Kraków

Travel Guide

Wawel Castle featuring a city, heritage architecture and château or palace
St. Mary\'s Basilica showing a square or plaza, night scenes and heritage architecture
Krakow Barbican which includes outdoor art, a city and heritage architecture
Krakow which includes interior views
Main Market Square featuring outdoor art and street scenes
The former capital of Poland is famous for itsarchitectural splendour, exciting modern art and a fascinating history, withcastles, ruins and museums. Known for its turbulent history, and as one of theoldest cities in Poland, Krakow's museums, housedin former decadent palaces of the Renaissance, are full of royal treasures andtell the city’s storied history. But Krakow livesas much in the present as in the past, and has active contemporary art circles,hip weekend markets and a vibrant nightlife.

The city is more than 750 years old and for fivecenturies it was the capital of Poland. Successive generations of monarchsbuilt castles and cathedrals and gave the city a royal prestige that now youcan still recognize.

It is not difficult to find your way around Krakow,thanks to the reliable network of trams and buses. Many of the main attractionsare located within the compact Old Town and are easy to explore on foot. In theornate St. Mary's Church you'll find one of the most spectacular altarpieces inEurope and the old city gate, the Barbican, is one of the most impressivesights in the park.

The WawelCastle is perched high above the city, a castle that has protected Krakowagainst intruders since the 16th Century. Nowadays, the castleinstead displays its stately halls, exhibitions of lavish jewelry and armor collections.For more about Krakow’s storied history, visit thehistoric WawelCathedral and Dragon’sDen, a limestone cave which, according to legend, a dragon oncecalled home.

Krakow's history isintertwined with that of the Jewish community. Visit the OskarSchindler Factory, made famous by the film Schindler's List by StevenSpielberg, to learn more about their struggles during the Second World War. Theformer factory has been converted into a large museum with Holocaust imagesthat you’ll not soon forget. The GaliciaJewish Museum shares what it’s like to be Jewish in contemporary Krakow.

In the summer, the Krakowcity parks alive with outdoor concerts and festivals. Enjoy a picnic in JordanaPark or enjoy a cruise across the city on the River Vistula. In winter you’relikely to see Krakow blanketed by a layer of snow,making the buildings in the historic city exude a romantic atmosphere.

Where to stay in Kraków

Krakow featuring a city and heritage elements as well as a large group of people

Kraków Old Town

5/5(777 area reviews)

Gourmet restaurants interesting history and top sights from Main Market Square to St. Mary's Basilica – discover Kraków Old Town, a destination also famous for its shopping.

Kraków Old Town
Krakow featuring modern architecture

Kraków City Centre

4.5/5(2,381 area reviews)

Gourmet restaurants interesting history and top sights from Main Market Square to Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in Sukiennice – discover Kraków City Centre, a destination also famous for its shopping.

Kraków City Centre
Kazimierz featuring a city and a square or plaza

Kazimierz

4.5/5(203 area reviews)

Kazimierz is known for its abundant dining options, and you can plan a trip to Corpus Christi Basilica and Old Synagogue while you're in town.

Kazimierz
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Wesola

Travellers like the parks in Wesola, and Galeria Krakówska is a top attraction you might want to visit.

Wesola
Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow as well as a couple

Podgorze

4.5/5(69 area reviews)

The ample dining options and beautiful river views are top of the list for many visitors to Podgorze. A stop by Oskar Schindler Factory or St. Joseph's Church might round out your trip.

Podgorze
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Stradom

If you're spending some time in Stradom, Aquarium and Natural History Museum and Dzok Monument are top sights worth seeing.

Stradom
Turnau City Aparthotel

Turnau City Aparthotel

3.5 out of 5
ul. Szlak 50/220, Kraków, Lesser Poland
Stay at this 3.5-star aparthotel in Kraków. Enjoy free WiFi, breakfast (surcharge), and room service. Popular attractions Main Market Square and Royal Road are ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (374 reviews)
"We reached out to the property to see if we could leave our stuff with them before check in and they were very accommodating. The apartment was located across the street from the train main station which was very convenient. It was about a 10-15 minute walk to the main square which wasn't bad. The ..."

Reviewed on 15 Jul 2025

Turnau City Aparthotel
Venetian House Market Square Aparthotel

Venetian House Market Square Aparthotel

4 out of 5
Rynek Glowny 11, Kraków, Lesser Poland
Stay at this 4-star apartment in Kraków. Enjoy free WiFi, a 24-hour front desk, and an airport shuttle (surcharge). Our guests praise the helpful staff in our ...
9.4/10 Exceptional! (1,222 reviews)
"Our stay was very good at Venetian hotel, the staff were very friendly and helpful nothing was too much trouble and would recommend a stay there 😎"

Reviewed on 6 Jul 2025

Venetian House Market Square Aparthotel
Aparthotel Stare Miasto

Aparthotel Stare Miasto

4 out of 5
Ul. Golebia 2, Kraków, Lesser Poland
Stay at this 4-star boutique aparthotel in Kraków. Enjoy free WiFi, breakfast (surcharge), and parking (surcharge). Our guests praise the helpful staff and the ...
9/10 Wonderful! (1,185 reviews)
"this hotel is so close to the main square. the room was clean and air conditioned. easy to find and get to."

Reviewed on 16 Jul 2025

Aparthotel Stare Miasto
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Popular places to visit

Things to do

Reviews of Kraków

4.8
Top destination
5 - Excellent
1985
5 - Excellent 83%
4 - Good
392
4 - Good 16%
3 - Okay
21
3 - Okay 1%
2 - Disappointing
1
2 - Disappointing 0%
1 - Terrible
1
1 - Terrible 0%

3/5 - Okay

Verified traveller

Was looking forward to this trip, but always next year.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

lovely place

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Because of the Corona virus we couldn't visit what we wanted to, but we will definitely come back as the city was beautiful & seemed very safe with plenty to do & lovely restaurants.

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

We were there when all museums were shut then we had 24 hours notice to leave the country before the borders shut, so we had to stop our trip short. But otherwise it was fun!

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

Krakow especially the old town is beautiful! There are plenty things to see and plenty of places to eat! We stayed for 5 days but could easily see everything in 3!

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Went for a short city break, Kraków is a lovely city we stayed in the old town just on the square. Location was good with easy walking to restaurants, shops, and other things of interest.