What to do in Krakow when it rains? Five indoor ideas

When it’s raining in Krakow, your safest bets are places where you can spend the whole afternoon in one building: Rynek Underground beneath the Main Market Square, the Main Building of the National Museum, the Museum of Engineering and Technology in Kazimierz, the greenhouses of the Jagiellonian University Botanic Garden, or an escape room. Before you choose, look at the calendar. A rainy Monday and a rainy Tuesday are two different plans in Krakow, because most museums are closed on Mondays, while on Tuesdays some of them let you in without a ticket.

Below you’ll find five ideas with the information that helps you decide before you leave the house. Opening hours and prices change, so for each place we link to the official website.

1. Rynek Underground: medieval Krakow beneath the Main Square

Rynek Underground is a branch of the Museum of Krakow at Rynek Główny 1. Its exhibition, “Traces of Kraków’s European Identity”, tells the story of the medieval city beneath the surface of the square. The whole visit takes place underground, so the rain stops mattering the moment you head down onto the route.

It’s one of the few options for a rainy Monday. The branch is open on Mondays, except on the second Monday of the month, when it’s closed. Last entry to the exhibition is 75 minutes before closing, so don’t plan to turn up at the last minute.

On Tuesdays entry is free, but with two catches. You can’t reserve a place in advance, because the free tickets are handed out at the ticket office on the day of your visit. On top of that, on Tuesdays the branch closes earlier than on other days. If you want to make use of free entry, come before noon, not after work.

2. The Main Building of the National Museum: art for a whole afternoon

The Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow is at al. 3 Maja 1, next to Błonia. You can get there by tram 1 or 20 or by one of a dozen or so buses, getting off at the Muzeum Narodowe stop.

Every Tuesday, all the permanent exhibitions in the MNK’s branches are free to visit. The museum sells tickets for a specific day and time, at the ticket office and online, so on a popular day it’s worth booking your entry in advance. The Main Building is closed on Mondays. You can check current opening hours on the MNK opening hours page.

It’s a good choice if you use a wheelchair or crutches. According to the museum, the building is almost entirely accessible thanks to lifts, platforms and portable ramps, except for the cloakroom and the mezzanine on the second floor. There’s also a cloakroom, a café and a baby-changing facility on site, so wet coats and a longer visit with a child aren’t a problem.

3. The Museum of Engineering and Technology: the city from a technical angle

If you prefer machines and the city to paintings, go to the Depot branch of the Museum of Engineering and Technology at ul. św. Wawrzyńca 15 in Kazimierz. According to the museum, the exhibition “The City. Technosensitivity” takes you from the first ideas of cities, through both industrial revolutions and post-war modernisation, right up to the present day. The museum estimates a visit at about two hours, so it’s enough for one unhurried afternoon.

Getting there is easy: trams 3, 17, 19 and 24 stop at Św. Wawrzyńca, and 6, 8, 10 and 13 at Plac Wolnica. The museum is closed on Mondays, and current opening hours and last entry are on the museum’s website, in the section on planning your visit. A useful detail: a ticket you’ve bought is valid for 30 days from the date shown on it, and the museum doesn’t offer refunds.

4. The Botanic Garden greenhouses: greenery under glass

Rain doesn’t have to mean giving up on plants. The Jagiellonian University Botanic Garden at ul. Kopernika 27 has greenhouses where you can spend part of your visit under a roof. The garden itself is open-air, so an umbrella will come in handy between the greenhouses.

Here the calendar really matters. The greenhouses have shorter hours than the garden, and from November to February they close as early as the early afternoon. On Mondays the garden’s museum and the greenhouses are closed, except for the Warszewicz Conservatory. In autumn the garden also sometimes closes individual greenhouses to prepare the collections for winter, and announces this on its website. Pushchairs aren’t allowed in the greenhouses, which is worth knowing if you’re going with a small child.

5. An escape room at Gamescape: a shared story indoors

When you want to do something together rather than just look, go for an escape room at Gamescape at ul. Tadeusza Kościuszki 74. Most games last 65 minutes, and House of Krak takes 90 minutes. The rooms are air-conditioned.

Pick the title to suit your group. Dead Man’s Chest, a pirate story about buried treasure, is marked by the operator as child-friendly. Dragon’s Curse is for 2 to 5 players and has a difficulty of 7/10, but its page warns of tight spaces and narrow passages. Anatomy of Crime 2 is an investigation for ages 16 and up only.

If you’re with teenagers or children, check the supervision rules. Under-14s play with an adult guardian in the team. Players aged 14 to 18 play with a guardian in the team, with a guardian waiting at the venue, or with written consent from their parents.

In the rain, allow extra time. Gamescape recommends arriving 10 to 15 minutes before the game, to get to know the place and listen to the introduction to the story, and arriving late may shorten your playing time. A wet coat needs a moment too. You can change or cancel a booking up to 24 hours before the game. If you’re booking a few days ahead with rain in mind, remember that the forecast may change, but your slot stays.

Which idea to choose, depending on the day?

• Monday: Rynek Underground (except on the second Monday of the month) or the Warszewicz Conservatory in the Botanic Garden. The MNK Main Building, the Museum of Engineering and Technology and the other greenhouses are closed. Check for free escape room slots when you book.
• Tuesday: the MNK’s permanent exhibitions for free, and free entry to Rynek Underground, but before noon, because the branch closes earlier that day.
• Wednesday to Sunday: all five places are an option. With the greenhouses, remember that they close early in autumn and winter.

And one more thing to weigh up: who you’re with. On your own or as a couple, you can take your time going round a museum at your own pace. With a group of friends or with teenagers, it’s easier to get a conversation going after an escape room, because you all played through the same story. Pick one place and leave yourselves time for a cup of tea when you get home. A rainy afternoon doesn’t need a packed programme.