With snow falling from the air and crunching under foot, we’d picked the perfect weekend to visit Krakow in winter. The Christmas Markets were in full swing, festive concerts played out in the streets and every corner was charmingly decorated for the holidays. Even the bitter wind chill and sub zero temperatures couldn’t take away from the warmth of atmosphere felt in this beautiful historic city. We visited Krakow with Jet2Holidays, to explore the city and experience the Christmas Markets.
AD: This visit to Krakow was a press trip organised by Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, including flights, accommodation and expenses. As always, all views and opinions are my own.
A charming and beautiful city, Krakow is the cultural and historic hub of Poland. With architecture dating back hundreds of years, and a rich history, the city is a joy to explore. Packed full of fabulous restaurants and cafes, there are plenty of places to stop and warm up when you visit Krakow in winter. Walking is the best way to get around the historic centre and there are several districts to visit including the Old Town, Kazimierz and Podgorze, to get a true feel for the city. Our three day trip to Krakow in winter saw us exploring the city by foot, searching out and finding the best spots to visit.
Visiting Krakow in winter: Getting the most from your trip
POLAND’S SECOND CITY | Once the capital of Poland, Krakow is one of the oldest cities in the country, dating back to the 7th century. Although Warsaw is now the capital, Krakow is widely thought of as the historic, cultural and academic capital. With outstanding architecture dating back hundreds of years, the historic centre including the Wawel Hill Complex, the Kazimierz district and the Old Town have UNESCO World Heritage status.
While there are plenty of transport option to get around the Krakow in winter, walking is the best way to see the main attractions and landmarks. We took two morning walking tours with CRACOW FREE TOURS – one of the Old Town and the other of the Kazimierz Jewish quarter. This provided a great introduction to the history of Krakow, as well as making it easier to get our bearings. The tours are free to join but work on a tipping basis – meaning you pay what you like.
Soak up the atmosphere of the Old Town
Krakow Old Town is regarded as one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Poland, and indeed Europe, mainly thanks to the fact that it escaped large scale destruction during the Second World War. While the historic infrastructure of many cities were completely destroyed during the war, Krakow surrendered to the Nazis without a fight in 1939. It was given the title of the capital of the General Government – a new territory created and governed by Nazi Germany. The Nazis occupied the historic centre, therefore had no interest or reason to destroy any of the city’s buildings.
FURTHER READING – VISITING THE CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN KRAKOW, WHERE TO STAY & HOW TO GET THERE
Centred around the large main square, Krakow’s Old Town is a beautiful area to explore. Surrounded by a ring of parkland, the Old Town is the lively hub of the city, with historical buildings at every corner, a great dining and drinking scene, as well as a wide range of museums and galleries. Stroll around the narrow cobbled streets admiring 13th century Gothic architecture, or stop off at one of the kerbside cafes and watch the world go by.
RYNEK GLOWNY
At around 40,000 square metres, Krakow Old Town’s main square, Rynek Główny is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe. A bustling meeting point in the centre of the old town, the square has a number of notable buildings including THE CLOTH HALL, located centrally on the square. Originally built in the 13th century, this was the focus of trade in the city with international merchants visiting and selling. Following a fire in the 16th century, the hall was rebuilt in the Renaissance style that we see today, with the covered arcades to both sides added in the 19th century. Today, the interior of the ground floor hosts two rows of market stalls within the main hall, with shops located in the external arcades. The National Krakow Museum Art Gallery is located above.
Standing tall in the north eastern corner of Rynek Główny, ST. MARY’S BASILICA is a Gothic masterpiece built in the 13th century, with two impressive towers, the tallest of which is 80m high. It is from this tower, on the hour, every hour, a bugle melody (The Hejnał) is played from each of the four windows – a Krakow tradition based on a legend from the 12th century. The eastern side of the square is also home to the Adam Mickiewicz Monument and the CHURCH OF ST WOJCIECH, one of the oldest stone churches in Poland, built in the 11th century.
