Is practical guide to get to know the best of Krakow in 3 days It is prepared so you don't miss anything about this beautiful European medieval city, making the most of your time.
During the first two days you will have visited the most important places in the city, which are concentrated in the old town, the Jewish quarter and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which is located near Krakow. On this third day, you will visit the area of the old Krakow ghetto in which the Oskar Schindler Factory stands out and take an excursion to the spectacular Wieliczka Salt Mines.
All the data in this guide to go Krakow in three days They are based on our experience during the trip to Krakow in 5 days. We start!
Tips for Krakow
This list of practical tips will help you prepare your trip to Krakow:
- For the transfer to your hotel from the airport of Krakow, you have several means of transport: bus, train, taxi or book the direct transfer to the hotel, the most comfortable option. You can find more information about the transfer in this post on how to go from Krakow airport to downtown.
- Our recommended accommodation to visit Krakow in 3 days It is the Logos Hotel, located 10 minutes from the Market Square and one of the best value for money in the city.
- One of the best tips to travel to Krakow and save, is to eat in the milk bar or milk bars, typical fast food places created in the communist era.
- The best way to get to know the interesting history of the city and not miss anything important is to book this free tour of the old town and this free tour of the Jewish quarter, both with a guide in Spanish and Free !.
- Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
For more recommendations you can consult the post of tips to travel to Krakow essential.
First day in Krakow
The itinerary of the first day of Krakow in three days Start early in the morning with a walk along the Vistula River until you reach Wawel Hill. On this hill in addition to a dragon that will welcome you by throwing fire through the mouth, you will find Wawel Castle and Cathedral, two of the essential places to visit in Krakow.
After these visits you can go down the hill and start touring the old town where we recommend walking through Kanonicka and Grodzka streets, which have numerous historical buildings and old churches such as San Andres and San Pedro and San Pablo.
Before arriving at the Market Square, you can approach the small Passage 13 alley with several luxury shops.
The Market Square is the epicenter and most important place in the historic center with several important places to see such as the Cloth Hall, the Church of San Adalberto, the Tower of the Old Town Hall and the Basilica of Santa Maria where in addition to visiting its Inside you can climb one of the towers to enjoy one of the best views of the city.
Another place with good views of the square and ideal for a drink is the terrace of the Cafe Szal, right in front of the basilica.
Marketplace
After making hundreds of photos of this beautiful square, you can regain strength by trying a good zurek soup or duck in the recommended restaurant Czarna Kaczka. Another cheaper option is the milk bar Feared Pod, one of the most famous in the city.
The afternoon itinerary of Krakow in 3 days It begins with a visit to the beautiful central courtyard of Collegium Maius, an old university where astronomer Nicolás Copernicus studied. When you leave and to lower the heavy Polish food a little you can take a quiet walk through the Planty Park, one of the best things to do in Krakow.
This tour will take you to Florián Gate, the only gateway to the walled city, which is still preserved today. If you cross the door you will reach the Barbican, a circular fortification that was used to defend the city.
Florián Gate
Crossing the Florián Gate in the direction of the center you will be on Florianska Street, full of charming shops and cafes, of which the most beautiful is the Żarówka Cafe, with several tables for a drink in a beautiful inner courtyard.
To end the first day of Krakow in 3 days We recommend you have dinner at the market that is mounted every weekend at Maly Rynek Square, another of the most beautiful places in the city.
(Extended information of the first day here)
Map of the first day of Krakow in 3 days
Second day of Krakow in 3 days
The second day of Krakow in three days It starts early arriving at number 2 of the Plaza de Matejko, near the Barbican. From this point the excursions leave to visit Auschwitz from Krakow.
Although you have the option of making the visit on your own, we choose and recommend booking this tour with a guide in Spanish to learn more about the tragic history of the countryside and the more than one million people killed, mostly Jews.
Upon arrival by bus you will first visit the Auschwitz concentration camp and then the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Although it is not a pleasant visit, we believe it is essential to know the true history of what happened in this place during the Nazi occupation.
Entrance to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp
The visit to the field can be extended to 3 hours and you have to count the time it takes to travel the distance between Auschwitz and Krakow.
If you plan to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines in the afternoon, it will be more profitable to book this offer that includes a visit to Auschwitz and the mines, both with a guide in Spanish. You have to take into account, especially if it is a weekend, which are the most requested excursions in the city and if you don't book them in time you can run out of space.
If you decide to do only the Auschwitz excursion in the morning and leave the Wieliczka Salt Mine for the next day in the afternoon, you can invest the time you have left in the afternoon to tour the Jewish quarter, although before arriving to the Jewish quarter from La Barbacana, we recommend eating the best pierogis in the place Przystanek Pierogarnia, one of the best places to eat in Krakow.
