Flying into Pole position
With its medieval architecture, a long history riddled with drama and a city-wide predilection for a good (possibly vodka-fuelled) party, Kraków has long been on the radar as one of Europe’s most intriguing destinations. Now British Airways has got in on the act, offering direct fights to Poland’s former capital from this month onwards. Virtually the only large Polish city to survive World War II intact, Kraków preserves nearly a millennium of history in its storied streets, and early summer is a great time to explore them, before the crowds descend. Begin in the Unesco-listed Old Town, where cobbled lanes run past soaring churches, historic buildings and museums to Rynek Główny, the largest medieval square in Europe. Just south, don’t miss Wawel Hill, the former seat of kings, whose Renaissance palace features magnifcently restored rooms.
5 St Mary’s Basilica on Rynek Główny – the Polish anthem, Hejnał Mariacki, is played by a trumpeter from one of the towers on every hour