![3 days in Cracow, Poland: The Complete Guide [with Free Travel Map]](https://kasiawhotravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Side-Hustle-1440x810.png)
Cracow is one of my favorite cities in Poland. Mainly because of architecture, history, general vibes of relaxation, and unique restaurants, cafes, and clubs! This June, I had the pleasure of spending there my long weekend, and I would like to share with you my highlights of the Cracow Itinerary for 3 days.
Free Travel Map of Cracow
You can find all the best spots to visit (very touristic and those a bit less) on the map, and where to eat and drink!
Map legend:
☕️ Coffee Places
🍴Restaurants and food spots
📍Places worth visiting while in Cracow
📸 Cool photo spots
To see the map in the new browser tab – click on the “square” icon on the top right.
To save the map, click the star ⭐️ icon. This way it will be saved to your mymaps.google.com account.
Things to know before going to Cracow
Traveling from the Cracow airport ✈️
The airport is placed 11 km west of the city center – but there are public transport buses and trains which can take you to the city. For the bus, the ticket costs 6PLN (remember those are time tickets, so when you get one, you need to make sure to finish the trip in the time started from validation). You can easily buy tickets on the bus with a card or bus stop. There is also an app, SkyCash which allows you to purchase tickets on your phone. For the train schedule – check the link here, this page is in English and shows all the connections from the airport.
You do not need much cash 💸
Polish cities are very modern, and in almost every situation, you will be able to pay with your credit card. It is always good to have some PLN coins to leave a small tip or buy something from a stand, and I think 100PLN in cash (around 25 euros) should be enough for those days.
Things you should try while in Cracow
Free Walking Tour about “Jewish Cracow” and “Old Town Cracow”
- “Old Town Cracow” Tour with Free Walking Tours – book here
- “Jewish Cracow” Tour with Free Walking Tours – register here
I can recommend both of them, but especially the “Jewish Cracow” one, led by guide Big Tom, was spectacular. I must say this was the best prepared free tour I’ve ever had and it was so informative, interesting and well told – that if you can, I recommend you make sure to book this guide too. You will start in Kazimierz, then see all the Synagogs, and then move to the place where Cracow Ghetto was. Emotional and essential tour.
Chill at Forum Przestrzeni
What a fantastic spot in the city, right by the river! Excellent food selection (incredible pizza), craft beers, beach chairs, and fun music! If you want to come here in the evening during the weekend and have a place to sit with your friends, better make a reservation!
@kasiawhotravels In case you want to follow me #cracow #kraków #forumprzestrzenie #fypage #dlaciebie #travel #polandtravel #tiktoktravel ♬ Follow Me – Daily Funny
Eat zapiekanki in Kazimierz
Kazimierz is the district of Kraków, which used to be a separate town; it is such a vibrant place with fantastic architecture, great bars, and enormous Jewish community history in Kraków and in Poland. But it’s also a place where you can find a lot of variations of Polish famous fast-food called Zapiekanka. Simply, it’s a baguette cut in half with different toppings on it, and it all melts together in the oven, which results in a great flavor! This is a favorite thing around Poland and next to kebab, one of the most popular after-party foods. I can recommend you 3 sports there to try different versions, but if you have a hungry belly, why not go for all of them?
My top spots with Zapiekanka:
- Endzior
- Zapiekanki Królewskie
- Zapiexa
As you can see on the map below, most of them are in this round building, and I don’t think you can go wrong there because there are always crowds of tourists and locals.
Try Beer Bath SPA
I’ve always wanted to try Beer-Bathing. Just by accident and we discovered this spot called Beernarium Beer Spa in Cracow (Polish: Beernarium Piwne Spa Kraków), and with a bit of luck, we were able to book an appointment. The lady told us that usually, you have to book 2 weeks in advance. We paid around €60 for two people for the basic package. It included a beer bath, 0,5L of their beer from the brewery, and a chill area for around 1h/50min. For an additional price, you can also get a sauna time, you also get unlimited beer for that time but honestly, it is just enough time to drink one big beer and enjoy the bath. We did not have swimming suits but they are providing those one-time material outfits and towels, which are perfectly enough. It is important to mention that you get a private room and the music is just awesome because it just fits the vibe there and I must say it was a great date night for us.
Eating Pierogi, Obwarzanki & Polish Doughnuts – Polish: Pączki
I don’t think I have to introduce you to Polish dumplings, famous worldwide, but if anyone tells you that the dumplings from their country are the best, just do not listen. My favorite ones are called Russians or Ukrainians, depending on who you ask. There are fields of potatoes, onion, and cottage cheese, and they are my favorite food in the whole world. But Polish dumplings (pierogi) also come with different fillings; you can get them with fruits, sweets, meat, or even a fish – but that’s a weird one. It’s hard for me to recommend one place in Cracow, to try them because whenever I tried them, they were terrific, and I don’t think you can go wrong. Just make sure to try them there.
