Places in Województwo Małopolskie

Kraków is at the heart of Małopolska Province and each year thousands of tourists descend on the city to experience the sites and sounds and taste the food on offer. Although, it now has an abundance of fast food outlets and all the modern shops that you can find in any other European city, if you seek out the traditional Polish restaurants and explore it's ancient Jewish quarter, you will discover the real historic capital of Poland.

A place where locals will not most likely send you as this was where during the communism era, an industrial estate was established north east of Kraków.

However, it is well worth a visit as there are the Renaissance and Baroque stylised edifices of Tadeusz Sendzimir Administrative Centre along with Cistercian Abbey found in Mogiła village.

Two rivers flowing from the Carpathian mountains meet here, Kamienica and the Dunajec. Worth a visit if you are heading to the mountains as there is the remnants of a castle and the Gothic collegiate church of St.Margaret built at the turn of the 14th and 15th century. Other sites can be found on the Nowy Sącz page.

Wieliczka and Bochnia are possible the worlds best examples of what can be done artistically to a salt mine. Easily accessible from Kraków there are arranged tours that will take you deep underground to experience a carved domain that is unmissable. You will need good legs for this one as there are many steps!

Małopolska has 6 National Parks and 11 Landscape Parks awaiting your discovery with about 53% of the region having protected status. There is even a desert. The Bledowska Sands is Central Europe's largest accumulation of loose sand in an area away from any sea.

This region is full of hiking trails and is very popular in the Carpathian Mountains. A number of cycle routes criss cross the province. The Polish are great horse lovers so it is not surprising that bridal ways take their pride of place in Małopolska.

53 skiing stations welcome winter sports people to the region catering for all ages and abilities. Since 1980 the Zakopane Ski-jumping Word Cup has taken place each year.

Małopolska is a diverse region with Cracovians in the north and Highlanders in the south. Many of the old traditions survive to the present day with festivals, saints days and traditional food still flourishing.

With about 30% of Poland given over to forests even today, wooden architecture plays a significant roll in the present day and the past. The Carpathian Mountains are a flush with spruce, fir and larch forests as well as the broad leaf oak and beech. The Małopolska Wooden Architecture Route stretching for some 1500km includes 248 buildings with about 50 available for viewing in summer.

UNESCO sites in Poland five of which are located within this region.