Where to stay in Kraków: the Old Town, Kazimierz, the Wawel bank, the station and Podgórze compared, with the hotels in each

💡 The Short Version: For a first visit, stay in the Old Town inside the Planty park ring: the Main Market Square is 110 to 810 m from the Old Town hotels listed below, and the Wawel 0.2 to 1.2 km. The SKA1 airport train ends at Kraków Główny, 0.7 to 1.6 km from them on foot. Kazimierz has the bars round Plac Nowy and the Jewish quarter, and is loud at night. Podgórze, over the river, is beside Schindler’s Factory. Kraków charges no tourist tax in 2026; a law passed by the Sejm in September 2026, with the Senate still to vote, would let cities charge up to PLN 5 a night from 2027. Prices are not quoted, because they move with the date.

The areas, compared

Kraków’s centre is small. The Old Town sits inside the Planty, a park on the line of the old walls; the Wawel hill and the Vistula lie to the south; Kazimierz, the old Jewish town, is south-east; and Podgórze is across the river. Distances are straight lines from the hotels listed below, so a walk is longer.

The Planty park beside Straszewskiego Street, with the towers of the Wawel behind the villa. Photo: Zygmunt Put, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The hotels

The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com, except for Balthazar and Unicus Palace, which link to their own sites. Michelin gave Kraków hotels Keys for the first time in 2025: two Keys to Hotel Copernicus and one each to H15 Palace and Stradom House (City of Kraków). For the hotels nearest the square, with their distances, see hotels near the Main Market Square.

The Old Town

The medieval core inside the Planty, around the Main Market Square, Floriańska and Grodzka. Lonely Planet calls the Old Town a city within a city, with most of the restaurants, bars and hotels, and the three- and four-star hotels just off the Rynek a bargain by European standards. It says to avoid hotels near bars because of the noise. See the Main Market Square for what stands on it, and the Wawel for the hill at the south end.

Hotel Stary

Szczepańska 5 · 53 rooms · a 15th-century building · cellar spa · Hotels.comad

About 180 m from the Cloth Hall. The pool, sauna and salt cave in the cellars are free to guests, according to the hotel, which says it won the Prix Villégiature for its interior in 2007. Michelin lists it as Selected. The hotel’s own parking is PLN 180 a day.

Hotel Wentzl

Rynek Główny 19 · 18 rooms · on the square · Hotels.comad

The hotel says it is the only hotel on the Main Market Square. It is a 16th-century building made from two older houses, with doubles from 17 m² and twin luxury rooms of 24 to 38 m². Time Out says some rooms have balconies over the square. Hotels.com lists two restaurants, Polish and Italian.

Bonerowski Palace

Rynek Główny 42 and Świętego Jana 1 · 16 rooms · palace of the 14th century · Hotels.comad

The hotel dates the palace to the 14th century. Time Out counts eight deluxe rooms and eight luxury apartments. The restaurant is Amalia, there is a cocktail bar in the brick cellars, and Hotels.com lists a small spa on the fourth floor. It is about 120 m from the Cloth Hall.

Hotel Saski Kraków, Curio Collection by Hilton

Sławkowska 3 · 117 rooms · spa and indoor pool · Hotels.comad

A five-star in a building that Hotels.com dates to 1820, with 117 rooms, a spa, an indoor pool and the Regale restaurant. It is about 180 m from the Cloth Hall.

Grand Hotel

Sławkowska 5 to 7 · apartments and palace suites · Mirror Ballroom · Hotels.comad

The hotel says its Mirror Ballroom has been the setting for events since 1887 and that it has two Palace Suites of about 100 m² each. Hotels.com lists 64 rooms, a winery, a spa and a 24-hour gym. It is about 170 m from the Cloth Hall.

Unicus Palace Old Town

Sławkowska 13 · 36 rooms · the former Tarnowski Palace · hotel’s site

The hotel says the Tarnowski Palace was built in the 17th century and keeps its baroque vestibule and portals. Michelin lists it as Selected, with 36 rooms and free-standing baths in some. It is about 260 m from the Cloth Hall. A second Unicus hotel, Hotel Unicus Old Town, is a separate property on Świętego Marka.

H15 Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Świętego Jana 15 · 70 rooms · one Michelin Key · Hotels.comad

Seventy rooms in four 16th-century tenements, according to Michelin. Its restaurant, Artesse by Juanlu Fernández, is Michelin Selected, and Hotels.com lists a hammam spa and an indoor pool. It is about 330 m from the Cloth Hall.

