Attractions for tourists in Krakow: what to see and how to plan it

For a first visit to Krakow, a handful of places is enough: the Main Market Square with the Cloth Hall and St Mary’s Basilica, a walk along the Royal Route up to Wawel, Kazimierz, and one museum chosen to suit your interests. Add a viewpoint on one of the mounds and some downtime by the Vistula. Before you put the plan together, check which places sell tickets for a specific time slot. Those set the rhythm of the day, and everything else is easy to fit around them.

After a few hours of monuments, you’ll often feel like a change of pace. That’s why, towards the end of this overview, we also describe a city game that lets you sightsee by solving puzzles. It’s one option, not a replacement for everything else.

The Main Market Square and the Old Town

The Main Market Square was laid out when the city received its town charter in 1257. According to Kraków Travel, it was the largest market square in medieval Europe, and each of its sides is over 200 metres long. On the square itself stand the Cloth Hall, the Town Hall Tower and the Adam Mickiewicz Monument, which locals call “Adaś”. St Mary’s Basilica stands on the square too. In 1978 the Old Town was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the first twelve sites in the world.

Every hour, day and night, the bugle call (hejnał) is played from the tower of St Mary’s Basilica towards the four points of the compass. The melody breaks off suddenly. The legend explains this with a watchman who, in 1241, was warning the city about the Tatars and was killed by an arrow mid-tune.

Beneath the square you’ll find Rynek Underground, a branch of the Museum of Krakow. Individual tickets are sold at the ticket office on the day of your visit, and last entry is 75 minutes before closing. If this exhibition matters to you, don’t leave it until the end of the day.

The Royal Route and Wawel

The Royal Route is the old path of coronation processions. According to the city’s official website (in Polish), it runs from Matejko Square through St Florian’s Gate, along Floriańska Street, across the Main Market Square and down Grodzka and Kanonicza streets to Wawel Royal Castle. It’s the simplest way to take in the most important parts of the Old Town in a single walk.

At Wawel, the castle and the cathedral have separate tickets. According to the Royal Castle’s common questions, you can buy tickets to the castle exhibitions online up to four weeks before your visit, or at the ticket office on the day. The castle doesn’t sell tickets to the cathedral, the Royal Tombs or the Sigismund Bell. Free passes to selected exhibitions are limited and can run out before the ticket offices close.

At the foot of the hill is the entrance to the Dragon’s Den and the dragon statue. The Den is open seasonally, and the route is one-way, exiting onto the riverside boulevards. Check the details on the Wawel website.

Collegium Maius and the musical clock

Collegium Maius is the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University and home to its museum. Above the entrance to the Libraria there’s a musical clock. According to the museum’s website, several times a day it plays a fragment of a Renaissance tablature by Jan of Lublin and “Gaudeamus igitur”, accompanied by a procession of figures: the beadle, Queen Jadwiga, King Władysław Jagiełło, St John of Kęty, Hugo Kołłątaj and Rector Stanisław of Skalbmierz. It’s a short stop that fits nicely between the Market Square and the rest of your walk. The university’s website gives the times the clock plays and the rules for visiting the museum.

Kazimierz

Kazimierz was once a separate town, founded in the 14th century by Casimir the Great. At the end of the 15th century a separate Jewish town grew up here, centred on what is now Szeroka Street. According to Kraków Travel, Kazimierz became one of the most important centres of Jewish culture and spirituality in Europe. On Szeroka you’ll find the Old Synagogue and the Remuh Synagogue, and the grave of Rabbi Moses Isserles, known as the Remuh, is still visited by pilgrims today.

After 1989 the district came back to life, with new galleries, venues and cultural institutions. Give yourself time for a relaxed wander here rather than just walking down one street.

One museum that suits your interests

You don’t have to tick off every museum. Pick one that matches what genuinely interests you:

• 20th-century history: Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory at ul. Lipowa 4, with the exhibition “Kraków under Nazi Occupation 1939-1945”. Tickets are issued in your name and for a specific time. You need to enter the exhibition within 15 minutes of the time on your ticket, and online sales open 90 days in advance. This is the place to book first.
• Art: the Princes Czartoryski Museum at ul. Pijarska 15, a branch of the National Museum in Krakow. This is where you’ll see Leonardo da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine” and Rembrandt’s “Landscape with the Good Samaritan”. Tickets are for a set date and time.
• Medieval Krakow: Rynek Underground, mentioned above, with tickets bought at the ticket office on the day.

Some branches have free admission days, but usually with a limited number of entries and no booking. If you’re planning a visit on one of those days, arrive early and have a plan B.

A view from above and a rest by the Vistula

• Krakus Mound in Podgórze is 16 metres high and is considered the oldest structure in the city. Entry is free, and according to the District XIII Podgórze Council (in Polish), the top gives you a panoramic view of Krakow.
• Kościuszko Mound at al. Waszyngtona 1 is run by the Mound Committee. Entry is ticketed, and there’s a museum on site with an exhibition about Kościuszko.
• The Vistula Embankments below Wawel are a place for a walk, a bike ride or a rest, step-free and with no tickets. A good way to end the day after coming down from Wawel.

When you want to do something, not just look

A city game takes you through Krakow but adds a mission, puzzles and decisions you make together. It makes sense when it matches what you want from the walk: fun in a particular setting, or getting to know the city’s stories a little better.

The Krakow Legends app is a game you play on your own phone. It leads you along a route through the city centre, tasks unlock at each new point, and there’s no time limit or fixed start time. It suits tourists who want to play between other things on their list and take breaks.

If you’d rather play a game with a host, EscapeCity gives each team an iPad with a map and augmented reality. Operation Mindfall is a spy mission on a route of about 3.5 km. The same operator also runs Kraków Legends by EscapeCity, a separate game along the Royal Route to Wawel. When you compare options, check whether you play on your own phone or get equipment, and whether you need to arrange a time with the staff.

Legends aren’t the same as documented historical events. Enjoy the story, and check the facts about the monuments later in each site’s own materials. A game can spark your curiosity; it doesn’t have to replace sightseeing.

How to plan your day

1. First, places with a set entry time. Book Schindler’s Factory or the Princes Czartoryski Museum if they’re on your list. They’re the fixed points of your day.
2. Then places with tickets sold on the day. Rynek Underground and the Wawel exhibitions without advance booking are best visited in the morning or early afternoon, before tickets run out or last entry passes.
3. Finally, the places that are always open. The boulevards, Kazimierz and Krakus Mound don’t need tickets, so they’re great for filling free hours and the evening.

Agree on language, too. If some of your group don’t speak Polish, check which languages the audio guides, exhibitions and game are available in. One person translating everything for everyone else soon stops sightseeing themselves.

Don’t fill every hour of your trip. Leave room for a side street that catches your eye, or an unhurried conversation over a meal. Good memories of Krakow rarely come from ticking off a list.