In Poland’s cultural heart, a castle, a lady and national pride impress

After our brisk tour of Kraków by golf cart, we got down to the serious business of exploring its culture. There’s an astonishing amount to see, but with only two sightseeing days in town we had to choose carefully. We went for the obvious choices. The two great jewels of the city’s heritage are Wawel Castle and the Czartoryski Museum. We rushed the latter on the same day as our intro tour; we were smart enough to realise the castle needed at least half a day. 

If all of Poland’s museums are like these two, the old standards of Western Europe have some catching up to do. Both attractions are beautifully curated, immaculately maintained, with flawlessly translated guides. (Poor, awkward and overly-formal translations are, too often, a memorable take-away of Italy’s top attractions.) Here, Polish and English sit side by side on crisp, well-crafted labels, and every display looks freshly installed. The attention to detail, sensitive lighting, and respect for visitors are remarkable.

Wawel Castle: Layers of Power and Pride
Perched on its limestone hill above the Vistula River, Wawel Castle has been the heart of Polish power since at least the 13th century. Its layers of architecture — Gothic foundations, Renaissance grandeur, Baroque embellishments — mirror the shifting fortunes of a country that has often vanished and reappeared on Europe’s map. The Poles are proud of this place, and rightly so. Visiting on a Saturday, we found it heaving with locals. To my ear at least half the crowd were Polish … without any school trips … a local-to-foreigner ratio that certainly hasn’t been my experience at major British attractions like the Tower of London or Windsor Castle. Exploring Wawel isn’t just tourism; it’s an act of national celebration for the natives.

Practical advice: book ahead. Entry isn’t a simple ticket but a patchwork of timed admissions — to the castle’s two main floors, the cathedral, treasury, armoury, and even a kid-friendly attraction called the dragon’s cave. Each requires its own ticket. (It’s notable that, in addition to their curatorial expertise, the Poles seem to be leading the way in getting the most income possible out of their attractions.) There are still queues, even when you have your timed-slot ticket in hand, so allow generous gaps between scheduled entries.

We bought tickets for Castle I, Castle II, and the Royal Treasury. Despite the titles and the enormous range of buildings on the promontory there are not two separate castles, but two separately ticketed floors inside one impressively-sized Renaissance palace. The first floor is steeped in Renaissance elegance, with painted ceilings, frescoed friezes, and art collections hanging in rooms that feel like private salons. Here you’ll find one of the castle’s star pieces: a Bosch Last Judgment triptych, filled with nightmarish creatures that seem centuries ahead of their time. There’s also a superb display of silverware and Meissen porcelain, a reminder that Augustus the Strong of Saxony once ruled Poland too — a cultural exchange that links Kraków directly to Dresden and Meissen.

Upstairs, things grow grander still. The State Rooms and Royal Apartments gleam with gilded ceilings, embossed leather walls, and marble fireplaces. A private chapel nods to the devoutness of Poland’s monarchs. The Hall of the Senators (the throne room) is a Renaissance masterpiece where the ceilings hold a curious sea of carved heads floating inside wooden coffers and busts of Roman emperors stand on plinths around the room to witness the dealings of the state.

And then comes a surprise: Wawel houses Europe’s largest collection of Ottoman tents, captured by Polish troops after the 1683 Battle of Vienna. King Jan III Sobieski led a Christian coalition to halt the Ottoman advance into Europe; one of Poland’s greatest triumphs. The trophies, embroidered and magnificent, still proclaim that victory more than three centuries later.

We ended in the Treasury, a smaller but fascinating collection of ceremonial silver, armour, and regalia. There are no crown jewels — those were melted down by the Prussians in the 18th century — but there’s plenty of craftsmanship to admire. A model of a 17th-century “cabinet of curiosities” hints at the collecting mania of Renaissance rulers. 