H15 Hotel Francuski

Pijarska 13 · 43 rooms · the city’s first purpose-built hotel · Hotels.comad

The hotel says it was the first building in Kraków erected as a hotel, in 1912. Its 43 rooms and suites look onto Pijarska and Świętego Jana, the Planty and the Floriańska Gate, and the Brasserie L’Olympique serves French food. Michelin lists it as Selected.

Hotel Pod Różą

Floriańska 14 · a 17th-century building · spa · Hotels.comad

The hotel calls itself the oldest hotel in Kraków and says every room is designed individually, so rooms differ from the photographs. Michelin counts 56 rooms in a 17th-century building and lists the hotel as Selected; Hotels.com lists a spa with a sauna, steam room and Turkish bath. It is about 210 m from the Cloth Hall.

Hotel Teatr

Świętego Krzyża 21 · 15 rooms and a suite · a former church and school · Hotels.comad

Michelin describes 15 rooms and a three-room suite in a building that was a 17th-century Baroque church and then a 19th-century boys’ school, with 13th-century fragments exposed. Hotels.com lists a spa and a garden. It is about 440 m from the Cloth Hall and 680 m from the station.

Hotel Amadeus

Mikołajska 20 · 22 rooms · sauna · Hotels.comad

A small hotel with 22 rooms on four floors and a sauna, according to Hotels.com. It is about 340 m from the Cloth Hall.

Hotel Gródek

Na Gródku 4 · 23 rooms · rooftop terrace · Hotels.comad

Hotels.com lists 23 rooms, a rooftop terrace and a Polish restaurant open for dinner only. Lonely Planet names it for the Old Town. It is about 360 m from the Cloth Hall.

Hotel Pollera

Szpitalna 30 · three stars · 42 rooms · Hotels.comad

A three-star with 42 rooms, a lift and parking, according to Hotels.com. It is about 370 m from the Cloth Hall.

Hotel Royal

Świętej Gertrudy 26 to 29 · 99 rooms · built in 1898 · Hotels.comad

Hotels.com lists a three-and-a-half-star hotel of 99 rooms in a building of 1898, with a restaurant. It stands at the Wawel end of the Old Town, about 230 m from the castle and 810 m from the Cloth Hall.

Holiday Inn Krakow City Centre

Wielopole 4 · 236 rooms · spa · Hotels.comad

The largest Old Town hotel here: Hotels.com lists 236 rooms on six floors, two restaurants and a gastropub, and a Balinese spa. It is about 530 m from the Cloth Hall.

The Wawel and the Vistula bank

South of the Old Town, between the castle and the river. These hotels are 230 to 740 m from the Wawel and 1.5 to 2.2 km from the station, so the airport train means a longer walk or a ride. See the Wawel tickets guide for the hill.

The brick walls and tower of the Wawel, seen from the path along the foot of the hill. Photo: Zygmunt Put, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Balthazar Design Hotel

Grodzka 63 · 25 rooms · a 19th-century townhouse · hotel’s site

The hotel describes a restored 19th-century tenement at the foot of the Wawel, with the Fiorentina restaurant. Michelin says it stands on 16th-century foundations on the Royal Route and lists it as Selected. It is about 230 m from the Wawel.

Hotel Copernicus

Kanonicza 16 · 29 rooms · two Michelin Keys · spa · Hotels.comad

The hotel says it was the first in Poland to join Relais & Châteaux. Time Out describes a basement spa with a brick-vaulted pool and a rooftop terrace in summer. Michelin gives it two Keys, the only two-Key hotel in Kraków. Parking is PLN 160 a day, and the Wawel is about 250 m away.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Krakow

Straszewskiego 17 · 196 rooms · spa · Hotels.comad

A five-star with 196 rooms and a spa, according to Hotels.com, which gives walking times of 4 minutes to the Royal Road, 6 to the Main Market Square and 8 to the Wawel.

Hotel Maltański

Straszewskiego 14 · three stars · spa · Hotels.comad

A three-star with a spa and a restaurant. Hotels.com says pets stay free and parking is PLN 50 a day, the cheapest hotel parking here.

Hotel Wawel Queen

Straszewskiego 12 · four stars · restaurant · Hotels.comad

A four-star on the same street, about 330 m from the Wawel; Hotels.com puts the Main Market Square 8 minutes’ walk away.

Sheraton Grand Krakow

Powiśle 7 · 230 rooms · rooftop terrace · Hotels.comad

Time Out places the hotel’s 230 rooms on the site of the Royal Brewery, with a rooftop terrace that looks over boats on the river and the Wawel. Hotels.com lists an indoor pool and puts the Wawel 9 minutes’ walk away.

