Top 10 Things to Do in Krakow: From the Main Square to the Salt Mines
Krakow is the city that keeps revealing itself. The main square is obvious. Wawel Castle is obvious. But 135 meters underground there's a chapel carved from salt. In the hipster neighborhood there's a synagogue that survived the Holocaust. And in the bars around Plac Nowy, you can drink craft beer for €2.50 until 4AM on a Tuesday.
Here are the ten things that matter.
1. Stand in Rynek Główny (Main Market Square)
Europe's largest medieval square — 40,000 square meters. The Renaissance Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) dominates the center. St. Mary's Basilica anchors one corner, its mismatched towers a deliberate design choice (legend says two brothers competed to build the tallest tower; one murdered the other and died of guilt).
Every hour, a trumpeter plays the hejnał from the taller tower — the melody that breaks off mid-note. Free to listen. The square is free to explore. The underground museum below (28 PLN) reveals archaeological layers of medieval Krakow.
Pro Tip: The Rynek Underground museum is excellent and uncrowded before 11AM. The multimedia exhibits on medieval trade routes are genuinely engaging.
2. Explore Wawel Castle & Cathedral
The hilltop castle-cathedral complex where Polish kings ruled for 500 years. Multiple exhibits with separate tickets:
State Rooms: 30 PLN — Renaissance interiors, Flemish tapestries
Crown Treasury & Armoury: 25 PLN — the coronation sword
Cathedral: Free. Tower climb: 15 PLN
Open Tue-Sun 9:30AM-5PM. Allow 3-4 hours for the full complex. Free entry to the courtyard, which is worth seeing even without entering the exhibits.
Pro Tip: Wawel has daily visitor caps for each exhibit. Come before 10AM or buy tickets online. Tuesday is the least crowded weekday.
3. Descend into Wieliczka Salt Mine
700 years old. 135 meters underground. Chapels, sculptures, and an entire cathedral — all carved from rock salt. The Chapel of St. Kinga has chandeliers made of salt crystals, salt floor tiles, and salt bas-reliefs of biblical scenes. It's genuinely one of the most extraordinary things I've seen in Europe.
14 km from Krakow (30 min by minibus from Galeria Krakowska). Guided tours only: 99 PLN (~$25). Tours run every 30 min. Temperature underground is 14°C year-round — bring a jacket. Allow 3 hours including travel.
Pro Tip: Book the English-language tour online at wieliczka-saltmine.com. Morning tours have fewer people.
4. Walk Kazimierz (Jewish Quarter)
Krakow's historic Jewish district, now its hippest neighborhood. The dichotomy is deliberate — the area's revival acknowledges what was destroyed while creating something new.
Visit the Old Synagogue (12 PLN) and the Remuh Synagogue and Cemetery. Walk the streets featured in Schindler's List. Then explore the vintage shops on Józefa Street, grab a zapiekanka at Plac Nowy (12-18 PLN), and sit in a bar where the beer costs less than a bottle of water in London.
Allow 2-3 hours for the historical sites, longer if you're staying for the nightlife.
Pro Tip: Schindler's Factory museum in nearby Podgórze (28 PLN) is outstanding — the permanent exhibition on Krakow under Nazi occupation is one of the best WWII museums I've visited. Book online.
5. Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial
70 km west of Krakow. The former Nazi concentration and extermination camp. Free entry, but guided tours are required during peak hours (90 PLN for 3.5 hrs). Book 2-3 months ahead at auschwitz.org.
Bus from Galeria Krakowska: 15 PLN each way, 1.5 hours. Several Krakow tour operators run transport + guide packages (€30-50).
This is not a "thing to do." It's a historical obligation. Allow a full day. It will be the most difficult and most important day of your trip.
Pro Tip: If the official tours are sold out, try visiting before 10AM or after 3PM when self-guided entry is sometimes available.
6. Eat Pierogi Until You Can't Move
Krakow's pierogi are handmade, cheap, and better than anything you'll find in a Polish restaurant abroad. The holy trinity:
Ruskie: Potato and farmer's cheese
Z mięsem: Meat-filled
Z kapustą i grzybami: Sauerkraut and wild mushroom
Przystanek Pierogarnia (Meiselsa Street): 22 PLN for a plate of 10-12 pierogi. Simple, no-frills, excellent. Pierogarnia Krakowiacy (Szewska Street): More variety, slightly touristy, still good.
