4 Days in Kraków: The Perfect Itinerary

Kraków is a very easy city to love.

The capital of Poland until 1596, it was also the capital of the General Government during the German occupation. As it was not in the Nazis’ interests to destroy the city’s infrastructure, unlike many Polish cities, Kraków made it through World War II (WWII) with barely a scratch.

As a result, today you can enjoy its perfectly preserved historic centre from Gothic to Renaissance, through to Baroque and Art Nouveau.

Better still, in addition to being an enchanting destination in its own right, Kraków is a great base from which to take day trips. It remains a relatively inexpensive city to visit and is one of the best solo travel destinations in Europe.

This is a great city at any time of year, but Christmas in Kraków is something special.

The city looks super festive, has one of the best Christmas markets in Europe and is open for business. If you are lucky, there will even be a gentle dusting of snow.

But what are the best things to do in 4 days in Krakow? 

Make the most of your time there with this 4-day Kraków itinerary. At the end of this article, you’ll also find tips on how to get around Kraków and away from the city, and recommendations of where to eat and where to stay once you are there.

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Planning Your Trip to Krakow

Getting your hands on a good guidebook to help you to plan your trip to Krakow and to explore the city and its surroundings whilst you are there, is a smart move. I recommend this Lonely Planet Pocket Krakow guide.

>>> CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR GUIDED DAY TRIP TO THE WIELICZCKA SALT MINE AND AUSCHWITZ WITH FREE CANCELLATION

Day 1: Explore Kraków’s Old Town and Wawel Castle

As many of Kraków’s landmarks are close together and much of the old city is pedestrianised, a walking tour of Krakow’s old town is your best bet.

Starting at St.Florian’s Gate, stroll along Floriańska Street to the Market Square, home to Kraków’s Christmas market.

Dominating this square is St. Mary’s Church, the city’s geographic and spiritual beating heart. Arrive there at the top of the hour, and you will hear a bugle call (hejnal) sound from the taller of its two towers.

Across the Market Square from St. Mary’s Church is the Cloth Hall, Kraków’s temple to commercialism since 1257.

Exiting the other side of the Cloth Hall, adjacent to the remnants of the old town hall is Eros Bound, Igor Mitoraj’s sculpture of a disembodied head. Although controversial, this has become a popular Kraków landmark.

The next stop is the Collegium Maius (Jagiellońska 15), the oldest college of Poland’s oldest university. Don’t miss the show put on by the courtyard clock at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm (plus 9 am and 5 pm in the summer months).

Lovers of Art Nouveau should not miss the nearby Franciscan Church (pl. Wszystkich Świętych).

Upon entering the church, turn around and look up at the window above the main door. The stained glass masterpiece by Stansilaw Wyspicński – Let It Be – depicts God emerging from the sinuous, elemental cosmos.

Head along Grodzka and at the magnificent baroque church of St Peter and Paul, walk across Mary Magdalen Square and turn left down Kanonicza. Taking its name from the canons who lived there from the 14^th Century onwards, this is one of the oldest streets in Kraków.

At the end of Kanoniczka is Wawel Hill, home to Kraków Cathedral and the Royal Castle. Kraków was the capital of Poland from 1038 until 1596 and Wawel Castle served as the royal residence and seat of power.

Don’t leave here without saying ‘hello’ to the fire-breathing dragon standing guard at the foot of Wawel Hill. According to local legend, Kraków was founded on his defeat, and his lair was in a cave at the foot of Wawel Hill.

>>> GET THE LOWDOWN ON THOSE DRAGONS. CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR AUDIOGUIDE OF WAWEL HILL.

How to explore Kraków’s old town

• I explored the old town on a guided tour with Walkative!, returning to take a closer look at places pointed out by the guide later that day.
• This old town free tour was excellent. It runs three times a day, even on Christmas Day when I did it.
• As the name suggests it is free but tips are appreciated.

