Old Town
In the city centre
There’s a sense that things are constantly in flux in Krakow’s historic heart. Each of the colourful multi-level buildings that flank Stare Miasto Square are disproportionately sized, like gears that were stopped mid-locomotion. Join the rush of folks that pour into restaurants and bars for an evening of merriment.
Places to stay from £4 per night
Grzegórzki
0.9 miles from city centre
Grzegórzki has the holy trinity of malls with Galeria Kazimierz, M1 and CH Plaza. All offer the expected – clothes, books and bric-a-brac. But it’s a pint-sized sausage stand known as "kiełbaski z niebieskiej nyski" that attracts folks by the dozen for a nibble of its famous fare. It’s right next to Hala Targowa, filled with flea-market finds from a bygone era. Join the queue.
Places to stay from £6 per night
Zwierzyniec
1.4 miles from city centre
Everything good comes in threes. Zwierzyniec's Zoo holds half-an-Ark's worth of screeching, squawking animals that will delight children. Cracovia is a major football stadium, and wild and unkempt Blonia is Europe's largest urban meadow, filled with walking trails. Yes, you're spoiled for choice!
Places to stay from £5 per night
Debniki
1.5 miles from city centre
Krakow is enveloped by natural beauty. However, if you don’t fancy the 100km-hike to the breathtaking Jurassic Highlands, Debniki delivers in droves. Zakrzówek Nature Park has kiwi-green and crimson meadows, moderate walking trails and brims with places to picnic. Alternately, try Lasy Tynieckie Park – the gorgeous Benedictine Monastery dovetails the forest and the Vistula River.
Places to stay from £15 per night
Lagiewniki
3 miles from city centre
Walk Lagiewniki’s modest suburban streets and you’ll most likely see busloads of tourists bound for one destination. The black-and-white, modernist Sanctuary of Divine Mercy is a major pilgrimage site for Catholics. For the rest, it’s a sleepy suburb set to a backdrop of pines and linden trees, with a road leading far off into the Zakopane Mountains.
Places to stay from £19 per night
Legend has it that Kraków was built on top of a dragon's cave, and there is somewhat of a fairytale aura that surrounds the city, with its sprinkling of charming squares, palaces and cathedrals. Enclosed by forested parkland, the mesmerising old town is home to the Wawel castle hill which overlooks the River Vistula.
Take a deep dive into Kraków's history by visiting one of its National Museum branches (free on Sundays) or the Kraków Historical Museum, including an underground walkway below the current Market Square. The city is also home to Collegium Maius, which aside from being a stellar example of 15th-century Gothic architecture, is also the oldest surviving university building in Poland. You can visit by guided tour and observe age-old astronomic instruments used by former pupil Copernicus.
As Poland's second-largest city, Kraków also has a vibrant nightlife scene, with hundreds of bars hidden down cellars and courtyards from the old town to Kazimierz and beyond. If you're travelling between the end of November and December, you'll also have the opportunity to experience the oldest Christmas market in Poland in the market square.
Located around 14 km of the city is the Wieliczka Salt Mine, an incredible ensemble of pits, chambers and tunnels reaching up to 327 metres underground. You can explore this enticing labyrinth via a tour route covering two kilometres of meandering corridors. There's also the chance to visit the on-site Saltworks Museum, which provides information on the mine's history and its therapeutic properties.
Tonight
From £29 per night
This weekend
From £114 per night
Next weekend
From £145 per night
Most popular time to visit | October–December |
Cheapest time to visit | January–March |
Local currency | 10 zł = £2 |
Language | Polish |
Average weekend price | £57 per night |
Average weekday price | £62 per night |
Typical stay | 2 nights |
Main Market Square
0.1 miles from city centre
Galeria Krakowska
0.5 miles from city centre
Wawel Royal Castle
0.6 miles from city centre
Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow-Lagiewniki
3 miles from city centre
Much cleaner and nicer than I expected.
23 April 2024
Much cleaner and nicer than I expected. I had seen programmes about Warsaw in the past and thought it may be run down but it was brilliant! Great history - castle, mound, squares, river etc. Would recommend to anyone.
Beautiful city, beautiful people.
23 April 2024
Beautiful city, beautiful people. Clean, safe city with plenty of culture Has a lot of parks, which I wasn’t expecting Very walkable city, so take flat comfy shoes. Highly recommended Walkative tour for a fascinating insight into Polish Jewish history
Krakow is a beautiful city and kept immaculate.
22 April 2024
Krakow is a beautiful city and kept immaculate. The main square was huge and serviced by loads of restaurants and cafes with indoor and outdoor seating areas. The people were very friendly. The tour guides were knowledgeable and spoke very good English. Well worth a visit
A wonderful city.
18 April 2024
A wonderful city. There is a lot to see, especially a lot of space for walks. There is everything, starting with nature, i.e. parks, river, castles, ending with the old town, its architecture and various pubs. Here you can find nature and peace or a lot of movement and noise. It depends on what you choose.
One of our favourite cities.
17 April 2024
One of our favourite cities. Beautiful architecture, friendly people and delicious restaurants. Lots to do as a family with three teenagers. Can be as budget friendly as you want it to be. Easy and economical to reach from the airport via the bolt or Uber App. Plenty of organised trips to Auschwitz-Birkenau/ zakopane and locally to the Jewish quarter via electric buggy. We travelled on one for 10 people which was idea for about £20 each. We did a bakery lesson at a local bakery for the national Bread snack which worked out about £8 which was really good fun. A trip to the wax museum is a must. The charm is how bad it is! The admission price reflects the quality of the wax works.
make sure if you cross the "bridge of locks" DO...
15 April 2024
make sure if you cross the "bridge of locks" DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT walk on the side with the locks, as it is the cycle lane. we never even noticed the cycle sign, and got fined by the police for our mistake. 50 zlotys each, there were 3 of us, not a very nice welcome to first time visitors to the country. Having your passports taken while they check you out through Interpol and then made to watch other "locals" walk the same path, only to go about their merry way, was not good. "we don't have time to make people stand in line while we finish with the previous offenders" was the answer the cop gave me when I pointed out the other people crossing. You would think it was one rule for locals and another for gullible tourists. When we had finished our tour of the Oskar Schindler museum we went back and crossed the bridge again, this time on the pedestrian side, no cops about this time and quite a few people walking on the other side, looking at the locks and taking photos, just as we had done. It left a sour taste and made me consider whether I would ever return to the country again. at nearly 60 years old I have travelled extensively around the world, both when I was in the merchant navy and since, but this is the first time I have ever had to deal with this kind of red tape. You would think they could at least have had the decency to point out our error and said not to do it again. They were quite abrupt especially when they told me that if I had caused an accident to a cyclist I would be responsible for all their costs etc. It certainly spoiled what otherwise was a nice trip. Auschwitz tour is a not to be missed experience and the salt mine tour was very impressive, generally the people are very friendly, costs were reasonable, plenty to see if you are into wandering about, but beware of over zealous cops, this was a better money earner than speed cameras are at home!!
Old Town, Kraków
From £108 per night
Grzegórzki, Kraków
From £71 per night
Grzegórzki, Kraków
From £76 per night
Old Town, Kraków
From £206 per night
Old Town, Kraków
From £93 per night
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