💡 The Short Version: The official card, My Kraków Tourist Card, costs 170 PLN for 24 hours, 255 PLN for 48 and 295 PLN for 72. It does not cover Wawel, Schindler’s Factory, the Czartoryski Museum or St Mary’s Basilica. It pays back for a museum-heavy 72 hours: ten sights and a transport ticket cost 359 PLN without it. Tuesday makes some of its museums free anyway. Buy it from the Kraków Tourism Alliance, not a reseller. Or book a tour: the sights the card leaves out include the Wawel Castle and Cathedral guided tourad (from £46).
The cards and what they cost
Prices are from the official packages page, at about 5.15 PLN to the pound. The Kraków Tourism Alliance, the city’s tourism association, runs the card. Reseller and look-alike pages turn up in search results.
| Package | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| City Adventurer, 24 hours | 170 PLN (about £33) | Free entry to the card’s list of attractions, once each, and buses and trams in zones I to III |
| Experience Collector, 48 hours | 255 PLN (about £49.50) | The same |
| Kraków Connoisseur, 72 hours | 295 PLN (about £57.50) | The same |
- Two formats: the app is free to hold and works at once, and a plastic card costs 5 PLN extra, bought in person at the official tourist information points.
- The start time is the date and time you choose when you buy, and the package activates then.
- Each attraction once. A second visit to the same sight is not covered.
- Reservations: at selected venues with limited capacity you must reserve or collect a free entry ticket in advance. Some sites just scan the card, some issue a desk ticket, and the Cloth Hall gives a free exhibition ticket at the desk.
What the card covers
The card’s own list sets this out. Each package has the same free entries.
| Free with every package | Not on the card |
|---|---|
| The Rynek Underground, the Cloth Hall gallery (MNK Sukiennice), the Town Hall Tower, the Krzysztofory Palace, the Barbican and the City Defence Walls | Wawel Castle and the Wawel Cathedral |
| MNK Main Building, Arsenal, Matejko, Czapscy, Szołayscy, Ciołek, Mehoffer and Wyspiański | Schindler’s Factory |
| The Old Synagogue, the Galicia Jewish Museum, the Eagle Pharmacy, Pomorska Street and the Podgórze Museum | The Czartoryski Museum |
| The Kościuszko Mound and Museum, Nowa Huta Underground and Rydlówka | St Mary’s Basilica |
| The Museum of Photography (MuFo), the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Engineering and Technology, the Home Army Museum, the Museum of the Scouting Movement, Thesaurus Cracoviensis and three galleries (Huta Sztuki, Duda-Gracz and Beksiński) | Wieliczka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Polish Aviation Museum and MOCAK |
- Public transport: unlimited buses and trams in zones I, II and III, including the routes to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Kraków Airport. The card is not valid on trains.
- Discounts: 20% off a WowKrakow hop-on hop-off ticket for 24 or 48 hours, 15% off a day’s bike rental, 20% off airport transfers with 4transfer, and 10 PLN off an Obwarzanek Museum ticket. Several restaurants give 15% off food, not drinks.
- Tuesday: the National Museum’s permanent exhibitions, the Rynek Underground and the Krzysztofory Palace are free on Tuesdays without the card. See free museum days in Kraków.
- Kraków transport tickets the card replaces cost 25 PLN for 24 hours, 40 PLN for 48 and 55 PLN for 72 in zones I to III. See Kraków public transport.
A tram on ul. Basztowa, at the edge of the Old Town. Photo: Bahnfrend, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The sums
Door prices are the adult rate from the operators: the Rynek Underground 45 PLN, the Cloth Hall gallery 35, the National Museum’s Main Building 45, the Town Hall Tower 22, the Galicia Jewish Museum 35, the Old Synagogue 22, the Kościuszko Mound 34, the Eagle Pharmacy 22, Pomorska Street 22 and the Barbican 22. “With transport” adds the transport ticket for the same period.
