Day 1: Old Town & Wawel Royal District
Rynek Główny & St. Mary's Basilica
Start at Rynek Główny — Europe's largest medieval market square. The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) houses souvenir stalls below and the Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art above (free Sundays). St. Mary's Basilica's Veit Stoss altarpiece is one of Europe's greatest Gothic masterpieces (12 PLN). Listen for the hejnał trumpet call every hour. Coffee at Camelot on ul. Św. Tomasza — a Kraków institution.
Wawel Castle Complex
Walk up Wawel Hill — the seat of Polish kings for 500 years. The Royal Castle has multiple exhibitions: State Rooms (30 PLN), Royal Private Apartments (27 PLN), Crown Treasury & Armoury (25 PLN). The Renaissance courtyard is stunning and free to enter. Walk the castle ramparts for views over the Vistula River. Visit Wawel Cathedral (free, tower climb 18 PLN) where Polish monarchs were crowned.
Vistula Riverbank & Dinner
Walk along the Vistula River boulevards — a favourite local hangout. In summer, pop-up bars and food trucks line the banks. Dinner at Pod Baranem on Rynek Główny for traditional Polish cuisine with a view — pierogi, golonka (pork knuckle), and żurek soup in a bread bowl. Then a nightcap at Bunkier Café — a modernist cultural space overlooking the Planty gardens.
Day 2: Kazimierz & Jewish Heritage
Kazimierz Jewish Quarter
Explore Kazimierz — once the centre of Jewish life in Kraków and now the city's most vibrant neighbourhood. Walk ul. Szeroka, visit the Old Synagogue museum (free Mondays), and see the Remuh Synagogue and cemetery still in active use. The area's history spans 600 years — from a thriving Jewish community to the devastation of the Holocaust and its rebirth as a cultural quarter.
Schindler's Factory & Podgórze
Cross the river to Podgórze — the wartime Jewish ghetto. Visit Oskar Schindler's Factory museum (free Mondays, otherwise 32 PLN) — a powerful, immersive exhibition about Kraków under Nazi occupation. Walk to Ghetto Heroes Square with its haunting empty chairs memorial, and see the remnants of the ghetto wall on ul. Lwowska. Lunch at Starka on ul. Józefa — excellent Polish comfort food.
Plac Nowy & Kazimierz Nightlife
Start at Plac Nowy for a zapiekanka from the round okrąglak market hall — toasted baguettes with mushrooms, cheese, and toppings (10–15 PLN). Kazimierz's nightlife is legendary: Alchemia is the iconic candlelit cellar bar with live klezmer music. Eszeweria has a vintage-furniture aesthetic. Omerta does excellent cocktails. Beer is 10–15 PLN everywhere, making this one of Europe's cheapest nights out.
Day 3: Day Trip — Wieliczka Salt Mine
Wieliczka Salt Mine
Take bus 304 from Kraków Główny to Wieliczka (40 minutes, 5 PLN). The 700-year-old salt mine descends 135 metres underground through carved chapels, underground lakes, and crystalline chambers. The Chapel of St. Kinga — an entire cathedral carved from salt — is jaw-dropping. The Tourist Route takes 2–3 hours and covers 3.5km underground. Book the English-language tour (94 PLN online).
Podgórze Food & Zabłocie
Back in Kraków, explore the emerging Zabłocie neighbourhood — a former industrial area now home to galleries, cafés, and MOCAK (Museum of Contemporary Art, 14 PLN). Lunch at Przystanek Pierogarnia for handmade pierogi (traditional Polish dumplings) with fillings from classic potato-cheese (ruskie) to wild mushroom — plates from 22 PLN. This is comfort food at its finest.
Old Town Farewell
Final evening in the Old Town. Walk the Planty — the green belt encircling the old city where the medieval walls once stood. Dinner at Miód Malina for Polish-Mediterranean fusion in a beautiful vaulted cellar (mains 35–55 PLN). End at Piękny Pies in Kazimierz — a relaxed bar with craft beer and a loyal local crowd — or Black Gallery for late-night dancing.
