As the old capital of Poland and the best preserved historic city in Poland, Krakow has a special place in the national consciousness. For the casual tourist this may not be vitally important or discernable, but this special role as the "spiritual" capital of Poland imbues Krakow with an added ambiance. Poles are wont to be skeptical and complain, but they are enthusiastically proud of Krakow. And rightfully so, the city is a vibrant university town that boasts the largest Medieval market square in Europe, plus exquisitely preserved Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectural monuments of the highest order. If you get bored of traditional sightseeing, the glorious architecture creates a great backdrop for just sipping a coffee or glass of beer in the outdoor cafes that line practically every street from April-Oct. And at night there are hundreds of bars to suit all tastes, many of them housed in atmospheric cellars.

Krakow has many facets: it's the most significant repository of monuments and mementos from Poland's past- both glorious and tragic; it's a typical European university town, with the Jagiellonian University being the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest in central Europe. Plus there are a couple dozen more institutions of higher learning that attract to the city tens of thousands of students, thus making Krakow a lively, young city; it's a religious center with numerous important churches and shrines that house the relics of saints and holy figures, and a place where many time-honored processions and traditions are kept alive by the active religious community that includes a host of religious orders like the Dominicans, Franciscans, Benedictines, and Jesuits. And it's the city where Karol Wojtyła (John Paul II) was a student, priest, bishop, and cardinal. Krakow is also an important symbol of Poland's Jewish past: the preserved neighborhood of Kazimierz testifies to the long history of Jewish culture in Krakow even if today the Jewish community is very small. Visitors of all different religions come to see the old synagogues and Jewish cemeteries and the area where the Nazis forced the Jews to live in a walled-in ghetto before deporting them to the local forced labor camp or to the death camps. And then there's communist Krakow: actually, you won't find and Stalinist structures in the Old Town or Kazimierz, but the Communist regime designed and built what was intended to be a "socialist utopia" just 10km from the market square. The name Nowa Huta refers to the huge steel works constructed at the beginning of the 1950s and to the city built to house the steel workers. It's a part of Krakow today, but the statue of Lenin is long gone and the street names no longer celebrate luminaries from the Soviet Union. For those interested in the history of Poland after the Second World War until 1989 Nowa Huta is the perfect place for such a history lesson, and despite its negative connotation this communist built district was very well planned and features an impressive urban layout.

Krakow has always been a tourist destination for Poles. At some point practically every Pole will visit Krakow just as most Muslims visit Mecca. But over the last 10 years Krakow has become a major destination for travelers from around the globe, so nowadays there are many more accommodation and restaurant choices than there were just a few years ago. And the city has added new music, theater, and film festivals to its repertoire so that something is always happening on the cultural scene for the locals and inquisitive visitors.

The city can be divided up in the following way: the Medieval old town and its surrounding Planty Park; to the south is Kazimierz where most Jewish monuments are found, plus two monumental Gothic churches and some beautiful Baroque ones too; further south across the river is a neighborhood called Podgórze, a mostly 19th cen. district with many small thrift shops and workshops: this is also where the WWII Jewish ghetto was located. Most visitors don't stray beyond these neighborhoods, but the streets that extend beyond the old town for about a mile to the west, north, and east, are almost all picturesque and contain cafes, restaurants, and shops in eclectic 19th cen. townhouses and apartment buildings. Generally if you go a mile beyond the limits of the old town you'll reach the post-war neighborhoods filled with not so pleasant looking apartment blocks. And then there's Nowa Huta which is approx. 6 miles NE of the city center.

Krakow used to be referred to as a "Little Rome" because of the number of churches, cloisters, and clergy. Without going into detail the most interesting churches in the center of the city are:

St. Mary's - one of the symbols of Krakow. The great 14th cen. Gothic parish church famous for its asymmetrical towers, its hourly trumpet call, and fabulous Gothic high altar.

St. Anne's - located near the university, the facade isn't that easy to appreciate because of the position of the church relative to the street, but this church has the most impressive Baroque interior in all of Krakow.

St. Andrew's - the best preserved Romanesque church in Krakow, at least from the outside, because once you enter its tiny interior it's all ornate 18th cen. stucco and gilding.

St. Francis'(the Franciscan church) - the dark interior boasts the most famous stained glass windows in Krakow. The combination of Art Nouveau frescos and Gothic vaults is something special.

The Holy Trinity (the Dominican church) - like the Franciscan church, this was gutted by a fire in 1850, but some of the Renaissance and Baroque side chapels survived intact, but most interesting are the Gothic cloisters adjoining the church.

Wawel Cathedral - filled with art, relics, and tombs from 11th-20th cen. The most significant church from an historical point of view in all of Poland.

Amongst the numerous museums in Krakow, here are some of the most accessible to foreign tourists:

Czartoryski Museum -contains diverse collection of European painting, Egyptian and Etruscan artifacts, Medieval weaponry, Baroque tapestries, antique furniture, porcelain, and all sorts of mementoes relating to Polish history. The museum is currently being renovated and will not reopen until sometime in 2012.

National Museum (main branch) - a 15 minute walk west of the Old Town. They organize fascinating temporary exhibits and house one of the largest collections of Polish 20th century art in Poland.

Historical Museum of Krakow(main branch) - situated on the main square, this museum is housed in an historic palace. You can admire some of Krakow's locally produced Szopki (Nativity scenes inspired by Krakow's architecture instead of a typical manger scene), old maps and paintings that illustrate how Krakow has changed over the centuries, and many other curiosities connected with Krakow's history and lore.

Jagiellonian University Museum -located in the oldest building of the oldest university in Poland. This museum can only be visited with one of the museum staff guides. The collections contain all sorts of university memorabilia housed in historic interiors, including early astronomical equipment (Copernicus studied here), and even an Academy Award.

Krakow History of Photography Museum - a five minute tram ride west of the Old Town, this fascinating museum hosts a number of temporary exhibits each year in addition to their own permanent collections. They also possess an extensive photo library and archive.