ABOUT KRACOW

Cracow General Information

Location: Southern part of Poland 
Elevation: 219 m (719 ft) 
Size: City of Krakow - 326.8 km2 (126.2 sq mi); Metropolitan area - 1,023.21 km2 (395.06 sq mi) 
Population (2016): City of Krakow - 762,448; Metropolitan area - 1,725,894

Cracow, famous for its priceless historical monuments of culture and art, is Poland's former royal capital and one of the most attractive spots on the tourist map of Europe.

Besides history, art and an atmosphere all of its own, Krakow offers visitors entertainment and leisure: theatres, cabarets, clubs, cafes, bars, wine cellars and restaurants having something to offer for everyone. International festivals and other events are held either in the Main Market Square or at the foot of the Wawel Castle.

Also, Krakow surrounding areas offer plenty of tourist attractions. Wieliczka is famous for being one of the world's oldest salt mines open to sightseers. The valley of the Pradnik River, part of the Ojcowski National Park, is a unique nature reserve with a fairy-tale landscape carved from limestone. The ruins of the Gothic castle in Ojcow and the beautifully preserved Renaissance castle in Pieskowa Skala are two more reasons to visit the park. Just 35 km south of Cracow is the Beskidy mountain range, and 100 km further, in the Tatra Mountains, lies Zakopane, which is often referred to as "the winter capital of Poland".