In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Every Wawel route is its own timed ticket (95 PLN for the Castle’s two floors, 57 PLN for one), and the Cathedral is a separate 26 PLN ticket that the Castle does not sell. Schindler’s Factory sells named tickets at 60 PLN, checked against photo ID, on sale 90 days ahead, and it is closed on the first Tuesday of the month. Auschwitz-Birkenau needs a named pass booked online. The Kraków Card pays back only for a museum-heavy 48 or 72 hours, and it excludes Wawel, Schindler’s Factory, the Czartoryski Museum and St Mary’s. The Rynek Underground is closed on the second Monday of the month. The airport train takes 17 minutes and costs 20 PLN. Prices are in złoty (PLN), about 5.15 to the pound. Or book a tour: the Wawel Castle and Cathedral guided tourad (from £46) and the Old Town walking tourad (from £14) put the guide in one booking (GetYourGuide).
What to book before you go
Prices are the adult rate in złoty, from the operators. Buy from the operator: look-alike ticket sites turn up in search results for Wawel, the Rynek Underground, St Mary’s and Schindler’s Factory.
| Sight | Book how far ahead | Adult price | Book at | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wawel Castle | Online tickets are released a month ahead and sold on the day while the daily limit lasts | 95 PLN for both floors, 57 PLN for one floor, 47 PLN for the Underground, the Treasury or the Armoury | bilety.wawel.krakow.pl | Each route is a timed ticket, valid on the day only. The Dragon’s Den and the viewing tower close on 31 October. |
| Wawel Cathedral | At the Cathedral’s own office or in its online shop | 26 PLN for the Cathedral, Royal Tombs, Sigismund Bell and Cathedral Museum | katedra-wawelska.pl | The Castle does not sell it. Sunday opening is at 12:30. |
| Schindler’s Factory | Online from 90 days ahead, sold until 6 hours before the visit | 60 PLN | Museum of Kraków | Named ticket and photo ID. Closed the first Tuesday of the month. |
| Czartoryski Museum | Timed ticket, online or at the desk | 65 PLN | mnk.pl | Closed Mondays. Tuesday’s free tickets are desk-only, in limited numbers. |
| Rynek Underground | Online or at the box office; none on free Tuesdays | 45 PLN | muzeumkrakowa.pl | Closed on the second Monday of the month. |
| St Mary’s Basilica | On the day, at the visitor office at Plac Mariacki 7 | 20 PLN for the basilica, 20 PLN for the tower | mariacki.com | Opens to visitors at 11:30 (14:00 on Sundays). The altar opens at 11:50. |
| Kraków Card | Buy online, or at a tourist information point for a plastic card | 170 PLN for 24 hours, 255 PLN for 48, 295 PLN for 72 | mykrakowcard.krakowtourism.pl | Each attraction once. Excludes Wawel, Schindler’s, the Czartoryski and St Mary’s. |
| Auschwitz-Birkenau | Named pass, online only, up to 90 days ahead | Free unguided pass; 150 PLN for the guided pass in English | visit.auschwitz.org | ID matching the pass. Before a set hour each month, individuals enter only with an educator. |
| Wieliczka Salt Mine | Book a slot online; the mine’s offices sell what is left | 143 PLN for the Tourist Route in English | bilety.kopalnia.pl | Closed on 1 November, 24 December and 25 December 2026. The train takes 23 minutes. |
- Wawel’s routes. The Castle sells each exhibition as its own ticket, and the Cathedral’s ticket is sold elsewhere. Wawel Castle tickets says which to buy.
- Schindler’s Factory. The museum checks photo ID against the name on the ticket, and the ticket office sells tickets for the next slot only. The Schindler’s Factory guide has the booking rules.
- Tuesday. The free tickets for the Czartoryski Museum and the Rynek Underground are collected at the desk on the day, in limited numbers, and cannot be booked. Free museum days in Kraków has the whole week.
- The Czartoryski Museum holds Leonardo’s Lady with an Ermine. The Czartoryski guide covers the 65 PLN timed ticket.
