One of the things that surprised me most was learning that the factory wasn't originally…read moreSchindler's. It began in 1937 as "Rekord," an enamelware factory founded by three Jewish businessmen before the German invasion. After Poland was occupied in 1939, the business was confiscated through the Nazi expropriation process and became Schindler's Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik (DEF). Schindler himself is a fascinating contradiction--a Nazi Party member and war profiteer who gradually risked everything to protect more than 1,000 Jewish men and women by employing them in his factory and shielding them from deportation. The exhibits are immersive, emotional, and incredibly well designed. Every room serves a purpose. By the time you reach Schindler's office, where the famous "list" was created, you understand that it wasn't just paper--it represented lives.

This is an extraordinary museum in Krakow. It really is much more than a museum about Oskar…read moreSchindler's life, the people he saved and the factory. It covers decades of history. You get to see Schindler's actual desk and some of the ceramic pots that were manufactured here. I definitely learned a lot about him. But the scope of the museum is much broader than just the factory. It goes into a lot of depth with what Schindler did to save Jewish people, the factory laborers, what happened in the Holocaust and basically decades of the Polish history surrounding it, building up to it, and why it happened, what happened in Krakow, etc. Everything is so detailed and well done and you could spend hours here because the exhibits are so multi faceted and there are so many videos and things to watch. Make sure to buy your tickets in advance. I was really lucky because I went off-season in the middle of the week and waited in line for about half an hour and was able to get tickets, but I don't think it's going to be that easy if you go in the summer at peak times. It's definitely worth visiting and it's so easy to get to from old town Krakow. It's walkable here from the old town, about 35 minutes. The area surrounding the museum is quite trendy and has some great art museums. There's actually a fabulous modern art museum attached to this museum. And there are all kinds of coffee shops and some interesting shops around the neighborhood. It was really a very deep and moving experience to visit this museum and I highly recommend it. Just try to get your tickets in advance if you can, otherwise go early in the morning and you probably will be able to get in if you wait in line during the mid week.

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.

It's the iconic gated fortress that defended the city from its enemies back in medieval times. I…read moremust say that it's very well-preserved for a Gothic fortification built in 1498. It's located at the end of Floriańska Street, and just outside of Florian's Gate. The Barbican once had a bridge connecting it to Florian's Gate. You can still see the moat around it today. The part of the moat that extended to the city walls and surrounded the city is now called Planty Park. It's easy to imagine what it all looked like just be seeing a map of the city with the park surrounding it. There's also a model of it near Florian's Gate and the remnants of the wall. It's a very nice design. It's all part of the Museum of Kraków. There's a small fee for admission to view the exhibits inside, and to walk up to the upper levels for views of the city and wall. I didn't see many people entering on a Sunday morning, and it was definitely open. We were just meeting up at this location for a walking tour of Old Town. It was nice to see & learn about it at the beginning of the tour.

A small, but lively exhibit. It has the benefit of being adjacent to the old city without actually…read morebeing in it. This means smaller crowds, quicker access to trams to move away from the center, and a nearby open air market with excellent produce.

This was one of the most expensive museums I visited in Krakow with its 65zl admission…read more No backpacks were allowed inside but a free bag/coat check was available. A small cafe and gift shop were also on site. The museum contents were acquired over time by the Czartoryskich family and the family palace was converted to a museum to house all of it. There were quite a bit of paintings and historical items from this family displayed along with masterpieces, armament, Asian works of art, flags and more with a primary focus on Polish history. For me I came to see the Leonardo da Vinci painting, Portrait of the Lady with an Ermine. This was a rare oil painting and predated his more famous portrait, Mona Lisa. Another enigmatic smile and pose was worth lingering over. In the next room was another stand out painting by Rembrandt van Rijn Landscape with the Good Samaritan. The lighting used to highlight certain elements seemed to me to make the scene glow. No crowds here so I could to see all the detail of this parable up close. Lastly, the view from the second floor down over the enclosed courtyard was a nice stop when crossing between the two wings of the museum.

We just happened to learn about its history while taking a walking tour of Old Town. It's the…read moreoldest museum in Poland. The actual collection was started by Izabela, the wife of Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski in their palace in Pułary back in 1796. Her collection was eventually moved to the Municipal Arsenal building in Kraków some time in 1878, which is one of the buildings that you see today along the defensive walls of the city. So, why should you visit this museum? It's where you can find the famous "Lady with an Ermine" by Leonardo da Vinci. You know... the one that was recovered by the Monument Men after WWII. It's also displayed in a unique way after the museums renovation and reopening in 2019. The Princes Czartoryski Collection is a very large collection that extends to other buildings around the square on Pijarska Street, including an old monastery. There are still parts of the collection that remain lost to this day. Although, there are ongoing efforts going on behind the scenes to recover them. We didn't get to see the collection. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to see everything. Viewing the architecture and hearing about its history was enough for us. Just be aware that admission is free on Tuesdays. I'm not sure if it's for all the exhibits. Otherwise, you can book online or at the ticket office for a timed entry. It books up fast so plan ahead. They do this to prevent overcrowding. You can find more information on their website. Make sure you free up your Tuesdays for museum visits if that's your priority. Otherwise, enjoy the history & art outside of the museums. There's a lot more to discover throughout this beautiful city.

