Rynek Główny, the largest medieval town square in Europe, is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from our Airbnb in Kazimierz. Or it’s five minutes riding on a tram followed by walking about two blocks. Hmmm. We enjoy walking but a tram ticket is only 4 Zł (about $1). So we compromise, usually riding the tram to old town, exploring, and leisurely walking back.
Three buildings dominate the main square: Bazylika Mariacka (St. Mary’s Basilica); Wieża Ratuszowa (Town Hall Tower); and, Sukiennice (Cloth Hall). St. Mary’s Basilica and the Town Hall Tower are essentially at opposite corners, with Cloth Hall bisecting the square.
St. Mary’s Basilica is open to visitors most days for a small donation of 15 Zł (about $3.50). The original church was completed in 1320, and it has been reconstructed several times since. It has many Gothic and Baroque elements. We spent about 15 minutes walking quietly through the beautiful interior.
From the outside, you cannot miss the unique, distinguishing feature of this church: two very distinct towers, a bell tower and bugle tower. The bell tower is the shorter of the two towers. Obviously, it houses the church’s bells. It is currently closed to tours.
Every hour you will hear a bugle call from the taller bugle tower. The call ends abruptly as it is based on the legend of a bugler who, while playing a warning call prior to an attack on the city in the 12th century, was killed mid-call by an arrow. Not really being familiar with bugle calls, we would never have known about the abrupt ending without being told.
Tours of the bugle tower, per a set tour schedule that is posted on the church’s website, are available for 20 Zł (about $4.75). We planned to go up the bugle tower, but forgot to do so until the end of our stay here. By then we had changed our minds and decided to skip it. One problem with being inside an iconic landmark is the inability to see it. When I look across Rynek Główny I want to see St. Mary’s Basilica. I can’t do that from inside the bugle tower.
Across the square from St. Mary’s Basilica is Town Hall Tower, also dating to the early 1300s, though the adjoining Town Hall was destroyed in 1820. For 18 Zł (about $4), you get the privilege of walking up 110 steps to the top.
Or, if you are in Kraków on a Monday, pick up a free ticket. Town Hall Tower is part of the MHK (Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa), a collection of 14 museums showcasing the history of Kraków. MHK museums are free to visit each Monday. However, you still need a timed entry ticket for Town Hall Tower as the number of tickets is limited. We showed up about 1:40 PM on Monday, asked for free tickets, and were handed ones in the 2:00 PM time slot.
During peak tourist season it would not surprise us if the supply of free tickets to Town Hall Tower are exhausted much earlier in the day.
As best we could determine, a group (20 to 25 people, I think) is allowed to begin walking up the stairs every so often (10 to 15 minute intervals, I think). Once you are in the tower you can take your time. The stairs are narrow, steep, and uneven. It can get a bit crowded on the stairs. There are a few wider spots where people can pass by if need be. I whacked my head several times on low ceilings.
There are a total of four levels in the tower. Each consists of a room with a small exhibit and windows, some of which will be open. The rooms are a great place to stop and rest on the way up or down, to get different viewpoints of the square, or to wait for oncoming traffic on the stairs to clear. There is no elevator option.
Overall Town Hall Tower is okay. The best part was the view of St. Mary’s Basilica from an open window on the third level. Unfortunately the windows on the top level were closed on the day of our visit. Looking through small dirty windows isn’t exciting.
If you have the time and $4, or a free ticket, climb up the tower. If not, no great loss.
The following day we visited Cloth Hall, the large building running the length of the main square, essentially dividing it in half. The lower level is cafés on the outside, trinket stalls on the inside. We walked through and around Cloth Hall barely stopping to pause. Overpriced drinks and trinkets are not on the interest list.
The upper level, however, is home to a wonderful small museum, the Sukiennice, four rooms of fine art paintings, largely 19th century works by Polish artists. A regular ticket is 32 Zł (about $8), or you can go on a Tuesday for free.
The Sukiennice is part of the MNK (Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie), the National Polish museums, of which there are 12 branches in this region covering virtually every area of art imaginable. Tuesday is free admission day at all MNK branches. We rolled in on a Tuesday afternoon, walked straight past the closed ticket office and sleeping security guard, and headed up the stairs to the exhibition. We both liked the Sukiennice very much, though it is rather small. I think we spent about 30 or so minutes exploring it.
A few blocks away from Rynek Główny is perhaps the best museum in Kraków, Muzeum Książąt Czartoryskich (the Czartoryski Museum). One of the MNK branches, this museum holds the most valuable art collection in Poland.
The foundation of the collection is art, objects, and other collected works of the Czartoryski family (paintings, ceramics, tapestries, sculptures, weapons, historical artifacts, and so on). Perhaps the most famous piece of art here is a Leonardo da Vinci painting, Lady with an Ermine. Depending on the crowds, plan on getting in line to view and or photograph the painting.
A separate wing houses an Ancient Art Gallery (Egyptian, Greek, and Roman era objects).
We were in the museum well over an hour and enjoyed it quite a lot. You could easily spend half a day here if you take your time. The exit, of course, is through a café and bookshop.
The Czartoryski Museum operates on a timed entry system like Town Hall Tower. A ticket is required. Only a certain number of tickets are available for each time slot, whether purchased or obtained for free (Tuesday is the free day). Online tickets (purchased and free) can be ordered up to 30 days in advance. If you want to visit the museum on a certain day and time, get tickets in advance. Otherwise you may get to the ticket office and find yourself receiving entry tickets for later in the day, depending on the crowds.
We failed to act fast enough to reserve free tickets to the Czartoryski Museum for our preferred day and time. As it turned out, thunderstorms and heavy rain rolled through Kraków on the Tuesday we planned to go for free. Instead of braving the weather, we stayed in for the day. Several days later we arrived at the Czartoryski Museum shortly after it opened, bought full price tickets at 60 Zł each (about $14) – well worth it – and basically had the place to ourselves. Audioguides or full guided tours are available at an extra cost.
With three exceptions, purchased tickets to the Czartoryski Museum also serve as tickets to all other MNK museums during the first three months after purchase. If you miss free day for whatever reason and end up purchasing tickets, like we did, hold onto your tickets just in case you later decide to check out other MNK museums.
So, the important lesson is that MHK is free on Monday and MNK is free on Tuesday. Decide on which museums from each you want to visit, and plan your days accordingly. Pay particular attention to any museum that requires a timed entry ticket (especially the Czartoryski Museum), as you might want to obtain those tickets in advance, even if free.
Garrett and Stephanie
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Stunning photos as usual!