Warsaw to Krakow and Wieliczka Salt Mine: Private day trip

Main attractions

• Poland's former royal capital and best-preserved medieval city — Kraków's UNESCO-listed old town centers on the largest medieval market square in Europe, the Rynek Główny, anchored by the Renaissance Cloth Hall and the twin-towered St Mary's Basilica, whose hourly trumpet call from the higher tower has marked time since the 13th century
• Wawel Castle and Cathedral crown the limestone hill above the Vistula — the seat of Polish kings for five centuries, housing the royal apartments, the cathedral treasury and the tombs of kings, poets and national heroes in a complex that functions as the spiritual core of Polish national identity

What to eat

• Pierogi ruskie (potato and cheese dumplings) and żurek (sour rye soup with hard-boiled egg and sausage) at any of the milk bars (bary mleczne) around the old town — unpretentious, excellent and inexpensive

Main attractions

• A UNESCO-listed salt mine operating continuously since the 13th century beneath the town of Wieliczka, 14km from Kraków — 300 kilometers of tunnels descend nine levels to 327 meters, carved entirely from salt rock in a spectrum of grey, green and ochre
• The Chapel of St Kinga at 101 meters depth is the mine's defining space — a full-sized underground church with salt-carved altarpieces, chandeliers of salt crystal and relief sculptures executed by miner-artists over three centuries; the acoustics are extraordinary and concerts are held regularly within the chamber

Take note

• Entry is by guided tour only; book in advance — the mine receives over a million visitors annually and peak-season slots fill weeks ahead