Full of royal tales, heroic history, baffling buildings and buzzing bars, Kraków holidays are absolutely banging, and a great shout for your next long weekend away.
Channel your inner royalty in the Wawel district, giggle at the stags and hens wobbling around vibey Kazimierz and take a chilled-out stroll by the Vistula River. One thing’s certain — you’ll get a lotta bang for your buck. Krakow holidays are super cheap! And near the beautiful Old Town, you’ll find Poland’s oldest botanical garden, with swaying trees and punchy flowers.
Kraków’s historical Old Town offers up fascinating museums and bustling cafés, packaged in medieval chocolate-box loveliness. Head to St Mary’s Basilica for a Gothic hit, then mooch through Cloth Hall — the world’s oldest shopping mall. Elsewhere, Europe’s second biggest market square, Rynek Główny, is stacked with Cracovian souvenirs. Descend under the square and travel back in time at Rynek Underground, a gnarly museum about the people and archaeology of medieval Kraków.
Retail therapy anyone? Kraków’s shops are a treasure trove of kooky antiques, Eastern Bloc artwork, secondhand gems and glam jewellery. Go bargain hunting at the super cool Plac Nowy open-air market, explore the boutiques around Rynek Square and check out the galleries on historic Józefa Street if you need something new for the living room wall. Floriańska is your go-to for touristy stacking dolls, fridge magnets and boxes of handmade choccies for your co-workers.
Kraków is full of brutal but vital history lessons. Over the river from Old Town is Schindler’s Factory Museum in Podgórze, where you’ll learn how Oskar Schindler heroically saved Polish Jews during WWII. And many city-breakers visit Auschwitz-Birkenau — the most infamous former Nazi concentration camp. It’s a super-sobering stop but an opportunity to pay your respects and remember. Entry to the grounds is free, but it really is worth getting a guide.
Best for... City breaks with staggering history, beautiful sites and night-owl energy 🦉
Go... in May or June for warm temperatures and local events, or at Christmas for festive fun 🎄
You have to... Eat at local milk bars and explore the Wawel district’s royal history 🏛️
PURO Kraków Kazimierz
4.7
Excellent
Prices from
Hilton Garden Inn Krakow
4.6
Excellent
Prices from
Vienna House by Wyndham Andel's Cracow
4.6
Excellent
Prices from
Currency
zloty
Language
Polish
Time difference
GMT +2
Cost of a beer
8 zł
3-course meal
50 zł
Flight time
2.5 hrs
Feel the buzz of Old Town’s basement bars and hit Kazimierz (the old Jewish quarter) for beer gardens and a boogie. Duffy’s Irish Bar is great for a hearty stout, and the quirky Alchemia bar on Plac Nowy is a cheery local with an eccentric-aunt’s-living-room vibe.
Piasek and Nowy Świat have a quieter after-dark café culture and fun local watering holes. For live music, defo try dinner, show and dancing at Klub Kabaret or daily piano performances at the classy Chopin Concert Hall.
Kraków’s charm lines the royal route from Floriańska Gate to Wawel Royal Castle — an architectural tour-de-force with mad tapestries inside. Step back in time at the cathedral and catch a choral service to lift your soul. And head over to Kazimierz, the artsy Jewish quarter, to see its (very) Old Synagogue and explore the underground maze of Wieliczka Salt Mine. For super-cheap Kraków holidays, pick up a KrakówCard which covers a dizzying number of the city’s big hitters.
Head to the retro canteen milk bars for hearty local dinners of signature Polish sausage, pickled veggies and paczki (sweet Polish donuts). Maybe give beef tongue or pork knuckles a go, or pierogi — dumplings full of cheesy, mushroomy, meaty madness! For standout street food, head to Hala Targowa market or Okrąglak food court at Plac Nowy. For an embarrassment of great food, it’s Kazimierz again. The street food and zapiekanki — Polish pizza — stands are awesome, as are the restaurants serving Jewish classics along cobbled Szeroka Street.
Here’s some neat news — Kraków’s climate is never extreme. The sprightly spring days of May and June are warm enough for tune-pumping boat trips down the Vistula, the summer solstice festival Wianki (it gets bigger every year!) and a string of romantic classical Wawel at Dusk concerts.
Temperatures peak in July and August, when highs reach the mid-twenties. Autumn’s awesome too, with September and October popular for cosy nights in local taverns.
November onwards is colder, with winter temperatures often dropping below freezing at night, but the festive season is still a lovely time for a romantic retreat. Picture vibrant festive markets and extravagant twinkling lights. And remember — rain can fall year-round, so pack a waterproof!