Guided walks around Kraków
There are 8 walking routes prepared. Below you can find descriptions of all of them and the schedule.
The number of participants of each route is limited. You will be able to register for the chosen walks after your arrival to Kraków, nearby the reception desk.
Please note that the guided tours schedule may change due to weather and other factors beyond our control.
The number of participants of each route is limited. You will be able to register for the chosen walks after your arrival to Kraków, nearby the reception desk.
Please note that the guided tours schedule may change due to weather and other factors beyond our control.
1. Three Masterpieces of Kraków
The manuscript of the seminal work by Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543, known in Poland as Mikołaj Kopernik) on the heliocentric theory: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), the world’s largest and possibly finest Gothic wooden altar and Leonardo da Vinci’s (1452–1519) painting Lady with an Ermine - these three masterpieces you shall see during this walk.
2. The Wawel Hill: Poland in microcosm
We shall walk up to the Wawel Hill, a Jurassic limestone rock dominant in the landscape of the Royal Capital City of Kraków, which is still the city's full official name. The hill, which served for centuries as the seat for the Kings of Poland and Archbishops of Kraków, was placed on UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978.
3. Kazimierz: the Jewish past of Kraków
Kazimierz, originally established in 1335 as a separate city on an island on the Vistula river, was named after its founder, King Casimir the Great (Kazimierz Wielki, 1310–1370). In 1495, the Jews who were expelled from Kraków settled here, giving rise to a unique mixture of Christian and Jewish culture.
4. The Oskar Schindler’s Factory: touching history
A new and modern branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków is located within the Zabłocie district in the former administrative building of Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. The place was immortalized by Steven Spielberg in his movie Schindler’s List.
5. The Jagiellonian University: in the footsteps of Copernicus
The Jagiellonian University founded in 1364, the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest in the world, boasts of having among its alumni Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543, known in Poland as Mikołaj Kopernik), astronomer, mathematician and the founder of the heliocentric theory.
6. Pope John Paul II and his city
Kraków is also known for being the hometown of the blessed Pope John Paul II. Born in Wadowice, 30 miles south-east from Kraków, Karol Wojtyła, the future pontiff, had lived here for four decades.
7. Nowa Huta: socialist experiment
Nowa Huta (New Steel Mill), the easternmost district of Kraków, came into being in the late 1940s. This industrial town built in accordance with a single urban design was planned as a model communist city in opposition to old, traditional and religious Kraków.
8. Kraków by bike
If you are fond of cycling, you should explore Kraków by bike. This route is prepared especially (but not only) for those of you who visit the city for the first time. Within a few hours we shall see the majority of interesting places in the city.
9. Rynek Underground: an odyssey into the past – self-guided walk
One can see one of Europe’s most modern archeological reserves created two years ago, nearly five meters beneath the surface of the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny). The magic atmosphere of the 2000 sq m area is created by modern technology: holograms, laser projections, plasma screens, 3D visualisations, interactive digital maps, computer animations and reconstructions of non-existent market buildings.