If you’ve been to other European Royal treasuries you could probably give this a miss and go into the cathedral instead. It offers Poland’s most sacred royal tombs, and in retrospect I wish we’d booked it instead. As a general rule: I wouldn’t advise more than three attractions in one day. Beyond that, your brain simply goes into overload.

One final note: while the quality of the cultural experience was high, food and drink was surprisingly poor. We found no credible options for lunch up here between our various admissions; plan your entries accordingly.

The Czartoryski Museum: A Private Passion, Public Glory
If you can only visit one museum in Kraków, make it the Czartoryski Museum — home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine. It’s smaller, calmer, and every bit as beautifully presented as Wawel. This is a museum born of private passion: Princess Izabela Czartoryska founded it in 1796, inspired by a desire to preserve Poland’s cultural treasures during the partitions. Her descendants built one of Europe’s most refined private collections. It is now housed in a pristine 19th-century palace in the northeast corner of the old town, by the Florian Gate and the theatre.

The museum operates a strict one-way system, and Leonardo’s lady waits at the very end — but you’ll want to linger before you get there. The galleries are a feast of Renaissance paintings, medieval sculptures, Islamic arms and armour, and intricate decorative art. There’s even a full-size Ottoman tent, echoing Wawel’s martial trophies, and a miniature amber altar crowned with a radiant crucifix. It’s a typical private collection, all curated with the same personality and thoughtfulness you’d find at the Wallace Collection in London or Milan’s Poldi Pezzoli.

We arrived with only an hour before closing, which was a mistake. But it was all the time we had. You need at least two and a half hours here to do it justice. The staff, however, were saints. Though they’d already begun “sweeping” visitors from the early rooms, they allowed me to double back against the one-way flow when I begged for a quick look at the earlier galleries. One kind attendant even walked with me as I filmed, offering quiet encouragement. It turned a rushed visit into a private, magical encounter.

It was rushed, of course, because I flew through everything to see the Lady with an Ermine first. Painted around 1489, she is Cecilia Gallerani, the teenage mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. Leonardo captures her with the same psychological intensity he later brought to the Mona Lisa, but with more freshness and vitality. The ermine she cradles symbolises purity — a delicious irony, since the painting marked Cecilia’s arranged marriage to another man after her affair with Ludovico ended. And though the Duke’s dalliances were notorious, his heart, by most accounts, belonged to his formidable wife, Beatrice d’Este. Love, as ever, is never simple.

Two museums, two halves of Poland’s soul: the royal power of Wawel and the private refinement of the Czartoryskis. Both testify to a country that has rebuilt itself, time and again, with culture as the cornerstone of identity.

If the rest of Poland’s museums maintain this level of care, beauty, and pride, I’m keen to explore more on a return trip.

Krakow surprises with soul, style and substance

Elegant, affordable, and unexpectedly vibrant, Poland’s former royal capital is the perfect long weekend for culture lovers.

If your mental image of Poland is still shaped by grey post-communist cities and economic struggle, prepare to have your expectations upended. Today’s Krakow feels affluent, confident, and sophisticated — a city that’s rediscovered its grandeur and knows it. Elegant architecture, a thriving café scene, notable museums, hip bars and restaurants and an easy blend of history and hedonism make it one of Europe’s most rewarding weekend destinations.

For our annual girls’ trip — twenty-six years and counting — Krakow ticked all the boxes. Culture, shopping, food, wine, spa time, and a stylish flat in the old town to call our own. It offered the elegance of Vienna with a touch of bohemian edge, and prices 20percent  to 40 percent below Western Europe’s big capitals. What’s not to love?

First Impressions: Old-World Beauty, Young Energy
The magic of Krakow is how seamlessly it blends past and present. The medieval heart of the city, centred on the vast Rynek Glowny — Europe’s largest market square — gleams after meticulous restoration. Horse-drawn carriages circle the Cloth Hall (good shopping, I had to fight hard to resist the red amber jewellery), while sleek golf carts whisk visitors between Gothic churches and Renaissance façades. From the round, fairy-tale Barbican to the twin towers of St. Mary’s Basilica, every corner seems made for postcards.

