Collegium Maius
The oldest surviving university building in Poland, dating to the 15th century. The arcaded Gothic courtyard is free to enter and is one of the most atmospheric spaces in Krakow.
City in Poland
Krakow
Also known as Kraków
15 things to see
Krakow runs on a tight budget because its single best sight costs nothing: Rynek Glowny, the largest medieval market square in Europe, is free to wander day or night, and the Planty park that rings the old town turns the whole core into a free walking loop past former city-wall landmarks. The grounds and courtyards of Wawel Hill are open without a castle ticket, so the river views and the cathedral exterior cost nothing even if you skip the paid interiors. Time it right and the museums turn nearly free too: branches of the National Museum and the Museum of Krakow, which runs the Schindler Factory, each set aside one free admission day a week, so check the current schedule and stack your indoor sightseeing onto those days. Stay in or near Kazimierz for cheap milk-bar meals and the most atmosphere per zloty, and use Krakow as a budget base for day trips to Zakopane in the Tatras or onward to Wroclaw, Katowice, and Warsaw by cheap regional and intercity trains. Shoulder seasons of late spring and early autumn give you mild weather, thinner crowds, and lower room rates than the peak summer and Christmas-market windows.
What to see
Things to do in Krakow
What each one costs, where the cost is known.
Church of St. Francis Krakow
A Gothic church famous for Stanislaw Wyspianski's spectacular Art Nouveau stained glass windows and polychrome wall paintings. Free to enter, the interior is one of the most colorful sacred spaces in Poland and sits directly on the Royal Way between the Main Market Square and Wawel Castle.
Galicia Jewish Museum
The Galicia Jewish Museum in Kazimierz documents the Jewish heritage of southern Poland through photography, personal stories, and rotating exhibitions. Entry is a modest fee.
Kazimierz
Kazimierz is Krakow's former Jewish quarter, now the city's most vibrant neighborhood for nightlife, street art, cafes, and cultural venues. Free to wander.
Krakow Barbican
The Krakow Barbican is a circular Gothic fortification at the northern entrance to the Old Town, one of the few surviving barbicans in Europe. The exterior is free to see.
Main Market Square
The Main Market Square in Krakow is the largest medieval town square in Europe, surrounded by townhouses, churches, and the Cloth Hall at its center. Free to enjoy at any hour.
Nowa Huta
Nowa Huta is a planned socialist-realist district east of Krakow's center, built in the 1950s as an ideal communist workers' city. Free to walk.
Planty Park
Planty Park is a green ring encircling Krakow's Old Town, following the line of the medieval city walls that were demolished in the 19th century. Free.
Podgorze
Podgorze is the district across the Vistula from Kazimierz, the site of the Krakow Ghetto during World War II. Free to walk.
Oskar Schindler's Factory
Schindler's Factory is a museum documenting the Nazi occupation of Krakow, housed in the actual factory where Oskar Schindler employed and protected Jewish workers. Entry is paid at a modest price.
Slowacki Theatre
A grand 19th-century theater modeled on the Paris Opera, with an ornate facade that is impressive even from the outside. Free to admire from the surrounding square, it sits just outside the Planty ring near the Barbican and anchors the northern edge of the Old Town.
St Mary's Basilica
St Mary's Basilica dominates the northeast corner of the Main Market Square with its two asymmetric towers. The interior houses the famous wooden altarpiece by Veit Stoss, one of the largest Gothic altarpieces in the world.
Wawel Castle
Wawel Castle sits on a limestone hill above the Vistula River, the historic seat of Polish kings. The courtyard and grounds are free to enter.
Wawel Cathedral
The coronation and burial church of Polish kings stands within the Wawel Castle complex but is a distinct building with its own entrance. The main nave is free to enter, with paid access to the royal crypts and the Sigismund Bell tower.
Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is a UNESCO-listed underground complex 14 kilometers from Krakow, with carved chapels, salt sculptures, and an underground lake 135 meters below the surface. Entry is paid and guided tours are required.
On foot
Walks and free tours in Krakow
Tip-based tours and self-guided routes, which is usually the cheapest orientation there is.
Krakow Royal Way
The Krakow Royal Way is the historic coronation route that Polish kings followed from the Barbican gate through the Main Market Square to Wawel Castle. Free. It passes the Florian Gate, the Planty Park, St Mary's Basilica, the Cloth Hall, and climbs to Wawel Hill in 1.5 to 2 hours.
Krakow Free Tour
The SANDEMANs Free Walking Tour of Krakow covers the Old Town, the Main Market Square, Wawel Castle, and the Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz. Budget travelers use it as their first Krakow walk.
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