Culture and Entertainment in Krakow

Krakow attracts visitors with a rich cultural offer: a lot of concerts and other events take place there each year. Some of them, due to their popularity, have become regular events in the city.
"Who wants to get to know Poland's soul, should look for it in Krakow..." wrote Wilhelm Feldman.
It was Krakow which was exclusively granted the prestigious title of the European Capital of Culture in the year 2000. It is Krakow which concentrates most of the Polish museum resources.

It is Krakow's Old Town which, together with Wawel and Kazimierz, was placed on the first UNESCO World Heritage List created in 1978 (among 12 most valuable objects in the world).
It is Krakow which has over 400 pubs, clubs and restaurants in the city centre itself ... and it is here that 900 000 people meet at over 3 000 spectacles and concerts thought the year.

Surroundings of Cracow

The surroundings of Cracow form a cultural landscape with an unusual abundance of natural and historical resources, which is attractive for tourists and offers ideal conditions for outdoor meetings. The variety of experiences guaranteed to guests is as wide as the variety of the landscape of the Cracow surroundings.

In the Salt Mine in Wieliczka - the only mining facility in the world which has been operating without interruption since the Middle Ages till today - we can watch a mysterious underground world of salt chambers, a brine lake and salt-carved chapels.

In the Niepołomicka Forest, which is situated east of Cracow and used to be a favourite hunting place for Polish kings, a reserve of bisons exists today.

An equally old historical place is the medieval castle in Korzkiew near Cracow, which is located picturesquely on the hill among forests near the Prądnik Valley and the Ojców National Park.

An exceptional attraction on an European scale is rafting down the Dunajec river. Situated within a distance of approx. 100 km south of Cracow, the river intersects the Pieniny mountain range and transgresses the rocky ravine, forming a picturesque gorge. The 23 km long rafting route runs from Sromowce Niżne to Krościenko or (in its shorter version) to Szczawnica and lasts approx. 3 hours.

This area lies close to the highest range of the Carpathians - the Tatra Mountains, which are the rocky Alpine type of mountains. At their feet lies Zakopane - a big winter sports centre, which has been called the winter capital of Poland for a long time. Within the administrative limits of the town there is a large part of the Tatra National Park.

Outside the outskirts of Cracow dozens of kilometres of cycling routes have been built. Part of them is incorporated into the municipal cycling route system, therefore cyclists can set out on a countryside tour on their own bicycle or a hired bicycle.

There are also many interesting places to see for enthusiasts of old fortifications and monasteries. Those who love recreation in a landscape environment are invited to visit golf playing fields in Ochmanów and in Paczółtowice near Cracow and lovers of extreme sports can try their skills on the mountain canoeing route built near the Vistula river bed, at the foot of monasteries in Bielany and Tyniec.