Krakow flights and travel guide

Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny)

Krakow’s Central Square dates back to 1257 and is Krakow’s social hub. Historic buildings, museums, churches, flower-sellers, musicians and ice cream vendors mill about and surround the enormous square, once one of the largest in medieval Europe. The medieval Cloth Hall sits at the center of the square. Once a medieval shopping mall, the covered arcade and vaulted interior now houses a lively market. Go upstairs to wander through an art gallery displaying 19th-century Polish paintings and sculptures. Terraced cafés line the building’s outside walls, including the famous Noworolski, once a favorite of Lenin. Now the café is known for its cake and coffee. While you sit with your coffee, you can’t help but notice St. Mary’s, a magnificent, twin-spire Gothic church. If you listen, you can hear the hourly bugle call ring from the tallest spire, commemorating a lone watchman who trumpeted to warn the citizens of a Turkish invasion before an arrow ripped through his throat. Inside the church you’ll find a beautiful wooden altar.