Wawel Hill Audio Guide Tour Krakow

From Bracka Street along Kanonicza Street

The tour starts at the tourist information point at Bracka 15, a short walk from the Main Market Square. After a quick demonstration of the device, you set off south through the Old Town and join Kanonicza Street, one of the oldest and most beautiful streets in Krakow, lined with Gothic and Renaissance houses once used by the canons of Wawel Cathedral.

Kanonicza is the last stretch of the Royal Route, the path that coronation processions followed from the city gates to the castle. The audio guide explains the stone portals, the coats of arms above the doors and the scholars and churchmen who lived here. Walk slowly: this quiet street is one of the best photo spots in the city, especially in the soft morning light of the 09:30 start.

Wawel Hill and the Royal Castle courtyards

Wawel Hill is a limestone outcrop above the Vistula that served as the seat of Polish rulers from the 11th century until the royal court moved to Warsaw at the end of the 16th century. Entering through the gate, you cross the wide Main Courtyard surrounded by former royal outbuildings and the ruins of early churches.

The highlight is the Arcaded Courtyard of the Royal Castle, built in the early 16th century by Italian architects and one of the finest Renaissance courtyards in Central Europe, with three storeys of graceful galleries. The commentary describes the role of each wing and the stories behind them. If you are wondering whether a Wawel Castle tour is worth it, the courtyards alone, free to walk through, show why the hill is Poland's most important historic site.

Wawel Cathedral, the Crown Treasury and the Armoury

Next to the castle rises Wawel Cathedral, where most Polish kings were crowned and buried, its golden-domed Renaissance chapel shining above the rooftops. The audio guide tells the stories of the coronations and the royal tombs, and of the great bell hanging in one of the towers, rung only on the most important national occasions.

You also hear about the Crown Treasury and Armoury, housed in the oldest Gothic rooms of the castle, which display royal regalia, the coronation sword and arms and armour from several centuries. This tour covers the outside of these buildings; Wawel Castle tickets for the interiors and the cathedral are bought separately on the hill if you want to go inside after the audio tour.

The Dragon's Den and the legend of the Wawel dragon

The tour ends at the Dragon's Den, a limestone cave in the side of the hill linked to Krakow's best-loved legend. According to the story, a dragon living in the cave terrorised the town until a clever shoemaker's apprentice fed it a sheep stuffed with sulphur; the dragon drank so much river water that it burst. The tour also touches on another local tale, the stone in the castle said to radiate mysterious energy.

Below the cave, on the Vistula bank, a bronze dragon statue breathes real fire every few minutes, to the delight of children. Entry to the cave itself is a separate seasonal ticket. From here you can stroll along the river boulevards or walk back to the Old Town in about 15 minutes.