FIND OUT MORE: The Royal Road: A Kraków Walking Tour

Day 2: Visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, 12 km southeast of Kraków, is an easy day trip from the city. Over 700 years old, just 1% of the mine’s 300 km labyrinthine network of tunnels is open to those taking a guided tour.

Descending 47 flights of stairs to the first chamber, ‘The Bono’, at 64 meters below the surface, the tour takes you from chamber to chamber, through narrow corridors hewn into the mine’s salt base.

Learn about how salt played a major role in the fortunes of the Kingdom of Poland, particularly in those of Casimir the Great (1310 – 1370).

Are you searching for an unusual wedding location? Then, why not get married at St Kinga’s Chapel? This is the most spectacular of the chapels dotted around the Wieliczka Mine and, at just over 100 meters below ground, it really will prove How Deep Is Your Love.

To be frank, if time is short, I would dump the Wieliczka Salt Mine from your Kraków itinerary.  It’s expensive by Polish standards and feels like a bit of a tourist trap.

In my view, you would be better off exploring the city’s other, more cultural, activities.

But having said that, it’s not often that you are given the opportunity to visit a Disneyfied mine complete with chapels made from salt. Embrace the kitsch!

How to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine

It is easy to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mine from Kraków under your own steam.

Catch a train from Kraków Glówny (the central station) to the end of the line at Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia. The salt mine is a five-minute walk from the train station; the route is clearly signposted.

You can buy your train ticket for the 30-minute journey through Kraków’s suburbs from the machines at the station or from the conductor on board. Check the train timetable here.

But if you prefer someone to take care of the travel arrangements for you, you can visit the Wieliczka Mine on an organised day trip from Kraków. Here are a few of the most popular excursions:

WIELICZKA SALT MINE TOUR FROM KRAKÓW

Explore the salt mine on the Tourist Route tour with a transfer from your hotel and a drop-off in Kraków city centre. 

—> BOOK YOUR TOUR HERE

VISIT THE SALT MINE TOUR WITH PRIVATE TRANSFER FROM KRAKÓW 

Enjoy the convenience of a private transfer with this affordable half-day excursion that includes your guided tour of the salt mine.

—> BOOK YOUR TOUR HERE

FIND OUT MORE: Visiting the Wieliczka Mine: Is it worth its salt?

Day 3: Explore Kraków’s Jewish History

Your third day in Kraków is one of two halves.

Spend the morning exploring Kazimierz, the old Jewish Quarter. In the afternoon, head to Podgorze, the site of the ghetto and Schindler’s Factory.

In common with other Polish cities, the human cost of the Nazi occupation in Kraków was immense.

In 1941, the city’s Jews were forcibly moved from the Kazimierz across the Vistula River to a ghetto created in Podgorze. Immortalised in Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List, the Nazis subsequently emptied the Kraków Ghetto in three waves, including deportation to Auschwitz.

Exploring Kazimierz

Kazimierz was founded in 1335 by Casimir the Great (remember him from the day before?) as a separate city, only becoming a district of Kraków in the 19^th Century. Boasting its own town hall, defence walls and large churches, Kazimierz rivalled Kraków in position and wealth.

The history of Kazimierz is closely entwined with that of Kraków’s, and Poland’s, Jewish population.

Although Jewish merchants started to arrive in Poland as early as 966, the first extensive emigration was at the time of The Crusades in the 11^th Century. The tsunami of religious zealotism and intolerance sweeping across Western Europe meant that non-Christians were forced to pack their bags and seek a new home.

This mass immigration was a good deal for both the Jewish and the Polish people. In exchange for safe haven, Poland could take advantage of the Jews’ not-inconsiderable knowledge.

However, it was King Jan Olbracht (1459 – 1501) who was responsible for Kazimierz’s distinctive nature. In the wake of anti-Semitic protests in the late 15^th Century, he moved the Jewish population here under his protection and Kazimierz became an important centre of Jewish culture.

Kazimierz’s sacred architecture bears silent witness to centuries of peaceful co-existence between Christians and Jews.