Bachleda Luxury Hotel Krakow, MGallery

Plac Kossaka 6 · 64 rooms · indoor pool · Hotels.comad

A 19th-century building just outside the Old Town, according to Michelin, which lists it as Selected. Hotels.com lists an indoor pool, a restaurant and a lounge bar.

Novotel Krakow Centrum

Tadeusza Kościuszki 5 · indoor pool · children stay free · Hotels.comad

The family option on the river. Hotels.com lists a four-star with an indoor pool, a spa, a marina and a playground, and says children stay free. It puts the Wawel 12 minutes’ walk away and the Main Market Square 14.

Kazimierz and Stradom

The former Jewish town south-east of the Old Town, with Szeroka, Plac Nowy and the Dietla ring road. Lonely Planet calls Kazimierz the best area for atmosphere, nightlife and Jewish history. The bars round Plac Nowy keep the area awake, and the zapiekanka windows on the square stay open late: see where to eat in Kraków. The synagogues and museums are in the Kazimierz guide, and Schindler’s Factory and the former ghetto are 0.8 to 1.6 km away: see the ghetto and Podgórze.

Plac Nowy in Kazimierz. Photo: Zygmunt Put, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Stradom House Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection

Stradomska 12 to 14 · 125 rooms · one Michelin Key · Hotels.comad

The hotel says the building dates to the 14th century; Time Out describes a church and monastery behind a Renaissance-style façade. The cocktail bar Hedwig’s is in the converted chapel, and the restaurants are Stradomska 12, Polish, and Gaia, Mediterranean. There is a spa, SÓL. It is about 370 m from the Wawel and 300 m from Plac Nowy.

Queen Boutique Hotel

Józefa Dietla 60 · 31 rooms · Amarylis restaurant · Hotels.comad

A restored 19th-century tenement between the Old Town and Kazimierz, with a spa in the cellars that includes a private Finnish sauna. Michelin says a Deluxe room has a balcony over the garden with a view of the castle. The restaurant, Amarylis, is Michelin Selected.

Hotel Rubinstein

Szeroka 12 · four stars · on Szeroka · Hotels.comad

A hotel on Szeroka, the old Jewish market square, in a 15th-century townhouse according to Time Out, which adds that parts of Schindler’s List were filmed on the street. The hotel describes original historic details. Plac Nowy is about 280 m away.

Metropolitan Boutique Hotel

Berka Joselewicza 19 · 59 rooms · Fab Fusion restaurant · Hotels.comad

The hotel lists 59 air-conditioned rooms in a renovated 19th-century building and says it stands away from the noise. The restaurant, Fab Fusion, serves from 07:00 to 22:00, with a happy hour from 16:00 to 18:00.

Warszauer

Warszauera 10 · 10 rooms · free breakfast · Hotels.comad

A boutique hotel of ten rooms behind a modern façade, according to Michelin, which lists it as Selected. Hotels.com lists four stars, free breakfast and a café and bar. Plac Nowy is about 150 m away.

Hotel Eden

Ciemna 15 · three stars · 27 rooms · sauna and steam room · Hotels.comad

Three connected 15th-century tenement houses, according to the hotel, which says one was the home of Isaac Jakubowicz, the man in a Hasidic legend about treasure under a stove. Hotels.com lists 27 rooms, free breakfast, a sauna and a steam room.

PURO Kraków Kazimierz

Halicka 14a · 228 rooms · spa · Hotels.comad

Michelin describes interiors by Conran and Partners, street art by local artists and a spa. Michelin files it under Kleparz, but Halicka is on the Kazimierz side of the Vistula, about 810 m from Schindler’s Factory.

Round the station

North-east of the Old Town, round Kraków Główny. The airport trains end here, and so do the long-distance trains. These hotels are 230 to 440 m from the station and 0.7 to 1.2 km from the Main Market Square.

PURO Kraków Stare Miasto

Ogrodowa 10 · 144 rooms · free bike rental · Hotels.comad

Michelin counts 144 rooms. Time Out says the hotel lends bicycles free and runs free English-language walking tours on Saturdays. It is about 230 m from the station.

Mercure Krakow Stare Miasto

Pawia 18B · 198 rooms · Hotels.comad

A large, modern hotel just outside the old walls, according to Michelin, 250 m from the station. Hotels.com puts parking at PLN 100 a day.

