25 finest things TO perform in KRAKOW, POLAND (Tourist areas & City Tours)

Krakow is the second-largest city in Poland as well as is hailed as one of the most lovely cities in Europe. It has been one of the country’s hubs for finance, arts, culture, as well as education. Cradling countless historical as well as cultural monuments, its historic center, gaze Miasto, is one of the very first entrances in UNESCO’s listing of world Heritage Sites.

The city is extremely navigable, thanks to its extremely effective public transportation system, made up of trams, buses, as well as trains. The Old town center is a pedestrian zone however tram stations surround the perimeter.

The Old town center alone will fill your itinerary with notable sites as well as landmarks. If Krakow is part of your European trip itinerary, right here are a few of the things to do as well as locations to visit. The very first six in this listing are tours, while the rest are specific areas or attractions. We’re including Klook links for tours as well as tickets in situation you want to book in advance.

WHAT’S covered IN THIS GUIDE?

Old town walking Tour
Podgorze & Jewish Quarter Tour
Auschwitz concentration Camp
Krakow Ghost Tour
Krakow Food Trip
Polish people show & traditional Dinner
Schindler’s Factory
Kazimierz
Wawel Castle & Cathedral
Rynek Główny (Main Market Square)
St. Mary’s Basilica
Barbican (Barbakan Krakowski)
St. Florian’s entrance as well as Florianska Street
Planty Park
Rynek Underground
Kościuszko Mound
Krakus Mound
Museum of the Jagiellonian university – Collegium Maius
Saints Peter as well as Paul Church
St. Joseph’s Church
Polish Aviation Museum
Nowa Huta District
Dragon’s Den (Smocza Jama)
Wieliczka Salt Mine
Tyniec
Top budget plan hotels & Apartments in KrakowSearch for more Krakow Hotels!

More tips on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Old town walking Tour

It is stated that Krakow’s historic center, which includes the Old town (Stare Miasto), the Kazimierz district, as well as the Wawel district (particularly the Wawel Castle), is among the very first entrances in the original UNESCO world Heritage site list.

The Old town is part of the very first administrative district, thought about the nucleus of the city’s formation that goes back to the 7th century. The medieval town was demarcated by a three-kilometer defensive wall with a number of towers as well as seven entrances. Today, most of the walls are destroyed, however the limit that was when produced by the wall as well as the moat surrounding it were now replaced by a belt of a eco-friendly space, the Platy Park.

A walking tour within the Old town district is a delightful treat for history-starved travelers as the area nestles about six thousand historical landmarks — from statues to buildings (religious as well as secular). the most visited sites are Rynek Główny, Wawel Castle, Wawel Cathedral, St. Mary’s Basilica, St. Florian’s Gate, as well as Krakow Barbican, among others.

The royal road is the most prominent path since most of the famous landmarks are found along the road. It divides the Old town district into east as well as west zones. You will likewise area horse-drawn carriages as well as rickshaws.

St. Florian’s Gate. free walking tours usually begin within its vicinity.
You can definitely do it on your own, however if you want more insights, you can join a guided tour. There are free walking tours around the Old town that usually begin at the area between the Barbican as well as St. Florian’s Gate. Although technically free, note that you’re expected to tip the guide at the end of the tour. exactly how much is totally as much as you. however since it’s free, these tours usually draw in big crowds.

If you want to tour with a smaller group or you’d rather pay, book the guided walking tour with Klook! just comply with the link below for the details.

✅ inspect details or book HERE!

Podgorze & Jewish Quarter Tour

Since the 14th century, the polish Jews coexisted with the ethnic polish in Kazimierz, found southeast of the Old town center on the left (northern) bank of Vistula River. The northeast part of Kazimierz utilized to be the center of Jewish activities before world war II broke.

Image via Klook
But in the early 1940s, the Jewish population in Krakow was relocated to Podgorze at the foot of the Lasota hill on the other side of the Vistula River on its right (southern) bank. This is where the Jewish Quarter (sometimes called Jewish Ghetto) was established.

If you want to go deeper into the history of the Jewish people in Krakow, particularly during WWII when the Nazi forces condemned them, you can discover guided walking tours within the Jewish Quarter. Klook offers one that includes Plaszow concentration Camp as well as Oskar Schindler’s factory in the itinerary.

✅ inspect details OR book HERE!

