Itineraries for Your Trip to Krakow
2 Days in Krakow for First Timers
As a history major in college, Central Europe was a natural place for me to study abroad as an undergrad. While I ended up studying in Prague, I was thrilled to be so close to Poland, a country I’d learned so much about during 20th-century history courses. Krakow is just over the border from the Czech Republic, so I took the train into southern Poland for a weekend of solo wandering, visiting art galleries and churches, and learning more about Poland’s dramatic—and often tragic—history. You could easily spend a week here, but if you only have two days in Krakow, here’s how to make the most of your time.
If you only have time for one thing, make it a stroll through the Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square) and a bit of shopping at the Cloth Hall.
Krakow experiences cold, snowy winters, but it can really heat up in summer: Pack appropriately for the season when visiting Krakow.
Start your first day in Krakow in the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Old Town and Kazimierz, the city’s old Jewish quarter. Look out for the Rynek Glowny and covered market inside the Cloth Hall, St. Mary’s Basilica, Wawel Royal Castle atop Wawel Hill, and the 15th-century Great Barbican gate. Art enthusiasts should also check out the National Museum in Krakow, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, Lady with an Ermine.
After some tasty traditional Polish pierogi dumplings for lunch, join a tour out to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Salt was mined here for centuries, until the 1990s, but now tourists can descend to great caverns that have been carved into the salt-encrusted rock to admire underground chapels, concert halls, statues—even a salt crystal chandelier.
Back in the city this evening, toast your time in Krakow with some local wodka. Perhaps join a well-planned pub crawl, which is a great way to make new friends while traveling. If you’d prefer a quieter night out, opt for a piano concert instead, to listen to the masterpieces of one of Poland’s finest composers, Frederic Chopin.
History is around every corner in Krakow, and you could opt to stay in the city today and take a history-themed tour. But Krakow is the gateway to one of Poland’s most notorious World War II–era sites, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. To learn more about this dark chapter of European history, take a half-day trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, about an hour’s drive west of Krakow, in Oswiecim.
Continuing the World War II theme into the afternoon, head back to the city to visit Oskar Schindler's Factory Museum. Schindler was immortalized through the 1993 movie Schindler’s List, but you can learn more about the real-life man at the museum. The building used to be his metal and enamelware factory, where he employed Jewish workers during the Nazi occupation.
After a busy day, take it easy during your last night in Krakow. An evening cruise on the Vistula River is a lovely way to end your time here. See landmarks such as Wawel Cathedral, St. Stanislaus Church, and the Monastery of the Norbertan Sisters from a different angle—perhaps even lit up after dark, depending on the timing of your cruise.
