Historic Krakow: From Medieval Old Town to Wawel Castle

(407 reviews)

Kraków audio tour: Historic Krakow: From Medieval Old Town to Wawel Castle

This is a 2.6mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Kraków

Poland

$11.99

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About the Tour

Delve into Krakow's medieval past, with tales of ancient kings and fire-breathing dragons, on this tour of the historic old town and castle. You’ll hear how Krakow was transformed into a royal city – and Poland’s capital until 1596 – after starting out as a humble merchant town.

Our walk starts in the city’s medieval market square and ends just outside Wawel Castle, the first ever UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Krakow’s whole old town was the first city in Europe to be given UNESCO World Heritage status too.)

Along the way, I’ll tell you about the invasion of the tribes of Genghis Khan, the Nazi general who used Wawel Castle as his home during World War Two and the rise of Pope John Paul II, Krakow's most famous son.

Some of the highlights you can look forward to include:

The story of St. Mary's trumpeter
Krakow's legendary fire-breathing dragon
A walk around Wawel Castle and the Royal Palace which are open from 10am to 6pm
Stories about St. Mary's Basilica and the Wawel Cathedral
The Kraków Barbican, a medieval fortress
A short visit to the Bishop's Palace, the former home of Pope John II

The tour will take around 2 hours on foot. There are plenty of cafes and refreshments along the way, should you need to stop for a break. From the finish close to Wawel Castle, it’s only a short walk back to the market square.

Tour Producer

City Walks Krakow

1 tour

Hi, I'm Dale, the founder of City Walks Krakow.

I started my career as a tour guide in London. In early 2018, I started City Walks Krakow, leading guests on free tours through Krakow Old Town and Jewish Quarter, as well as Food tours.

I hope you enjoy this audio tour I have put together. If you want to find out about the other tours City Walks Krakow offers, check out our website at www.citywalkspoland.com or if you see us out and about with our blue umbrellas, come and say hello!

Preview Location

Location 17

Saint Mary's Trumpeter

Straight ahead you can see the north tower of Saint Mary's Basilica. Every hour on the hour, a bugle call is played from the 9th storey glass windows of the red-brick section of the tower.

One of Krakow's most famous stories tells that in 1241 when Krakow came under invasio... Read More

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Major Landmarks

St. Mary's Basilica
Sukiennice
Wawel Castle
Kraków Barbican
St. Florian's Gate
Bishop's Palace
Muzeum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego Collegium Maius
Wawel Cathedral
Rynek Główny

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
plac Mariacki 5, 31-042 Kraków, Poland
Total distance

4km
Final location
Stare Miasto, Kraków, Poland
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

St. Mary's Basilica, plac Mariacki 5, 31-042 Kraków

Make your way to Krakow's main market square, Rynek Głowny. Our tour will start in front of St. Mary's Basilica. The large, red church with the two distinctive towers.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Sukiennice: Cloth Hall Market, Church of Saint Francis of Assisi. For help with where to eat and other great things to do in Krakow, check out the helpful blog posts on the City Walks Krakow website- www.citywalkskrakow.com.

Best time of day

Between 10am- 6pm when the University and Castle grounds are open

Precautions

Much of the Old Town is pedestrianised, but watch out for bikes and horse-drawn carriages. On some roads there may also be some cars.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”