Obwarzanki are one of those things which you will know just already at the airport. Usually, it’s sold from the carts for 2,5-3 PLN and they’re different variations – with the traditional one – Salty Obwarzanek.
“Obwarzanek is a braided ring-shaped bread that is boiled and sprinkled with salt and sesame or poppy seeds before being baked. It has a white, sweetish, moist and chewy crumb underneath a crunchy golden-brown crust. Traditionally sold from street carts, it is a popular snack in the Polish city of Kraków, where it has the status of a regional food with protected geographical indication. It is closely related to, but distinct from, bagels, bubliks and pretzels.“
Wikipedia
This one is something that my Austrian-born fiance is obsessed with, and I’m not exaggerating. Polish Pączki – Doughnuts. The sweet heaven also comes with a different filling, but the traditional one is with the Rose Jam 🌹, so try it at least once. In Cracow, you can find many spots – like Stara Pączkarnia or Manufaktura Pączków – which sell donuts with various fillings from Nutella, salted caramel, cheesecake, blueberries, banana & chocolate, and so on.
See the sunset at Krakus Mound – Polish: Kopiec Kraka
This place is recommended to be one of the top spots in Cracow to experience beautiful sunsets but also a place where you can crack some beers and just chill during a summer day. It’s still within the limits of a city, if you’re looking for an idea for an evening I would definitely recommend going there it might be a slight climb up so better wear comfortable shoes instead of flip-flops.
🎺 Listen to the St. Mary’s Trumpet Call (Bazylika Mariacka) – Polish: Hejnał mariacki
The traditional five-note Polish bugle calls is closely related to Krakow’s history and traditions. A trumpeter on the highest tower of the city’s Saint Mary’s Basilica plays it every hour on the hour, four times in succession in each of the four cardinal directions. The performance at noon is broadcast all over Poland and around the world over the radio. The melody is cut rapidly due to the legend:
“The most commonly read legend tracing the hejnał is that one morning in 1241 the Tartars invaded Kraków. The warning song was blared to arouse the slumbering city to arms. The man playing was shot in the neck, thus abruptly cutting off the song in mid-melody. To this day, the tune cuts off in mid-recapitulation symbolizing Kraków’s vigilance as well as commemorating the lone night guard who aroused the city to defence, thereby saving it.”
inyourpocket.com
⚓️ Take a boat cruise on the Vistula river
I found 2 options, and the prices are similar, 55PLN per person (around 12 Euro)
One with Krakowska Żegluga Pasażerska – check tickets here
Another one with Aqua Fun – check tickets here
⚡️Visit Harry Potter Style Cafe and Restaurant 🪄
In Poland, you can find a lot of Cafes that are in the style of popular TV shows or movies, and in Kraków, you can find cafe and restaurant/bar in the style of Harry Potter. I did not have a chance to visit the restaurant but it’s called the Ministry of Secrets Polish: Ministerstwo Tajemnic. I visited the cafe which is very close by. Both spots are marked on my map above so do not forget to save it. The café is called The Leaky Cauldron Polish: Dziurawy Kocioł – which is a direct reference to the book series and the movies. To enter this place you will have to go to the basement and enter through the wall-like door. And a cafe they’re not selling alcohol but there are some small snags and they’re selling butterbeer which is not alcoholic (more of a milk drink). Here I am attaching my TikTok from that place:
@kasiawhotravels ⚡️Harry Potter Style Coffee House #harrypotter #leakycauldron #tiktoktravel #poland #cracow #kraków #potterhead #fypシ ♬ original sound – Kasia who travels
3 Days in Cracow Itinerary
Simple 3 days which you can build your trip on – by using my recommendation from above or the map added to this post.
Day 1 – Historic Old Town
- Historic Old Town walk with the Main Market Square
- Sukiennice walk (Cloth Hall) and Sukiennice Museum below
- Listen to the St. Mary’s Trumpet Call (Bazylika Mariacka) at the full hour
- Walk through the old town through the castle area
- Wawel Castle – here make sure to come in the morning because there is a limited amount of tickets allowed per day you can also try to acquire them online.
- Wawel Castle Grounds – it’s a great place to just walk around and enjoy the view of the river from the castle walls
- Wawel Cathedral – The scene of the crowning of almost every Polish king and queen throughout history. If you’re willing to spend the 22/15zł, the Royal Crypts offer a cold and atmospheric diversion as the final resting place of kings and statesmen – most recently former president Lech Kaczyński
- Wawel Dragon statue – right below the castle near the river you can see the sculpture of the famous Cracow Dragon called Smok Wawelski. Every 10 minutes he is releasing fire from his mouth so make sure to stay for that, it looks quite cool.
