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The Cloth Hall on Kraków's Main Market Square

No. 92 Top 100 City Destinations 2025

Kraków

Poland

Poland's royal city: a vast medieval square, Wawel Hill, the Kazimierz quarter and a famous salt mine nearby.

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Photo: Laima Gūtmane (simka…, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Kraków is No. 92 in Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025. Poland's former royal capital lies on the Vistula River in the south of the country.

Its historic centre, one of the first sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978, is full of churches, cafés and cellar bars, and the city is known for its student life and food, from pierogi to obwarzanki bread rings.

St Mary's Basilica, Kraków
St Mary's Basilica, Kraków. Photo: Ввласенко, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Best time to go

May to September is warm and lively; spring and early autumn are less crowded.

December brings the Christmas market on the Main Square.

Top sights

  • 1

    Main Market Square

    One of Europe's largest medieval squares, with the Renaissance Cloth Hall in the middle.

  • 2

    St Mary's Basilica

    A Gothic church with Veit Stoss's carved altarpiece; a trumpet call sounds from its tower every hour.

  • 3

    Wawel Hill

    The royal castle and cathedral above the river.

  • 4

    Kazimierz

    A historic district of old synagogues, cafés, galleries and food trucks.

  • 5

    Wieliczka Salt Mine

    Underground chambers and chapels carved from salt, about 15 km south-east of the city.

  • 6

    Planty Park

    A ring of gardens around the Old Town, on the line of the old walls.

Getting there

Kraków Airport (KRK) is about 15 km west of the centre; trains reach Kraków Główny in about 20 minutes.

Fast trains link Kraków with Warsaw in about 2.5 hours.

Getting around

The Old Town is compact and walkable. Trams and buses cover the rest of the city; you can pay by contactless card on board.

Practical tips

Currency
Polish złoty (PLN). Cards are accepted almost everywhere.
Language
Polish. English is widely spoken in tourist areas.
Safety
Kraków is generally safe; watch for pickpockets in busy areas. The emergency number is 112.
Visa & entry
Poland is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.
Power
230 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and E.

Official information: Visit Kraków (official tourism website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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