Kraków is Poland's beautiful old royal capital, spared the destruction of the wars and full of life — students, cafés, and a dragon legend baked into its castle hill. "Dzień dobry" and "dziękuję" go a long way.
- The Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) — one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, ringed with cafés and crowned by the Cloth Hall. Sit with a coffee and just take it in.
- Wawel Castle & the dragon — the royal castle above the Vistula, with a fire-breathing bronze dragon statue below. Legend, cathedral and river view in one visit.
- Kazimierz — the old Jewish quarter, now the coolest neighbourhood: synagogues, vintage bars, street food and a moving history at every corner.
- St Mary's Basilica — the twin-towered church on the square. On the hour a trumpeter plays the hejnał from the tower, cutting off mid-note in memory of a medieval alarm.
- Wieliczka Salt Mine — a short trip out: chambers, lakes and an entire chapel carved from salt, hundreds of metres underground. Otherworldly.
Polish looks daunting, but locals are delighted by any effort — "na zdrowie!" (cheers!) is a fine place to start. Find a Polish speaker below and get ahead of the pronunciation.