I cannot believe how unexpectedly Vast the aircraft collection is, they have everything from…read morefighter jets, WW1 Biplanes, WW2 Monoplanes, Helicopters, and a handful of civilian planes. In addition to this, they have a collection of debris, engines, ground vehicles including Sams. If you are a person who enjoys this kind of stuff, you need to check this out! Even after going there 5 times there is still plenty of stuff for me to see.

I will make this a short review, since I don't speak Polish…read more The Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow is a world class collection of aircraft rarely, if ever, seen in the USA. There are rows of MiGs, parked wingtip-to-wingtip, from the Korean War vintage -15 to the currently operational -29, and virtually all models and variants inbetween. Sukhoi is also quite well represented in this primarily outdoor museum. The variation in designs and colors of the camouflage livery was highly interesting, as were the various national insignia represented. In addition to being a world-class collection of military aircraft, there are a few civilian models, such as the extremely rare PZL Mielec M-15, a jet powered biplane (!), used for agricultural spraying. Not surprisingly, it is the slowest jet powered aircraft ever produced. It was designed and built in Poland, and also was used in Russia. Ag planes, ya gotta love 'em. Inside the lobby area, there was a very extensive display of air-to-air missiles, one of the best displays I can recall seeing. There were several other military displays as well. There were no heavy or medium bombers presented, however, probably due to the difficulty of transporting them to this location. In truth, I felt privileged to be visiting this sprawling museum. There was a very modest admission fee of a few zlotys. Well worth it !!

Pinball and beer. If you're into either of these things, then a visit here is well worthwhile. You…read morepay by the hour and play unlimited amount of games. Be respectful and don't put your beer on the games to avoid damaging them. There is not just pinball, but other old school arcade game cabinets. This is definitely an ideal place to have some good old fun without fancy iPad screens.

Totally unexpected find on our one day in Krakow! We expected to like the historic landmarks and…read moremuseums, but this was one of the highlights of the day. Flat rate to play all the games you want? Score! I wish we'd found this sooner, because we were only here for about an hour, and had a blast trying out the games from the 70s to the 2000's. Almost all the machines are in playable condition, and there are a lot. Great fun for an afternoon.

A truly cool place worth a visit even for those who aren't huge fans of contemporary art. Yes, I…read moremean it :). A relatively new museum (opened in 2010), MOCAK is spacious, visually pleasing, and simply intriguing. The staff is friendly and helpful. There are just two floors, with an additional two small outside spaces with temporary exhibits. On 'Free Thursdays', only the lower floor is free, which doesn't make any sense. Seeing everything is a must. A normal ticket is inexpensive, so there's no need to hesitate. Just come and enjoy the art (or not :). Plus, I don't know if it was just a temporary promotion, but when you buy a ticket, you get a discount on coffee at the Little Paris Cafe located at the museum. My espresso was delicious. One more thing. Every Wednesday from 4pm to 7pm is observed 'hush time', a quiet time when no exhibitions, guided tours or workshops will take place in the exhibition rooms, and any works that emit loud noise or are strongly lit will be turned down or off. Just so you know. In my case it sucked, but now I remember to avoid visits at that particular time.

The MOCAK is now my favorite modern art museum in the world! Tons of cool, immersive exhibits of…read moreVERY varying types! I'd say so long as you like contemporary art at least a little bit, you'll find something to enjoy here! As someone else mentioned it's not a very cohesive collection, but honestly, I like seeing thinks that are totally off the wall in different ways. Money-saving tip: the museum is free to EVERYONE on Tuesdays! And they don't make you feel like a jerk for coming on the free day, like some museums do around the world (and especially, it seems, in the US) :)

I can not thank you enough for making my first trip to Poland for genealogy purposes a great…read moresuccess. The preparation, professionalism and thoughtful way Zen approached introducing me to family I had no idea existed was fantastic. This trip exceeded all of my expectations exponentially from visiting the home town Dlugokaty, St. Leonardo's where my great grandfather was baptized, meeting 27 cousins and finding archival records I will be back to do more research and I wouldn't think about doing it without your company being with me.

From the owner: Have you ever dreamed about visiting places where your ancestors were born, raised, experienced…read moredrudgery and joys of their life? Have you ever wondered if is it still possible to find living relatives in Poland? How many questions about your family history are still without answers? Since 2004 we organize private, tailor-made genealogy, history and heritage tours in Poland and Ukraine.