Across the square, to the south western side, the 70 metre tall TOWN HALL TOWER is a beautiful 13th century Gothic tower made of stone and brick, which has a slight lean of 55cm. Next to the tower, one of the more recent and controversial landmarks of Rynek Główny is the EROS BENDATO sculpture, affectionately referred to as The Head. A popular meeting point on the square, the final location of the sculpture caused some controversy as some historians did not believe it should be located in a historic setting.
ROYAL ROAD
A fantastic walking route the the Old Town of Krakow is the Royal Road – a 1.6km route from ST. FLORIAN’S CHURCH just outside of the old city walls, heading south through the city to Wawel Castle. The route was historically used for Royal processions through the city when Krakow was Poland’s capital, and passes many of the city’s landmarks along the way. From St. Florian’s Church, heading south through Jan Matejko Square, the route passes the 16th century BARBICAN before heading through the FLORIANSKA GATE into the old town. The Florianska Gate was the main gateway into the city from the north in the 13th century, when the city was fully surrounded by walls up to 10 metres high and 2.5 metres thick. The Florianska Gate forms part of the only remaining part of the old city walls.
The route follows the bustling Florianska Street all the way to Rynek Główny before exiting the square on the south east corner onto Grodzka Street, heading south towards Wawel Castle. About halfway down the street, the impressive ST. PETER AND PAUL’S CHURCH is set off the main road in a Baroque style, built in the 17th century. The outer fence features large stone statues of the twelve apostles. The church sits next to the 11th century ST. ANDREWS CHURCH and Convent, opposite the Maria Magdalena Square, which offers a fabulous view of both churches. From Maria Magdalena Square, Kanonicza Street leads down towards the fortress like Wawel Castle ahead.
WAWEL CASTLE & CATHEDRAL
Sitting south of Krakow Old Town on Wawel Hill above the Vistula River, WAWEL CASTLE comprises a number of buildings within a fortified complex including the spectacular WAWEL CATHEDRAL. With a number of buildings dating back as far as the 14th century, the fortified buildings and palaces of Wawel Hill now house a number of exhibitions, state rooms and the crown treasury. Separate timed tickets need to be booked for the various exhibitions on offer, but there are times during the week where free entry is available to some areas. Access to Wawel Hill is free of charge, to wander around the castle grounds, where the elevated position provides fabulous views across the river. The riverside below is also home to the legend of the Wawel Dragon (Smok Wawelski), with the ‘Dragon’s Den’ cave accessible from steps leading down from Wawel Hill. A fire breathing statute of the dragon sites on the banks of the river below – a perfect photo opportunity.
Wawel Cathedral, although on the Wawel Hill complex, is a separate ticketed attraction from the castle state rooms and exhibitions and is definitely with a visit. The stunning building is nearly a thousand years old featuring a number of chapels, towers and domes. The interior is absolutely spectacular and can be viewed via a self guided tour, with the option of an audio guide. Entry includes access to the main cathedral and chapels, as well as a climb up the bell tower and access to the network of crypts below the cathedral.
PLANTY PARK
Forming an entire ring around the Old Town of Krakow, Planty Park is located on the area that used to form the city walls until early in the twentieth century. The removal of the majority of the medieval walls around the Old Town made space for this beautiful urban green space, which covers an area of 21,000 square metres and is 8km long to complete the whole loop. Summer days can be spent lounging on the lawn areas, or meandering the network of pathways around the park. With many monuments, fountains and ponds dotted around the park, there’s plenty to see. Visit Krakow winter, when the snow falls, and the park turns into a magical winter wonderland where adults can enjoy walks with the crunch of snow underfoot and children scream joyfully while having snowball fights.