Auschwitz concentration Camp

Located over 70 kilometers west of Krakow is Auschwitz, notorious for the Nazi concentration as well as death campsduring world war II as well as the Holocaust. The vast complex covered about 40 concentration camps, which originally detention centers for political as well as war prisoners of the Nazi however later ended up being abuse chambers as well as death camps.

Today, the site has been converted into a memorial site as well as museum. This is a UNESCO world Heritage Site. A see to the site can be truly heavy as well as emotional.

Getting There: From Krakow, go to MDA Bus station Krakow found behind Kraków Główny Station. Board a bus bound for Auschwitz/Oswiecim. The travel time is about two hours. From the bus stop, you can reach the museum in about 10 minutes on foot. If you will take the train, go to Kraków Główny (Main Train Station) as well as take the train to Oswiecim Station. The travel time is about an hour as well as a half. From there, you can either walk (30 minutes) or take a bus (10 minutes) to the museum.
Opening Hours: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM (December), 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (January & November), 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (February), 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (March & October), 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (April, may & September), 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM (June, July & August)
Entrance Fee: FREE. HOWEVER, you requirement to reserve your slot /entry card with the official website: visit.auschwitz.org or you can book a guided tour from your trusted booking companies as well as sites. For groups, you are needed to get the guided tour provided by the administration or with third-party booking sites. note that the administration does not suggest bringing youngsters under 14 years old.

For those who want to gain more insights about what had transpired during those horrendous years, you can join a guided tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau with Krakow as its jumping-off point. This is inclusive of knowledgeable as well as expert tour guide services, roundtrip transfers, hotel pick-up as well as drop-off service, as well as admission ticket to Auschwitz I & II. The tour duration is 3-4 hours.

✅ inspect details OR RESERVE HERE!

Krakow Ghost Tour

If you are into metropolitan legends as well as mysteries, you can go join a different type of sightseeing tour when the night rolls in. Ghost as well as Legends tour is an alternate choice that usually tackles the taboo topics as well as stories as well as includes trick as well as hidden locations that are rumored to hold grim stories of tragedy as well as paranormal activities.

There are free walking tours that have this theme. note that these tours are tip-based, so it depends upon your experience exactly how much you will provide to the guide.

Krakow Food Trip

Trying regional food is one of the methods to immerse yourself in a place’s culture. traditional dishes expose a great deal of a locale’s history as well as collective experience. depending upon your budget, you can get a taste of polish cuisine from restaurants or stalls.

Here are a few of the traditional polish dishes that you can try when in Krakow:

Pierogi

Bigos, a savory meal of cabbage as well as leftover meat. The cabbage can be sometimes a combination of pickled as well as fresh ones. other components are garlic, onion, mushroom, bay leaves, peppercorns, as well as caraway.

Kiełbasa, polish sausage that can be made of different kinds of meat. two of the most famous are the Krakowska as well as Kabanosy. Krakowska is the specialty of Krakow, understood for its unique garlic as well as pepper seasonings. Kabansoy is a thin sausage seasoned with caraway.

Pierogi, polish version of dumplings, usually stuffed with potato, cheese, as well as meat. however it can be stuffed with different components like vegetables, fruits, or even chocolate.

Zapiekanka, Poland’s response to pizza, however it utilizes half a baguette as crust, topped with cheese as well as mushrooms. Some vendors get more innovative with their toppings, usually adding salami, pickles, as well as many others.

Obwarzanek, polish bagel that is usually sprinkled with sesame, salt, or poppy. This is one of the staples in Krakow.

Żurek, a thick sour soup made from rye as well as prepared with potato, sausage, as well as hard-boiled eggs. Mushrooms as well as bacon are sometimes added into the soup.

Kotlet Schabowy, Ta crispy breaded fried pork chop paired with mashed potato as well as pickled cabbage. You can quickly discover it anywhere in Krakow.

Krówka, the traditional soft cream fudge packaged in little yellow wrappers. This dates back to the 1930s. It is made from milk, sugar, vanilla, as well as butter.

Polish people show & traditional Dinner

If you want to level up your quest for traditional polish food, you can do your food trip while watching a polish people show in a cottage-style restaurant with the view of Kryspinow Lake.