| Plan | Sights only | With transport | Card | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 hours: the Underground, Cloth Hall, Town Hall Tower, Old Synagogue and Galicia Jewish Museum | 159 PLN | 184 PLN | 170 PLN | Costs 11 more on sights alone; saves 14 with transport |
| 48 hours: those five, plus the Main Building and the Kościuszko Mound | 238 PLN | 278 PLN | 255 PLN | Costs 17 more on sights alone; saves 23 with transport |
| 72 hours: those seven, plus the Eagle Pharmacy, Pomorska Street and the Barbican | 304 PLN | 359 PLN | 295 PLN | Saves 9 on sights alone; saves 64 with transport |
| Wawel, the Cathedral, Schindler’s Factory and the Czartoryski Museum | 246 PLN | Not covered | The card is the wrong tool |
How the figures are built:
- 24 hours: 45 + 35 + 22 + 22 + 35 = 159, and a 24-hour transport ticket at 25 PLN makes 184.
- 48 hours: 159 + 45 + 34 = 238, and a 48-hour transport ticket at 40 PLN makes 278.
- 72 hours: 238 + 22 + 22 + 22 = 304, and a 72-hour transport ticket at 55 PLN makes 359.
- The four it excludes: the Castle’s two floors 95, the Cathedral 26, Schindler’s Factory 60 and the Czartoryski Museum 65 make 246 PLN, and St Mary’s adds 20.
- Tuesday: the Underground (45), the Cloth Hall (35) and the Main Building (45) cost nothing on a Tuesday, so a plan built on them gives the card nothing to beat.
Who the card suits
- A museum-heavy 72 hours. Ten paid sights and daily transport come to 359 PLN against 295 PLN, and the saving grows with each extra sight, such as the Krzysztofory Palace (34 PLN) or the Podgórze Museum (22 PLN).
- A visitor who rides the bus to Wieliczka or the airport. The card covers those buses and trams, but not the train.
Who it does not suit
- A visitor who walks. Count the sights alone: 24 and 48 hours cost 11 and 17 PLN more with the card.
- A first-timer’s list. Wawel, Schindler’s Factory, the Czartoryski Museum and St Mary’s Basilica each have their own ticket, and none is on the card.
- A Tuesday plan. The museums that do the work in the sums are free on Tuesdays.
The sights the card leaves out each have a guide: Wawel Castle, Schindler’s Factory, the Czartoryski Museum and St Mary’s Basilica. The ones it covers are in the Rynek Underground, Kazimierz, the Podgórze ghetto guide, the Main Market Square and museums in Kraków. For the rest of the city’s bookings, see what to book before you go to Kraków. 3 days in Kraków and Kraków in one day build the plan round the bookings. Kraków airport to the city centre compares the train with the bus the card covers. To sleep nearby, where to stay in Kraków compares the areas, best time to visit Kraków covers the seasons, and day trips from Kraków covers the trips beyond the city.
Common questions
How much is the Kraków Card?
170 PLN for 24 hours (City Adventurer), 255 PLN for 48 hours (Experience Collector) and 295 PLN for 72 hours (Kraków Connoisseur), about £33, £49.50 and £57.50. The app version is free to hold, and a plastic card costs 5 PLN more.
Is the Kraków Card worth it?
Only for a museum-heavy 48 or 72 hours. Ten sights and a 72-hour transport ticket cost 359 PLN without the card against 295 PLN with it, and 304 PLN for the sights alone. For 24 hours, five sights cost 159 PLN against 170 PLN for the card.
Does the Kraków Card cover Wawel Castle?
No. Wawel (the Castle and the Cathedral), Schindler's Factory, the Czartoryski Museum and St Mary's Basilica are not on the card. Neither are Wieliczka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Polish Aviation Museum or MOCAK.
Does the Kraków Card include public transport?
Yes, unlimited buses and trams in zones I, II and III, including the routes to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Kraków Airport. It is not valid on trains, so it does not cover the airport train.
Can I visit each attraction more than once with the Kraków Card?
No. Each attraction can be visited or used once during the package.
Where do I buy the Kraków Card?
Online on mykrakowcard.krakowtourism.pl or in the app, for the digital card, which works at once. The plastic card is bought in person at the official tourist information points, and the seller activates it for the date and time you choose.
When does the Kraków Card start?
At the date and time you choose when you buy it, and it activates automatically then.
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