While heading to the Kraków Barbican, listen to the Kraków Old Town audioguide for an overview of the area.

Plan to spend some time exploring St. Mary’s Basilica. All other stops are designed to be experienced from the outside, with only very brief interior visits where appropriate. Parts of the route follow Planty Park, the green belt that replaced Krakow’s medieval fortifications.

Use the associated audioguides as you visit the following locations:

• Kraków Barbican: A well-preserved medieval defensive outpost
• St. Florian’s Gate: The historic entrance into Krakow’s Old Town
• Juliusz Słowacki Theatre: A richly decorated 19th-century theater inspired by the Paris Opera (Palais Garnier).
• Optional add-on Czartoryski Museum: A historic museum housing major European art collections, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine
• Floriańska Street: Historic pedestrian street lined with townhouses, cafés, churches, and shops that connects St. Florian’s Gate to the Main Market Square
• Main Market Square: One of Europe’s largest medieval market squares, surrounded by Gothic churches, Renaissance buildings, historic townhouses, cafés, and monuments
• St. Mary’s Basilica: Gothic brick church famous for its asymmetrical towers, richly decorated interior, hourly bugle call, and monumental wooden altarpiece
• The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice): The Renaissance market building at the center of the square, where arcades are lined with handicrafts, amber jewelry, textiles, and local souvenirs
• Town Hall Tower: Gothic tower that offers views across the Main Market Square and surrounding rooftops
• Church of St. Wojciech or St. Adalbert Church: Small stone church with Romanesque origins and a Baroque exterior
• Optional add-on Collegium Maius courtyard: Historic Gothic courtyard belonging to the Jagiellonian University
• Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Kraków: A Franciscan church known for its colorful Art Nouveau stained glass windows, including the famous “God the Father – Let It Be!” window.
• Wawel Royal Castle: Historic royal residence featuring Renaissance courtyards, defensive walls, and architecture associated with centuries of Polish monarchy and statehood
• Wawel Cathedral: Coronation and burial site of Polish kings, containing royal chapels, tombs, crypts, and the famous Sigismund Bell
• Wawel Dragon: Fire-breathing dragon statue located beside the Vistula River near the legendary Dragon’s Den cave associated with Krakow’s most famous local legend

If your schedule permits, consider exploring the interiors of Wawel Castle and Wawel Cathedral at the end of the tour. Another option is to descend into Smocza Jama (Dragon’s Den), a limestone cave beneath Wawel Hill associated with Krakow’s legendary dragon story.