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Travel guide
Kraków
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, and September to October (Christmas markets in December)
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Welcome
Kraków, in a few days
Poland's former royal capital came through the war largely intact. Its old town spreads around the Rynek, one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, beneath Wawel Castle and its dragon. From the vaulted cellars of the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz to the salt mines of Wieliczka, there is a great deal here, and prices are still among the lowest in central Europe.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Rynek (Main Market Square) free · about 2 hLaid out in 1257; the hourly trumpet call from the basilica tower stops mid-note, for a watchman killed by a Tatar arrow.
- Afternoon · St Mary's Basilica · about 1 hTwo unequal Gothic towers, a starry blue vault and the Veit Stoss altarpiece, 13 metres of carved limewood finished in 1489.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Wielopole€75 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Wawel Castle · half a dayThe coronation cathedral, the arcaded Renaissance castle, Flemish tapestries and the crown treasury, on a hill above the Vistula.
- Afternoon · Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter free · half a daySeven synagogues and a Renaissance cemetery by day; candlelit cafés on Szeroka Street and bars around Plac Nowy by night.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Kazimierz€70 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Schindler's Factory · about 2 hA museum in Oskar Schindler's former enamel works on life in Kraków under Nazi occupation, from 1939 to the liquidation of the ghetto.
- Afternoon · Kościuszko Mound · about 1 hA 34-metre mound raised by hand in the 1820s; a spiral path climbs to views of Wawel, the Vistula and, on clear days, the Tatras.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Pod Wawelem€110 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Wieliczka Salt Mine · half a dayGalleries dug since the 13th century, with salt lakes and the Chapel of St Kinga, carved entirely from salt, chandeliers included.
- Afternoon · Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial · half a dayAbout 70 km away, the camp where more than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews, were murdered; guided visits cover Auschwitz I and Birkenau.
🛏️ Where to sleep · PURO Kraków Stare Miasto€100 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Pierogi: dumplings filled with potato and cheese, meat, cabbage or fruit.
- Bigos: hunter's stew of sauerkraut, cabbage and several meats, better on the second day.
- Żurek: a sour soup made with fermented rye, often served with sausage and egg.
- Placki ziemniaczane: potato pancakes fried crisp, with sour cream or goulash.
- Vodka and kompot: the first drunk cold and neat, the second a homemade drink of stewed fruit.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Refuse dynamic currency conversion (DCC) at cash machines and card terminals, and use bank ATMs rather than the independent ones.
- Book Auschwitz-Birkenau well ahead: entry is by timed ticket and summer slots go weeks in advance.
- Keep some złoty in cash: cards are widely taken, but not by every small shop or stall.
- Memorial sites ask for silence and respect: keep your voice down and think before taking photos.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Polish
| English | Polish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dzień dobry |
| Thank you | Dziękuję |
| Please | Proszę |
| Yes | Tak |
| No | Nie |
| Excuse me | Przepraszam |
| Goodbye | Do widzenia |
| Do you speak English? | Czy mówisz po angielsku? |
| I don't understand | Nie rozumiem |
| How much is it? | Ile to kosztuje? |
| Where are the toilets? | Gdzie są toalety? |
| The bill, please | Rachunek proszę |
| Help! | Pomocy! |
| Cheers! | Na zdrowie! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyPolish zloty (PLN)
BudgetAbout €70 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, and September to October (Christmas markets in December)
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingAround 10% in restaurants
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo vaccinations required. Make sure tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/krakow
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.