3-Day Krakow Itinerary (+ Optional Additional Days)
Summary: This is a 3-day Krakow itinerary that you can use for your next trip to Krakow, Poland! I’ve also included options for a 4-day or 5-day Krakow itinerary and helpful information for planning your trip.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which just means I make a small commission if you purchase from them with no additional cost to you!
When I first visited Krakow, I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, but I’ve traveled back here a couple times already and it’s now one of my favorite European cities. Krakow was spared during WWII, so the Old Town is still exactly as it sounds…old! You can sense the history as you meander through the streets and while this area is a bit touristy, it’s also incredibly charming.
Planning your trip from scratch? I recommend starting with my Ultimate Krakow Travel Guide, but keep this post handy for when you’re crafting your itinerary.
Best Time to Visit Krakow
Take my advice on this with a grain of salt. I love traveling in fall and winter because I really enjoy chilly weather and minimal crowds. The city won’t be nearly as crowded in winter as it can get in summer and Polish food is just so comforting when it’s cold out.
That said, I have visited Krakow in summer and it wasn’t terribly crowded. This city is a bit underrated in my eyes, so it’s not always at the top of everyone’s European summer bucket list. If you’re more comfortable in warmer weather, than summer will be the best time for you!
How Much Time to Spend in Krakow
In my opinion, the perfect amount of time to explore Krakow is at least 5 days. There are a few must-see day trips that will take you outside of Krakow for a day or two, so building in a few more days to explore the city is critical! That said, I know not everyone is going to carve out 5 days for Krakow, so I’ve put together a 3-day Krakow itinerary with optional add-on days if you’re visiting for 4 or 5 days.
3-Day Krakow Itinerary
Day 1: Wawel Castle and Cathedral
If you’re an early riser like me, or you’re just a victim of jet lag, you’ll likely wake up fairly early. I always recommend staying at a hotel that includes or offers breakfast in Poland, because these are usually some of the best breakfasts I’ve had. My favorite hotel in Krakow is Hotel Francuski and part of that reason is because of the extravagant breakfast spread! I’d suggest eating a big breakfast today to kick off your first day of exploring Krakow.
Your first day is dedicated to exploring Wawel Castle and Cathedral. It’s important to know that the castle and cathedral are separate, but right next to each other. Wawel Cathedral is free to enter and explore and Wawel Castle requires tickets.
You can buy tickets to tour the castle starting at 9:00am and when buying tickets, you’ll pick the areas you want to tour a la carte style. I’d suggest at least touring the Lost Wawel, the State Rooms, and the Private Apartments. The Private Apartments are the only tours that are guided; the rest are self-paced.
While Wawel Cathedral is free to visit, you can buy tickets for access to Sigismund Bell, the Royal Tombs, and the Wawel Museum. This is completely self-paced and will take between 1.5-2 hours to complete.
If you’re short on time and need to cut some of this out, I’d recommend walking through Wawel Cathedral and climbing the Sigismund Bell Tower at the very least. The cathedral was the most interesting part of everything listed here and by climbing the bell tower, you’ll get some amazing views of Krakow from above.
Interested in scheduling a tour instead of doing a self-guided walk through? Goodtime Monty has a private walking tour of Wawel Cathedral that I highly recommend!
When you’re done exploring this area, it’ll be about time for lunch. There is a great spot near Wawel Hill called Pod Wawelem. You’ll mostly find traditional Polish food here which is perfect for your first day!
After lunch, head back to Old Town Square and visit St. Mary’s Basilica. You can just walk in and look around or schedule a tour. If you’re more inclined to wander around than tour another building, Old Town Square and the surrounding streets are great for this.
When you’re ready for dinner, I recommend Restauracja Cechowa. This was the first restaurant we went to after landing in Krakow and it really hit the spot! We had delicious pierogi
Day 2: Auschwitz Tour and Sukiennice
Day 2 of this 3-day Krakow itinerary will take you to explore some of history’s most infamous concentration camps: Auschwitz and Birkenau.
You’ll need to set up a tour to take you there as the camps are a little over an hour away from Krakow by car. We booked a tour through Krakow Direct, but there are a ton of companies that offer these.
First, they will drive you to Auschwitz and hand you over to your tour guide. You’ll go through the entire walking tour at Auschwitz and then your driver will transport you to Birkenau for the second and final tour.
Some tours will include a light lunch. If yours doesn’t there are stands nearby where you can buy a quick snack in between tours. If you left early, you’ll likely make it back to your hotel around 2 or 3pm.
I’m not going to sugar coat it. This tour is somber and it can take a lot out of you. That said, I think it’ll end up being one of the most important and enlightening things you’ll do on your trip, so don’t skip it!
