Cracow (Kraków):

The city which was the second capital of Poland (after Gniezno and before Warsaw), full of unique beauty and climate, doubtlessly can be called the tourist capital of Poland.  It was for a reason that Cracow’s  Old Town and the Wieliczka Salt Mine, located nearby were inscribed on the first UNESCO World Heritage List, as early as in 1978. The Market Square is the largest medieval square in Europe. It is dominated by the towers of St. Mary's Church, where it is a must to stop at a full hour to listen to the hourly bugle-call and greet the firefighter performing it. The gem of the church is a wooden altar made by the ingenious  German sculptor Veit Stoss. You should also visit the Wawel Hill. Its buildings:  the Royal Castle and Cathedral are inextricably linked with the Polish history; the latter houses relics of the Polish Saints: Stanislaus and Hedwig and tombs of most Polish kings. Without a doubt, it is also worth visiting the former Jewish district - Kazimierz, which will enchant you with the unique charm of a world that no longer exists. Both the Market Square and Kazimierz district are full of thematic restaurants and bars, each of which having its unique atmosphere, often working till late.

Warsaw (Warszawa):

Probably the only city reconstruction project of this scale in Europe. It is estimated that around three quarters of Warsaw buildings were destroyed during the Second World. Hence, one could call it the newest European capital with the “youngest” Old Town, which because of its beauty and artistry of its reconstruction was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1980. Although it has not fully recovered its prewar splendor yet,  because of which Warsaw used to be sometimes called the Paris of the North then, its cognitive values cannot be overstated. It was here or in the surrounding area where two of the most famous Poles in the world were born.  Although their names could easily deceive some of the less careful lovers of their talent: Frederic Chopin and Maria Skłodowska Curie or Madam Curie were Warsaw citizens. It was also here, especially in the 20^th century, where many ground-breaking events took place, some of which were even of global importance. As important events as: the battle marked as the 18th on the list of the breakthrough battles in the history of the world, which in 1920 stopped the Red Army in its march to conquer whole Europe, the biggest revolt of the Jewish population (Ghetto Uprising of 1943) and the largest act of armed underground army (Warsaw Uprising of 1944) during World War II, the beginning (the foundation of the Warsaw Pact in 1955) and the end (the Polish Round Table Talks  in 1989) of the Cold War took place here or in the immediate vicinity.

The gems of Warsaw's architecture are: the historic district, consisting of the Old and New Towns, the Royal Route and in particular the Krakowskie  Przedmieście and Nowy Świat streets as well as the royal residences of Łazienki and Wilanów. It is also definitely worth visiting  the buildings characteristic of the behind the Iron Curtain post-war architecture, constructed in the socialist realism style: the Palace of Culture and Science, which is the largest and most representative "museum" of this style in Poland as well as  the MDM and Muranów districts, the latter built on the ruins of the Jewish district, razed to the ground  by German nazis during the WW II.