Lonely Planet Pocket Krakow

By Mark Baker

Lonely Planet’s Pocket Krakow is your guide to the city’s best experiences and local life - neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Experience the lively bar scene, visit Schindler’s factory, visit the magical Wawel castle; all with your trusted travel companion. Uncover the best of Krakow and make the most of your trip!

 

Inside Lonely Planet’s Pocket Krakow: 

Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak

Full-colour maps and travel photography throughout

Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices

Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

Convenient pull-out Krakow map (included in print version), plus over 15 colour neighbourhood maps

User-friendly layout with helpful icons, and organised by neighbourhood to help you pick the best spots to spend your time

Covers Wawel Hill, Old Town, Kazimierz, Podgorze, and more

 

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet’s Pocket Krakow, an easy-to-use guide filled with top experiences - neighbourhood by neighbourhood - that literally fits in your pocket. Make the most of a quick trip to Krakow with trusted travel advice to get you straight to the heart of the city.

 

Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet’s Poland guide for a comprehensive look at all that the country has to offer.

About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. 

 

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times

 

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781837580224

Mark Baker

Mark Baker has been a test engineer for such companies as Spectra-Physics, Zilog, Pragmatic Test Systems, Schlumberger, Teradyne, and EPRO. In 1997, he founded his own company, TechniCom, which was devoted to technical training courses and seminars; one of their courses was on mixed-signal testing. In the fall of 2001, TechniCom was acquired by Texas Instruments and Baker is now a technical training manager for TI. Baker has published numerous in-house application articles for the ATE companies Teradyne and Schlumberger as well as articles in Electronics Test and Evaluation Engineering magazines.

Book preview

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Contents

Plan Your Trip

Kraków Top Experiences

Dining Out

Bar Open

Treasure Hunt

Historic Sites

Architecture

Music

Art

Jewish Heritage

For Kids

Under the Radar

Tours

Four Perfect Days

Need to Know

Kraków Neighbourhoods

Explore Kraków

Wawel Hill & Around

Old Town

Kazimierz

Podgórze

Western Kraków

Eastern Kraków

Workers’ Paradise in Nowa Huta

Worth a Trip

Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Survival Guide

Survival Guide

Before You Go

Arriving in Kraków

Getting Around

Essential Information

Language

Behind the Scenes

Our Writers

COVID-19

We have re-checked every business in this book to ensure that it is still open after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 will continue to be felt long after the outbreak has been contained, and many businesses, services and events referenced in this guide may experience ongoing restrictions. Some businesses may be temporarily closed, have changed their opening hours and services, or require bookings; some unfortunately could have closed permanently. We suggest you check with venues before visiting for the latest information.

Kraków

Top Experiences

1 Go on a tour of Wawel Royal Castle

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TANYASAV / GETTY IMAGES ©

Kraków Top Experiences

1 Take a deep dive at Rynek Underground

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JAROSLAV MORAVCIK / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kraków Top Experiences

1 Marvel at St Mary’s Basilica

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MIKHAIL MARKOVSKIY / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kraków Top Experiences

1 Admire architecture at Collegium Maius

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MOLARJUNG / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kraków Top Experiences

1 Step into history at Schindler’s Factory

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JAROSLAV MORAVCIK / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kraków Top Experiences

1 Explore pits and chambers at Wieliczka Salt Mine

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BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Kraków Top Experiences

1 See the past through the present at Galicia Jewish Museum

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KRZYSZTOF DYDYNSKI / LONELY PLANET ©

Kraków Top Experiences

1 Reflect at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum

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THIAGO FIGUEREDO / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Dining Out

Kraków is a food paradise. The Old Town is packed with venues catering for every pocket. Many are housed in vaulted cellars or courtyards. Aside from Polish places, you’ll find Italian, French, Indian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Mexican and more. Many restaurants in Kazimierz offer Jewish-themed cooking.

