History lovers are spoilt for choice with museums, but head for the Wavel where several are on the same site. If you're interested in Jewish history and culture you should head for Kazimierz where you can take a walking tour to see the area where Oskar Schindler had the factory where he employed many Jes, thus saving them from inevitable death. For more recent history take a tram to Nowa Huta where you can see the imporessive post-war experiment - a huge steelworks and a city purpose-built to house the people who worked there.

Take a trip out of town to Auschwitz, the most moving experience of my life.

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The interior is like that of an old inn, with wooden tables and benches, which are draped in sheepskins and very comfortable. Old cooking and farming implements have been used to decorate the place, and there is an old-fashioned fireplace of the type used for cooking.

We were brought some crusty slabs of bread with two earthenware mugs; one overflowed with tasty lard containing lovely crispy pork bits, the other a delicious herby cream cheese. We ordered two huge mugs of beer. I started with the pickled herring, my partner with the smoked eel. Both were excellent, and the herring was well complemented by the shot of cherry vodka I ordered to have with the fish.

For the main course, we shared a huge plate of pierogi - a bit like large ravioli filled with tasty fried cabbage, onion, and potato chopped very finely. We also had a selection from the salad bar - in actual fact, a variety of different pickled vegetables stored in earthen pots (which made it hard to see what was on offer). This, too, turned out to be an excellent choice.

Chlopskie Jadlo restaurants are often used on day tours of the city, so it is a good idea to go in the evening, when the tourists are eating at their hotels, or just before the lunch rush, (say around noon) to make sure you get a seat.

There is good food and reasonable prices, and this is a fun place to eat!

A wide range of bottled and draught beers are available including Guiness and Grolsch for those who prefer something they know. There are several good Polish beers though.

Shakesebeer is open from 2pm until 1am Sunday to Thursday and from 4pm until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Not typically Polish, but it's a good, central place to meet friends. The music isn't too loud but is contemporary pop/rock.

The decor is unforgettable - twisted bodies appear to be either being sucked into or emerging from (depending on how you see it) the plaster. The brightly coloured walls have something new to see each time to look. Sit at little tables or on the most amazing metal stools at the bar.

This is surely one of Krakow's coolest bars and it attracts an arty bohemian set. It has weekly Mexican-themed parties (and partly Mexican-themed decor). The staff are friendly (some speak English), and the service is good. There is a good selection of wine and a variety of beers. The pancakes are excelelnt and highly recommended.

Mechanoff opens around 10am--it doesn't have a set closing time; it just closes when the staff think its time.

The Dragons Den is just one of many icons that can be found on Wawel Hill. There are so many in fact that one can't really see them all in one go, so it is wise to pick just a couple for each visit you make. You can buy a ticket which gives entry to two sights and tell the salesperson which two you want to see. We opted for the Dragons Den as one of them and the price probably worked out around £3 for entrance to the Dragons Den.

First things first - if you have mobility problems or would have problems going into a fairly dark cave then this is not a sight for you. The spiral stairs are narrow and quite steep and some parts of the cave are narrow too. The Dragon's Den is a karst cave - but not just any old cave. Firstly, there is a legend attached to it - it is said to be called the Dragons Den because this is where Prince Krak rid the city of a belligerent dragon that had been eating not only the city's farming stock but also its virgins - imagine! Furthermore, it is the oldest dwelling place in Poland - it was inhabited from the stone age until the sixteenth century. Sadly there's not much else to say of this cave. Inside it's quite impressive - the central hall is 200 feet long and it has some interesting formations - but that's about it. You don't go with a guide; you simply show your ticket - the entrance is inside the Wawel Castle Gardens and you start to descend.

We went on a really hot day and could quickly feel the temperature plummet as we went further underground. Once you make your way through the central cave, you descend a little more before exiting through an opening on the west slope of Wawel Hill. This results in a beautiful view of the sweeping curve of the Vistula and the farm land on the other side of the river. You also see the fire breathing statue of the Dragon next to the exit. It is a rather quirky contemporary metal sculpture with breathes fire at intervals - kids love it!

I guess this attraction would appeal to children though it needs a little something more to make it more appealing. It could easily do this without becoming too commercial and tacky - perhaps a small exhibition? For adults it is a pleasant enough diversion but unlikely to be a highlight of your trip.