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Kraków's Pope John Paul II International Airport has connecting flights from many European destinations; several discount airlines, including EasyJet, serve the city from within Europe. In summer, Poland's LOT airline flies directly to Kraków from both Newark and Chicago. Kraków is 2 hours and 45 minutes by rail from Warsaw.
WHERE TO STAY
Kraków's Old City has an abundance of boutique hotels along its ancient streets, all of them within a five-minute walk of Rynek Glówny, the massive medieval town square.
Hotel Alef
Four small rooms, outfitted with 1920's furniture, combine eccentric period charm with comfortable Mitteleuropa shabbiness. The restaurant serves excellent Jewish food. DOUBLES FROM $99. 17 UL. SZEROKA; 48-12/421-3870; www.alef.pl
Hotel Pod Róza
Liszt, Balzac, and Czar Alexander II all stayed here. Restored to its former satin-lined glory, the Pod Róza is a gem of Central European elegance. DOUBLES FROM $210. 14 UL. FLORIANSKA; 48-12/424-3300; www.hotelpodroza.com
Pension Trecius
Nuclear physicist Michal Palarczyk has turned his family's house into a bijou of a pension in the heart of the Old City. DOUBLES FROM $59. 18 SW. TOMASZA; 48-12/421-2521; www.trecius.krakow.pl
WHERE TO EAT
Café Larousse
Perfect for a stiff espresso and a slice of szarlotka, a Polish apple pie. 22 SW. TOMASZA; NO PHONE
Chlopskie Jadlo
An upscale peasant's kitchen, where real Polish home cooking—pierogis stuffed with mushrooms, rich borscht, and bigos, a Polish choucroute that includes five kinds of meat—is served. DINNER FOR TWO $35. 1 SW. AGNIESZKI; 48-12/421-8520
Officyna
DINNER FOR TWO $25. 27 RYNEK GLOWNY; NO PHONE
Padva
Italian architects built many of Kraków's Baroque churches and palaces, so it shouldn't be surprising that the city has excellent Italian restaurants. Padva is the best, with regular deliveries of fresh fish. DINNER FOR TWO $50. 6 SW. ANNY; 48-12/292-0272
Paese
DINNER FOR TWO $45. 24 UL. POSELSKA; 48-12/421-6273
WHERE TO DRINK
Bar Propaganda
The busts of Lenin and posters of handsomely muscled workers give a mock-nostalgic zing to the drinks served along this dark, noisy bar, crowded with artists and Kazimierz hipsters. 20 UL. MIODOWA; 48-12/292-0402
Café Bankowa
The café's location right on the grand square makes it Kraków's ultimate spot for people-watching. 47 RYNEK GLOWNY; 48-12/429-5677
Dym
13 SW. TOMASZA; 48-12/429-6661
Pauza
18 UL. FLORIANSKA; 48-12/422-4876
WHAT TO DO
Bunkier Sztuki Contemporary Art Gallery
3A PL. SZCZEPANSKI; 48-12/422-4021; www.bunkier.com.pl
Czartoryski Museum
19 SW. JANA; 48-12/422-5566; www.czartoryski.org
Galicia Jewish Museum
The permanent exhibition, Traces of Memory, showcases photographs depicting Poland's remaining Jewish heritage. 18 UL. DAJWOR; 48-12/421-6842; www.galiciajewishmuseum.org
Michal Bisping Rent A Bike
$1.25 PER HOUR. 4 SW. ANNY; 48-501/745-986
National Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art
IN THE SUKIENNICE, 1-3 RYNEK GLOWNY; 48-12/422-1166; www.muzeum.krakow.pl
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