Royal Kraków: Wawel and the Old Town

The tour begins in the Main Square, one of the largest historic squares in Europe. In its centre is the Cloth Hall, a medieval market that still sells crafts and amber, and at its corner St Mary's Basilica with its carved wooden altarpiece by Veit Stoss. From its tower a trumpeter plays the Hejnał on every hour, breaking off suddenly in memory of a trumpeter struck by an arrow mid-call.

You then walk with your guide down Grodzka street, the old Royal Way, past churches and palaces, to Wawel Hill. There you visit the Royal Castle with its state rooms and famous Flemish tapestries, and Wawel Cathedral, where Poland's kings were crowned and buried.

Below the hill, on the bank of the Vistula, stands the Wawel Dragon statue, which breathes fire every few minutes, the children's favourite stop. In the afternoon you can stroll in the Planty or ride a horse-drawn carriage around the Old Town.

We arrange a private guide speaking Arabic or English, and timed castle tickets, as numbers are limited in summer.