Wawel Hill and the bend of the Vistula, from the air. Photo: Pawelsuder, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Does the Kraków Card pay back?
The official card, run by the Kraków Tourism Alliance, costs 170 PLN for 24 hours, 255 PLN for 48 and 295 PLN for 72. It covers dozens of museums and sights and buses and trams in zones I to III, but not trains. Is the Kraków Card worth it? has the sums.
- It does not cover the big four. Wawel, Schindler’s Factory, the Czartoryski Museum and St Mary’s Basilica are outside it, and so are Wieliczka and Auschwitz.
- It pays for a museum-heavy 72 hours. Ten sights and a 72-hour transport ticket come to 359 PLN against 295 PLN for the card. Counting the sights alone, the saving is 9 PLN.
- It does not pay for a short stay. Five sights in 24 hours cost 159 PLN against 170 PLN for the card, and Tuesday makes some of them free.
- Buy it from the official site. My Kraków Tourist Card is the operator.
Opening times that change
- Mondays: the Cloth Hall gallery, the Czartoryski Museum, the National Museum’s other branches, the Eagle Pharmacy, Pomorska Street, the Podgórze Museum and the Barbican are closed. Schindler’s Factory (10:00 to 15:00), the Old Synagogue (10:00 to 15:00) and the Town Hall Tower (11:00 to 16:00) are open and free. Wawel opens selected exhibitions free from 10:00 to 16:00.
- Tuesdays: the National Museum’s permanent exhibitions, the Rynek Underground (10:00 to 15:00) and the Krzysztofory Palace are free. Schindler’s Factory is closed on the first Tuesday of the month: 6 October, 3 November and 1 December.
- Wednesdays: the Eagle Pharmacy and Pomorska Street are free, and so is Collegium Maius from 13:30 to 16:00.
- Thursdays: the Podgórze Museum is free.
- Saturdays: the active synagogues in Kazimierz (Remuh, Tempel and Isaac) are closed. The Old Synagogue and the Galicia Jewish Museum are open.
- Sundays: St Mary’s Basilica opens to visitors at 14:00 and its altar at 14:10, and the Wawel Cathedral at 12:30.
- Second Mondays: the Rynek Underground is closed on 12 October, 9 November and 14 December, and from 16 to 18 November.
- Holidays: most museums close on 1 November, 11 November, 24 December and 25 December.
- Wawel in November: selected exhibitions are free during “Free November”. The Castle lists them on its what to see page in October.
Kraków has no tourist tax
Hotels and other accommodation add no tourist tax or local fee in Kraków, so the room price is the price you pay.
Getting in from the airport
Kraków John Paul II Airport is at Balice. Kraków airport to the city centre compares the options.
- Train: the Koleje Małopolskie SKA1 runs from Kraków Lotnisko station, joined to the terminal by a covered footbridge, to Kraków Główny. It leaves at :17 and :47 past the hour, takes 17 minutes and costs 20 PLN. The first train is at 04:17 and the last regular one at 23:17.
- Taxi: the airport’s own taxi charges fixed prices by distance, from 29 PLN for up to 2.9 km to 169 PLN for 23 to 27 km.
- Bus 208 was withdrawn in November 2022.
- Katowice airport has no train to Kraków. The Matuszek airport bus costs 90 PLN and takes about two hours.
Getting around
Buses and trams cover the city, and the Old Town and Kazimierz are walkable. Buy the ticket before you board or on the vehicle. Kraków public transport has the rest.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes | 6 PLN |
| 60 minutes | 8 PLN |
| 90 minutes | 9 PLN |
| 24 hours, zones I to III | 25 PLN |
| 48 hours, zones I to III | 40 PLN |
| 72 hours, zones I to III | 55 PLN |
A ticket bought in an app on boarding is validated at purchase with the vehicle’s code, and a ticket bought after an inspector boards is invalid.