Photo courtesy of Klook
The traditional performance includes vibrant singing as well as dancing, gone along with by musical instruments. You can book this activity from Klook. The bundle includes roundtrip transfers, people dance show experience, as well as an all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffet. Vegetarian choices are likewise available. This tour will take about three hours.

✅ inspect rates or RESERVE HERE!

Schindler’s Factory

Located in Zabłocie district, Schindler’s factory is really part of a significant complex that homes two museums — the Schindler’s factory museum as well as the museum of contemporary Art in Krakow (MOCAK).

Image via Klook
The site increased to fame when Hollywood made an adaptation of Australian author Thomas Keneally’s Schindler’s Ark, revolving around the life of German industrialist as well as a Nazi celebration member, Oskar Schindler, as well as exactly how he saved over a thousand Jews during the Nazi regime.

The Schindler’s factory museum exposes a great deal of stories that not only tackles the story of the polish Jews during world war II however likewise their pre-war as well as post-war plight. The museum features a long-term exhibition entitled “Kraków Under Nazi profession 1939-1945”.

Nearest Train Station: Kraków Zabłocie Station
Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Monday), 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Tuesday – Sunday), closed (1st Tuesday of the month as well as holidays)
Entrance Fee: zł26/€6 (Regular), zł22/€5 (Reduced). Note: The long-term exhibition is free on Mondays; however, free tickets are limited.

If you want to join a guided tour as well as prevent long queues, you can book a guided tour with Klook with a skip-the-line ticket!

✅ RESERVE A SLOT HERE!

Kazimierz

Kazimierz is part of the very first administrative district of Krakow as well as is likewise one of the three districts that comprise the city’s historic center. The district flourished from the 14th up until the 19th century when it functioned as an independent city near the fortified royal complex in Wawel as well as the Old town center. It utilized to be the Jewish merchants’ hub up until the 1940s, when the Nazis relocated the Jewish population to Podgorze on the other side of Vistula River, developing the Jewish Quarter.

Today, a few of the structures, particularly those on the northeast part of Kazimierz, speak of its past as a thriving Jewish Quarter. There are about 10 synagogues scattered within the district as well as an Old Jewish Cemetery.

Other than Jew-related structures, the streets are lined with eccentric establishments, vintage as well as antique shops, hip restaurants as well as bars, as well as innovative venues as well as art galleries.

Wawel Castle & Cathedral

Wawel hill cradles an important cultural complex dotted with many historically as well as culturally considerable structures, including the Wawel royal Castle as well as the Wawel Cathedral.

The 14th-century Wawel Castle served as the royal home of the polish monarchs for centuries, adopting different architectural styles — Medieval, Renaissance, as well as Baroque. It is one of the very first structures to be included in the original UNESCO world Heritage site list. Today, it functions as one of Poland’s outstanding art museums.

The Wawel Cathedral, a Gothic Catholic church that is almost a thousand years old, witnessed a great deal of polish royal coronation ceremony as well as housed a number of royal chapels as well as crypts. other important national figures were likewise buried here. It was declared the country’s national sanctuary. a few of the cathedral’s points of rate of interest are the iconic three towers (Sigismund’s Tower, Silver Bell Tower, as well as Clock Tower), the Treasury, holy Trinity Chapel, Tadeusz Kościuszko Monument, the sarcophagus of Jadwiga of Poland (first female polish monarch), as well as the tombs as well as crypts.

Nearest Tram Station: Wawel station (Tram 1, 6, 8, 13, 18)
Nearest Bus Stop: Wawel stop (Bus 610, 662)
Opening Hours: For Wawel Castle, the opening hours vary, however the usual routine is from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. For Wawel Cathedral, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. note that the cathedral’s museum is closed on Sundays.
Entrance Fee: For Wawel Castle, the entrance charge varies per exhibition/site. You may inspect the rates here: Wawel Castle Rates. For Wawel Cathedral, it’s zł14/€3 for routine tickets as well as zł8/€2 for reduced tickets. note that they do not accept any type of currencies (including Euro) other than the zloty.

Admission to Wawel hill as well as the courtyard is FREE.

Rynek Główny (Main Market Square)

Located at the heart of the Old town district, Rynek Główny is difficult to miss. Why? With an area of almost four hectares, it’s stated to be the largest medieval square in Europe. Its history can be traced back to the 13th century when it was a busy industrial square.

Fringed with ancient establishments as well as structures like churches as well as townhouses, e