A neighbourhood guide to Krakow
Poland’s second city is a first-rate destination for travellers seeking elegant medieval architecture, a buzzing bar scene and a rich history spanning some of Europe’s most seismic moments.
Poland: Stork village
The air is as still as the stagnant water lying on the marsh beyond the old wooden farmhouse. In the late afternoon sunshine the silence is momentarily broken by the snapping of beaks, while an occasional, clumsy landing stirs up a pile of dust from the sleepy farmyard
Neighbourhood: Warsaw
The Nazi headquarters turned boutique hotel; the library with its own roof garden; the vodka museum that shares its digs with Google… Warsaw is in the grip of a fascinating reinvention.
Weekender: Poland
An ancient, untamed enclave in the Polish east, Białowieża is a fairytale forest hosting a colourful cast of creatures.
Long weekend: Krakow
While it still bears the scars of WWII, the sobering tale of Kraków's Jewish communities is being expertly told in sites across this beguiling and resilient city.
Rooms under £100: Gdansk
Poland's most colourful port city sits pretty on the shores of the Baltic, with its painted buildings, cobbled streets and some thrifty places to bed down
City life: Warsaw
Completely rebuilt after the Second World War, Warsaw is shaping up to be one of Europe's great cultural centres, with a growing number of new museums, restaurants and bars
Krakow: Shaking off the past
The royal capital of Poland for 500 years, Krakow never fails to impress with its grand gothic and renaissance buildings that survived Nazi occupation, and the newly resurgent Jewish quarter of Kazimierz — a key part of this vibrant city's appeal
