Krakow attractions

The Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Sanktuarium Bozego Milosierdzia) is a church located on the outskirts of Krakow, Poland. The church was consecrated in 1891 and dedicated to St. Joseph. It was originally built as part of the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. This church is home to the tomb of St. Faustina, a nun who saw a vision of Jesus in 1931. It is said that when he appeared to her, he instructed her to commission an image of him along with the quote, “Jesus, I trust Thee.” This image, painted by Adolf Hyła, has spread in the form of copies and reproductions throughout the world.St. Faustina rests in a white marble coffin below the original image of the Merciful Jesus along with other relics. It is a popular place for pilgrimages for Catholics from around the country and even from other parts of the world. Attached to the church is a tower that provides spectacular views of the city.

Every year, millions of pilgrims flock to the riverside city of Częstochowa to pay their respects to the Black Madonna, a medieval icon credited with miraculous victories and held in the Jasna Góra Monastery. But there's more to the city; visit its museums, historic market square, and a memorial to its murdered Jewish citizens.

The poignant Ghetto Heroes Square commemorates the thousands of Krakow’s Jewish community who were forcibly moved and incarcerated within the Podgórze ghetto. Plac Zgody, a square in the heart of the ghetto, was the departure point for Jewish people boarding trains to Płaszów, Auschwitz, and other concentration camps during World War II.

The Great Barbican is a 15th-century, 7-turreted bastion in Krakow that once protected the city’s main gate—St. Florian’s Gate—and the Old Town within it. One of the few remnants of Krakow’s fortifications, the barbican consists of a small museum, medieval passageways, and a courtyard that hosts summer events such as jousting and pageants.

Standing 3,694 feet (1,126 meters) above the southern Polish town of Zakopane, Mt. Gubalowka (Gubałówka) is one of the region’s most popular year-round attractions. Take in excellent views of the surrounding Tatra Mountains while participating in a variety of outdoor activities.

The focal building of Krakow’s fanciful Main Square (Rynek Główny), the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) has stood in the same spot in various forms for about 800 years but was originally built to house the local textile traders. From its humble beginnings as a small open-air market, the Renaissance-style hall is now 354 feet (108 meters) long and hosts Krakow’s biggest and best souvenir market, with stalls on the ground floor selling painted eggs, amber jewelry, wooden puppets and organic goods. The hall is gloriously floodlit by night.On the first floor of the Cloth Hall is the charming, revamped Gallery of 19-Century Polish Art (Galeria Sztuki Polskiej XIX wieku w Sukiennicach). It reopened in 2010 after an extensive facelift, and its artwork hangs in elegant Renaissance salons. The highlights are the two massive satirical works by Polish nationalist artist Jan Matejko.Well below ground and actually constructed underneath the Cloth Hall, a fairly new addition to Krakow’s museum scene is the Podziemia Rynku (Rynek Underground). Romping through Krakow’s turbulent backstory from prehistory to modern day, the high-tech museum uses interactive displays, special effects, informative touchscreens and holograms to engage the public. After some five years of construction, during which time the Main Square was partially under cover, the museum finally opened in 2010.

The Dunajec River runs through the Pieniny Mountains from the northern part of Slovakia into southern Poland and forms part of the border between the two countries. The Dunajec River Gorge is one of the river’s most scenic sections and makes for an action-packed day trip for travelers who want to spend time canoeing, rafting, or hiking.

Jasna Góra Monastery in Czestochowa is one of the most famous Catholic pilgrimage sites in Poland. Visitors from across Poland and around the world come to the monastery to see the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, also known as Our Lady of Czestochowa—a Gothic painting of the Virgin Mary associated with multiple miracles.

Krakow’s Jagiellonian University (Uniwersytet Jagielloński), dating to 1364, is one of the oldest universities in Central Europe and is considered one of the best on the continent. You can explore the Jagiellonian University Museum in the Collegium Maius building, which is filled with university memorabilia, scientific instruments, and a medieval art gallery.

The Skalka Sanctuary—also called St. Stanislaus Church—is a baroque church and Paulite monastery in Krakow. Predated by two earlier churches, the sanctuary marks the location of the gruesome 11th-century killing of Krakow’s and Poland’s patron saint, Bishop Stanislaus of Szczepanow.