Kraków: What to Know Before You Go

Kraków is easy. The centre is small, flat and walkable, prices are lower than in most of Western Europe, and English is widely spoken in hotels and restaurants. The challenge is pacing: the city's two biggest day trips, Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mine, take most of a day each and need booking, so plan them first and fit the city around them.

How the city is laid out

The Old Town (Stare Miasto) is an oval ringed by the Planty, a park laid out where the medieval walls stood. The Main Market Square sits in the middle, and Wawel Castle at the southern tip, above the Vistula. Kazimierz starts a ten-minute walk south of Wawel. Across the river is Podgórze, with Schindler's Factory and the former ghetto. The main station, Kraków Główny, and the bus station are just north-east of the Old Town. Our Old Town guide has a walking route.

How many days

Two days cover the Old Town, Wawel and Kazimierz. Three or four let you add Auschwitz and Wieliczka without rushing. Don't do both on the same day, even though many tours sell it that way. The 3-day itinerary spreads them out.

Entry

Poland is in the EU and the Schengen area. Non-EU visitors are now registered at the border by the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), with fingerprints and a photo. ETIAS, an online travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, isn't running yet and has no confirmed start date. Check the official EU website before you travel.

Money

Poland uses the złoty, not the euro. Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere, including trams and street carts. Use ATMs attached to banks rather than the independent Euronet machines, and always choose to be charged in złoty when a card machine offers a conversion. A tip of around ten percent is normal in restaurants.

Etiquette

Poles are polite and a little formal with strangers. Say dzień dobry (good day) when you walk into a small shop. Churches are working places of worship, so cover your shoulders and keep quiet during Mass. At Auschwitz, behave as you would at a cemetery; our Auschwitz guide explains the rules.

Small practical things

Plugs are the European two-pin type at 230V. Tap water is safe to drink. The Old Town is safe at night, though the streets off the Market Square get loud with stag parties on weekends.