Old town Market Square in Krakow

This place is a wide open square in the center of Krakow with arcades on all sides and a long row of arches forming the cloth hall in the middle. The basilica with two towers of different heights stands on the eastern side, while a single stone town hall tower rises at the southwest corner.

The city laid out this square in 1257 after a Mongol invasion to revive trade and organize it along Western European lines. In the 14th century the cloth hall was built, drawing merchants from many countries and making Krakow a crossroads between East and West.

The trumpet call from the basilica tower sounds every hour and stops abruptly, a tradition recalling a trumpeter struck mid-song during a medieval raid. Visitors see vendors selling hand-carved wooden figures and amber jewelry under the arcades, a custom practiced here for centuries.

The best time to walk through is early morning or after sunset when the crowd thins and you can look at the buildings without rushing. The ground is flat and easy to reach, though the press of people during the day can slow your pace.

Beneath the pavement lies an underground museum that shows the remains of medieval streets and workshops uncovered during excavations. You can see the original stone walls and trading stalls that were hidden underground for centuries.