Summer in Krakow: holiday adventures with puzzles

In summer, most of Krakow’s action is by the water and in the green spaces. You can swim at the city bathing areas at Zakrzówek or Zalew Bagry, spend an evening on the Vistula Embankments, visit the Jagiellonian University Botanical Garden or the Experimental Garden, ride a historic tram, or turn a walk around the centre into a city game. Below you’ll find how these places differ and what to check before you head out.

A holiday plan is easier to put together when each day has one main highlight. Leave the rest of the time for resting, shade and a meal. In the heat, it matters more that nobody in your group is worn out by the afternoon than how many attractions you fit in.

A swim in the city: Zakrzówek and Zalew Bagry

Krakow has several city bathing areas. Entry is free, and lifeguards are on duty during the season. The bathing areas only open in summer, and the city announces the season’s dates and opening hours separately each year.

• Park Zakrzówek is a bathing area where you swim in five separate pools of different depths, linked by wooden decks. There’s a limit on the number of people on the decks, and wristbands are handed out at the entrance, so on a hot weekend you may have to wait a while. The site is adapted for people with disabilities. Check the current rules and opening hours on the Zakrzówek website (in Polish).
• Zalew Bagry, a lake in Podgórze, has two seasonal beaches. Next to them there are sports pitches, an outdoor gym and a water sports equipment rental. There’s no limit on the number of swimmers at Bagry. Parts of the shore are covered with reed beds, which give water birds shelter and a place to breed, so you mustn’t cross into the marked protection zones. You’ll find information about the park on the City Greenery Authority website (in Polish).

If you don’t want to risk queuing at the entrance on a hot weekend, Bagry, with no limit on swimmers, will be the easier choice. Go for Zakrzówek if you like the idea of swimming in separate pools with decks.

An evening by the Vistula

The Vistula Embankments stretch along the foot of Wawel. There are walking paths and cycle lanes, and getting in and around is free and step-free. In summer it’s the natural place to end the day, once the heat eases off.

You can start your walk along the river at the Dragon Statue on Bulwar Czerwieński. Now and then the dragon breathes fire, but don’t plan your evening around that one moment.

Greenery, shade and learning through play

The Jagiellonian University Botanical Garden at ul. Kopernika 27 is a good choice for a hot day. In summer the garden stays open longer than in winter, while the greenhouses and the museum have their own, shorter hours and are closed on Mondays. There’s an admission charge. Bikes and dogs aren’t allowed, and you can’t take a pushchair into the greenhouses.

The Stanisław Lem Experimental Garden at al. Pokoju 68 is the outdoor branch of the Museum of Engineering and Technology. Spread over more than six hectares, it has over a hundred interactive stations where you can test how magnetism, optics or acoustics work. The garden is open seasonally, roughly from April to October, and there’s an admission charge. It’s aimed at families, but adults will find something for themselves here too.

Through the centre by historic tram

On Sundays and public holidays from June to September, the Krakowska Linia Muzealna (in Polish), a heritage tram line, runs through Krakow. Line 0 links the historic depot on ul. św. Wawrzyńca with the Cichy Kącik tram loop and passes through the very centre of the city. It’s served by historic trams from the MPK collection. It’s a short, relaxed attraction that’s easy to combine with a walk.

A city game instead of an ordinary walk

If you’d like to get to know the centre through puzzles, Krakow Legends in an app takes you around the city along the trail of Krakow’s legends. You’ll need an Android or iOS phone with GPS turned on. You start the game whenever you like and can take breaks, which matters in summer: when it’s hot, it’s easy to duck into the shade for a while and come back to the puzzles later. According to its creators, the full game takes about one and a half to two hours.

A legend isn’t the same as a confirmed historical fact. After the game, you can talk about which parts of the story were fantasy and which real places served as their backdrop.

Prefer a game with the kit ready for you? In the Gamescape city games catalogue, your team gets an iPad with a map and augmented reality. Among others, you’ll find the fantasy game Eight Portals in Stary Zwierzyniec, with archive photos of the city, and Magic Portal for children aged 7 to 12. The routes are up to three and a half kilometres long, so on a hot day take water and a hat.

A plan for heat and storms

For a summer walk, bring water, sunscreen and comfortable shoes. Plan the most demanding parts, such as a longer route or an outdoor game, for the morning or late afternoon, and spend the middle of the day in the water or in the shade.

For a storm or a downpour, you need an indoor plan. That could be a museum or an escape room at Gamescape. If you’ve booked an outdoor game, ask the operator in advance what happens to your booking in bad weather.

You don’t have to tick off every idea in one week. One day by the water, one in the green and one shared adventure with puzzles are enough to give your summer holiday in Krakow a character of its own.