**Stare Miastro** In the heart of Krakow, the winding streets of the Stare Miastro (Old Town) are packed with traditional Polish restaurants, antique shops and bars in all shapes and sizes. Market Square is a hive of activity with seasonal open-air markets and towering church spires attracting the crowds. Wawel Castle is perched on a hill just outside the city walls and is filled with stories of kings and conquests from the Middle Ages. Live out your own medieval fantasies at one of the extreme axe-throwing clubs in the Old Town.

Kazimierz

Krakow’s old Jewish Quarter still feels like a secret. Time-worn merchant buildings tell tales of past struggles, now home to independent cafes, restaurants and shops. Boho vibes ooze from hip businesses set up within crumbling Renaissance architecture, including the clubs and bars that make up Krakow’s late-late party hotspot. Edgy drinking holes stay open until the small hours, with greasy take-aways and street food up for grabs as you stumble home.

Podgorze

Across the Vistula River, Podgorze has come a long way since the Nazis invaded and used it as a Jewish ghetto. Eerie memories of WWII still haunt the streets, the most famous being Schindler’s Factory. Now the Brutalist buildings have been repurposed as art spaces, start-ups and trendy coffee bars. There’s a buzz about the nightlife here, with new clubs and bars popping up all the time. While Kazimierz is known as Krakow’s nexus of nightlife, Podgorze is hot on its heels and is one of the best places to mingle with locals.

Nowa Huta

Nowa Huta is cool now, and isn’t shy about showing it off. Originally designed in the 1920s as a self-contained Communist town for steel workers, it’s all Soviet-style concrete blocks and grey open space: a world away from fairytale Krakow in the centre. Today Nowa Huta has rebranded itself as ‘NH’, and the Soviet depots are home to microbreweries and underground bars. There’s still a chance to experience Poland’s Socialist heyday on a Communism tour in a vintage Trabant or at a Soviet-themed restaurant.