SIGHTSEEING TOUR OF KRAKÓW
As part of the conference, we offer you an excursion to the centre of Krakow, the former capital of Poland. The historic city centre, which you will explore on foot, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978, the same time as the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Conference participants will be able to visit Krakow before the start of the conference, on Sunday, 21 May 2023.
The organiser will provide participants with transport by coach or minibus from the hotels in Wieliczka to Krakow and back, a guide in English, lunch on the tour in a restaurant on the Main Market Square in Krakow or nearby, as well as the entrance tickets to the visited sites.
Cost of the tour: 65 EUR gross/person
Departure from the hotels: 8.30 a.m., return to Wieliczka: 6.30 p.m. or later
Please, apply for participation in the tour during the conference registration in the registration form or by e-mail to Ms Halina Szacik-Kusina,
e-mail: h.szacik@muzeum-wieliczka.pl no later than 10.05.2023.
Payments for participation in the tour are accepted until 15.05.2023.
After this date, pre-registered persons will be deleted from the list of participants.
The participation fee for the tour must be paid by bank transfer.
In the title of the transfer, please write your name and surname as well as the following annotation: KRAKOW SIGHTSEEING
Payments on account from abroad:
Recipient: Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka w Wieliczce
IBAN: EN 87 1130 1150 0012 1268 2620 0001
SWIFT (BIC): GOSKPLPW
Upon payment of the fee, tour participants will receive an invoice, which will be posted in the User Account on the conference website www.icmum.pl.
Tour schedule:
The tour will start at 9.00 a.m. with a meeting with the tour guide at Matejko Square in Kraków, who will hand out headsets. The itinerary of the tour includes a walk through the centre of Krakow along the Royal Route - the route taken by Polish kings who made ceremonial journeys here over the centuries.
First you will see the Barbican and the Florian Gate - the most beautiful remains of the city's 14th-15th century fortifications. After entering the medieval city, we will take a peek at the imposing Juliusz Słowacki Theatre building, modelled on the Paris Opera House, and into a lovely lane with the former Arsenal and the Princes Czartoryski Museum. We will visit this museum to see the most famous painting in Poland: "Lady with an Ermine" by Leonardo Da Vinci and several other works by European masters. Continue along the fashionable Florianska Street to the Market Square.
You can spend hours on Krakow's Market Square - strolling around, drinking coffee in one of the many cafes. This place is bustling with life all year round and at any time of the day. It is full of tourists, musicians, mimes and dancers. Florists sell colourful bouquets, pigeons fly overhead and you can try an „precel” - a snack typical of Krakow. On the Market Square you will see stately townhouses and exceptional monuments: the Gothic St. Mary's Church with its sumptuous interior and the 15th-century Veit Stoss Altar - a world-famous sculptural masterpiece. You are sure to hear the bugle call from its soaring tower, played every hour in all directions of the world. It is also a symbol of Krakow. In the Market Square you will also see the Cloth Hall, the former commercial centre. Even today they still house stalls selling souvenirs. Many of them are handmade of silver, amber, wood, glass or leather. If you are looking for an original souvenir or a gift, make sure to visit. The first floor of the Cloth Hall houses a gallery of paintings by some of the most eminent Polish artists. From the Cloth Hall, you will descend to the underground of the Market Square, which was opened to the public in 2010. This archaeological park, museum and multimedia show is an unforgettable journey back in time to the Middle Ages.
From the Market Square, we will proceed to the historical university quarter to visit the Collegium Maius, the oldest existing building of the Jagiellonian University. The university, founded in 1364, is still in operation today and enjoys a well-established reputation. Many of the surrounding buildings still belong to the University - it houses the faculties of law, archaeology and history, as well as the University's church, the Baroque Collegiate Church of St Anne.
At 1 p.m., i.e. about halfway through the tour, we will take a break for a hot lunch - we will eat Polish cuisine in one of the many restaurants on the Market Square or in the neighbouring streets (lunch is included in the tour price).
Then we will walk along Grodzka Street, where there are many beautiful old monasteries and churches: the Dominican, Franciscan, St. Peter and Paul, St. Andrew's. When viewing Krakow's monuments, you will notice a unique accumulation of architectural styles: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism and Art Nouveau. Then, along the charming Kanonicza Street - the oldest in the city - you will reach Wawel Hill. On this hill, starting from the 11th century, Polish princes and kings built one of the world's most magnificent royal residences.
Wawel Hill - rising majestically on the banks of the Vistula River - is a feast for the eye and the spirit. Here you will see the Cathedral, where most of the Polish kings were crowned and buried. You will see their magnificent tombstones and chapels dedicated to them. Even the large elements here are made of precious metals, e.g. the silver coffin-reliquary of St Stanislaus from the 17th century, or the gilded dome of the 16th century Jagiellonian Chapel. You will be able to enter the cathedral's underground to see the Royal Tombs and the crypt of Polish national bards. We will then proceed to the Royal Castle, where we will see the Renaissance courtyard and perhaps the palace interiors, the treasury and the armoury.
The most impressive exit from Wawel Castle leads through....the Dragon's Cave, where the legendary Wawel Dragon lived centuries ago. When we emerge from the cave - he will greet us by breathing fire. We will then find ourselves on the banks of the Vistula River.
The tour is scheduled to end here at 6 p.m. Not far from here, at Plac na Groblach, a bus will be waiting for you to take you back to Wieliczka.
Those who wish to explore further will be invited by the guide to take a walk in the Kazimierz district. You will walk along the boulevards on the banks of the Vistula River, then pass the interesting Pauline Monastery on Skałka and the massive Gothic churches of St Catherine and Corpus Christi. Immediately afterwards, you will find yourself in a different world - in the former Jewish district of Kazimierz. Jews lived here from the 14th century until World War II. Many Jews from all over the world now come here to look for their roots. You will see historic synagogues, old Jewish cemeteries, ritual baths and cultural centres in this district. Everything is beautifully restored and delightfully different. After seeing the monuments, you will take a stroll along narrow streets, peek into courtyards, tiny shops, pubs and antique shops. If it is evening in Kazimierz, all the better. At this time you will really feel its magic.
The walking route from the start of the tour to the Wawel Castle is about 2.7 km.
The walking route from the start of the tour to Kazimierz is approx. 5 km.
Those who choose to extend the tour to Kazimierz organize their return to Wieliczka on their own - by taxi (Icar: +48 12 653 55 55, Barbakan: +48 12 1 9661, Mega Tani: +48 12 1 9625), tram mixed with bus or the train (SKA1 line)
The time of return to Wieliczka and the place of assembly will be given to the registered participants of the tour.
Information: Halina Szacik-Kusina, email: h.szacik@muzeum-wieliczka.pl