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Why Visit Krakow?
A) Easyjet.com:
Fly return for only £50 sterling from London’s Luton airport to Krakow.
B) A favourite of Holiday Programmes:
Krakow was recently featured on RTE’s (Ireland’s main TV station) premier holiday programme, No Frontiers and it was voted by the presenters as the second most beautiful place in the whole world. They certainly weren’t exaggerating and as any visitor to Krakow will tell you, it
leaves a spellbinding impression on you and it is an immensely rewarding cultural and social experience that you won’t ever forget.
C) You’ll want to come back:
My wife and I are frequent flyers (Our families call us Where in the World !!), but when we visited Krakow last April, there was a real sense of belonging and we couldn’t wait to come back to this truly endearing city.
I’ve been back over six times since!!
What other World Heritage site can boast the highest density of bars and pubs in the world? You get the idea! Poland's "cultural capital"!
D) Four World Heritage Sites nearby:
Often dubbed as "the new Prague", Krakow has only two million visitors per year and is very much undiscovered and untainted by the commercialism that we associate with many other cities. Very few cities can boast that they have not just three, but four World Heritage Sites that are protected by UNESCO. These world heritage sites include:
1) Krakow Old Town Historical District:
The Old Town is Poland’s prime tourist attraction and it was the country’s capital from 1038 to 1791. Dating from 1257, the huge central Grand Square is Europe’s largest from the middle ages and it is the last stage in perfection of medieval city planning. Krakow boasts numerous famous landmarks including Wavel Castle among others. Wawel Castle in Krakow is the mecca of every Polish person and a must for foreign tourists and it is a microcosm of Polish history and culture. From the 11th century on, Poland's monarchs took up their residence here in the Royal Castle.
2) The Wieliczka Salt Mine:
This mine, a centuries old tourist attraction, cannot be compared to anything else in the world. Millions of visitors including crowned heads and celebrities such as Goethe and Sarah Bernhardt have been enthralled by the subterranean world of labyrinthine passages, giant caverns, underground lakes and chapels with sculptures in the crystalline salt and rich ornamentation carved in the salt rock. Since 1978, the mine is on UNESCO's list of World Class Landmarks of Cultural and Natural Heritage - where it was listed among the top twelve attractions in the world. The last 900 years have produced over 200 kilometres of passages as well as 2,040 caverns of varied size.
3) Auschwitz:
Only an hour’s drive from Krakow is the site of the notorious Nazi Auschwitz death camp.
This sorrowful memento is where, between 1941 and 1945, over one million men, women and children perished in the three main concentration camps Auschwitz proper, Birkenau and Monowitz, and more than forty sub-camps.
4) Calvary Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska:
The Calvary Sanctuary is comprised of a 400-year-old complex of 42 churches and chapels of all shapes and sizes including the central basilica and the Franciscan monastery.
Around the centre you can visit Wawel Castle and Cathedral, Kazimierz, the ancient Jewish district, countless museums, churches and medieval buildings or just relax in the many restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
Alternatively, you can unwind in Poland's premier mountain town of Zakopane, nestled in a valley of the majestic Tatra mountains. This is the perfect location for a ski holiday in the winter.
E) It's a gourmet delight:
Your zloty will stretch a lot further here in Krakow’s gourmet restaurants, a lot further than your euro or dollar would at home or in any European capital. Delicious choices are available including authentic French, Japanese or Mexican or how about a delightful Polish evening, complete with traditional Polish cuisine and cabaret. So what if you don’t understand the words of the songs, just clap along and drink more of the local beer!! Besides, the local people are the friendliest I’ve ever come across in all my years of travelling.
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