Kraków

Kraków became Poland's capital in 1038 and lost the role when Sigismund III moved it to Warsaw in 1596, and that loss is the traveler's gain: the medieval core survived intact, while Warsaw's old town had to be rebuilt after World War II. Kraków's Old Town and the Kazimierz district were placed on the first UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978, and Wawel, where Polish kings were still crowned and buried after the move, sits at its edge. Warsaw is the more modern, ambitious city and the better bet for contemporary dining. Kraków suits history-minded travelers and makes the natural base for the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and the Wieliczka salt mine.