Holidays to Krakow

Full of royal tales, heroic history, baffling buildings and buzzing bars, Kraków holidays are absolutely banging, and a great shout for your next long weekend away.

Sensational city breaks

Channel your inner royalty in the Wawel district, giggle at the stags and hens wobbling around vibey Kazimierz and take a chilled-out stroll by the Vistula River. One thing’s certain — you’ll get a lotta bang for your buck. Krakow holidays are super cheap! And near the beautiful Old Town, you’ll find Poland’s oldest botanical garden, with swaying trees and punchy flowers.

Mooch the magical Old Town

Kraków’s historical Old Town offers up fascinating museums and bustling cafés, packaged in medieval chocolate-box loveliness. Head to St Mary’s Basilica for a Gothic hit, then mooch through Cloth Hall — the world’s oldest shopping mall. Elsewhere, Europe’s second biggest market square, Rynek Główny, is stacked with Cracovian souvenirs. Descend under the square and travel back in time at Rynek Underground, a gnarly museum about the people and archaeology of medieval Kraków.

Shop some eye-catching trinkets

Retail therapy anyone? Kraków’s shops are a treasure trove of kooky antiques, Eastern Bloc artwork, secondhand gems and glam jewellery. Go bargain hunting at the super cool Plac Nowy open-air market, explore the boutiques around Rynek Square and check out the galleries on historic Józefa Street if you need something new for the living room wall. Floriańska is your go-to for touristy stacking dolls, fridge magnets and boxes of handmade choccies for your co-workers.

Brush up on the dark past

Kraków is full of brutal but vital history lessons. Over the river from Old Town is Schindler’s Factory Museum in Podgórze, where you’ll learn how Oskar Schindler heroically saved Polish Jews during WWII. And many city-breakers visit Auschwitz-Birkenau — the most infamous former Nazi concentration camp. It’s a super-sobering stop but an opportunity to pay your respects and remember. Entry to the grounds is free, but it really is worth getting a guide.