To the west is Kazimierz’s Christian section, centred on Plac Wolnica, the site of a popular Sunday flea market and also a filming location for Schindler’s List. A visit to the nearby Corpus Christi Church is worth it for its extraordinary 15^th Century altar.

In the east, you have the Jewish half, centred around Szeroka which boasts the oldest preserved synagogue in Poland.

The aptly named Old Synagogue dates from the 15^th Century with some remodelling done in the 16^th and 18^th Centuries. It now houses the Galicia Jewish Museum, chronicling the history and culture of Kraków’s Jews.

This harmony between the two faiths changed with the arrival of World War II.

Prior to 1939, there were an estimated 60,000 Jews living in Kraków. After the Germans occupied the city, Kraków was ‘ethnically cleansed’ and those Jews who chose to remain in the city – or were unable to leave – were forcibly relocated across the river to Podgorze.

Today, officially there are just 840 Jewish people living in Kraków, 100 of whom are Orthodox Jews.

Visiting Podgorze, the Eagle Pharmacy and Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory

Traces of the former Jewish ghetto in Podgorze are still visible today.

Cross the Bernatek footbridge, linking Kazimierz with Podgorze, and keep going until you reach Plac Bohaterów, the heart of the Kraków Ghetto. Today, a memorial comprising evenly-spaced wooden chairs fills this square, symbolising the furniture destroyed by the Nazis during the liquidation of the ghetto.

At No. 18 is the Eagle Pharmacy.

Tadeusz Pankiewicz, the Polish owner of Apteka Pod Orłem as it was then known, and his staff were the only non-Jews living and working in the ghetto during the occupation. Pankiewicz and his staff risked their lives to help the ghetto’s inhabitants, acquiring food and falsifying documents.

Along with Oskar Schindler, the pharmacist is now today one of the ‘Righteous Among the Nations‘, honoured by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

Today, the Eagle Pharmacy has been restored and is an interactive museum charting the lives of those in the Kraków Ghetto. It is well worth spending at least an hour there. It’s not often that a pharmacist is cast as a hero!

Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory is a ten-minute walk from the Eagle Pharmacy.

Since the release of Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List in 1993, the story of Oskar Schindler has become well known. Along with his wife, Emilie, this German industrialist risked his life to save more than 1,200 Jews from the gas chambers by employing them in his factories.

>>> CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR FAST-TRACK TICKET TO SCHINDLER’S FACTORY

Today, the site of his former factory is a thoroughly absorbing museum chronicling life in Kraków under the Nazi Occupation, through a series of documents from the archives, photos, artefacts and multimedia. MOCAK, Kraków’s contemporary art museum, is the adjacent, larger part of the factory.

Visiting Schindler’s Enamel Factory

• The museum is located at 4 Lipowa Street
• Plan on spending at least a couple of hours here, more if you can manage it.
• Backpacks are not allowed into the museum and you will need to check these in. Bring a smaller back if possible.

How to get to Kazimierz and Podgorze

You can walk to Kazimierz and Podgorze from the old town. From Wawel Castle to Kazimierz, this will take you 15 minutes. Alternatively, catch tram #3 or #24.

Day 4: Take a Day Trip to Auschwitz

Auschwitz was the final destination for many in the Kraków Ghetto and was an important reason for my visit to Kraków.

It was, in fact, a collection of camps. Auschwitz I, a former Polish Army barracks, had its first intake of political prisoners in June 1940.

However, Hitler’s murderous ambition had no limits. In 1941, to increase the camp’s capacity from 30,000 to 100,000, the Nazis built Auschwitz II – Birkenau, 3km northwest of Auschwitz I.

Today, Auschwitz I serves as a museum, many of its red-brick barrack buildings housing exhibitions displaying a total of 80,000 artefacts from lives lost during the Holocaust. By contrast, Auschwitz II – Birkenau, twenty times the size of Auschwitz I, is more of a memorial to those who perished.

