Krakow – the first city in Europe on the UNESCO World Heritage List – is a place where the history of Central Europe is condensed as if under a magnifying glass. Together with a local and experienced city guide who combines in-depth knowledge with the ability to convey it in an exciting, clear, and captivating way, you will discover the former capital of Poland along the famous Royal Route.
At the beginning, the route takes you to the preserved fragment of the old city walls with the Barbican and the Planty – the green ring around the Old Town. You will also learn the story of Leonardo da Vinci's "Lady with an Ermine," one of the most famous works of art in the Czartoryski Museum and the entire country.
You will immerse yourself in the history of the Polish kings, in the era of the partitions, in the paths to freedom and the regaining of statehood, as well as in the confrontations with the totalitarianisms of the 20th century – right up to the successes of recent decades that have made Poland a modern European state. Your guide will show you how this history is reflected in the cityscape and shapes the present for the residents.
On Europe's largest medieval market square, you will learn the legend of the two brothers, which is connected to St. Mary's Basilica. You will also hear about the largest Gothic altar in the world, created by a German master, the cost of which exceeded the city's annual budget at the time – and why Krakow could afford this extraordinary art. Then, visit the Collegium Maius, the oldest university in Poland, older than Heidelberg or Vienna, where Nicolaus Copernicus, among others, studied.
At the top of Wawel Hill, the Royal Castle with its Arcadian Renaissance courtyard and the over thousand-year-old Wawel Cathedral, the coronation site of Polish kings for centuries, await you. For centuries, Wawel was the political and symbolic center of Poland – and today it's still one of the most important places of national identity.
Finally, you will hear the legend of the Wawel Dragon, who is said to have once lived in the cave beneath the Royal Castle – an atmospheric finale to your Krakow guided tour.
