While every visitor to Krakow makes the Old Town square their first port of call, we would also highly recommend
Kazimierz as a must-see destination – which is only minutes away from our apartment.
Once Krakow's twin medieval city, now an integral part of Krakow, Kazimierz district is situated just south of the Old Town historic centre and attracts visitors with its landmarks, former Jewish quarter, and a plethora of vibrant nightspots. Strolling down the old narrow streets of the eastern half of Krakow’s Kazimierz district, one still finds the unique atmosphere of the Jewish heritage in this area. A visit to the Museum of Judaism at 24 Szeroka Street is a must. Other interesting places are Isaac's Synagogue, the High Synagogue, Tempel and Remuh synagogues. Remuh cemetery by the Remuh Synagogue at 40 Szeroka Street derives its name from the nickname of the famous 16th-century rabbi and religious writer Moses Isserles. Even today pious Jews still come to pray at his grave and the graves of the other great men who were buried here. The cemetery was used from 1551 to 1800. Its hundreds of old tombstones, dating mostly from the Renaissance, as well as its history and surroundings make the Remuh Cemetery one of Europe's most interesting, on a par with that of Prague's Jewish quarter.
See also http://www.inyourpocket.com/category/4624-category.html for more sightseeing ideas when exploring Jewish traces in Kazimierz.

Skalka, (http://www.krakow4u.pl/eng_index.php?parametr=koscioly/paulinow/eng_paulinow ) which is just outside our apartment, is Krakow's oldest shrine.  It is also Poland's second holiest sanctuary after the Jasna Gora monastery of Czestochowa. It lies mostly undisturbed by visitors, a mere five minute riverside walk down the Vistula river from the more visited Wawel Royal Castle. Here, on a rocky hillock called Skalka, once stood a rotunda church, where king Boleslav II the Bold put to death Krakow's Bishop Stanislav in 1079. The king was exiled and the late bishop worshipped as a martyr who had exposed the excesses of the tyrannical monarch. In 1253 bishop Stanislav was canonized to become the chief patron saint of Poland. Throughout the Middle Ages his cult was pivotal in forming both the Polish nation and the country's political culture with its tradition of the accountability of those in power. As a result Poland’s kings-elects had to come to the Skalka Sanctuary on their coronation to atone for the sins of their predecessors. The present splendid Baroque church of the mid 18th century is the fourth on the site. Nevertheless visitors can still see three dark spots of St. Stanislav's blood on the church wall. Since the 1880s some of Poland's most illustrious luminaries have been posthumously accorded ceremonial burial in its crypt which is open to the public. The church adjoins a 17th-century Paulinite monastery modelled on a Renaissance castle. Every year on St. Stanislav’s day, May 8, a major religious procession led by Krakow bishops gathers Polish notables and immense crowds of the faithful when the saint’s relics are carried from the Skalka sanctuary to the Wawel Cathedral.

Wawel Castle ( http://www.cyfronet.pl/waweln/en/index.php?op=2,1 ) is located picturesquely on a small hill upon the Vistula river only 3 minutes walk from our apartment. It is probably Krakow’s main attraction, but despite being visited by thousands of tourists is worth the effort. The castle, once a residence of the Polish kings, is a magnificent Renaissance building with some Gothic and Baroque features. The most fascinating place to visit.

There are numerous tourist attractions in the area around Krakow. Below you will find some of our suggestions.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine which lies about 12 km (8 miles) from the centre of  Krakow is a world class tourist attraction. The Salt Mine Museum ( http://www.muzeum.wieliczka.pl/pl/english.html ) offers visitors a tour of its  underground tunnels the oldest part of the mine.

No visit to Krakow is complete without a trip to Auschwitz concentration camp in nearby Oswiecim (http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/html/eng/start/index.php).  Oswiecim is about 60km (40 miles) west of Krakow. Here during the Second War the Nazis built an infamous concentration camp.

Pieskowa Skala is a spectacular castle located about 30 km (20 miles) from Krakow. The Renaissance castle of Pieskowa Skała houses an exhibition of European art of the 15th to 19th centuries. If you go to Pieskowa Skala, make sure you visit Ojcow – a picturesque little town nearby. Please visit http://www.cyfronet.pl/waweln/en/index.php?s=pieskowa for details

Wadowice is a small city of about 20,000 some 30 miles southwest of Krakow. Its main claim to fame is being the birthplace of Pope John Paul II. The most interesting place to visit there is the house at 7 Koscielna street with flat where the John Paul II was born and raised. Other place worth seeing there is the Carmelite monastery associated with another Wadowice’s saint, Father Rafal Kalinowski who was the prior here in the late 19th century. Check http://www.it.wadowice.pl/index.html?lang_id=UK for more details.

Zakopane, Poland's premier mountain and ski resort is only 100km (60 miles) south of Krakow. Zakopane is worth seeing for numerous examples of wooden architecture unique to the area, as well as stunning landscape. Zakopane is deservedly one of the country's most popular holiday destinations, both in the winter for first-class skiing, and in the summer, for hiking and camping.  Zakopane Life and the town mayor’s websites http://www.zakopane.pl are full of details of attractions there.

Here are some other web links for you, so that you can plan your stay in Krakow :
http://www.cracow.pl/summer/summer_in_malopolska.html
http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/web/geography/regions/malopolska/link.shtml
http://www.poland.gov.pl/Guide,for,Tourists,401.html
http://www.krakow-info.com
http://www.go-cracow.com/en/?tmp_r=1