Learn about the Jewish history of Krakow
Stepping away from the historic old town and Christmas Markets in Krakow, we felt it really important on our visit to explore and learn about the Jewish History of Krakow and the impacts of World War II on the Jewish communities. Many people who visit Krakow opt to take a trip out of the city to the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, however we decided to delve into the history within the city. A two hour Kazimierz Jewish Quarter tour with Cracow Free Tours provided us with a great insight pre and post the Second World War. Jews resided in Krakow from the 12th century, and from the 15th century were mostly settled in the Kazimierz district where a number of synagogues were built. In the late 1930’s, the Jewish population was over 60,000 which made up about a quarter of the population of Krakow.
During the Nazi invasion of Poland in the 1939, Jews were ordered to evacuate the city, and in 1941 the remaining were forcibly moved to a ghetto which was built across the Vistula River in the Podgórze district. The ghetto was surrounded by walls separating it from the rest of the city, and the conditions were horrific. During the war, many were removed to forced labour camps and in mid March 1943 with the liquidation of the ghetto, those who had survived were killed or moved to concentration camps. It’s thought that only about 10% of Jews from Krakow survived the war, many of whom would never return to the city. The Jewish community, however, grew over the following decades and the Kazimierz district is now one of the more vibrant areas of the city.
EXPLORE THE JEWISH DISTRICT OF KAZIMIERZ
Visiting Kazimierz is a must do when in Krakow. A fifteen minute walk from the Old Town, the district is a vibrant and thriving area full of bars, cafes and interesting shops, set among the historical landmarks that give the district its Jewish identity. The heart of the district is Szeroka Street – a cobblestone square with a number of synagogues including the Remuh Synagogue and Cemetery, thought to be one of the oldest in Krakow, as well as the Old Synagogue now housing the museum of Jewish Culture & History. The street is also home to a Jewish memorial along with a number of restaurants, bars and cafes.
Wandering around the streets of Kazimierz, you’ll find narrow passageways housing vintage stores and cool cafes, walls adorned with street art and many renovated buildings sitting alongside more tired, but equally beautiful buildings. Our tour guide showed us many filming locations from Spielberg’s 1993 Schindler List movie such as Pasaż Listy Schindlera. Much of the movie was shot on location around Krakow and Kazimierz. Other notable spots to visit are Plac Nowy, or New Square, which houses a street market and the central circular Okrąglak building, where local street food can be purchased. Jozefa Street is the place to head to if looking for some great bars and restaurants, and heading down towards the river from here the magnificent 15th century Corpus Christi Basilica is a beautifully ornate Catholic Church.
VISIT GHETTO HEROES SQUARE
Crossing the river from Kazimierz into Podgórze, Father Bernatek’s Bridge is a pedestrian footbridge over the Vistula with a number of fascinating sculptures of acrobats hanging from the supports. The bridge is also known as Lover’s Bridge, thanks to the modern tradition of couples placing a lock on the railings and throwing the keys into the river. There are some wonderful riverside walks in this area on the outskirts of Podgórze, which is an up and coming district. Modern buildings and developments sit on this side of the river, in contrast the historical buildings of the Old Town.
A short walk from the river leads to Plac Bohaterów Getta, or Ghetto Heroes Square. It was this spot where the Jewish people were gathered from the ghetto before being boarded onto trains to Płaszów, Belzec, or Auschwitz camps to meet their fate. Their belongings, including furniture, were often left on the square when they departed. A sombre memorial of thirty three empty chairs now sit on the square – each representing one thousand of the Cracovian Jewish lives taken. Walking around the square and amongst the installation was really powerful, especially as many of the chairs had a yellow rose placed on them in memorial, a stark and bright contrast.
TAKE A TOUR OF SCHINDLER’S ENAMEL FACTORY
For anyone who has seen Schindler’s List, Oscar Schindler played a part in saving the lives of some 12,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The Oscar Schindler Enamel Factory now houses a museum and art gallery. The museum tour provides a really informative timeline of Krakow’s history before, during and after the war with exhibition pieces, reconstructions, audio, video and photography. A two hour guided tour of the museum provided some great insight and elaborated further on the information learned from our walking tour.
