Krakow is considered the cultural capital of Poland and has held a prominent role in Europe for several centuries. The old town of the city became a world cultural heritage site in 1978 as Archbishop Wojtyla became the Catholic Pope JOHANNES PAUL the second and marvelous churches are to be found across the city.

We begin our tour in the old town, which, in the Middle Ages, was fortified with double walls, 47 towers and 8 city gates, where the defensive tower, the Barbican, and the main entrance to the city centre, St. Florian’s Gate, are to be found. Most splendid of all the sights in the old town is perhaps the famous, St Mary’s Basilica, which has towered above the city since the 14th century.

An excursion leads to the nearby town of Wieliczka, known for the oldest active salt mine in Europe. A beautiful place, yet the miners’ work was often dangerous and even fatal. The faith of the miners led to the establishment of various chapels in the mountain, the incredible highlight of which is the majestic salt cathedral.

Next, we journey along Kanonicza Street, the last section of the so-called Royal Road, and the oldest and most beautiful street in Krakow. We stop to admire two magnificent churches along the way, of St. Andrew and the Saints Peter and Paul, before reaching the Wawel Hill. This place has become a national sanctuary, an embodiment of the highest spiritual and patriotic values of Poland and a bastion of historical value for the former splendour of the kingdom.

We take a boat along the River Weichsel from Wawel to Kazimierz. This river played an important role in the foundation and development of Krakow as a trade route of salt, lead and wood in exchange for amber, herring and other valuable materials. We finish our tour in Kazimierz, an extensive historical quarter built as an independent city. Numerous Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque artworks decorate the interior of the church built here in 1342 and the grand Jewish quarter is steeped in history.

The metropolis on the Weichsel River radiates energy and atmosphere, a mix of culture, history and modernity. Each epoch has left a splendid legacy and Krakow is justly called the most beautiful of the Polish cities.