If you’re looking for Poland city breaks that showcase stunning nature, local food, important attractions and so much more, travel to the southern Małopolska region.
There are local food fairs to sample, architectural attractions, and quaint smaller cities, each with its own character and unique experiences to offer.
To see lots of wildlife and natural attractions on holidays in Poland the Małopolska area is a wonderful destination. There are dramatic mountains and natural reserves. Visiting this region will uncover some of the country’s more hidden treasure.
o Marvel at Market Square
o Bazylika Mariacka – St. Mary’s Basilica
o Sukiennice Museum and Rynek Underground
o Wawel Hill and Castle
o Jagiellonian University
o Lady with an Ermine
o The venerable Wawel Cathedral
o Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter
o Gastronomy on city breaks to Kraków
o The Royal Road from Kleparz
o Ramble through Planty
o The gateway to Małopolska
o The 18th-century Ethnographic Museum
o Walk the wooden architecture route in Małopolska
o The enchanting painted village of Zalipie
o Steeped in Polish folklore
o Taste your way through Zakopane
o The Eye of the Sea
o Hugely rewarding hike in the countryside
o There’s something in the water
o Celebrating local art and culture
o The path in the clouds
o The trailing of the sheep
o The natural environment of Małopolska
Poland city breaks in Kraków
Start your stay in Kraków by visiting the Old Town. This is renowned as one of the most significant medieval areas in Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s not only worth going there for its beautiful historical buildings; in modern times, it has become a centre of culture, restaurants, and the city’s social scene.1
Marvel at Market Square
Kraków’s Market Square2 is another huge highlight of Kraków city breaks – once the largest square in medieval Europe. It covers some 40,000 square feet, and is packed with museums. The square is bordered by lavish architecture and is now a vibrant modern social hub in the city, filled with outdoor cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs.
Bazylika Mariacka – St. Mary’s Basilica
St. Mary’s Basilica is famous for its Polish Gothic architecture, dating back to the 14th-century. It contains huge polychrome murals by renowned Polish painter, Jan Matejko, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Its most famous features are its wooden Gothic altarpiece, a national treasure, standing 80 m tall, carved by Wit Stwosz3 and its daily trumpet call, the Hejnał mariacki. The later sounds out over the city at noon every day of the year, and is also broadcast on Polish national radio.
Sukiennice Museum and Rynek Underground
The Sukiennice Museum4 is the gallery of 19th-century Polish Art and it is a division of the National Museum. The building houses one of the largest permanent collections of Polish painting and sculpture.5
It has four themed rooms, devoted to the Enlightenment, romanticism, late 19th century art and, lastly, realism, impressionism and symbolism. You can find the Gallery on the upper floor of the Renaissance Sukiennice Cloth Hall.
The Cloth Hall is Krakow’s oldest commercial center and today you can find an impressive array of stalls and souvenir corners there.6 It also has a large commerce hall with souvenirs.7
Do not miss the Rynek Underground beneath the museum under Market Square. It’s a tour through the Middle Ages to the 21st century, with ancient chambers enhanced with audio-visuals and holograms. Make sure you book your ticket well in advance, as only 300 at a time are allowed to go in.
Wawel Hill and Castle
Kraków was originally built around this hill, on the banks of the Vistula River.8 It’s topped by a castle dating back to the 14th century, where Polish Kings were crowned. Walking around the original Wawel Royal Apartments is a highlight, where you can admire the elaborate 16th-century Jagiellonian Tapestries. The Vistula River is the longest in Poland and has had an important trade route since the Stone Age and it is the perfect setting for a romantic night cruise through Kraków.
Jagiellonian University
Founded in the mid-14th century, the university became Poland’s eminent academic institution. Nicolaus Copernicus is perhaps its most famous alumni. The Collegium Maius is its oldest structure, and it houses the Jagiellonian globe, the first globe of the world to include America, in 1510.
Lady with an Ermine
This is one of Poland’s greatest art treasures. Painted around the late 1489, the Lady with an Ermine is believed to be a Da Vinci masterpiece.9 It depicts a woman turned at a three-quarter angle on her right, holding an ermine that is facing the same direction. The woman in the painting is Cecilia Gallerani, a mistress of Ludovico Sforza (“Il Moro”), Duke of Milan. You can see it in the Czartoryski Museum, which also has collections of artefacts from the Royal Castle.