But this isn’t a city stuck in the past. Cafés hum with conversation, students fill the parks and bars, and the local fashion crowd has embraced vintage, not fast fashion. New money here isn’t erasing the old; it’s polishing it. Krakow’s prosperity is measured in restoration projects, hand-crafted signage, carved wood, and lovingly repointed brickwork. You can feel the pride — and a distinct sense that the Poles are investing in their heritage rather than replacing it.

Getting Your Bearings
We started with one of the city’s ubiquitous electric golf cart tours — the easiest way to understand Krakow’s scale. While the old town is compact and easily walkable, the stories you’ll want to hear stretch well beyond it. The Jewish district of Kazimierz, across the Planty park from the centre, is now both a site of memory and a hub of hipster creativity. Its cobbled lanes are lined with synagogues restored after decades of neglect, atmospheric cafés, and concept boutiques. Cross the river and you reach the remains of the wartime ghetto and Schindler’s factory — sombre, powerful places that need no elaboration. The Holocaust lessons are close to the surface here, but handled with quiet respect and striking design.

That’s what impresses most about Krakow: its ability to carry centuries of pain and glory lightly. Unlike Warsaw, which was razed and rebuilt, Krakow survived much of the 20th century intact. You can trace its Habsburg-era grandeur in the pastel façades and theatre marquees, a smaller cousin to Vienna’s ringstrasse elegance. The city’s devotion to Pope John Paul II adds a distinctly Polish note to the mix — you’ll spot his statues and plaques everywhere, a local boy made good.

Living Like a Local

Forget anonymous hotels. The apartment we rented in the old town proved that “Polish builder” is a phrase that should bring joy to any homeowner’s heart. Warm, beautifully finished, and within easy walking distance of everything, it offered both luxury and practicality. (Look for White Magnolia on AirBnB) Each of us had our own bedroom ringing a shared space to unwind, perfect for lazy mornings when one of the gang volunteered to fetch pastries from a nearby bakery. (Pro tip: try anything with poppy seed.)

Evenings meant experimenting with Krakow’s surprisingly sophisticated dining scene. Traditional pierogi and beer halls are a must, but you’ll also find elegant modern restaurants serving artful plates worthy of Paris or Milan. Vodka shots in a stylish bar are practically obligatory — na zdrowie! — and so is sampling the city’s love affair with coffee and cake. (The tongue-twisting Café Noworolski, in the arcades of the Cloth Hall, is a fine place to start. We were puzzled by the Aztec decor until we realised the Art Deco interiors started out as a fancy confectionary and chocolatier.)

A Weekend Well Spent
Krakow is ideal for a long weekend — three or four days will give you time to explore, shop, and relax without rushing. Just be prepared for a dramatic shift in pace between Friday morning and Saturday night. The city fills with visitors, but the atmosphere remains good-natured. Despite its reputation for stag and hen parties, we saw no bad behaviour. Perhaps it was the season, or our quieter corner of town, but everyone — locals and tourists alike — seemed content simply to enjoy themselves.

Why Go Now?
Because it’s beautiful, affordable, and welcoming. Because it delivers history and indulgence in equal measure. And because it still feels slightly undiscovered — a European classic that hasn’t yet lost its authenticity to mass tourism. Saturday was crowded, but the majority of people around us were speaking Polish. Krakow is a reminder that cities can recover from the worst of human history and emerge not just intact, but radiant.

Over the next few articles, I’ll take you deeper: into Krakow’s cultural highlights, a mountain escape to the Tatras, and a deep dive into the city’s food and drink. And please look for me (Bencard’s Bites) on TikTok and Instagram for an eight-part video series. But for now, consider this your invitation. Pack your walking shoes, your appetite, and your curiosity. Krakow’s waiting.