Things to do in Wieliczka

Search for clothes and jewelry in a 700-year-old shopping center, tour ancient churches and climb to the top of a Gothic tower at Kraków’s Main Market Square. This 13th-century plaza is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe. It is surrounded by traditional Flemish houses and is home to some of the city's most important historical buildings.

Visit Wieliczka Salt Mine and stand beneath the glittering chandeliers in the Chapel of St. Kinga. You might imagine you are in one of Europe’s great cathedrals. The fact that you are underground and almost all the reliefs, statues and chandeliers are made from salt makes the spectacle even more impressive. Explore the saline labyrinth further to discover an underground lake, numerous carvings and a museum tracking the 700-year history of the mine.

Explore the former bedchambers and staterooms in Wawel Castle. See Flemish tapestries and paintings by Rubens. Head to the Treasury to view collections of armor and royal jewelry and explore the castle’s past in an exhibit dedicated to archaeological finds in and around the grounds. Visit a cave where legend says a dragon once lived or relax with a stroll around the Royal Garden.

Oskar Schindler’s Factory is a moving museum in central Krakow that is dedicated to communicating the plight of Jewish families during the Holocaust. Listen to radio excerpts announcing Nazi propaganda and imagine how it must have felt to be one of the Jewish workers in Oskar Schindler’s Factory in wartime Krakow. Read extracts from letters and diaries. Photographs and reconstructed scenes of daily life help to paint a vivid picture of what life would have been like for many families in Poland.

St. Mary’s Basilica is known for its altarpiece depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. Let the trumpet that calls every hour from the top of St. Mary’s Basilica lure you across Krakow’s main market square to the doors of the basilica. Many legends surround this building. Study the intricately carved scenes on the wooden altarpiece before climbing the tower for one of the best views of the city.