The venerable Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Cathedral10 was the traditional location where Polish kings and queens were crowned. It’s also the most elaborate of all the buildings that make up the characteristic architecture of Kraków. The cathedral is deeply ingrained in Polish culture, a symbol of the country’s independence.
Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter
Historically, the Jewish quarter of Kraków, Kazimierz, is museum central. There’s the photographic Galicia Jewish Museum, documenting the deep Jewish history in the area. Schindler’s Factory innovatively uses parts of Oskar Schindler’s actual WWII enamel factory. This is one of the most popular museums in the city, so book tickets in advance.
Gastronomy on city breaks to Kraków
Head to the Parsley Market11 for the Saturday local food fair. This fresh food farmer’s market features fruits, vegetables and meat produced in the vicinity of Kraków. For a gastronomic treat, you can also visit in April for the Spring Food Festival12 and enjoy its food competition, where dishes are selected from entries produced by surrounding villages.
The Royal Road from Kleparz
First settled in the late 1200s, the district of Kleparz is a wonderful blend of art nouveau and neoclassical architecture. Here, you’ll find the colourful historic Kleparz Market Square, where you can buy a wide range of regional products and fresh foodstuffs from local producers.
Ramble through Planty
Planty13 is a large city park around the old site of Kraków’s medieval walls, Stare Miasto. The surrounding moats became ideal water systems and the result of this is an inner-city green space, filled with tall trees with walking paths winding through them. There are historical monuments, flower beds, and benches.
The gateway to Małopolska
As the main city in the southern Małopolska region of Poland, Kraków is the gateway to the area’s natural attractions. The corrugated Tatra Mountains form part of the Carpathian chain and offer winter and summer sports, plus plenty of local wildlife in its protected national parks. You can also easily drive to smaller cities in the region.
Tarnów
Tarnów14 has a distinct Galician feel to it, historically called “Pearl of the Renaissance”. The Market Square is its central attraction and the Old Town dates all the way back to 1330. You can see an eclectic mixture of 16th-century bourgeois tenements, one-storey brick houses, and the all-brick Town Hall. The Green Velo16 cycling trail passes through the town too.
The 18th-century Ethnographic Museum
This museum16 is the epicentre of traditional folk culture in the city. Interestingly, it also celebrates the culture of Roma, through historical connection. Originally a local family mansion, it was donated to the city as a theatre in the 1920s before becoming the museum it is today.
Walk the wooden architecture route in Małopolska
Wooden architecture is a noticeable feature of Tarnów, especially reflected in its many wooden churches. The Holy Trinity Church is the most celebrated of these, built in the mid-1500s. There’s also the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, erected even earlier in 1458, purportedly by six local parishioners.
The enchanting painted village of Zalipie
This is one of the most unique attractions you’ll discover on your Poland city break. Zalipie17 holds the informal title of the prettiest village in all of Poland. Its crooked houses are vividly painted so that the whole town looks like a field of wildflowers. Every building and structure is painted, down to bridges, fences and even letterboxes.
Zakopane
Zakopane18 in the Tatra Mountains19 is known for its skiing, and has hosted several ski jumping world cups. A 2,000m-long cable railway will take you to the highest point in the mountain ridgeline, Kasprowy Werch. You can explore the scenery by walking one of the many mountain paths. It’s roughly 70 miles from Kraków, a drive of about 2 hours.
Steeped in Polish folklore
The town has a historic atmosphere, reinforced by its wooden architecture and deep connections with Polish folklore. The Tatra Museum20 celebrates the town’s culture, history and the ethnography of the Polish Tatra peoples. It houses important artefacts like clothing, household objects, glass paintings and ancient arts and crafts.
Taste your way through Zakopane
Four delicious traditional local foods stand out. Jagnięcina podhalańska is Polish mountain lamb with a delicate flavour and minimal fat. Bryndza podhalańska is a cheese made from the same sheep. It is creamy with an intense salty-sour taste. Redykołka is a harder cheese made in the shapes of animals, hearts, birds and so on. Lastly, there’s bundz, which is a mild cottage cheese.
The Eye of the Sea
Morskie Oko21 is a distinctive lake near Zakopane. Unusually, it sits on high ground in the Rybiego Potoku Valley in the Tatra Mountains. Named as one of the world’s most beautiful lakes by the Wall Street Journal, don’t miss the chance to marvel at it. Its name translates as the “Sea Eye” due to legend that it connects to the Baltic Sea.