Hotel Indigo Krakow, Old Town

Filipa 18 · 56 rooms · rooftop terrace · Hotels.comad

A converted tenement beside the Old Kleparz food market, with rooms inspired by Polish painters, according to Michelin. The restaurant, Filipa 18, is Michelin Selected, and Hotels.com lists a rooftop terrace.

ibis Krakow Stare Miasto

Pawia 15 · three stars · Hotels.comad

A three-star with a restaurant and a garden, 330 m from the station; Hotels.com says the station is 8 minutes’ walk away.

Hotel Europejski

Lubicz 5 · three stars · garden · Hotels.comad

Hotels.com lists a three-star with a garden and free parking, about 430 m from the station.

Podgórze

Across the Vistula, where Schindler’s Factory, the former ghetto and the MOCAK museum are. Lonely Planet says the district has been called up-and-coming for so long that it must be nearly ready to retire, with riverfront bistros by day and cocktail clubs by night. The Main Market Square is about 2 km away. Schindler’s Factory tickets explains the named ticket.

Rynek Podgórski, the market square of Podgórze. Photo: Jeremiah Z. Cockroach, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Plaza Boutique Hotel

Plac Bohaterów Getta · 34 rooms · sauna · Hotels.comad

Hotels.com lists a four-star with 34 rooms, a sauna and a 24-hour gym, on the square that was the ghetto’s heart. Schindler’s Factory is about 510 m away.

Qubus Hotel Krakow

Nadwiślańska 6 · 194 rooms · indoor pool · Hotels.comad

A hotel of 194 rooms on seven floors with an indoor pool and a spa, according to Hotels.com. Schindler’s Factory is about 620 m away.

Before you book

• Tourist tax. Kraków charges none in 2026, and the city says no legal basis for one exists (City of Kraków). A law passed by the Sejm in September 2026, with the Senate still to vote, would let cities charge up to PLN 5 a night from 2027, collected by the hotel (Dziennik Polski).
• Parking. Hotel parking runs from PLN 50 a day at Hotel Maltański to PLN 180 at Hotel Stary. Since 1 January 2026 a Clean Transport Zone covers about 60% of the city, with limits by engine standard and registration year; the rules are on the city’s page, krakow.pl/sct.
• Night shopping. Shops may not sell takeaway alcohol from 22:00 to 06:00 since 1 September 2026; bars and restaurants are exempt (City of Kraków).
• From the airport, the SKA1 train takes 17 minutes to Kraków Główny for PLN 20: see Kraków airport to the city centre and Kraków public transport.
• Winter. The Christmas market fills the Main Market Square from 27 November 2026, so the Old Town hotels are in the middle of it.

For what to book before you go, see Kraków: what to book. To fit the sights to your days, see 3 days in Kraków and Kraków in one day. The Kraków Card guide says what the card covers. Where to eat in Kraków lists the restaurants, Kraków food tours compares the guided walks, and best time to visit Kraków gives the weather by month. For an evening, see Chopin concerts in Kraków, the Vistula river cruises, Kraków walking tours and golf cart tours.

Common questions

What is the best area to stay in Kraków for a first visit?

The Old Town, inside the Planty park ring. The hotels listed here are 110 to 810 m from the Main Market Square in a straight line, and 0.2 to 1.2 km from the Wawel. Kazimierz suits a visitor who wants bars and the Jewish quarter on the doorstep, and the station area suits a short stay with an early train.

Is there a tourist tax in Kraków?

Not in 2026: the city's own page says no legal basis for one exists. A law passed by the Sejm in September 2026, with the Senate still to vote, would let cities charge up to PLN 5 a night from 2027, collected by the hotel.

Is the Main Market Square noisy at night?

At weekends it can be. Lonely Planet calls the Rynek rowdy because of stag and hen parties and says to walk a few streets back, and advises against hotels near bars. Stolarska has lounges that open late. Ask for a room on the courtyard side.

Which area is best for Schindler's Factory and the former ghetto?

Podgórze, across the Vistula. Plaza Boutique Hotel is about 510 m from Schindler's Factory in a straight line and Qubus Hotel about 620 m. In Kazimierz, PURO Kraków Kazimierz is about 810 m away and Hotel Rubinstein about 1.1 km.

How do I get from the airport to a hotel in Kraków?

The SKA1 train runs every 30 minutes to Kraków Główny in 17 minutes for PLN 20. Hotels in the Old Town are 0.7 to 1.6 km from the station on foot; the station-area hotels listed here are 230 to 440 m away.