Day 2 – Jewish Quarter and Kazimierz
- Jewish Quarter tour with a walk through Cracow Ghetto with Free Walking Tour (details above↑) it takes around 2,5h
- Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. Cost: 28PLN and it is free on Mondays
- Kazimierz District – here try Zapiekanki and great craft beer
- Old Jewish Cemetery and Old Synagogue
Day 3 – Day trips from Cracow
- Here I can recommend a few options usually people go to Wieliczka Salt Mine – in the town of Wieliczka, it lies within the Kraków metropolitan area. From Neolithic times, sodium chloride was produced there from the upwelling brine.
- Auschwitz Concentration Camp – Auschwitz concentration camp was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II and the Holocaust. You need to count a whole day a trip for this one. Also, it will definitely be a strong emotional journey so make sure to be ready for that. Their option to book a trip straight from the city with a guided tour but you can also go by train on your own. Just make sure to book a ticket in advance.
- Family Amusement Park, Fun Park in Zator – Energylandia. ENERGYLANDIA is the biggest Amusement Park in Poland, offering an impressive number of varied attractions situated on an area of 43 hectares, designed with all age groups in mind. Here you can check the tickets.
- Day of relaxation at Zakrzówek lagoon – an artificial reservoir in Kraków, on Zakrzówek. It was created in 1992 after flooding an old limestone quarry. It consists of two reservoirs connected by an isthmus. The banks of the reservoir are one of the favorite recreation places of Krakow’s residents, however, swimming in the reservoir is prohibited due to the risk of drowning. But what I see online right now is that they are building and finalizing for this summer -the swimming area. So make sure to check it out if you’re planning to come this year.
Events in Cracow you do not want to miss
We all know it is double-awesome when traveling to a city when there are already some celebrations or events happening. Because they are usually for free and you can get additional entertainment, so booking your trip during that time can be extra fun, but also it’s good to know some things are happening because the prices of stay will raise. Here are some events which I recommend taking into account when planning your trip to Kraków / Cracow.
🐉 The Grand Dragon Parade – Polish: Wielka Parada Smoków
This event happens usually at the beginning of June but I cannot find a date for next year since this one just happened and I was likely to attend it while being in Kraków. On the first day, you have a lot of attractions for the children near the castle and their Wawel Dragon statue, at night you need to make sure to get to the river as soon as possible because around 10 pm flying dragons start to enter the river accompanied by amazing music and fireworks. If you’re coming with children make sure to get the noise canceling headphones because unfortunately there are many children crying and simply being scared of the noise of fireworks. This event is amazing and I already had a chance to see it 2 times, one time from the restaurant on the boat and this time in the middle of the crowd. If you don’t like the crowds I would recommend getting a spot in a restaurant or on the boat way before you can also get a ticket for a sitting spot close to the river but they usually sell out fast.
Here you have my short TikTok about this night of Flying Dragons in Cracow:
@kasiawhotravels 🐉 Dragon Parade you can’t miss! #poland #polska #tiktoktravel #fypシ #cracow #kraków #paradasmoków #travelbucketlist ♬ Sail – AWOLNATION
On the second day of this event, the town gets really crowded because this time there is a contest-type parade of dragons walking through the city. Loud music big crowds and different dragons created by schools or Cracow organizations competing for the best Dragon title. If you do not like crowds I would definitely recommend reserving a spot close to the old town in some restaurant with a view or a balcony so you can observe the whole thing without ‘fighting’ for a place to stand.
Here are some of my pictures of the Dragon Parade on Sunday (2nd day of the event):
🎶 Kraków Live Festival (Kraków Live Music Festival)
Live Music Festival is a music festival that has been taking place in Kraków, Poland since 2006.
Kraków Live Festival is a two-day music festival based in Kraków and organized by Alter Art. Each year two stages are built on the area destined for the festival, next to the stages there are created: a gastronomic area and an area with non-music attractions. The festival line-up is based on the worldwide famous artists as well as on the selected group of Polish artists.
From livefestival.pl
🎫 Examples of prices from the website:
2-day ticket ~ 469 zł (102€)
2-day tikcket with camping ~ 549 zł (120€)
📆 Date: 19-20.08.2022, Kraków, Lotnisko – Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego
🎄 Cracow Christmas Market
Like in almost European big cities Christmas time means Christmas markets. If you would like to visit them this year – Krakow Christmas Market Dates are usually the last Friday (or weekend) in November when the Krakow Christmas market opens. So for 2022 that would make it the 25th November 2022 as the likely opening date.
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