Before you travel: the EU border
The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 (EU). The EU says British nationals will need an ETIAS travel authorisation from the last quarter of 2026 (UK nationals and ETIAS), and that it will cost €20 (ETIAS fee).
Day trips
Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Wieliczka Salt Mine are the two trips most visitors book. Day trips from Kraków compares them on fare and on what a tour costs. The ones with something to know:
- Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial. Entry to the grounds is free, but every visitor needs a named pass and an ID, and the passes are sold only online at visit.auschwitz.org. Auschwitz tours from Kraków covers the coach tours that include the pass.
- Wieliczka Salt Mine: the train from Kraków Główny takes 23 minutes, and the Tourist Route is 143 PLN in English.
- Auschwitz and Wieliczka in one day: a long coach day of about 11 hours.
- Zakopane: the Kasprowy Wierch cable car is closed from 19 October to 6 November 2026.
Food, drink and when to go
Where to eat in Kraków lists the restaurants and milk bars, and Kraków food tours compared sets the guided walks side by side. Best time to visit Kraków gives the weather and the festivals by month, and the Kraków Christmas market page has the dates. For an evening, Chopin concerts in Kraków and Vistula river cruises cover the two most booked.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- 4 October 2025: Schindler’s Factory began selling named online tickets, checked against photo ID.
- 2 January 2026: the Museum of Kraków’s new prices began, including 60 PLN for Schindler’s Factory. A Schindler’s Factory ticket now also admits you to the Eagle Pharmacy and Pomorska Street within 7 days.
- 1 April 2026: the Kościuszko Mound’s ticket became 34 PLN.
- 10 April 2026: the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational.
- 24 September 2026: Wawel’s temporary exhibition “Lares and Penates” opened and runs to 6 January 2027.
- 31 October 2026: the Dragon’s Den and the viewing tower at Wawel close for the season.
- November 2026: Wawel’s “Free November” makes selected exhibitions free.
- 19 October to 6 November 2026: the Kasprowy Wierch cable car in the Tatras is closed.
- Last quarter of 2026: ETIAS is due for British travellers.
Plan the trip
- Where to sleep: where to stay in Kraków compares the areas, and hotels near the Main Market Square lists the hotels beside it.
- Getting there and about: Kraków airport to the city centre compares the train, bus and taxi, and Kraków public transport has the fares.
- When to go: best time to visit Kraków covers the seasons, and the Kraków Christmas market the winter dates.
- The sights: Wawel Castle, Schindler’s Factory, the Czartoryski Museum, the Rynek Underground and St Mary’s Basilica each have a ticket guide. The Main Market Square, Kazimierz, the Podgórze ghetto and the museums of Kraków are covered by area, and the Kraków Card guide runs the sums.
- How many days: 3 days in Kraków and Kraków in one day build the plan round the bookings.
- Tours: Kraków walking tours, golf cart tours, Chopin concerts and Vistula river cruises.
- Food and drink: where to eat in Kraków and Kraków food tours.
Itineraries
Day-by-day plans for a first visit.
Itinerary
3 Days in Krakow: Itinerary with What to Book
Three days in Kraków: the Main Market Square and the Czartoryski Museum on day one, Wawel and Kazimierz on day two, and Podgórze with Schindler's Factory on day three. What to book, the Monday and Tuesday closures, and why the Kraków Card costs PLN 103 more than this plan.
Itinerary
Krakow in One Day: A Route That Works
One day in Kraków: Wawel Cathedral and a Castle route from 09:00, the Rynek Underground, the Cloth Hall gallery and St Mary's Basilica in the afternoon, then Kazimierz at dusk. The sights cost PLN 203, with what to book and the Monday, Tuesday and Sunday changes.
Which ticket to buy
The official ticket, the tours that include entry, and which sells out first.
Tickets
Wawel Castle Tickets: Routes, Prices, Free Days
Wawel Castle sells each route as its own timed ticket: 95 PLN for the Castle's first and second floors, 57 PLN for one floor and 47 PLN for the Underground, Treasury or Armoury. The Cathedral is a separate 26 PLN ticket. Prices, free Mondays, Free November, the Dragon's Den and the tours worth paying for.
