If you only have time to visit one city in Poland, make it Krakow. This city is rich in culture and history, it has beautiful architecture, it’s super cheap and it’s fun. Krakow also has interesting and key places to visit nearby, one of them being the hard to digest but not to be skipped, Auschwitz. Below I outline the best things to do in Krakow, as well as accommodation and transportation tips.
VISITING KRAKOW: THE ESSENTIALS
Transport / Krakow is a very walkable city, with most of the key attractions located within the compact Old Town area, making it ideal for exploring on foot. The city also has an efficient public transport system, including trams and buses, which makes getting around easy and affordable. While many visitors don’t need a car for exploring central Krakow, if you plan to visit the surrounding countryside or nearby attractions on your own like Zakopane or going to other cities in Poland, renting a car can be useful and quite cheap. I recommend DiscoverCars for great rental options. If you’re arriving at Krakow Airport, I always use WelcomePickups for convenient, reliable airport transfers directly to your accommodation.
Tours / Here’s Krakow’s most popular tours:
Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour & Hotel Pickup
Zakopane Tour with Thermal Pools and Hotel Pickup
Kraków: Evening or Night River Cruise
From Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour
Krakow: Schindler’s Factory Tour with Entrance Ticket
Stay / These are the best rated hotels in Krakow for their price range:
Hotel Unicus Palace $$$
Hotel Copernicus $$$
Vienna House by Wyndham Andel’s Kraków $$$
PURO Kraków Stare Miasto $$
Metropolitan Boutique Hotel $$
Ibis Kraków Stare Miasto $
Eat / My top recommendations for each meal:
Brunch/Breakfast: Cafe Camelot
Lunch: Pod Wawelem
Dinner: Starka Restaurant
Dessert: E.Wedel Chocolate Lounge
Connect / You’ll need mobile data while you are in Poland, I always recommend using an eSIM (there’s absolutely no need for a physical one!) – here’s some eSIM options for Poland.
Get Insured / Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.
KRAKOW BUCKET LIST: THINGS TO DO
Explore Krakow’s Old Town
Make this the first thing you do. As soon as I got to Krakow I did a walking tour of the Old Town. The tour guide was super knowledgeable and took us to many beautiful sites including the Main Market Square & St Mary’s church, Cloth Hall and Townhall Tower, the remains of medieval city walls with Barbican and St Florian Gate, St Francis Church, Bishop’s Palace, the Papal Window, Wawel Hill, Wawel Castle and Wawel Dragon.
