10 Worthwhile Things to Do in Kraków, Poland

While I only got to spend about two weeks in Poland, Kraków easily became one of my favorite cities I’ve visited so far! For me, the city was a great size; big enough to take trams around but not so big that it was overwhelming, with quite a bit to see just by walking around different districts. The food was incredible, the sights were beautiful, and it was all very affordable, especially traveling with two other people! Public transportation in Kraków was abundant and very easy to figure out, as well, which is extremely important when traveling abroad and wanting to make the most of your time in a new city.

Of all the countries I’ve stayed in (for longer than a day trip), Kraków was the shortest, but it’s packed with such great memories! So many that I’ve put together a list of my favorite things to do in the city–I hope it’ll inspire you to visit Kraków and experience all the awesome things this city has to offer!

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1. Visit the Old Town

In pretty much any European city, visiting the Old Town is a must, and Kraków was no different. I only actually got to walk through the Old Town once because my stay got cut a bit short, but the afternoon we spent walking down gorgeous streets and admiring the beautiful buildings was still perfect. There’s just something about walking into a huge plaza filled with people dining outdoors under streetlights, nestled against colorful old buildings and gorgeous towers that gives me a sense of nostalgia every time. As far as Old Towns go, Kraków’s has definitely been one of my favorites in Europe so far.

2. Drink Pijana Wiśnia

Right near the Old Town you’ll find a pijana wisnia shop, and I 100% recommend you stop in and try some! It’s a super yummy cherry liqueur, and it made for a great little pick-me-up in the middle of our long day spent walking around. The shop itself was gorgeous, too, filled to the brim with branded liqueur bottles and signage. Definitely a stop to make on a chilly afternoon when you want a warm little drink to give you a buzz!

3. Hang Out at Forum

In my now personal experience, hanging out by the river at Forum is a great way to spend a day with nice weather in Kraków! It’s a huge outdoor area with a food hall and multiple bars, complete with countless lawn chairs and tables to enjoy your food and drink while people watching outside. We got huge servings at Tres Amigos for about $8 USD, a big mojito pitcher to share, and an hour or two spent lounging and dog watching. There’s a big carnival with rides right next door, too, so that could add to the fun as well (or just make for a more entertaining walk through).

4. Admire the Architecture

I say it in almost every blog post, but my favorite thing to do in cities is just wander and admire everything. Exploring new areas, getting lost down random streets, stumbling upon beautiful architecture around every corner–it’s the absolute best way to adventure around a new place. Kraków has no shortage of incredible architecture, either, so whether you’re in the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz), or across the river, you’ll see amazing buildings and structures pretty much everywhere you go here.

5. Cross the Bridge of Locks

Our Airbnb was on the south side of the river, so we often crossed the Bridge of Locks, or the Bernatka Bridge, when exploring or taking the tram. The bridge connects the Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz) and the former Jewish ghetto of WWII, where we stayed (Stare Podgórze). There’s a beautiful art installation by Polish artist Jerzy ‘Jotki’ Kędziora on the wires of the bridge as well, which is fully worth a walk over the bridge even just to see that. If you’re visiting with a loved one, hang a lock on the bridge for fun!

6. Enjoy Local Foods

My favorite part of any trip to a new city is indulging in local food, and in Kraków, boy did I keep my plate full! You can read all about my favorite foods from the city in this blog post, but I’ll just say here: go to Mirror Bistro and go crazy with the pierogi options. Every single one is delicious. They’re pictured below and I miss them every day.

7. Stop at a Food Truck

Continuing on the food train, I discovered while there that Kraków is a great city for food trucks! We always found them in the seemingly most random or unexpected places, and every single truck looked like it had amazing food. My personal favorite was the huge cone of Belgian fries I devoured for late night snack, but there are so many options all around the city, from chimney cakes to burgers to baked potatoes to rolled ice cream and more!

8. Explore the Markets

Wandering through street markets are such a wonderful way to spend a day in any city, so I was super happy to see these booths at Plac Nowy for their Saturday flea market. There are definitely lots of markets to choose from, though, including Cloth Hall in the Old Town, the Parsley Market at Plac Niepodległości, and more!

9. Visit a Bookstore Cafe

After looking around for a good coffee shop to have our book club discussion in one afternoon, we popped into Cytat Cafe and it couldn’t have been a better spot. The walls are literally covered floor to ceiling in books, and there are fun literary quotes and references all over the cafe. If you’re a book nerd, or just want a cool spot to grab a coffee and a pastry, this is absolutely the spot for you!

10. Take a Tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau

If you’re visiting Poland, I fully believe you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t make time to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. We opted to take a guided tour through Airbnb experiences, and it was truly one of the most moving and impactful experiences I’ve ever had. I speak about the tour more in this blog post, but if I could only suggest one thing to do when visiting Kraków, it would be to take the extra hour or so of travel time to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, pay your respects, and gain an entirely new and emotional perspective of one of the biggest events in our world’s history.