Hugely rewarding hike in the countryside
Some of the best hikes in the whole of Poland are to be found near Zakopane, in the Gąsienicowa Valley. Along the way you can stop to appreciate some of the flora and fauna that’s unique to the region and marvel the waterfalls. A hike along the Dolina Gąsienicowa trail is another appealing attraction near the town.
Krynica Zdrój
Nestled in the Beskids Mountains, Krynica Zdrój22 is a mountain resort, known as the “Pearl of Polish Spas”. It’s also the largest spa town in the country, so why not include some pampering in this lovely destination during your Polish city break. It boasts numerous spa and wellness centres; there’s practically one in every hotel.
There’s something in the water
The mineral waters in the Krynica area are reputed to have exceptional healing qualities. The town has five natural springs, among them Kryniczanka. It has high levels of manganese and calcium bicarbonate, and is known to give relief from digestive disorders, endocrine problems and anemia.
Celebrating local art and culture
Krynica Zdrój hosts one of Poland’s largest summer festivals, the Jan Kiepura European Festival.23 It offers an alluring range of events, covering symphony music, opera, theatre and ballet. You can also watch films and theatre performances. The Nikifor Museum24 showcases the paintings of one of Poland’s most celebrated artists, containing almost 80 of his works.
The path in the clouds
The Słotwiny Arena observation tower25 in the heart of Jaworzyna Krynicka’s fir and beech forests offers almost a kilometre of panoramic views. It has innovative wooden walkways just under 50m high, hence its nickname “the path in the clouds”. If you’re feeling more active, you can go rafting down the Poprad River.
Szczawnica
Szczawnica has been a popular resort town in Małopolska since the 19th century – another town of wooden buildings. Its main drawcard is its mineral water. For an unusual experience, head to the Mineral Water Drinking Room in Dietl Square – also simply called the Pump Room.26 The city also has a health resort that draws on twelve different sources of mineral water.
The trailing of the sheep
Visit Szczawnica for the bi-annual trailing of the sheep, known as redyk. This is at start of spring (redyk wiosenny27) when the herding season begins, and again just before winter (redyk jesienny). There are festivals, magical rites and music as the sheep are herded up to and down from mountain pastures. Take this chance to taste the unique oscypek smoked cheese, made from salted, unpasteurized sheep’s milk.
The natural environment of Małopolska
Szczawnica is where you can revel in nature. The River Dunajec28 flows here, forming a natural border with Slovakia. It has a 14km-long water trail that takes you through Pieniński National Park with its towering trees and rocks. Make a point of visiting Trzy Korony, rising about 980m over the sea, and Sokolica, about 750m high. You can also go rafting along the river, which is great family fun.
Then there’s the 800m-high Homole Gorge,29 in the Little Pieniny Mountains, which is one of the greatest nature attractions in Poland. Stroll among the indigenous calcicole measuring even 120 m high and fragrant juniper plants. Historical stories claim that the gorge was a treasure hunting site and it’s consequently scattered with ancient mineshafts. You can picnic alongside the Kamionka Stream that flows through the canyon.
More natural experiences are on offer at the Biała Woda Reserve.30 You can go bike riding or hiking – there are shepherd’s hut in which to sleep overnight, with excellent viewing points. Its entrance is only about 5 miles from Szczawnica. For more challenging rafting, there are good white water options. You can also access another section of the Green Velo Trail from here.
Finally, in the winter there’s great skiing to be had, with over 150 km of ski runs and nearly 60 ski stations and centres.31
Explore more of Poland with KAYAK
We’ve only scratched the surface of all there is to do and see in the southern Malopolska region of Poland. There’s much more history and nature to explore and unique experiences waiting for you in Poland.
Foodies can read about the best restaurants in Poland. We can also direct you to the best beaches in Poland if you’re visiting in summer. Or explore the country’s rich history by taking yourself on a tour of the wonderful old castles in Poland.
Images contained within this article are copyright of Archives of Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Region
Sources
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14 https://www.triphobo.com/places/tarnow-poland/things-to-do, https://theculturetrip.com/europe/poland/articles/the-best-things-to-see-and-do-in-tarnow-poland/
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31 https://visitmalopolska.pl/en_GB/zima-w-malopolsce