Also try: żurek (sour rye soup) at Chłopskie Jadło, obwarzanek (3 PLN pretzel from any street cart), and oscypek (smoked sheep's cheese, grilled, served with cranberry sauce — a Tatra Mountain specialty sold on Krakow's streets).
Pro Tip: Obwarzanek vendors are licensed and regulated by the city — the quality is consistent. Buy one with poppy seeds (z makiem). They're better warm.
7. Walk the Planty Park Belt
A 4 km green belt that circles the old town where the medieval city walls once stood. Perfect for a morning walk or run. Pass the Barbican (9 PLN — a massive medieval defensive gateway), the Floriańska Gate, and the Jagiellonian University.
Free. Allow 1.5 hours for the full loop at a walking pace.
Pro Tip: The Barbican is best visited from outside — it's more impressive architecturally than the small exhibition inside.
8. Cross the River to Podgórze
Across the Vistula from Kazimierz, Podgórze was the site of the Krakow Ghetto during WWII. The Ghetto Heroes' Square has a memorial of oversized chairs representing the deportees. Schindler's Factory (28 PLN) is here — the permanent exhibition covers wartime Krakow through personal stories, documents, and reconstructed rooms.
MOCAK (Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, 14 PLN) is next door — temporary exhibitions of Polish and international contemporary art. The building itself is on the site of Schindler's factory complex.
Tram from old town: 15 minutes. Use the Jakdojade app for routes.
9. Experience Krakow's Nightlife
Krakow has one of Europe's best nightlife scenes and nobody talks about it. The combination of low prices (beer 10-15 PLN, cocktails 20-30 PLN), late opening hours (many bars serve until 4AM+), and a massive student population (200,000+) creates a scene that rivals Berlin or Prague.
Where to go: Plac Nowy in Kazimierz is the epicenter. Alchemia is the legendary underground bar. Szewska Street in the old town is the louder, stag-party-heavy option. Dolnych Młynów is a converted factory complex with clubs, bars, and a food hall.
Friday and Saturday nights can get rowdy (Krakow is a popular stag/hen party destination). Weekday nights are more local and more interesting.
10. Take a Food Tour
Food tours run daily from 100-200 PLN, covering 6-8 tastings in 3 hours across the old town and Kazimierz. You'll eat pierogi, żurek, oscypek, zapiekanka, and drink local vodka. The guides explain the history behind each dish — Polish food carries a lot of cultural weight.
Eat Polska and Delicious Poland are well-reviewed operators. Book online.
Pro Tip: If you'd rather self-guide, here's the food walk: Obwarzanek from a cart → Żurek at Chłopskie Jadło → Pierogi at Przystanek Pierogarnia → Zapiekanka at Plac Nowy → Beer at Alchemia. Total cost: 55 PLN ($14).
The Numbers
What
Cost
Rynek Underground
28 PLN (~$7)
Wawel State Rooms
30 PLN (~$8)
Wieliczka Salt Mine
99 PLN (~$25)
Schindler's Factory
28 PLN (~$7)
Auschwitz guided tour
90 PLN (~$23)
Plate of pierogi
22 PLN (~$6)
Beer (bar)
10-15 PLN (~$2.50-4)
Hotel (mid-range)
200-350 PLN (~$50-90)
Krakow is one of Europe's best-value cities. Give it 3-4 nights. The old town is day one. Auschwitz is day two. Kazimierz, Wieliczka, and eating your way through the food scene fill the rest. And the nightlife — which starts where most European cities' nightlife ends — deserves at least one late night.
The hejnał plays every hour. The melody breaks. The city continues.
For a personal take, our Krakow travel narrative captures the emotional weight. Planning a broader trip? Our Krakow vs. Prague comparison breaks down both cities. And for another incredible-value destination with medieval heritage, Tallinn delivers Gothic charm at Baltic prices.