Venture out in the late afternoon to Sukiennice (cloth hall). It’s in the center of the Old Town Market Square and it’s a great place to find souvenirs and gifts to bring back home with you. You’ll see lots of amber jewelry, Polish pottery, local art, and more.
For dinner tonight, I recommend Morskie Oko. This was my favorite restaurant in all of Krakow. The food was phenomenal and the atmosphere transported us right to a rustic lodge in the mountains, complete with live musicians playing mountain folk music.
Day 3: Krakow’s Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz)
We’re going to spend the last day of the 3-day Krakow itinerary wandering the Jewish Quarter, or Kazimierz. One of my favorite things to do when I’m in a new city is just walk around and stumble upon hidden gems that you would never have been able to look up online.
I’d suggest waking up early yet again and getting a hearty breakfast in before you leave.
Take whichever route you’re pulled to, but try to walk in the general Southeast direction, so you’ll eventually reach the Kazimierz. This is the area where Jewish People lived until they were forcibly relocated to the Ghetto by the Nazis during WWII. You’ll find this part of Krakow feels a bit more lived-in and less touristy. You’ll also find great restaurants, shops, and nightlife in this area.
For today, I suggest getting lunch wherever you end up. Find a restaurant that looks great and draws you in. Kolanko No 6 came highly recommended by locals. We didn’t get a chance to try it, but they said they eat there 2-3 times each week, so it must be good!
When you’re done with lunch, keep walking! Find a peaceful place to sit and take it all in. It’s important to slow down sometimes and reflect on how utterly amazing it is that you’re in another country and you have the privilege of exploring this city and culture.
4-Day Krakow Itinerary
Day 4: Day Trip to Wieliczka Salt Mines and Polish Winery
I hope you’re staying in Krakow for at least four days because this was my favorite day of our entire trip to Poland! We booked the Salt and Wine tour with Goodtime Monty and were lucky enough to be the first group to every try it.
The tour starts by getting picked up at the hotel in a private transport van that will take you to Wieliczka Salt Mines. This was our second time touring these mines. The first time, we drove ourselves and bought tickets when we arrived. We ended up having to stand in line for a few hours and overall, it wasn’t a great experience. This time, we already had timed tickets, so we simply got in line at that time and went right in.
I highly recommend seeing the mines through a tour like this because it was so much easier and less hassle. The full tour is about two hours and you’ll get to see how the mine operated along with all of the sculptures, chapels, and event spaces below ground and made entirely out of salt. It’s truly spectacular!
When the tour is over, you’ll meet back up with your driver and they will take you to a Polish winery that you can only visit as part of this tour. It’s not open to the public.
We arrived to a long charcuterie board set up in the most picturesque setting. We learned about the wines they make there and tried several different varieties. I don’t usually think of Poland when I think of wine, but the wines we tried were fantastic!
When you get back to Krakow, plan to have dinner at Pod Aniołami. If you can, make a reservation to sit in their cellar. It was a beautifully decorated space with raw stone and wood. I love dark, natural spaces like that, so I loved this place! The menu is very traditional Polish with a lot of different meat dishes to choose from.
5-Day Krakow Itinerary
Day 5: Krakow Museum Day
On day 5, you may want to sleep in a bit since we’ve been waking up early almost every other day. Start by heading down and having yourself a large Polish breakfast.
When you’re ready, venture out to Czartoryski Museum. If you’re staying at Hotel Francuski, this museum is right across the street and every art enthusiast should visit! Here, you’ll find pieces by Leonardo Da Vinci and Rembrandt. There is also a cafe here, so feel free to have an afternoon espresso when you’re done browsing.
In the afternoon, you can head down to Schindler’s Factory to tour the WWII and Holocaust Memorial. I’d suggest buying skip-the-line tickets before arriving, or booking an organized tour for this.
While you’re down here, you’ll be close to a delicious kebab restaurant! If you want something different than Polish food for dinner, head over to Jamra. You’ll see a ton of locals here, so you know the food is good!
Day Trip to Zakopane
If you’re lucky enough to be in Krakow even longer, consider taking a day trip to Zakopane. When we visited, we rented a car and drove down to Zakopane to stay for 3 nights, but there are several different day trips you can take.
A lot of these day trips include things like thermal hot springs, local cheese tastings, and funicular rides that will take you up the Tatra Mountains for amazing views.
Of course, you can try to fit this into a 3-day Krakow itinerary if you’d like, but I wouldn’t recommend it because you’ll be missing out on exploring Krakow, itself in such a short time.
If you have free time in Zakopane, there are a bunch of things I’d recommend seeing and doing. Check out my Zakopane blog post for more details on those.
Read More About Poland
I hoped this 3-day Krakow itinerary helped you outline your next trip to Poland! While you’re here, I have a few more articles that will continue to guide you to having the best trip to Poland:
