Things to Do in Krakow in 4 Days

Although four days in Kraków isn’t a long time, it’s enough to enjoy the most magical sights the city (and its surroundings) has to offer. However, it’s normal not to know which places are the must-sees and which ones you can safely skip.

But you’ve come to the right place, because I want to tell you about one of the most comprehensive ways to get to know this Polish city – which was once the country’s capital – in just a few days.

Kraków is a medieval gem, and any long weekend in this city simply must start at the Market Square. From there, you can easily reach the main sights. Are you ready? Let’s discover the best of Kraków!

Start your holiday with a traditional breakfast

Are you familiar with Polish breakfast? In this northern European country, the first meal of the day is also the most important, so much so that they usually have a second one at 11:00.

Locals usually start the day with a slice of bread with kielbasa (a flavoured sausage), scrambled eggs or quark with radishes. Hard-boiled eggs and herring may round off the menu.

Many establishments in the Market Square offer a traditional breakfast:

• Smakolyki (28 Straszewskiego Street).
• Dynia: particularly recommended for the warmer months as it has a lovely garden. (20 Krupnicza Street)
• Moment Resto Bar & Music: recommended if you’re staying in the Kazimierz district. (22 Estery Street)

Take a stroll through the Old Town

Until the 16th century, Kraków was the capital of Poland. King Sigismund III Vasa moved his court to Warsaw, but he could not take with him the splendid buildings that make up the city centre.

This area is very compact and can easily be explored on foot, either on your own or as part of a guided tour of the Old Town. On your walk, you’ll see a number of fascinating monuments:

• Market Square (Rynek Główny): one of the largest squares in Europe. It is surrounded by colourful houses, whilst in the centre stands one of the city’s symbols, the Cloth Hall, an old market that has retained its commercial function.
• Floriańska Street (ulica Floriańska): one of the country’s most prestigious shopping streets. It forms part of the Royal Route, an ancient path leading up to Wawel Hill.
• Wawel Hill: a hill overlooking the city. Here you’ll find the cathedral, Kraków Castle and a large cave where, according to legend, a dragon lived that tormented the locals.
• St Mary’s Basilica (Kościół Mariacki): the main church in the Old Town, easily distinguished by its asymmetrical towers.
• Barbican: one of the best-preserved medieval fortifications in Europe. It was built to control the nearby St Florian’s Gate

Relax in the greenery of Planty Park

After visiting the Barbican, you need only walk a few metres to reach Planty Park, a green belt encircling the city. No other city in Poland can boast such a beautiful spot!

This urban garden was created in the early 20th century, when the city authorities decided to convert the city walls into a leisure area.

Today, Planty Park is divided into eight gardens stretching over some 4 km.

Round off the day with a well-deserved dinner

To satisfy your hunger, there’s nothing better than a good plate of ribs. In Kraków, if you want to try this dish, head to Plac Dominikański 2. Here you’ll find the Rzeźnia restaurant, a haven for die-hard meat-lovers.

If you don’t fancy ribs, you can opt for a Polish tartare or some Buffalo-style chicken wings. At Rzeźnia, the portions are very generous and you can wash them down with a few shots of local vodka. After all, it’s not a working day tomorrow, is it?

And if you fancy something a bit more special, you can kill two birds with one stone by dining whilst enjoying a Polish folk show at a legendary restaurant in the city centre of Kraków. The choice is yours!

After exploring the Old Town, why not go on an excursion that takes you deep into the earth? Naturally, we’re talking about a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a magical place just a few kilometres from Kraków.

Spend a morning at the Wieliczka Salt Mine

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is located about 15 km from Kraków and is a very popular destination among both tourists and locals.

The mine was opened in the 14th century and its development is largely due to the efforts of King Casimir III the Great, who granted many privileges to the miners and founded a hospital to treat them.

This magical place is 327 metres deep and is criss-crossed by a network of chambers and galleries dotted with sculpted figures. Below is a brief list of its most famous attractions, which you can visit on a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine from Kraków:

• St Kinga’s Chapel: the mine’s flagship attraction. This place of worship was carved out by two visionary brothers over the course of 30 years of work.
• Weimar Chamber: its main attraction is its tiny illuminated lake.
• St Anthony’s Chapel: a Baroque monument carved from a block of green salt. It is decorated with figures of saints and features a pulpit carved entirely from salt.
• Gołuchowski Chamber and its station: during the 19th century, miners used an underground railway and the station was located in this very chamber.
• Spalone Chamber: the most ‘explosive’ spot in Wieliczka. Salt figures holding long poles commemorate the workers who risked their lives the most: the burners. Their task was to burn off the methane before its concentration caused an explosion.

Stroll through the Kazimierz district

In the 15th century, Jews were expelled from Kraków and ended up moving to this district. Before the Second World War, around 60,000 Jews lived here and worked in all sorts of trades, from catering to crafts.

But in 1941, the Germans arrived in the city and drove the residents from their homes. The Jews ended up living in the Podgórze district or in the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps.

After the war, Kazimierz fell into neglect and it was not until the 1990s that it returned to its former glory, so you can now take a tour of the Jewish quarter to explore it. Today, the former Jewish ghetto is the most vibrant neighbourhood in Kraków. The past comes alive in the synagogues, and at night the streets come alive thanks to a wealth of entertainment options:

• Klub Piękny Pies: ideal for a drink and enjoying indie, soul or grunge music. (Plac Wolnica 9)
• Alchemia: possibly the best-known bar in Kazimierz.
• For more info, I recommend reading the post ‘What to see and do in Kraków’s Jewish Quarter’.

Treat yourself to a meal at a traditional restaurant

Among the restaurants steeped in tradition, Czarna Kaczka deserves a special mention. Its name means ‘the black duck’ and, as you might imagine, it specialises in this type of meat. Here you can try:

• Cracow-style roast duck with horseradish and mushroom sauce.
• Duck breast in red wine, served with red cabbage and prune dumplings.
• Freshwater fish such as trout fried in butter or pike-perch fillet.
• Vegetarian dishes, including some excellent potato pancakes.

But if you fancy making the most of your visit to the Jewish quarter, you can try its dishes and soak up its culture to the full on a food tour of Kazimierz.

Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial to human cruelty. If you have four days, I recommend visiting this infamous site.

Visit the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp

This concentration camp claimed the lives of 1.1 million people. As the Second World War was drawing to a close, the Nazi authorities attempted to destroy the evidence of the genocide but, fortunately, the liberation of the camp in January 1945 prevented this from happening.

After the war, the Polish government decided to restore Auschwitz-Birkenau to turn it into a memorial and museum. Since 1979, the camp has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and welcomes over 2 million visitors each year.

Visiting Auschwitz from Kraków is possible, but it amounts to reliving a horrific chapter of contemporary history. However, knowledge is awareness.

• The article ‘How much does it cost to visit Auschwitz: ticket prices and guided tours’ explains all the available options in detail. I recommend choosing a morning tour, so you can return to Kraków in time for lunch.

Return to Kraków for lunch

Auschwitz-Birkenau is very large and you’ll spend much of your time walking between barracks and open fields. Although the place will leave you with a knot in your stomach, you might be hungry by the time you return to Kraków. A great way to satisfy your hunger is with some pierogi, the quintessential Polish comfort food.

There are dozens of specialist establishments, and two of the most highly rated are:

• Pierogarnia Station uses Ula’s recipe (the owners’ aunt) and has eight branches both in the centre and on the outskirts of Kraków.
• Robimy Pierogi: a food truck in the Kazimierz district (21 Dajwór Street), ideal if you don’t fancy sitting down and would rather grab some pierogi to take away. Their dumplings are handmade according to traditional recipes.

Enjoy a pleasant boat trip

After such a busy day, a relaxing activity is just the thing. As you know, the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Małopolska) is graced by the Vistula, a river that rises in the Carpathian Mountains and flows into the Baltic Sea. And on a cruise along the Vistula, you can admire buildings and monuments from a different perspective.

Cruises depart from Kraków’s river port (Bulwar Czerwieński) and last approximately one hour. Various types of boats are available depending on the season and/or time of day, and most tours include audio guides.

On your last day, you can spend your time doing some last-minute shopping and enjoying some unique experiences. Make the most of every last minute!

Buy some souvenirs at the Cloth Hall

A holiday isn’t complete without a few mementos, and the Cloth Hall is the perfect place to find them.

Beneath this majestic building, you’ll find dozens of stalls selling food, crafts and souvenirs. We’ve put together a short list of Kraków’s most typical souvenirs:

• Amber jewellery: Kraków was an important stop on the Amber Road, a trade route that began at the Baltic Sea. At the Cloth Hall, the prices are surprisingly competitive.
• Traditional costumes
• Hand-carvedchess sets: in Poland there is a distinctive hexagonal version that you’ll rarely see elsewhere.
• Wickerwork
• Żubrówka: the excellent local vodka recognised by the bison on its label.
• Pottery.
• Obwarzanek krakowski: a braided bread that resembles a bagel.

Take a stroll through the courtyard of the Collegium Maius

It is the oldest university building in Kraków. Built in the 15th century, the building is famous for the courtyard clock. Every two hours, between 09:00 and 17:00, wooden figures appear and parade to the accompaniment of traditional music.

If you fancy it, you can visit the Jagiellonian University Museum, which houses a collection of astronomical and astrological instruments dating from the second half of the 15th century.

Round off your long weekend with a unique experience

After dinner, you can bid farewell to the Polish city with a bit of an adrenaline rush: axe throwing. It has become a proper sport, so much so that there are professional leagues, whilst the international championship has been broadcast on ESPN.

In Kraków, the place to go is Axe Nation. You’ll find it at 46 Grodzka Street, a short walk from the Church of St Peter and St Paul and the Archaeological Museum.

However, if you fancy something even more daring, you can book a shooting range experience in Kraków. Mind you, in this case you’ll need to do the activity before dinner, as it’s on the outskirts of the city.