Eating and drinking your way around Krakow in winter
With so much to do on a city break to Krakow in winter, it’s easy to fill a multi day itinerary but it’s always good to make sure there is time to wander and explore without a strict plan. The streets of the Old Town and Kazimierz are packed full of cool eating and drinking establishments, many of them serving up some of the best traditional Polish dishes. Although you’ll find a wide variety of foods on offer in the Christmas Markets in Krakow, be sure to make time for some of the best places to grab a coffee, a beer, a cocktail or some of the fantastic Polish dishes being served up.
FOODS NOT TO MISS
Whether it’s street food, traditional Polish restaurants or Michelin star fine dining, Krakow’s food scene serves up some of the best dishes at very reasonable prices. The city is packed full of restaurants with flavours from around the globe, but it’s always worthwhile sampling some traditional Polish dishes while you explore. For snacks on the go, street food vendors can be found around the city, or you’ll find cafes with service windows so you can grab and go. When looking for hearty lunches, try one of the numerous pierogi restaurants or bar mleczny (Polish milk bars) in the Old Town. These cafes are most often self service but offer tasty Polish dishes at very cheap prices. Here’s a look at some of the foods on offer that are worth a try.
- Pierogi – These traditional Polish dumplings can be found in many cafes and restaurants around town, as well as a number of kiosks at the Christmas Markets in Krakow. The half circular dough dumplings can be filled with sweet or savoury items, before being boiled (and sometimes fried). Normally served with a sprinkling of fried onions, they are filling and delicious. We tried Pierogi at a number of places – fillings included potato and cottage cheese, duck, meat (presumed pork) and spinach with feta cheese. All delicious and well recommended.
- Obwarzanek Krakowski – A ring shaped bread roll, topped with salt, sesame or poppy seeds that are sold from carts around the Old Town, Obwarzanek are a handy snack when on the move. Similar to pretzels found the USA, but more bread like, they cost around 2.5zl which equates to about 50p sterling.
- Zapiekanka – Another popular street food, Zapiekanka is a half baguette topped with mushrooms, cheese and other toppings before being toasted. Also known as Polish Pizza, these can be found in many places in the city but a popular place to grab Zapiekanka is at the kiosks in the Okrąglak building at Plac Nowy in Kazimierz, which often has long queues.
- Pączki – These Polish filled doughnuts can be found in many cafes and kiosks around the city. With fruit or cream based fillings, topped with glazing or icing sugar, they are a very sweet treat,
- Placki Ziemniaczane – Polish potato pancakes are a popular lunch option, or can be served as a starter or side dish. Made simply from grated potato, eggs and onion, they are pan fried and served with goulash, sour cream and sauerkraut. Deliciously simple food.
OUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS IN KRAKOW
Having only three days in a city with so many dining options, makes for difficult choices. Our priority was to search out at least one or two restaurants offering traditional Polish fare. Here are our dining highlights in Krakow.
- Pierogarnia Domowa – A fabulous lunch spot on Szpitalna in the Old Town, this restaurant has a simple menu of Polish dishes including pierogi, potato pancakes and soups. Simply decorated, with flower murals on the whitewashed walls, it’s a wonderful space, and the dumplings are great. Two portions of dumplings and soft drinks were £15.00.
- Pierwszy Stopień – For a great lunch in a beautiful location, head to this restaurant on Krakowska in the Kazimierz district. A beautifully fitted out modern restaurant with exposed brick and concrete and absolutely packed full of plants, there are soups, salads, burgers and host of other locally sourced products. Two main courses and beers costed £30.00.
- Morskie Oko – Our favourite dining experience in Krakow, this is a fabulous traditional restaurant in the Old Town at Plac Szczepanski. The interior is rustic in the style of a Highlanders Inn made up of a collection of rooms, with exposed brick and stone walls, wooden beams, supports and staircases. Fireplaces, candlelight and wooden benches all add to the charm, and that’s before getting to the menu. Traditional Polish fare fills the menu, from local sheep’s cheese to dumplings, goulash and pork dishes, all with generous portions. Two starters, two mains and a couple of beers each totalled £40.00.