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JACKF / GETTY IMAGES ©

Polish Cooking

You can’t say you’ve eaten Polish food until you’ve had many plates of pierogi, the crescent-shaped dumplings that are stuffed with cheese, minced meat or sauerkraut. You might want to try gołąbki (cabbage leaves stuffed with beef and rice), but don’t confuse them with golonka (boiled pig’s knuckle). Everywhere you’ll find food that’s both filling and delicious.

Dining on a Budget

There is no shortage of fine-dining establishments, but budget travellers will also be delighted by their options. Kraków has plenty of low-cost eateries called bar mleczny (milk bars). They offer affordable and filling Polish food, often served cafeteria-style so you know exactly what you’re getting. Other options include the many student-oriented vegetarian and vegan food bars around town.

Street Food

Kraków has loads of street-food options to keep you nourished between meals. Obwarzanek are hefty pretzels sold from street vendors around town. Kazimierz, specifically Plac Nowy, is ground zero for ‘Polish pizza’ – zapiekanka. It’s half a baguette, topped with cheese, ham and mushrooms. The food-truck scene is here too. Find a clutch of mobile food-sellers a couple of blocks southeast of Plac Nowy.

Best Polish Food

U Babci Maliny Excellent value, traditional Polish.

Sąsiedzi High-tone mains like goose and duck show a different side to Polish cooking.

Miód Malina Wawel favourite specialises in countrified cooking.

Pod Aniołami You’ll find wild boar on the menu to match the Gothic cellar setting.

Best Vegetarian & Vegan

Youmiko Sushi Vegan sushi to die for; Sundays are ‘all-vegan’.

Glonojad Well-done salads, beans, pastas and pierogi.

Restauracja Pod Norenami Asian-inspired noodles, dumplings and curries.

Veganic High-tone vegetarian in a shabby-chic drawing-room setting.

Best for Lunch

Krako Slow Wines Culinary oasis in the food desert around Schindler’s Factory.

Chimera Salad Bar High-quality salad bar within easy walk of the Old Town sites.

Hawełka Good-value luncheon specials in an art nouveau setting.

Hummus Amamamusi Yummy, artisanal hummus flavoured any way you like.

Dining Out Tips

A In milk bars and self-service restaurants you’re expected to clear your own table.

A Expect slow service. To speed things up, grab your own menu when you enter a restaurant; they will likely be stacked by the door.

Bar Open

The Main Market Square is ringed with bars and cafes whose outdoor tables offer great people-watching spots. Kazimierz also has a lively bar scene centred on Plac Nowy and surrounding streets. The area around Plac Wolnica in the western part of Kazimierz has blossomed into another cafe/bar cluster.

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FILIP STA_CZYK / LONELY PLANET ©

Bar or Cafe?

In Kraków, it’s not often easy to tell the difference. The drinking scene is dominated by two types of venues: creative cafes that also serve alcohol; and bohemian bars that also serve coffee. In both, you can also normally grab a bite to eat. Indeed, whatever the primary purpose, Kraków specialises in places with an artsy atmosphere, usually furnished with mismatched chairs and tables, eclectic artwork and casually cool-looking patrons. Not too posh, but not too pleb either.

Vodka & Beer

The Polish national drink, vodka (wódka), is normally drunk as a shot. Clear vodka is not the only species of the spirit. Indeed, there’s a whole spectrum of varieties of vodka, from sweet to extra dry. Polish drinking habits are changing, though, with tastes turning to beer (piwo) instead of (or in addition to) vodka. You’ll find several brands of good Polish piwo, such as Żywiec, Tyskie, Okocim and Lech, as well as a growing number of craft breweries.

Best Cafes

BAL Trendy coffee joint in the neighbourhood behind Schindler’s Factory.

Mleczarnia Sip by candlelight at this old-school Kazimierz coffeehouse.

Cafe Pianola The coffee is good but don’t miss those Renaissance interiors.

Dziórawy Kocioł Kids will love the spooky Harry Potter tie-ins.

Meho Cafe The lovely garden is a piece of solitude on a busy street.

