Hmm... Yelp has a separate listing for the Castle and the Cathedral. The Cathedral is on the castle…read moregrounds; you can't get there without going into the castle area. So... basically just do it all. The castle grounds are within solid brick walls. The main building is heavily art work and tapestries. The cathedral has some really creative tombs. I'll attach pictures - better than words. There's also a small cave that you can go through and see a dragon statue that breathes fire periodically. The cathedral and the cave cost a small amount. We got an English speaking tour guide for the castle which really helped us understand the history. Poland's been through some tough times and came out successful.

There's no way that you can stay in Kraków and not see Wawel Castle. It's the heart and soul of the…read morecity. A national treasure! The castle grounds, cathedral, and royal residences are all very impressive. You can spend as much time as you want up there taking in the views of the city and the castle complex. There's no admission fee to walk around the castle grounds. It's a small fee to enter the cathedral to see the exhibits, royal tombs, and the bell tower. There are separate fees to enter the residences and the museum. I didn't see any combo tickets offered to see everything. However, I believe you can purchase them online if you know exactly what you want to see on the day of your visit. We just bought our tickets at the cathedral ticketing office. There wasn't much of a wait in the afternoon on a weekday. We actually visited twice during our stay since our hotel was nearby. The first time was during a walking tour of Old Town. We decided to go back a 2nd time on our own to see the cathedral & gardens. It was a beautiful sunny day.

Located below Wawel Castle and Cathedral along a popular walkway next to the Vistula River was the…read morefire breathing statue of Smok the dragon. The statue was created from the legend of a dragon that lived below Wawel castle and terrorized the city. After sacrificing sheep or virgins to keep the dragon happy, it was finally defeated after it ate a ram filled with sulphur. While the ram smoldered inside, the dragon drank water from the river to put it out but instead blew itself up. You can see the blackened mouth of the dragon from its regular fire breathing. Luckily I happened to walk by as a crowd grew around Smok and within five minutes the flames started and lasted for around 10 or 15 seconds. I'm not sure if there was a regular schedule but worth seeing if you're in the area.

It's a popular attraction when walking along the Vistula River. I mean, how can you go to Kraków…read moreand not see Wawel Castle and its famous fire breathing dragon? Impossible! The dragon is a Polish legend. The story appears to be told differently each time. Was it slain by Prince Krakus, or by the town shoemaker? The plaque on the castle wall says it was Krakus, Prince of Poland. All I truly know is that this 7 headed dragon statue was created by Bronislaw Chromy in 1972. We were told it breathes fire every 10 minutes, but the timing of it varies. It was more in the range of 5 to 7 minutes apart. The dragon no longer takes text messages. That's right. It could no longer handle the mass texts commanding it to breathe fire. So, everyone just hangs around the dragon waiting for it to happen. It's actually kind of funny if you think about it. When it finally happens, everyone sighs or groans at the end. The event goes by so quickly. Be prepared to take a video of it. It doesn't look so impressive in a picture. It's just the novel thing to do when visiting Kraków. There's a tourist trappy attraction at the top of the castle hill called "Dragon's Den." Some will pay admission to walk down steps into the cave below the castle. It eventually leads you down to the dragon statue on the riverwalk. It may be cool for families with small children. We were happy just seeing it while walking to our hotel. It's enjoyable no matter what route you take to get there.

The Wawel Cathedral was the highlight of a visit to Wawel Castle and grounds…read more Outside was an impressive view and more than the castle itself. Tickets were purchased across from the cathedral entrance. Admission included a climb up to the bell tower, crypts and the separate Archdiocesan Museum. When climbing the stairs up to the entrance make sure to check out the huge bone hanging above to the left. Maybe a whale or purported dragon bone. Inside was ornate and full of royal or VIP tombs as expected. Not all chapels were open for visitors that day but St JPII's one was a popular stop eventhough it was empty. The royal crypts were accessible but not the crypt holding many of Poland's famous poets or authors. It was under renovation until the end of March. The climb up Sigismund tower was narrow at times but does open up to a decent size room with Krakow city views from two sides. Lots of closeups with the various bells. Traffic jams do happen on the way up when a tour group beats you in so be prepared for slow progress. The crypts were brightly lit and held the remains of a US Revolutionary War general and other military heroes, a Polish President and First Lady, and of course royals. It was brightly lit and well organized. Mass was held regularly and open to the public. You have to let the security guard in the front know you want to attend and he will go over the rule of attendance. Seating was limited and visitors not allowed to wander in the cathedral before or after.

