All of the best things to see and do in Krakow, Poland

Krakow, Poland is a hidden gem! Let me share all of the special and memorable reasons why I think you should add Poland to your travel radar. There is so much history, charm, and good food to be found in Krakow.

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Getting Krakow and Getting Around

If you will be traveling from the United States, you will want to fly into John Paul II Krakow International Airport. You will have 1 or 2 layovers to get there.

If you will already be in Europe, look into trains heading to Krakow. It’s a fun way to travel through Europe. Also, check out flights within Europe. There are often some really affordable options.

Once you are in Krakow, you can rent a car. Keep in mind that if you are staying near Old Town, parking is very limited. Also, you can walk to many sites if you stay near Old Town.

Both times I’ve been to Krakow we didn’t rent a car. We use Bolt (like Uber) when we wanted to venture out of the Old Town area. A car can be convenient if you want to visit Auschwitz or the Salt Mine at your own pace but we booked tours that picked us up at our Airbnb and that worked well for us.

Where to Stay in Krakow, Poland

On both of my visits to Krakow, I stayed in Airbnbs. On our recent stay, we had a 4 bedroom place with a kitchen, family room, and washing machine. It’s nice to come back to the place each night and have a little room to spread out.

Krakow has many chain hotels plus boutiques and hostels. The Lavender Hotel was recommended to us but since we had a bigger group we opted for the Airbnb.

Standing in front of the building of our Krakow Airbnb. May 2022

What is the food like in Krakow?

The food is simple and delicious! Pierogi are served at many restaurants. They are dumplings filled with a variety of options like feta and spinach, potatoes, and meat options. Plus we loved the soups, salad, and potato pancakes.

Here’s a fun list of 20 popular Polish dishes with mouth-watering photos.

Not-to-miss Activities in Krakow

Visit Old Town. This is a classic European square in the middle of town. It’s an open square surrounded by restaurants, a big church, and lots of shows. Be sure to stop for gelato while you are there!
Be sure to check out the Polish pottery. It’s handmade in Poland and so beautiful. We wanted one of everything. There are a few pottery shops near Old Town. We shopped in two of them but I don’t know if one is better than the other. They all looked good to me!

The Trumpeter. Every hour on the hour, there is a person who plays the trumpet in the bell tower of the church in Old Town. See if you can catch a glimpse of him.

Do a golf cart tour. These originate in Old Town. We picked the 2-hour tour which hit all of the key sites around town including the castle area, WWII Jewish ghetto, Jewish area, Schinlder’s Factory, and much more. We paid $20 per person. You can book ahead of time or just show up in Old Town and go.
Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour. We booked our tour through Trip Advisor and they picked us up at our Airbnb, drove the 45-minutes to the salt mines, arranged our tour, and brought us back to our place. The tour cost was $54. The most expensive thing we did on this trip! The salt mines were working mines for over 700 years. You have a guide take you through many of the tunnels and rooms which have plenty of room to stand. The walls, floors, chandeliers, and statues are all made of salt!

Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. This is an emotional but important place to visit. It’s a place to honor the people who lost their lives during the horrendous holocaust. It’s a reverent place. We booked a tour through Viator. They provided transportation for the 1.5-hour drive each way plus admission to both the Auschwitz and Birkenau portions of the concentration camp. We had an English-speaking guide throughout our time at Auschwitz.

Walk around the Wawel Royal Castle. This is a nice 1-mile walk from Old Town. The gates to get onto the castle grounds are not open at night. Walk around the base of the castle hill to find the fire-breathing dragon statue. During the day you can buy admission to tour the castle and the dragon’s cave. We didn’t do either tour because of time but I’d like to do it on a return visit.
Oskar Schindler’s Factory. This is a two-part museum. One part is the WWII history of Oskar Shcindler’s Factory and it’s very well done. I highly recommend a visit. The other part is a contemporary art museum with some fun pieces. It’s not really big but definitely worth a look.