Spotlight on Kraków

Kraków (or Cracow), considered by many to be the cultural and intellectual heart of Poland, is an exciting and vibrant city, well worth visiting for business or, if possible, for pleasure. Such is its cultural heritage that in 1978 Kraków was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and named European City of Culture in 2000. Set on the river Vistula, this beautiful city has a fascinating, though sometimes traumatic, past (events occurring in the Jewish ghetto and nearby concentration camp Auschwitz were portrayed in the book Schindler's Ark, made into the film Schindler's List) and, with its burgeoning 170-thousand student population, exciting prospects for the future. The construction of the country's largest steel mill in the suburb/satellite town of Nowa Huta by the communist regime after the Second World War, with the intention of diminishing Kraków's cultural power has not succeeded in the long term. However the physical effects can still be felt when the wind blows the wrong way and smog descends on the city.

Getting there and getting around

Kraków boasts the second busiest airport in Poland, the John Paul II International Airport of Balice. The airport, which is serviced by most major European and North American cities, is conveniently situated on the outskirts of the city, just a 15 km taxi or bus ride (lines 192, 208 plus the nightly 602) from its centre. As well as this the new budget airline, Wizz Air, flies to Katowitz Airport and provides a connecting coach service to Kraków's main bus station. If you need to fly on a budget then this is a good option. However Katowitz isn't particularly close to Kraków and the connecting coach service takes around about 2 hours. A flight to Katowitz or Kraków itself takes approximately the same time.

So, you've arrived...

One of the great things about Kraków is the fact that the city centre is quite compact - and this is despite the fact that the main square is the largest in Europe. Many important institutions, including a number of university sites, are situated in the old town surrounding the square, along with a great number of outstanding art galleries, theatres, restaurants, bars and clubs. Then surrounding all of this, and ringing around the whole of the city centre, is a narrow park, itself overlooked by the impressive Wawel castle high on the bank of the river. However, as many of the narrow streets between the park and square run in concentric circles it's quite easy to lose your bearings. Much of this central area has been pedestrianised and so walking is a great way of getting around here. However, if you don't fancy walking, or have somewhere to get to in a hurry then Kraków has Poland's oldest electric tram system, which runs smoothly and reliably through the city. Taxis, too, are reasonably priced. As Kraków is a popular tourist destination (though not yet, fortunately, as commercialised as Prague) there are a great many hotels to choose from at all price ranges. The Polish zloty goes a long way if you're on a budget, which makes Kraków an ideal city to stay in.

Eating out

Polish food is known for being good but in Kraków it is generally outstanding. The central old town is packed full of wonderful restaurants and cafes, offering both Polish and international cuisine. Polish cuisine is most definitely worth sampling (for example Pierogi (dumplings) filled with Sauerkraut and Mushrooms), and some restaurants play live music too. Kraków can also boast sample top quality Jewish, Japanese, Italian, Hungarian, Spanish and French fare.