How to plan the perfect city break to Krakow!
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
No idea where to begin? Don't worry, we have some great advice for you!
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Planning a city break to Krakow is not the easiest task. There are so many incredible sights to see, things to do, places to eat and drink, and it feels overwhelming to try and figure out where on earth to start.
Before we begin looking at your Krakow itinerary, you need to start by booking your flights and accommodation, then you can consider how you want to spend your time in the city.
We have some other online posts that teach you how to book the best flight deals, and how to plan & book city breaks if you’re new to booking your own trips rather than package or travel agent deals.
We know what we’re doing when it comes to travel planning - we travel monthly and plan itineraries for others for a living! So, to share the expertise and experience we’ve gained, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you plan your trip to Krakow in the most efficient way.
1. Get prepared and know your facts about your Krakow city break
If you’re sitting down to plan your trip, have all of your facts and information ready and with you. Know your flight times, where you’re staying, and any other excursions, experiences or day trips that you have planned.
Then, make a list of all your “must-see” places to visit, foods or drinks you know you 100% want to try, and any experiences you don’t want to miss out on. For Krakow, this might be places like Auschwitz, Wawel Castle and the Salt mines.
This is going to help you later on when you’re trying to plan an itinerary for each day, you can see which ones make geographical sense to visit on the same day, and make sure you’re ticking off all the places you’re most excited about.
If just doing this is feeling like a lot, don’t worry, you can download our Krakow Travel Toolkit which has all these lists prepared for you, organised into a 3-day itinerary and paired with a custom online map, so you can see where each recommendation is compared to your location!
2. Invest in a good Krakow Travel Guide (the absolute quickest way to plan your trip)
Not to brag, but we think we’ve created the best and quickest way to plan your trip to Krakow.
We know the feeling of spending hours on end scrolling through google and social media before your trip. You find and send all the good things to do to your friends or family, find all the best tips and travel hacks, and feel super prepared…
Then you get to your destination and can’t remember, end up scrolling through your chat history or frantically searching for “polish food” or “steak” or “castle” on maps trying to find the one you fancied whilst standing on a corner of a street you don’t know.
From our own personal experience, through making amazing memories (and also making some pretty stupid mistakes), we’ve put together a Krakow guide which compiles absolutely everything you need to know about the city. It’s all in one easy to navigate document that you can keep saved to your phone, laptop or tablet.
We have a free sample version of the guide so you can see the great quality of our content available to download here, too. Just fill in the form and you’ll get a 5 page version (the full one is around 30 pages and comes with access to our Ultimate Map of Krakow).
3. Don’t get too set on a fixed, minute-by-minute itinerary
When you’re away from home, especially in a popular city like Krakow, things are definitely going to change at the last minute.
You might find a cosy cafe and stop for an iced coffee and Obwarzanek krakowski (a delicious Polish bagel, originating from Krakow).
You might wander through the old town longer than expected because you keep finding gorgeous streets and bars tucked away from the main square! Or even more practical things like issues with transport, tours being cancelled, or weather disrupting your plans.
Essentially, don’t expect to have your itinerary planned to the second and have nothing change - it’s just not realistic.
Of course, some things have to be timed, like tickets with entry slots or guided tours. But when we’re just sightseeing, the way that we find easiest to plan our day is just creating a quick list of things to do, in the order that it makes sense to see them, so you’re not walking around in circles.
Then, if you seem to get through your plan faster or slower than expected, you can just skip a stop, or add a break at a bar or in a nice park.
4. Plan your Krakow city break logically, to avoid going back on yourself every day!
Krakow is a very walkable city, so if you’re able to, explore on foot, as there is so much to see.
To save your feet, first start with a list of all the places you want to visit, and find out which area of Krakow they are in.
We highly recommend you dedicate separate chunks of time to the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, and the riverside areas. This will make your trip planning, and your time in Krakow, so much simpler and easier.
5. Don’t leave it all to the last minute
We get it, everyone loves a bit of spontaneity. And if that’s your thing, or if this is a super last minute trip, don’t panic, you can still have an incredible time. But especially if you’re visiting Krakow in peak season (summer or during the beautiful Christmas markets), you need to book your accommodation, tickets to major tourist attractions, and any excursions, well in advance.
Tickets can sell out, and accommodation drastically increases in price the closer to the date of travel you get.
Not only do you save money by booking online and in advance, it’s also so much less stressful knowing that once you arrive, everything is booked and planned. Then you can just relax, take in the sights and the incredible atmosphere of the city.
NOTE: In Krakow, there are a lot of third party re-sellers of tickets to major attractions. These can be risky as if they fail to get tickets, your tour will be cancelled and there may be no other availability. Make sure to book your tickets directly with the provider if possible. In our Krakow Travel Toolkit, all ticket links are direct so you get the cheapest price and the best experience!
6. Make sure to do a bit of research about the culture in Krakow
No matter how short of time you are, and how quickly you want to plan this trip, you need to look into the culture.
Hospitality and hotel staff generally speak several languages, and everyone is very accommodating to tourists in this stunning city. However - that’s not to say that you don’t have to learn the customs, and common scams or things to avoid in the area. You absolutely do.
Especially in the main square, you will find some amazing street performers, and also a lot of people who may be trying to take advantage (think fake charity scams and someone giving you a “gift” such as a bracelet tied onto your wrist, then asking for payment).
There are good and bad parts of every city and every tourist destination, so it’s always best to do your research, and plan ahead. Don’t feel like doing all this research? It’s all collected for you, from personal experience, in our downloadable guide to Krakow.
7. Plan how you’ll get around Krakow when you're visiting
Consider who is on the trip, and what everyone’s preferred method of transport will be. Krakow is a very walkable city, but public transport is easy to use if you do need it.
It’s easy to jump on a bus, tram, or order a taxi straight from your phone using apps like Uber and Bolt. A Bolt or Uber from the airport is generally really affordable too, compared to many other major European cities. Trains also run from the airport to city centre which are easy and affordable to access.
8. If your city break to Krakow is a particularly special trip to you, why not consider a personalised travel planning service?
If you prefer to be in control and book tickets and accommodation for your trip yourself, but find the appeal of having your trip planned, research done, and the stress of researching and planning removed, why not leave it to the experts?
We can plan your full trip for you, creating a customised itinerary with all your preferences catered to. We know that this can all seem overwhelming, and it can feel like there’s a lot to do before a trip to such a memorable city.
Remember that anything you research, it’s a good idea to save it to a note or document on your mobile phone, or even put some very key points into a message to the others on your trip. That way, you’ll always have the information you need, right at your fingertips, and you won’t spend time repeating research over and over again.
Overall, just remember our key points: plan ahead, make sure to think about the locations of all points you want to see, and use planning resources that are already out there for you.
We just know you’ll have an incredible time in Krakow.
Now go and get planning!!!
