Where to actually go in Krakow

Plac Nowy zapiekanki

Restaurant · Kazimierz

Hatches in a round market building selling zapiekanki: long toasted open baguettes with mushrooms and cheese.

Best for: the cheap late-night food

Best time: late night

Milk bars (bar mleczny)

Restaurant · Old Town and around

Old canteen-style cafeterias serving pierogi and soup at very low prices.

Best for: the cheapest Polish lunch

Best time: lunch

Pod Wawelem

Restaurant · below Wawel

A Bavarian-style beer hall with famously huge portions.

Best for: a big cheap dinner

Best time: dinner

Pierogarnia Krakowiacy

Restaurant · Old Town

A pierogi restaurant with lots of fillings at low prices.

Best for: pierogi

Best time: lunch

Rynek Główny (Main Square) and the Cloth Hall

Sight · Old Town

One of Europe's largest medieval squares; a trumpeter plays from St. Mary's tower every hour.

Best for: the heart of Krakow, free

Best time: on the hour, for the trumpet call

Wawel Castle and Cathedral

Sight · Wawel Hill

The royal castle and cathedral on the hill above the river. The courtyard is free; exhibitions are ticketed separately.

Best for: Polish history, the dragon's den by the river

Best time: morning

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Activity · Wieliczka (outside Krakow)

Centuries-old salt mine with chapels and statues carved from salt, deep underground.

Best for: a half-day trip

Price: $$ — roughly $36–40 for the English Tourist Route

Booking: Book a timed English-language tour online.

Best time: half day

Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial

Museum · Oświęcim (about 1.5 hours away)

The memorial and museum at the former Nazi death camp. Essential and heavy; plan nothing loud after.

Best for: understanding history

Booking: Entry is by booked time slot on the official site; guided visits book out first.

Best time: full day

Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory

Museum · Zabłocie

A museum of Krakow under Nazi occupation, in Schindler's factory.

Best for: history

Booking: Book a time slot online.

Best time: morning

Rynek Underground

Museum · Main Square

Medieval excavations under the Main Square, shown with modern displays.

Best for: a rainy-day museum

Best time: any time

Krakus Mound

Viewpoint · Podgórze

An ancient earth mound with a free panoramic view of the city.

Best for: a free sunset

Best time: sunset

Vistula Boulevards

Walk · below Wawel

Riverside paths with boat bars in summer.

Best for: a riverside walk

Best time: evening

Kazimierz

Area · Kazimierz

The old Jewish quarter: synagogues by day, then the city's best bar district by night.

Best for: a walk and then a bar night

Best time: evening

Forum Przestrzenie

Bar · riverside (former Hotel Forum)

A bar in a renovated Soviet-era hotel with deckchairs by the river.

Best for: a riverside drink

Best time: afternoon into evening

Alchemia

Bar · Kazimierz

A candle-lit, dark old bar that defined Kazimierz nightlife; concerts downstairs.

Best for: the classic Kazimierz bar

Best time: evening

Hevre

Bar · Kazimierz

A bar in a former Jewish prayer house with faded murals; dancing later.

Best for: a beautiful bar

Best time: evening

Szpitalna 1

Club · Old Town

A popular Old Town club with themed nights.

Best for: a central club night

Best time: late

Prozak 2.0

Club · Old Town (plac Dominikański)

An electronic club in Old Town cellars.

Best for: electronic music

Price: $ — entry roughly $8–13

Best time: after midnight

Harris Piano Jazz Bar

Live music · Main Square

A cellar jazz bar on the Main Square.

Best for: live jazz

Best time: evening

Stary Port

Pub · Old Town

A sailors'-song pub with live sea shanties.

Best for: a different night out

Best time: evening

Klub Kombinator

Pub · Nowa Huta (Łaźnia Nowa theatre)

A pub inside a theatre in the communist-era district.

Best for: combined with a Nowa Huta visit

Best time: evening