SOAK UP THE ATMOSPEHERE OF KRAKOW’S AWESOME CAFES AND COFFEE SHOPS
We always try and search out the smaller independent coffee shops on our travels. The big chain coffee shops can be found around Krakow, if that is your preference, but it’s nice to find a cosy little coffee shop to relax for a little while. There were no shortage of these dotted around Krakow, many with their own unique vibe.
- BOHO Coffee & Bar – This was one of our first finds in the Old Town. Doubling up as a coffee shop and a bar, the collection of cosy rooms, with big tables and low lighting made it a great spot to warm up with a coffee and traditional Polish cheesecake.
- Knitted Coffee – Slightly further afield, Knitted Coffee is located across the river in Podgórze near Schindler’s Enamel Factory, and is a great place to stop by if visiting the museum. A bright and modern space, their speciality coffee is great and it’s a good spot for breakfast and lunch, with a good range of cakes.
- Emily Bakes – A super cute coffee shop on Jagiellonska in the Old Town, the interiors are bright and colourful with lots of floral decor, vintage furniture and crockery. Their coffee is great, and the cakes are delicious.
SEARCH OUT KRAKOW’S COOL BARS
Krakow has a fabulous bar and club scene, so there’s something for everyone. From secret cocktail bars to craft beer pubs, atmospheric cafe bars and Vodka bars, there’s no shortage of places to grab a drink.
- Czeczotka Bar – A regular stop for us, thanks to its location on Rynek Główny, it was a great spot for the first or last drink of the evening. Fabulous cocktails, beers and spirits served in a lively and modern atmospheric bar.
- HEVRE – A must visit bar when in Kazimierz, HEVRE is located within an old 19th century Jewish Prayer House. A large double height space with traditional arched windows and many of the original architectural features, the walls of HEVRE still have remnants of paintings and frescos dating back centuries.
- Camelot Cafe – A favourite of Krakow, this photogenic cafe bar is a popular spot and looks fabulous inside and out. The exterior location set into a corner of the Old Town, features in many Krakow Instagram shots, and decked out with Christmas trees, the scene was even better. Inside, the bright pink interior, large chandeliers and small candlelit tables offer a cosy and charming space for a drink any time of the day or evening.
Getting around Krakow in winter
Krakow in winter is a fairly easy city to get around by foot, but there are public transport options available if required. The city offers a great tram network, with day tickets and travelcards available at reasonable prices. The trams circumnavigate the Old Town with a line running through the Old Town on Franciskanska Street. This line also leads down into the Kazimierz and Podgorze districts. Another popular way to get around town for tourists, is to take a horse and carriage ride. These can usually be found lined up on Rynek Główny to the north side of The Cloth Hall.
Getting to Krakow from the UK couldn’t be easier with Jet2. With non stop flights from five UK airports – Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Birmingham, there are plenty of options available. Our flights from Manchester departed early in the morning, with an evening return flight meaning we could enjoy much of both travelling days in the city. John Paul II Kraków-Balice International Airport is located approximately 15km from the city centre, with fabulous transport links including train, bus, taxi or a number of car hire options. We opted for a taxi, accessed directly outside the terminal building. The cost for a one way taxi worked out to be about £22.00
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I hear lots of good things about Krakow and would be intrigued by it. It looks like it has a lot to offer, the Cloth Hall and its arcade or the Barbican building would certainly engage me. And I will never say no to a nice café, of which Krakow seems to have plenty!
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
This article provides a concise overview of Krakow’s winter attractions, highlighting the Christmas markets and historical districts. It’s a useful guide for planning a winter trip to this charming city.
Thank you for sharing so many beautiful sights from your travels. I will continue to follow you. Thank you.Septle