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Voykit pocket guide · Poland
Kraków
Kraków is a walkable old-town city: the market square and Wawel in one day each, Kazimierz in the evening, and Auschwitz-Birkenau and the salt mine only as booked day trips from the same bed.
Kraków's centre is small and flat: the Main Market Square, the Planty park ring, Wawel hill and the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz are all within a 25-minute walk. The trips that go wrong pay too much for cars, arrive at Wawel without a timed ticket in summer, or try to fit Auschwitz-Birkenau into a free afternoon. Four clusters cover a first visit: the Old Town, Wawel, Kazimierz and Podgórze; keep one bed and book the memorial and the salt mine ahead.
- Country
- Poland
- Best months
- Apr · May · Jun · Sep · Oct · Dec
- Time zone
- Europe/Warsaw
- Stay
- 2 days: Old Town and Wawel, Kazimierz and Podgórze
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- PLN
- Money
- Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for kiosks and market stalls.
- Daily spend
- Budget PLN 120–200 excl. bed · Mid PLN 200–400 excl. bed · High PLN 400+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a SIM at a shop or in the airport (passport may be needed). EU roaming rules apply for EU SIMs.
- Emergency
- European emergency number 112 · Ambulance 999 · Police 997 · Fire 998 · Mountain and water rescue 985
- Plugs
- 230 V; two-pin sockets (types C and E).
- Tipping
- About 10% in sit-down restaurants when service is not added; round up for taxis.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; bottled water is cheap.
- Toilets
- Cafés, shopping centres and museums; carry small coins.
Get in
By air
- Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK)
- KRK to the Old Town: the airport train to Kraków Główny, about 20 minutes, then a short walk; a taxi or ride-hail covers the gap when the trains stop.
Get around
Walk inside the centre; tram, or ride-hailing, to Kazimierz and Podgórze in bad weather.
- Passes
- No pass for a short stay: single tram tickets in the jakdojade app are cheap; a 24-hour ticket pays off after four rides.
- Late at night
- Trams run late and night lines cover the small hours. Check the app for your line.
See and do
01Wawel Royal CastleZamek Królewski na Wawelu
The royal hill: book a timed ticket for the state rooms or the cathedral ahead in summer; the courtyard and grounds are outdoors.
02St Mary's BasilicaBazylika Mariacka
The brick church on the square with the carved altarpiece and the hourly trumpet call: half an hour, indoors, with a timed entry for the altar.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial | Bus or tour about 1.5 h each way | Full day (about 6–7 h) |
| Wieliczka Salt Mine | Train or bus about 30 min | Half day |
| Zakopane and the Tatras | Bus about 2–2.5 h each way | Too long as a day trip |
Eat
- Plac Nowy zapiekanka stalls
- A Kazimierz street-food stop: zapiekanka (a toasted open baguette with mushrooms and cheese) from a window on Plac Nowy; go for a quick lunch or late snack, and eat standing.
Sleep
- Kazimierz
- Cafés, old synagogues and evening life: a quieter base, 20 minutes' walk from the square, with more apartments than big hotels.
- Old Town
- First-timers: a hotel inside the Planty ring with a 24h desk; everything is a walk, but the lanes are cobbled and noisy at night.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dzień dobryjen doh-bri |
| Thank you | Dziękujęjen-koo-yeh |
| Please / you're welcome | Proszępro-sheh |
| How much is this? | Ile to kosztuje?ee-leh toh kosh-too-yeh |
| Delicious! | Pyszne!pish-neh |
| The bill, please | Poproszę rachunekpo-pro-sheh rah-hoo-nek |
| Excuse me | Przepraszampsheh-prah-shahm |
| Yes / No | Tak / Nietahk / nyeh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Dzień dobry, handshake; Pan/Pani with surname; avoid: First names with older people too early
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring flowers (odd number) and something sweet; avoid: Chrysanthemums (for graves) and yellow flowers
- Name days: Wish people well on their name day (imieniny); avoid: Ignoring it if a colleague mentions it
- History: Show interest; avoid: Calling Poland 'Eastern Europe' or jokes about WWII
- Queues: Let older people and pregnant women go first where signs ask; avoid: Skipping the queue at the kasa
Red lines
- Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial: dress respectfully, keep quiet and do not pose for photos.
- Churches: cover shoulders and keep quiet during services.
- Do not photograph people at close range without asking.
Scams and watch-outs
- Unlicensed taxis at the station: use a ride-hailing app or the official rank.
- Restaurants near the square that add a service charge: check the menu before you order.
- ATMs that offer to convert to your home currency: decline and pay in złoty.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1: St Mary's Basilica, Cloth Hall, a 13:00 lunch table
- 09:00St Mary's Basilica
- cloth hall rynek underground (optional)
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Old Town)
- Hotel or AC café 14:00–16:30; keep Planty for a slow evening walk.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1: St Mary's Basilica, Cloth Hall, a 13:00 lunch table
- 09:00St Mary's Basilica
- cloth hall rynek underground (optional)
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Old Town)
- Hotel or AC café 14:00–16:30; keep Planty for a slow evening walk.
Day 2: Wawel hill and Plac Nowy zapiekanki
- 09:00Wawel Royal Castle
- wawel riverbank (optional)
- Plac Nowy zapiekanka stalls
- Evening: the Main Market Square lit up; Kazimierz cafés from 18:00.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- UK FCDO travel advice: Poland: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/poland
- Visit Kraków (official city tourism site): www.krakow.travel/
- Kraków Airport: krakowairport.pl/en
- Wikivoyage: Kraków: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/krakow). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.