Jewish Quarter
After eating, the route in Krakow in 3 days Continue entering the Old Synagogue, the oldest in Poland and one of the essentials of the city.
The next stop in the Jewish quarter is at Szeroka Street, one of the most acclimated in the neighborhood, where the Remuh Synagogue is located, which stands out for its old Jewish cemetery.
Near this area is the Plaza Nowy, the most popular in the city, full of restaurants and food stalls that we recommend not to miss.
Another of the known places in this neighborhood are the "Schindler stairs", in which one of the most remembered scenes of the film was filmed Schindler's list. An interesting option if you liked the movie is to book this tour through the stages where some sequences of the Schindler List were filmed with a guide in Spanish.
The second day of the itinerary by Krakow in three days It ends with a visit to the great Basilica of Corpus Cristi and a resounding Polish dinner in the restaurant Starka.
(Extended information of the second day here)
Map of the second day of Krakow in three days
What to see in Krakow in three days
On this third day of Krakow in 3 days You can dedicate the first part of the morning to visit some of the places that due to lack of time you could not do the first day, such as the ascent to the tower of the Basilica of Santa Maria, some alley in the center or the interior of Wawel Castle .
After completing the pending visits you can walk along the Vistula river bank until you cross the beautiful Passerelle Père Ojca Bernatka bridge, which will take you to Podgorze, the old Jewish ghetto.
This old neighborhood, located next to the Jewish quarter of Krakow, was surrounded by walls during World War II, within which the Nazis crowded thousands of Jewish families in the city, in subhuman conditions.
Old Jewish Ghetto
One of the most symbolic places of the old ghetto is Bohaterów Square, where the Nazis separated Jews who went to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The famous film director Roman Polansky, one of the few survivors of this ghetto, created in this square the chairs monument in honor of all these victims, which is moving.
Another interesting building in the square is the Pharmacy of the Eagle, a place that keeps many memories of that sad stage because the owners decided to stay in this neighborhood and help many families. Two pieces of the wall surrounding the ghetto that are located at points Lwowska, 25 and Limanowskiego, 62 are also preserved near the square.
Bohaterów Square
The next stop of Krakow in three days It is the Oskar Schindler Factory, a German businessman who saved more than 1000 Jews, who worked in his factory, from death in the Nazi death camps. This feat became world famous thanks to the film "Schindler's List" by Steven Spielberg.
At the present time the factory has become a museum with a great graphic exhibition and objects that go from the time under the Nazi occupation until the end of the communist era.
Based on our experience it is an essential museum if you visit Krakow and it is preferable to book a guided tour in Spanish to better understand the whole story, having all the information panels in English and Polish.
Oskar Schindler's factory
After this last visit you will head to the Barbacana area to catch the bus and visit the Salt Mines from Krakow. Before doing this tour, located among the best excursions in Krakow, we recommend eating a good Italian pasta in the Ristorante Sant'Antioco or in the Bianca.
For the excursion to the Wieliczka Salt Mines, a World Heritage Site and one of the essential places to see in Poland, we chose to book this guided tour in Spanish well in advance. We believe that this is the best option, since you cannot visit the mines on your own and according to the time, you can run out of entrance if you arrive by local bus to the ticket offices and they are not left. With this tour you will have a guide in Spanish and there is not much difference in price.
Wieliczka Salt Mines
You have to keep in mind that to visit these mines, considered the oldest in Europe, you will have to go down more than 700 stairs to reach 300 meters deep. This situation makes it a place not recommended if you suffer from claustrophobia, even though you don't visit very narrow places.
When you get down you will be in front of more than 300 kilometers of halls and galleries, among which the Chapel of St. Kinga stands out, a large space decorated with monuments and religious statues made with salt.
The visit that lasts about 4 hours, ends up by elevator to the area of the souvenir shop.
St. Kinga Chapel
As you have arrived at the end of the day of the excursion, you can finish this Krakow in 3 days taking a walk in the light of the street lamps on Florianska Street for when you arrive at the Market Square, approach the terrace of the Urban Garden Café, located in a corner of the square, to dine something light and put the icing on this beautiful city.
Map of the third day in Krakow
Do you want to organize a trip to Krakow in 3 days?
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The best offers of Flights to Krakow here
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Book the best tours and excursions in / from Krakow in Spanish here
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Krakow guide in one day
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
The best offers of Flights to Krakow here
The best hotels at the best prices in Krakow here
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from Krakow in Spanish here
Book your Airport⇆Cracovia transfer here
Krakow guide in one day
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