Tickets
Schindler's Factory Tickets: Named Entry, 60 PLN
Schindler's Factory in Kraków sells named online tickets at 60 PLN, checked against original ID, from 90 days ahead. It is closed on the first Tuesday of the month, free on Mondays by desk ticket, and the ticket also admits you to the Eagle Pharmacy and Pomorska Street within 7 days. Prices, hours, the museum's English tour and the guided tours.
Tickets
Lady with an Ermine: Czartoryski Museum Tickets
The Czartoryski Museum in Kraków, home of Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine, sells timed tickets at 65 PLN, online or at the desk. It is closed on Mondays, free on Tuesdays by desk ticket only, and outside the Kraków Card. Hours, the 3-month ticket for other National Museum branches, cloakroom rules and what to see.
Tickets
Rynek Underground Tickets: Price, Hours, Free Day
A Rynek Underground ticket costs 45 PLN from the Museum of Kraków, which runs it, and entry is free on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 15:00 by desk ticket. It is closed on the second Monday of every month. Prices, hours, bag rules, what is in the medieval museum under the Main Market Square and the guided tours.
Tickets
St Mary's Basilica Krakow: Tickets, Altar, Tower
St Mary's Basilica in Kraków charges 20 PLN, sold only at the visitor office at Plac Mariacki 7 on the day. The Veit Stoss altar opens at 11:50 (14:10 on Sundays), the church opens to visitors at 11:30 (14:00 on Sundays), and the tower is a separate 20 PLN same-day ticket with no children under 7.
Tickets
Main Market Square Krakow: What Each Building Is
What to see on Kraków's Main Market Square, with the price and hours of each: the Cloth Hall gallery (35 PLN), the Town Hall Tower (22 PLN), the Rynek Underground (45 PLN), St Mary's Basilica (20 PLN, altar at 11:50) and the Krzysztofory Palace (34 PLN). The order to go round, the free days and the walking tours.
Tickets
Kazimierz Synagogues: Entry, Hours, Closed Saturdays
Kazimierz's Remuh and Tempel synagogues take a donation of 10 PLN and are closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. The Old Synagogue is a Museum of Kraków branch at 22 PLN that opens on Saturdays, and the Galicia Jewish Museum is open every day at 35 PLN. Hours, which are closed, and the guided walks.
Tickets
Krakow Ghetto and Podgorze: Pharmacy, Pomorska St
The Eagle Pharmacy, Pomorska Street and the Podgórze Museum each cost 22 PLN, are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and are in the Kraków Card. A Schindler's Factory ticket admits you to the pharmacy and Pomorska Street within 7 days. Hours, free days, the Płaszów site and the guided walks of the former ghetto.
Tickets
Auschwitz-Birkenau Tickets: How to Book
Entry to Auschwitz-Birkenau is free but every visitor needs a named pass from visit.auschwitz.org and matching ID. Before a set hour each month an individual enters only with a Memorial educator, on a guided pass of PLN 150. The booking rules, hours and the bus from Kraków.
Tickets
Museums in Krakow: Prices, Hours, Free Days
Kraków's museums by operator with price, hours and free day: the National Museum (Czartoryski 65 PLN, Cloth Hall 35 PLN, Main Building 45 PLN), the Museum of Kraków's branches, the Polish Aviation Museum, MOCAK and Collegium Maius. Nowa Huta's shelters and tours, and the Kościuszko Mound at 34 PLN.
Tickets
Free Museums in Krakow: Which Day, Which Branch
Kraków's museums are free on set days: Tuesday for the National Museum, the Rynek Underground and the Krzysztofory Palace, Monday for Schindler's Factory, the Old Synagogue and Wawel's selected exhibitions, Wednesday for the Eagle Pharmacy and Pomorska Street, Thursday for the Podgórze Museum. The week table and the free-ticket rules.
