What's on in Kraków

Kraków escaped the flattening of WWII largely intact, so its medieval market square, Wawel Castle and the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz are the real thing, not reconstructions. It's a compact, walkable Old Town ringed by the Planty park gardens, with a nightlife scene of candlelit cellar bars packed into former merchant basements. Podgórze across the river, once the Nazi-era ghetto and site of Schindler's Factory, adds a heavier, essential layer of history to the postcard prettiness.