Krakow, Poland's former royal capital, is one of the most attractive spots on the tourist map of Europe. This is a place where legends, history and modernity intertwine. The city, which lies on the banks of the Vistula River, is famous for its priceless historical monuments of culture and art.

Krakow's environs offer plenty of tourist attractions. Wieliczka is famous for one of the world's oldest salt mines, which is open to sightseers. The valley of the Pradnik River, part of the Ojcowski National Park, is a unique nature reserve with a fairy-tale landscape carved from limestone. The ruined Gothic castle in Ojcow and the beautifully preserved Renaissance castle in Pieskowa Skala are two more reasons to visit the park. Just 35 km south of Krakow is the Beskidy mountain range, and 100 km away, in the Tatra Mountains, lies Zakopane, dubbed the winter capital of Poland.