Sukiennice

The Sukiennice, or Cloth Hall, runs down the centre of Rynek Glowny and splits Krakow's main square into two halves. It was once a hub of the international cloth trade, and trading has never really stopped. The arcaded ground floor is still a covered market, while the upper floor holds a national gallery of 19th-century Polish painting. You walk through it for free, so most visitors pass under its arches within an hour of arriving in the city.

The Cloth Hall is the centrepiece of the Main Market Square and one of the most photographed buildings in Poland. There are two reasons to stop rather than just cross it: the ground-floor stalls, which are good for a quick look even if you buy nothing, and the painting gallery upstairs, which is one of the better museum visits in the Old Town. The arcades also give you shade in summer and cover in the rain.

The ground-floor passage is lined with stalls selling amber, leather, wood carvings, chess sets and souvenirs. Prices are set for visitors, so it pays to compare a few stalls and haggle a little on the larger amber pieces. It is a working market rather than a museum piece, which is part of the appeal.

The upper floor holds the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art, a branch of the National Museum. It opened in 1879 and was the museum's first home. The four halls are hung with the major names of the period, among them the large historical canvases of Jan Matejko. It is a manageable collection that you can see properly in under an hour, and the ticket is separate from the market below.

A trading hall has stood on this spot since the 14th century. After a fire in 1555 the building was rebuilt in Renaissance form, with an attic of carved mascarons by Santi Gucci and stone loggias attributed to Giovanni Maria Padovano. The arcades along the sides were added in the 19th century during a wider restoration. The building has served the same purpose, selling goods, for most of its life.

Ten minutes to walk the market hall, and about an hour if you go up to the gallery. Combined with the rest of the square, plan for a half-day in this one spot.

The market hall is quietest early in the morning and after the day-trippers leave in the evening. Midday in July and August is the most crowded. In December the square around it fills with the Christmas market, which is worth timing your visit for if you are here in winter. Check the National Museum's website for current gallery hours before you climb the stairs.

The Cloth Hall stands in the middle of the Main Market Square, at the centre of the pedestrianised Old Town. From Krakow Glowny, the main station, it is about a ten-minute walk south through the Planty gardens and down Ulica Florianska. No cars reach the square. For more on getting around, see the Krakow guide.

The ground-floor passage is level and open at both ends, though the square around it is laid with uneven cobbles. The gallery upstairs is reached from inside; check the National Museum's access information for lift details before you visit.

Everything on the square is a few steps away:

• St Mary's Basilica, with its unequal towers and the hourly trumpet call, in the north-east corner.
• Rynek Underground, the archaeology museum beneath the eastern half of the square.
• The Planty, the green ring around the Old Town, a short walk in any direction.

The ground-floor market hall is free to walk through. The Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art on the upper floor is a paid museum with its own opening hours.

Mainly amber jewellery, leather goods, wood carvings and souvenirs. It is aimed at visitors, so compare prices between stalls before buying.