From the moment you enter Auschwitz I under the twisted iron of the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate, a visit to this former death camp is an unforgettable and profoundly moving experience.

Documentary images of those who perished stare out at you, frozen in at that moment in time. Their collected belongings – pots and pans, suitcases, footwear, combs and brushes, tins of hair pomade – declare their belief that they were moving onto a different life.

Take time to stop and reflect at the unloading ramp at Auschwitz II – Birkenau.

It was here that the cattle-cart rail transport unloaded its human cargo and, with a swift flick of his finger, the SS Commander decided who would live and who would die on that day.

It was here also that dreams started to die. Dreams of a new home. Dreams of a new life. Dreams of meeting children and grandchildren yet to be born.

How to visit Auschwitz

Allow a full day to visit Auschwitz.

As a bare minimum, you will need at least 90 minutes to visit Auschwitz I and a further 60 minutes for Auschwitz II – Birkenau. You can either visit Auschwitz independently or as part of a tour group from Kraków.

On balance, visiting Auschwitz on an organised day tour from Kraków is the better option.

The organised trip I joined was convenient and the guide was excellent, providing far more context than I could have gleaned from a guidebook. However, it sometimes felt rushed and it didn’t give much of an opportunity for quiet reflection whilst there.

I used GetYourGuide to identify options for day trips to Auschwitz. In my experience, they are reliable, offer a good selection of tours and you can cancel up to 24 hours before your excursion for a full refund.

If you wish to visit Auschwitz independently, both buses and trains run between Kraków and Oświęcim. 

Taking the bus is more convenient as most will drop you by the entrance to Auschwitz-I. A free shuttle bus runs between Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II – Birkenau every 30 minutes. Click here to plan your journey to Auschwitz.

As it’s a little complicated, check the Auschwitz – Birkenau Memorial and Museum website for detailed information on tickets, including how to book.

FIND OUT MORE: Is Auschwitz Worth Visiting?

Where to Eat in Kraków

For me, one of the best things about Kraków is that it hasn’t sold its soul to tourism.

This is largely thanks to its large student population, 200,000 at the last count, around a quarter of the city’s population. This keeps things real.

Away from the more tourist-oriented bars and restaurants, you can feast on a meal for 15 PLN washed down with a glass of craft beer for 5 PLN.

Here are a few places that I can recommend:

Pierogarnia Krakowiacy (Szewska 23)

For cheap and delicious pierogi, this wonderfully old-fashioned cafe has deservedly garnered plaudits from foodies.

Take a seat, peruse the small menu and order at the counter. You will be given a ticket and when your number is called, you collect your tasty dish. It’s as simple as that.

Klimaty Poludniul (Św. Gertrudy 5)

For a more upmarket experience, visit this friendly restaurant on the outskirts of the old town. Delicious food with an Italian emphasis and the best glass of Primitivo I have ever tasted (and I have tasted quite a few).

Cafe Camelot (Świętego Tomasza 17)

This characterful cafe tucked in a side street behind Market Square serves fantastic coffee and food from breakfast through to dinner. I recommend their hot honey vodka!

Cukiernia Cichowsky (Starowiślna 21)

If you are walking between the old town and Kazimierz, stop off here for gloriously sinful cake and coffee.

How to Get to Kraków

Getting from Kraków airport to the centre of the city is easy, thanks to a great rail connection.

Frequent trains run from the train station at the airport to its central station (Główny). A one-way ticket will set you back 9 PLN (as of October 2022) and the 16km journey takes just over 15 minutes.

You can buy your ticket from the machines on the platform or from one of the conductors on board.

There are also rail connections to other major European cities.

How to get around Kraków

Due to its compact size, the old city is walkable.

However, if you need to go further afield or your accommodation is not centrally located, then a tram is your best bet. Kraków’s tram network is modern and efficient. Ticket machines are at tram stops.

Where to stay in Kraków

There is no shortage of places to stay in Kraków, accommodating all budgets. Here are a few options.