Kraków 7-day itinerary

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. 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.

Descend into the Rynek Underground Museum beneath the main square (free Tuesdays, otherwise 28 PLN) — a fascinating multimedia journey through medieval Kraków. Then visit the Collegium Maius, the oldest building of Jagiellonian University where Copernicus studied. The courtyard is free; the museum tour (12 PLN) includes historic instruments and ceremonial halls.

Dinner at Miód Malina in the Old Town — Polish-Mediterranean fusion in a beautiful vaulted cellar (mains 35–55 PLN). Then walk the Planty — the green belt encircling the old city where medieval walls once stood. The 4km circuit passes the Barbican, Floriańska Gate, and Wawel Hill, all beautifully lit after dark. Nightcap at Bunkier Café overlooking the park.

Walk up Wawel Hill — the seat of Polish kings for 500 years. Tour the State Rooms (30 PLN) for Renaissance tapestries and the stunning Senators' Hall. The Crown Treasury & Armoury (25 PLN) holds the famous Szczerbiec coronation sword. Walk the castle ramparts for views over the Vistula. Visit Wawel Cathedral (free, tower 18 PLN) where Polish monarchs were crowned and buried.

Walk the Vistula River boulevards south of Wawel — Kraków's favourite promenade with pop-up bars in summer. Cross to the Manggha Centre of Japanese Art & Technology (20 PLN) — a striking building by Arata Isozaki with excellent exhibitions. Lunch at Kogel Mogel on ul. Garbarska for modern Polish cuisine (mains 30–45 PLN) or grab a kebab from one of the riverside food trucks.

Walk ul. Kanonicza — considered Poland's most beautiful street with Renaissance and Gothic townhouses. Dinner at Pod Baranem on the main square for a proper Polish feast: żurek (sour rye soup) in a bread bowl, followed by duck with dumplings. Then explore the wine bars tucked into Old Town cellars — Vis-a-Vis on Rynek Główny or Szara Gęś's wine bar.

Explore Kazimierz's Jewish heritage — walk ul. Szeroka, visit the Old Synagogue museum (free Mondays), and see the Remuh Synagogue and cemetery still in active use. The Galicia Jewish Museum (20 PLN) on ul. Dajwór has a moving photographic exhibition of traces of Jewish life in southern Poland. The area spans 600 years of history from thriving community to devastation and rebirth.

Cross the river to Podgórze. 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 70 empty chairs memorial representing the victims. See the remnants of the ghetto wall on ul. Lwowska. Lunch at Starka on ul. Józefa for pierogi and beetroot soup.

Kazimierz has Kraków's best nightlife. Start with a zapiekanka at Plac Nowy's okrąglak (10–15 PLN). Then bar-hop: Alchemia for candlelit cellar atmosphere and klezmer music, Eszeweria for vintage furniture vibes, Singer for sewing machine tables and cheap beer. Most places serve beer at 10–15 PLN. For dancing, try Miejsce or head to Thirty Three for cocktails.

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 rock salt with chandeliers made of salt crystals — is jaw-dropping. Book the English-language Tourist Route tour (94 PLN online).

Back in Kraków, explore Zabłocie — a former industrial area now home to galleries, cafés, and MOCAK (Museum of Contemporary Art, free Tuesdays, otherwise 14 PLN). The converted factory space hosts cutting-edge exhibitions. Lunch at Przystanek Pierogarnia for the best handmade pierogi in the city — traditional ruskie, wild mushroom, and seasonal specials from 22 PLN.

Take tram 4 to Nowa Huta — the socialist-realist "ideal city" built by the communist regime in the 1950s as a workers' utopia. The monumental architecture along Aleja Róż is surreal. Visit the Nowa Huta Museum (free) and have dinner at Stylowa — a retro milk bar (bar mleczny) serving Polish classics for 10–20 PLN. The contrast with the Old Town is fascinating and deeply Kraków.

Take the early bus from MDA station (1.5 hours, 18 PLN return). Auschwitz-Birkenau is the most important memorial site of the Holocaust. Entry to Auschwitz I is free but guided tours (75 PLN, 3.5 hours) are recommended and often required in peak season. The exhibition in the original camp buildings is deeply harrowing and profoundly important. Allow your emotions space.

A free shuttle runs between Auschwitz I and Birkenau (3km apart). Birkenau is vast — 170 hectares of barracks, ruins, and the railway tracks that carried victims to the gas chambers. Walk the site at your own pace. The scale is overwhelming and communicates the industrial nature of the horror in a way nothing else can. The memorial at the end of the railway tracks is a place for reflection.

Return to Kraków in the late afternoon. After Auschwitz, most people need a quiet evening. Walk along the Vistula in the fading light. Have a gentle dinner at Marchewka z Groszkiem in Kazimierz — a vegetarian-friendly spot with comforting Polish food (mains 25–35 PLN). Or simply sit in the Planty gardens and let the day settle. There's no pressure to "do" anything tonight.

Explore Podgórze beyond the war history — it's now one of Kraków's most creative neighbourhoods. Climb Krakus Mound (free) for a 360° panorama of the city — locals consider this the best viewpoint in Kraków. Walk through the green spaces of Park Bednarskiego, then browse the independent shops and cafés along ul. Kalwaryjska and ul. Limanowskiego.

Head to Stary Kleparz Market near the train station — Kraków's oldest market with fresh produce, flowers, cheese, smoked meats, and local products at a fraction of Old Town prices. Lunch at a genuine bar mleczny (milk bar) — these communist-era subsidised canteens still serve Polish classics for 10–20 PLN. Try Bar Mleczny pod Temidą near the courts for an authentic experience.

Kraków has a booming craft beer scene. Start at Omerta for cocktails, then House of Beer on ul. Św. Tomasza for 100+ Polish craft brews on tap (15–22 PLN per pint). Forum Przestrzenie on the Vistula riverbank is a repurposed communist-era hotel turned bar and cultural space — sit on the concrete terrace with cheap beer and river views. Live DJ sets on weekends.

Lazy morning at Bunkier Café with coffee and cake overlooking the Planty gardens. Then visit the Jagiellonian University Botanical Garden (10 PLN) — a peaceful oasis of greenery in the city centre, dating to 1783. Walk through the greenhouses and herb gardens. Then stroll ul. Grodzka — one of Kraków's oldest streets, connecting the main square to Wawel.

Last shopping at the Cloth Hall for Polish souvenirs — amber jewellery, Bolesławiec pottery, and wooden boxes. For foodie souvenirs, pick up oscypek (smoked sheep's cheese from the Tatras) and Kraków's famous obwarzanek (pretzel rings, 2–3 PLN from street carts). Final pierogi lunch at Pierogarnia Krakowiacy on Rynek Główny or the more authentic Zapiecek.

Final dinner at Starka on ul. Józefa in Kazimierz for a farewell Polish feast — house-infused vodkas, wild boar pierogi, and traditional desserts. Or splurge at Pod Różą, one of Kraków's oldest restaurants in a historic hotel. End the night at Piękny Pies in Kazimierz — a relaxed local bar with craft beer and a crowd that embodies everything great about this city.