Poland produces some of the finest Baltic amber in the world, and Krakow is one of the best places to buy it. The ground floor of the Cloth Hall is the obvious starting point — the stalls here sell amber jewelry, folk craft, and souvenirs, and while some of the quality is tourist-grade, genuine pieces can be found with a little looking. The shops on the streets surrounding the Old Town — particularly Ulica Grodzka and Ulica Floriańska — offer higher-quality items at higher prices.
Genuine amber has certain identifiable properties: it is lightweight, slightly warm to the touch, and can be tested with a few drops of alcohol (fake plastic amber leaves a sticky residue). The colour range in Baltic amber runs from pale yellow through cognac to deep cherry and green; inclusions (insects or plant material preserved in the resin) increase value considerably. The Kazimierz neighbourhood has a growing number of design shops selling contemporary Polish craft and design — less predictable than the Old Town amber shops and more interesting if you want something genuinely local.