Tickets
Krakow Card: What It Covers and When It Pays
The official Kraków Card, My Kraków Tourist Card, costs 170 PLN for 24 hours, 255 PLN for 48 and 295 PLN for 72, and covers dozens of museums plus buses and trams. It excludes Wawel, Schindler's Factory, the Czartoryski Museum and St Mary's. It pays back only for a museum-heavy 72 hours. The sums.
Tickets
Krakow Vistula River Cruises: Which Boat
Kraków river cruises from £6.30 to £28.88 on GetYourGuide, Statek Kraków's own boats at PLN 65 to 75 for 50 minutes and PLN 150 to 160 to Tyniec, and Kapitan Victor's evening cruise at EUR 22.27: where each leaves, which has the most reviews, and the heated boats.
Tickets
Krakow Walking Tours: Free, Paid or Bike
Kraków walking tours from £4.85 to £20.40 for the Old Town and Wawel, Walkative's free pay-what-you-wish tour where most guests give EUR 15 to 50, ghost walks at £15.53 to £17.27, and bike, e-bike and Segway tours from £23.07, with meeting points and group limits.
Tickets
Krakow Golf Cart Tours: What They Cover and Cost
Kraków electric golf cart tours from £9.49 for 1½ hours to £28.88 with a live guide: which routes cover the Old Town, Kazimierz, the former ghetto and Schindler's Factory, where they meet, how many ride in a cart, and what is wheelchair accessible.
Tickets
Chopin Concerts in Krakow: Venues and Prices
Chopin concerts in Kraków from £15.52 at the Chopin Concert Hall on Sławkowska, from £17.00 by candlelight in the Bernardine hall below the Wawel, and PLN 150 with Prosecco and a view of the Cloth Hall at the Bonerowski Palace on Thursdays. Which hall, how long, what the ticket includes.
Day trips from Kraków
Out and back in a day, with the tours compared against going on your own.
Day trip
Day Trips from Krakow: Train, Bus or Tour, Costed
Wieliczka is a 23-minute train, Zakopane a 1 hour 44 minute bus, Bochnia a direct train, and Auschwitz-Birkenau needs a named pass booked ahead. The day trips from Kraków compared on fare, time, entry price and what a tour adds.
Day trip
Auschwitz Tours from Krakow: Tour or Go Alone
A coach tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau from Kraków includes the transport, the Memorial's guided pass and a tour leader, in 6 to 10 hours. On your own the bus and pass come to PLN 204 (£39.50). The tours compared, with ratings, and the one rule on the name.
Day trip
Wieliczka Salt Mine: Tickets, Routes, Transport
Wieliczka's Tourist Route is PLN 143 in English, PLN 103 in Polish, 2 to 3 hours and about 800 steps down to 135 metres. The train from Kraków Główny takes 23 minutes. Tickets, the Miners' Route, the tours that include entry, and the closures on 1 November and 24 and 25 December.
Day trip
Zakopane Day Trip from Krakow: Tour or Train
Zakopane is a 1 hour 44 minute FlixBus from Kraków. The Gubałówka funicular is PLN 37 return, the Kasprowy Wierch cable car is closed 19 October to 6 November 2026, and Morskie Oko horse carts now stop at Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza. Bus against tour, costed.
Day trip
Auschwitz and Wieliczka in One Day: Worth It?
The combined Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka tours from Kraków take 11 to 12 hours with one coach. Two trips on your own cost PLN 367 (£71.50) and do not fit comfortably into one day. The tours compared, the timings and what is included.
Where to stay
Areas and hotels, chosen for a visitor rather than a resident.
Where to stay
Where to Stay in Krakow: Old Town, Kazimierz, Podgorze
For a first visit, stay in the Old Town inside the Planty ring: the Main Market Square is 110 to 810 m from the hotels below and the airport train ends at Kraków Główny station. The areas compared, the hotels in them, and the tourist tax Kraków does not charge in 2026.
