Marking the edge of the Old Town is Floriańska Gate. Completed in 1307 the gateway is one of the few surviving parts of the ancient defences that once circled the Old Town. Topped with a Baroque roof that was added in 1657, the gate stands 34.5 metres high and was the city's main entrance in medieval times. The original starting point for what was dubbed the Royal Road, it was through this gate that visiting kings, queens and nobility would enter the city on their way to Wawel.

Floriańska Street was once the city's principal commercial thoroughfare, and as you might expect, it comes steeped in history. Aside from signs advertising kebabs, dance clubs and currency exchange, many of the townhouses have facades featuring age-old murals and inscriptions. Keep your eyes peeled for the House of the Squirrel (no. 15), the House of the Negro (no. 1, on the corner of the market square), and the hotel and restaurant Pod Różą (no. 14), the Latin inscription above which reads 'May this building stand until an ant drinks the ocean, and a tortoise circles the earth.' Other places of note along ul. Floriańska include the Jan Matejko House (no. 41), the Pharmacy Museum (no. 25), and the Jama Michalika Cafe (no.45) - famous for its role as the clubhouse for Kraków's Art Nouveau movement.