The great and the good have favoured Kraków’s 16th-century Hotel Copernicus for centuries – and not just presidents and royalty. The eponymous Renaissance mathematician and astronomer, Nicholas Copernicus, frequently stayed here too: amid impressive townhouses on the city’s oldest medieval street, which wends its way to the awe-inspiring Wawel Castle on the hilltop.
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Behind the hotel’s Gothic façade there are only 29 rooms, the finest of which holds wooden ceiling beams from 1370 and 16th-century frescoes. There is a smart blend of historical heritage and modern comfort throughout, with atmospherically-lit wood panelling that seems to tell stories of its past. More sensitively still, its medieval cellars have been transformed into a swimming pool, sauna and L’Occitane spa. An exceptional find in the centre of this lively city.Suitable for:
- Long weekends
- Families with older children
- History lovers
Things to do at the property:
- Enjoy drinks and superb views on the rooftop terrace
- Marvel over manuscripts in the Fireplace Room
- Relax in the glass-covered courtyard
- Try Renaissance-inspired Polish cuisine in the restaurant
Things to do nearby:
- Explore Wawel Castle, long-time home to Polish royalty
- Admire the Kościuszko Mound monument
- Tour the 13th-century Wieliczka salt mines
- Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former concentration camps
- Take a trip to the verdant Ojców National Park
- Wind along the Vistula River, weaving through Kraków
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