruction and emerged as one of Central Europe's finest historic centres. The Rynek Główny (Main Market Square) is the largest medieval square in Europe, surrounded by Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, with the extraordinary Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) running through its centre and St. Mary's Basilica presiding over one corner. The Royal Castle on Wawel Hill above the Vistula River was the seat of Polish kings for five centuries, and its cathedral, with its golden Sigismund Chapel, is the Westminster Abbey of Poland — every king and national hero buried within its walls. Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine is in the Czartoryski Museum; the National Museum holds important collections of Polish art. The Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz, immortalised in Spielberg's Schindler's List (filmed here), has transformed from a neglected relic into one of Krakow's most vibrant neighbourhoods — synagogues, excellent restaurants, bars and cafés crowd its streets. Krakow is the obvious base for visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial (80km) — one of the most important and harrowing historical sites in Europe. The Wieliczka Salt Mine, a Unesco World Heritage site with underground chambers of extraordinary scale and artistry carved in salt, is 15km away. The food scene is excellent and very affordable. Spring and summer are the best times to visit.