Where to stay
Hotels Near Main Market Square, Krakow
Hotels from about 110 m to 490 m from the Cloth Hall on the Main Market Square, in straight lines: the only hotel on the square, the five-stars on Sławkowska and Świętego Jana, the Michelin-listed boutique hotels and the three-stars. Distances, rooms, and what the weekend noise means.
Airport transfers
From the airport to the centre, every option priced and timed.
Getting around
Tickets, passes and the transport a visitor actually uses.
What's on, month by month
Festivals, holidays and closures that change a visit.
Events
Best Time to Visit Krakow, Month by Month
Kraków month by month from the city observatory's 1991 to 2020 averages: highs of 24.0 to 26.0°C from June to August, July the wettest at 99 mm, snow on 11 days in January and 8 hours of daylight in December. The Christmas market from 27 November 2026, Easter on 28 March 2027, and the holidays that close shops.
Events
Krakow Christmas Market 2026: Dates and Hours
The Kraków Christmas market on the Main Market Square is planned from Friday 27 November 2026 to early January 2027, free to enter, with sales from 10:00 to 20:00. The Mały Rynek craft fair from 30 November, the nativity-scene competition on 3 December, what the stalls sell and where to stay.
Food and drink
Where to eat, what to order and when to book.
Food and drink
Where to Eat in Krakow: Michelin and Everyday Places
Where to eat in Kraków: Bottiglieria 1881 with two Michelin stars and four Gault&Millau toques, five Bib Gourmand restaurants, Michelin-listed rooms by the Wawel and Main Market Square, and the bakeries, cafés and bistros that open daily, with hours, a booking rule and what to order.
Food and drink
Krakow Food Tours Compared: Which One to Book
Kraków food tours from £33.15 for a Kazimierz street-food walk to £79.05 for a three-hour tasting, with the operators' own prices beside GetYourGuide's: Delicious Poland at PLN 385, Secret Food Tours at EUR 79.99, TasteVodka from PLN 315, a pierogi class at PLN 285.
Common questions
What do I need to book before going to Kraków?
Schindler's Factory, because its online tickets are named and sold 90 days ahead; the Wawel Castle routes you want, which are sold as separate timed tickets a month ahead; and the named pass for Auschwitz-Birkenau at visit.auschwitz.org, up to 90 days ahead. St Mary's Basilica and the Kościuszko Mound are bought on the day.
How much are Wawel Castle tickets?
Every route is its own ticket: 95 PLN for the Castle's first and second floors together (about £18.50, audio guide included), 57 PLN for one floor, and 47 PLN each for the Castle Underground, the Crown Treasury and the Armoury. The Cathedral is a separate ticket at 26 PLN, sold by the Cathedral at its own office and in its online shop.
Is the Kraków Card worth it?
Only for a museum-heavy 48 or 72 hours. It costs 170 PLN for 24 hours, 255 PLN for 48 hours and 295 PLN for 72 hours, and it does not cover Wawel, Schindler's Factory, the Czartoryski Museum or St Mary's Basilica.
Which day are Kraków's museums free?
Tuesday for the National Museum's permanent exhibitions, the Rynek Underground and the Krzysztofory Palace. Free tickets are collected at the desk on the day, in limited numbers. Schindler's Factory is free on Mondays, the Eagle Pharmacy and Pomorska Street on Wednesdays, and the Podgórze Museum on Thursdays.
How do I get from Kraków airport to the centre?
Take the Koleje Małopolskie SKA1 train from Kraków Lotnisko to Kraków Główny: every 30 minutes, 17 minutes, 20 PLN. Bus 208 was withdrawn in November 2022.
Does Kraków have a tourist tax?
No. Kraków charges no tourist tax or local fee.
Do UK visitors need anything to enter Poland?
The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. The EU says British nationals will need an ETIAS travel authorisation from the last quarter of 2026, and that it will cost €20.
What currency do I need in Kraków?
Złoty (PLN), about 5.15 to the pound. Wawel does not accept euros or other currencies, and there are no exchange offices on the hill.