Best Bars

Forum Przestrzenie Combination of great drinks and a choice riverside locale.

Piwiarnia Warka Good sports bar with a relaxing terrace for people-watching.

Pauza Hip Old Town watering hole with an arty, intellectual vibe.

Spokój This retro hideaway, with a campy ’70s decor, feels like a find.

Cocktails & Craft Beers

Mercy Brown This secretive place might be Kraków’s quirkiest bar.

CK Browar Head below ground to discover this shrine to craft beers.

T.E.A. Time Brew Pub Drop by for a glass of real ale brewed on site.

Zaraz Wracam Tu No frills cocktail bar with a creative take on ‘doing shots’.

Lindo Gay-friendly cocktail within easy walk of the Main Market Square.

Best Clubs

Hevre This former Jewish prayer house comes alive weekend nights.

Feniks Red-velvet curtains and white tablecloths lend a classy vibe.

Klub Społem Underground club with lots of throwback communist kitsch.

Treasure Hunt

Kraków has a vast array of shops, selling everything from tacky T-shirts to exquisite crystal glassware. Most shops of interest are in the Old Town and Kazimierz. An obvious place to start your hunt is at the souvenir market within the Cloth Hall at the Main Market Square.

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LERNER VADIM / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Polish Souvenirs

If you’re in the market for the perfect Polish souvenir, you’ll have plenty of choices in Kraków. You can’t go wrong with typical food and drink. One staple is Polish vodka, but the country also turns out good chocolates, honey and jam. Poland is known for glassware and ceramics, particularly the colourful plates, jugs and vases from the western town of Bolesławiec.

Amber, Amber, Amber

Amber, otherwise known as ‘Baltic gold’, is fossilised tree resin, usually found on the shores of the Baltic Sea. When it’s cut and buffed it makes for a beautiful semi-precious ‘stone’ in a ring, necklace or brooch, and Kraków has plenty of galleries with beautiful and original designs and settings. Make sure to look around as prices can vary considerably.

Antiques & Flea Markets

Kraków is an excellent spot for antique and thrift shopping. The Old Town is home to many of the more upscale places, with beautifully refurbished antique jewellery, watches and accessories, while Kazimierz is good for sifting through discarded items that might charitably be called junk (but you never know when you might find that gem).

Gifts & Souvenirs

Kacper Ryx Astounding collection of Polish gifts.

Kobalt Pottery & More Plates, cups and vases sporting eye-catching designs from the workshop at Bolesławiec.

Schubert World of Amber A celebration of all things made from that pretty petrified resin.

Best Polish Design

Szpeje Retro posters, postcards and coffee cups from communist days.

Galeria Plakatu Dusty old shop featuring classic movie posters.

Dydo Poster Gallery Striking poster art.

Lookarna Illustrations Hand-drawn postcards, posters, bookmarks.

Best Antique & Junk Shops

Rubin Carefully chosen selection of antique jewellery, silver pieces and old watches.

Salon Antyków Pasja Three rooms stuffed with old maps, furniture, paintings and clocks.

Antykwariat na Kazimierzu The shambolic basement of the Judaica Foundation is filled with bric-a-brac.

Market Treasures

For everything from rusty war relics to attractive collectables, check out the flea market on Sunday mornings at Unitarg Hala Targowa (ul Grzegórzecka 3; icon-hoursgif h7am-3pm, to noon Sun; icon-tramgif j1, 17, 19, 22) in Eastern Kraków.

Historic Sites

The history of Poland’s former royal capital reads like an epic novel, filled with plenty of periods when it seems all is lost, only to have greatness restored at the very last moment.

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AGSAZ / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Royal Capital

Kraków became the capital of Poland in 1038 and was centred near Wawel Royal Castle. The capital was burned to the ground in 1241 by marauding Tatars, but enterprising residents moved the city to its current location around the market square and surrounded it with impenetrable walls. Under the leadership of Kazimierz III Wielki (1333–70), the city thrived.

Demolition