It's the cathedral at Wawel Castle. If anything, visit it to learn about the Polish Kings and to…read moreclimb up to Sigismund Tower. It is said that touching the heart of Sigismund Bell will bring you good luck. We were told that it will bring you marriage. One husband is enough for me. Haha! There are 5 bells in the tower, so be sure that you're touching the right one. This is also the cathedral where Father Wojtyła (Pope John Paul II) celebrated his very first Holy Mass at the crypt of St. Leonard. I would have taken a picture of it, but they don't allow photography in the cathedral with the exception of the bell tower. I was only able to snap one of the informational signs next to the tomb of King Władysław II Jagiełło (former Duke of Lithuania) before being told it's not allowed. He was married to King Jadwiga of Poland. Yes, female monarchs held the title of "King" in those times. Isn't this the first diarcy in history? It's my first time reading about 2 Kings ruling over a country. He became the sole King of Poland after her death from complications after childbirth. Did you know that she was only 12 years old when they married in 1836? Apparently, it wasn't controversial at the time. The only controversy was regarding her previous marriage or unmarriage to the 14 year old William of Austria (Habsburg Dynasty). Was it consummated, or not? We'll never know because he was expelled out of Poland. All controversy aside, she did a lot of good for the Polish people during her 15 year reign. You'll get to see her tomb in the cathedral, and many others. It's a beautiful cathedral, and well-worth the small entrance fee. The ticket office is in a separate building near the entrance. We purchased an individual ticket without the tour option. I didn't think it was needed since the most important parts had description markers. Don't forget to take pictures of the dragon bones hanging at the entrance on your way in. You will exit through a different path that takes you through more crypts on your way out. It's a part of Kraków's history that shouldn't be missed.

This is one of many unique Bronislaw Chromy statues that you can see while walking through the Old…read moreTown of Kraków. It's situated in a greenspace along Czerwieński Boulevard by the Vistula River near the castle. It's a memorial to Dżok the Dog. A very loyal & devoted canine friend who waited for a year at the Grunwaldzkie Roundabout for his master who passed away there. I read the entire story to the very end. I don't recommend reading the full story if you're a dog lover. Just read what's on the inscription, and leave it at that. I do hope that they one day will add some landscaping to brighten it up. It deserves beautiful flowering shrubs and butterfly plants or some daffodils. Right now, it just looks out of place with nothing around it. It needs more love.

If you want to see a real, functioning synagogue then definitely pay the ~3 or 4 zl (?) entrance…read moreand have a look! You get to enter the synagogue itself (which understandably seems to be under constant restoration) and the cemetery next to it which is also an experience. The outer walls are mounted with old/broken gravestones post WW2 on the inside so it looks like a mozaic which I think is very unique.

Historical 500+ year old bell in the Wawel castle. Climbing the ancient labyrinth wooden staircase…read moreis half the fun of this experience (a cross between a roller coaster and a haunted house). Must see.

Wawel Cathedral was a beautiful cathedral to visit in the heart of historic Kraków. The cathedral…read moreand royal castle were built sometime around the 13th-14th century and are beautiful works of art. There is a large hill to climb from the main road to get up to this, but it is definitely worth the trek. I bought tickets to visit the cathedral and it cost me under $10 USD and included an audio guide that knew where it was based on some sort of location sensor. This was great cause I didn't know much about the castle before, but didn't feel like going on a guided tour. The cathedral was absolutely beautiful in sign with very elegant and elaborate artwork, decor, and architecture. It was truly something to behold. There was also a very nice climb you could optionally do to see the top of the bell tower which I did. It was beautiful to see Kraków from so high up and considering the city is pretty low you could really see everything from up there. Also, the ticket to the cathedral gained you access to a smaller museum. It was okay, honestly not worth visiting, but it was included so why not! If you're visiting Kraków, I think this is a must see!