Kraków's Main Market Square was laid out in the thirteenth century and is one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe. In the middle stands the Cloth Hall, Sukiennice, a long Renaissance market hall with an arcaded loggia, still lined with stalls selling amber, lace and wooden souvenirs on the ground floor. Upstairs is the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art, a branch of the National Museum in Kraków, with huge historical canvases such as Siemiradzki's Nero's Torches, the painting that founded the museum. Around the square are the lone Town Hall Tower, the small domed church of St Adalbert, the monument to the poet Adam Mickiewicz and, at the northeast corner, the twin towers of St Mary's Basilica, from which a trumpeter plays the hejnał every hour. The square itself is free and open all the time.
The square is where everything in Kraków begins and ends: walking tours meet here, horse carriages wait in a row, and the cafe terraces fill from morning to late evening. In the run-up to Christmas a large market of wooden stalls takes over part of it, selling grilled sausages, mulled wine and crafts.
How to visit well: walk the square early in the morning, when it is almost empty, and come back after dark, when the Cloth Hall is lit. The gallery upstairs has free admission on Tuesdays; on other days tickets are modest. Restaurant terraces right on the square are priced for the view, so sit for a coffee and eat a street or two away. Listen for the hejnał on the hour, which breaks off mid-note in memory of a legendary trumpeter.
Who it suits: everyone. It is the natural first stop on day one, the meeting point for most tours, and a place you will cross many times. The Rynek Underground museum is directly beneath your feet.
What to expect
The experience
An open medieval square with the Cloth Hall market and museum at its centre, ringed by cafes, churches and townhouses.
Best time
Early morning for photographs and again after dark for the lights.
How long
An hour to stroll, more with the gallery upstairs.
Tips
Visit the Sukiennice gallery on a Tuesday for free entry, and eat a street away from the square for better value.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Your first hour in Kraków and every evening after.
- Families
- Horse carriages, pigeons, buskers and the hourly bugle call keep children happy.
- Couples
- A warm drink on a terrace after dark, with the Cloth Hall lit up.
- Pair with
- St Mary's Basilica and the Rynek Underground museum beneath the square.
- Time needed
- An hour or two, and many passing visits.
Good questions
Is the Main Market Square free?+
Yes, the square is a public space open at all times. The museum in the Cloth Hall and the Rynek Underground charge admission.
What is the Cloth Hall?+
Sukiennice is the Renaissance market hall in the middle of the square. Souvenir stalls fill the ground floor and the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art occupies the floor above.
When is the Cloth Hall gallery free?+
The National Museum lists Tuesday as the free admission day for the Sukiennice gallery.
What is the hejnał?+
A bugle call played every hour from the tower of St Mary's Basilica. It stops abruptly mid-melody, recalling a legendary trumpeter struck while sounding an alarm.
Is there a Christmas market in Kraków?+
Yes, a Christmas market of wooden stalls is held on the Main Market Square in the run-up to Christmas. Check the city's dates each year.