A royal capital with Europe's grandest market square
Kraków was Poland's capital for centuries and survived the Second World War largely intact. Its Main Market Square is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, with the Cloth Hall in the middle and St Mary's Basilica, where a trumpeter plays every hour. Wawel Castle and Cathedral crown a hill above the Vistula. Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter, has synagogues, cafés and bars, and the Wieliczka Salt Mine and the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial are within reach.