Must-see in Krakow: a first-timer's guide

A brief history Krakow was Poland's royal capital from 1038 until the court moved to Warsaw in 1596, and its university has taught since 1364. Spared the wholesale destruction of the war, it kept its medieval street plan, though the Nazis annihilated the Jewish community of Kazimierz and built Plaszow camp nearby. Post-communist restoration made it Poland's cultural capital and its most visited city. 10 must-see attractions 1. Main Market Square — Europe's largest medieval square, with the trumpet call from St. Mary's tower each hour. 2. St. Mary's Basilica — gothic church holding Veit Stoss's spectacular carved wooden altarpiece. 3. Wawel Castle and Cathedral — the royal hill where Polish kings were crowned and buried. 4. Cloth Hall — a renaissance trading hall of amber and craft stalls, with a gallery upstairs. 5. Kazimierz — the old Jewish quarter, now synagogues, memorials and late-night bars. 6. Schindler's Factory Museum — occupation-era Krakow told through the enamel works. 7. Auschwitz-Birkenau — the memorial and museum 70 km west; a sobering essential day trip. 8. Wieliczka Salt Mine — chapels, chandeliers and statues carved from rock salt underground. 9. Planty Park — a green ring of gardens where the city walls once stood. 10. Kosciuszko Mound — a man-made hill with a panorama over the city and the Vistula. Tip: book Auschwitz and Wieliczka tickets weeks ahead in summer.