Krakow - Notes

It is hard to imagine a greater contrast than that between Warsaw and Krakow. Even allowing for the fact that the weather improved as I headed south, after the drabness of Warsaw, arriving in Krakow was like arriving back into a Western European capital. Indeed, the town square (Rynek Glowny) with its central market hall was remarkably reminiscent of London's Covent Garden - complete with hoards of tourists.

I would divide the places of interest in Krakow into three areas - the old town centred on Rynek Glowny and the Cloth Hall, the Castle precincts (Wawel) and the old Jewish quarter Kazimierz. I was particularly fond of the latter - Kazimierz is wonderfully peaceful compared with the rest of Krakow - occasional busloads of tourists pass through doing the "Schindler's List tour" but they never stay more than a few minutes and then the tranquility returns. This really is a place for wandering quietly on your own or sitting outside a cafe with a good book.

Apologies to those who prefer to spell it Cracow in the English manner but I've stuck with the Polish spelling throughout