What to do in Krakow

‘I’m not lost, I’m exploring’

A beautiful city full of history, architecture and culture. 

Krakow is made up of two parts, the Old Town and the Jewish Quarters (Kazimierz). The city is easy to navigate and walk around (just have suitable shoes for the cobbled streets), if you are looking for public transport then trams are used. 

This city shouldn’t be missed and I’ll warn you, prepare to pile on the pounds...the food is incredible! (Check out my Polish food blog for more details and tips on what to try.)

So what to see and do...

Cloth Hall

Located in the centre of Market Square in the Old Town. A beautiful building home to a trading hall since the 13th century, considered as the ‘oldest shopping mall’ in the world. Great place to buy quirky items and souvenirs. 

There is also a museum under the Cloth Hall and City Square. If you are interested in history/archeology, then check it out! The full history of Krakow is unearthed right there for you to explore. Tickets cost 21 zlotys.

St Mary’s Basilica 

A eye catching Gothic church in the Old Town that stands tall in the corner of Market Square. It is 10 zlotys for admission and 5 zlotys for a camera pass, the interior is beautiful and mesmerising. If you don’t want to pay to go inside then there is a door at the front of the church that is open for prayer. People use it to have a quick nose inside and others use it to pray and light a candle. 

The clock strikes every hour and a trumpeter plays from each of the 4 windows of the tower. The Trumpet Call is a traditional Polish anthem which can be watched below in the square. 

Wawel Castle and Cathedral

Wawel Cathedral is part of the amazing and beautiful Wawel Castle complex on the edge of the Old Town. You don’t need to pay to go into the castle complex but you have to pay to gain access into the cathedral which is 12 zlotys and for different parts of the castle, these vary in price. 

Worth a look inside at the beautiful surroundings inside the cathedral but if you decide not to go in, the outside is just as beautiful. 

You can also visit the Dragon’s Lair but it is only open from April to November and costs 5 zlotys. A visit to the Dragon’s Lair begins at the ‘Thieves’ Tower’ where you go down a staircase (a former Austrian well). The cave is 270 metres long but only 81 metres is open to the public.

Town Hall Tower

Town Hall Tower is situated in the wonderful Main Market Square of the Old Town. It's the only remaining structure of the 14th century still standing. It survived war, fire and demolition. The towers actually lean due to a really strong storm in 1703.

This is one of Krakows major landmark buildings, at the base of the tower is another great landmark, Eros Bound, it's a stunning statue of a giant head leaning on its side, known to the locals as ‘The Head’.

A wonderful tower in a great location and if your in the area well worth checking out. You can go up the tower from March through to December but the tower is shut the first Tuesday of every month, tickets cost 10 zlotys. 

Churches - St. Andrew, St. Peter and St. Paul

Grodzka Street is a street justifiably famous for its amazing architecture and the Churches without a shadow of a doubt are the most stunning. You can enter both the churches free of charge. St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s church offer headphones in a little booth outside for you to use on your tour around the church. No photos should be taken in either church but are both beautiful inside and worth a look. 

Exploring the Old Town

The Old Town is the historic central district of Kraków and contains most of the main things to see and do, but there’s more to the Old Town than you think. Here we strolled around most of the day exploring the quirky shops and eating at delicious cafes with mouth watering cakes. In the evening the Town is lit up and the food here is worth a try, lots on offer and the polish food is out of this world. It’s a place to  enjoy and take in the surroundings.  

Jewish Quarters (Kazimierz)

No visit to Krakow would be complete without a tour of Kazimierz.  Numerous cosy art cafes, antique shops, street art displays and monuments of Jewish culture draw tourists in. The cobbled streets are definitely somewhere you should explore and make sure you grab some delicious polish street food. 

Within the Jewish Quarters the former administrative building of the Oskar Schindler factory is housed. It is now a museum that tells the story of Schindler and the Jewish prisoners of Plaszow who were the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's hit movie, ‘Schindler's List.’ Would recommend watching the film Schindler’s list before visiting to really appreciate what Oscar Schindler did to help the Jewish people.

DAY TRIPS 

Auschwitz and Birkenau

If you get a extra day you must fit this on your to do list. Such an awful place but somewhere everyone should visit in their lifetime to understand the cruel things that went on in the past to these poor people. 

Make sure you get a guide, we were in a group of 30 and given headphones in Auschwitz to hear our guide clearly, he was great and we learnt so much about the horrible events that took place.

Auschwitz and Birkenau are not the same place. The Birkenau camp is 5 minutes down the road which you are taken to by your drivers when you book a tour, and you meet your guide there that you had previously. You don’t get headphones at Birkenau so you need to make sure your near the guide to hear the facts and information told. 

The tour was 3 hours altogether but it is also an hours drive from Krakow. Somewhere I feel everyone should take time to do. 

Wieliczka Salt Mines

One of Poland’s main attractions and only 30 minutes away from Krakow. Worth a visit down in to the mines but prepare for the steps going down, there’s 380 right at the beginning and about 500 more along the journey. This is one of the largest underground mining museums in the world where salt was extracted from the ground. The salt mines are made up of tunnels and everything is carved out of salt. Make sure you take a jacket it’s cold even in the summer and wear comfortable shoes. 

Krakow is the place to go for history, culture and delicious food. It’s very cheap as well so it’s one you can definitely fit in at anytime of the year. 

You won’t be disappointed!!