A vibrant café culture, a UNESCO-listed Old Town steeped in history, plentiful parks and an exciting nightlife are just a few of the reasons to pay a visit to Krakow. But with so much to take in as a tourist, it can be easy to forget you’re a guest in the locals’ home. To make the most of your trip while also minimising your travel impact, we suggest keeping the following tips in mind. Not only will the local appreciate your efforts, but you’ll end up having a better experience of the city and local life.
Practice street smarts
When visiting Krakow, it’s always a good idea to walk on the right side of the sidewalk as you explore, and when you’re crossing the street, use proper pedestrian crossings rather than trying to cross just anywhere. Also make sure the light is green when you start crossing. It’s not only common sense that puts safety first, but also protects you from the steep fines fines given by the city guards (Straż Miejska) if you cross when and where you’re not supposed to.
Public transit tips
While riding the tram or the bus, remember to stamp your ticket in the small machines on board. Be sure to do it immediately after getting on, to avoid a potential fine if there is an inspector around.
If there is no place to sit when you get on a bus or tram, make sure to stay away from the door so you don’t disturb people who want to get off at the next stop. It is also seen as rude to talk loudly, use your mobile phone, or to eat on public transport,
Be polite when taking photos
In many monuments and museums you can’t take photos with a flash, or in some, like St. Mary’s Basilica or in the Wieliczka Salt Mines, a special payment is required if you want to take pictures. Other sites, like Wawel Cathedral, do not allow photos at all. Ask your Krakow tour guide or a local if it’s okay to take photos before snapping any pictures. It’s also important not to take any photos in religious places while there is a service going on.
Dress for respect and practicality
There is no special dress required to visit Krakow, but there are some places like Catholic churches or Jewish synagogues where you will be asked to cover your knees and arms when sightseeing. If you are going to visit a very elegant restaurant in the city centre or attend a theatre performance, it is a good idea to wear something more than just a t-shirt and leggings. While it’s not forbidden to enter while wearing casual clothing, you might feel strange if everyone else is dressed more formally. In addition, if you plan on doing any trekking in the nearby mountains or visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mines, don’t forget to take warmer clothes, comfortable shoes and a raincoat as the weather can change quickly.
Shop and explore like a local
Make time to shop local in Krakow | Photo by Krakow Urban Tours
There are many handmade products like amber jewelry or Polish pottery available around the city centre of Krakow. If you want to go deeper into local products, take our Made in Krakow tour with a guide who will take you to our favourite local galleries and small, locally owned shops selling clothing, leather products, jewellery and more.
In terms of more touristy sites, it is our subjective opinion, but the interior of Wawel Castle can be skipped as the monument is more fascinating to see from the outside than the inside. It’s a good option for rainy or cold weather, but on sunny days, it is much better to visit the up-and-coming Podgórze district, or climb Krakus Mound for amazing panoramic views of the whole city.
There are many local, extraordinary neighbourhoods to visit while in Krakow. We especially recommend Podgórze, Debniki and Zwierzyniec, where you will be surrounded by beautiful parks, historic homes and local, colourful markets full of fresh and tasty products.
Be season-smart
Krakow is a beautiful city all year round, but if you want to avoid crowds, we suggest visiting in the spring or early autumn. Usually the weather is very nice for sightseeing and all the monuments are more accessible than in June or July. If you like winter, Krakow in December is nice if you want to visit the Christmas markets. January and February can be cold but still offer the chance for quieter sightseeing. Our local secret for feeling good and warming up during this time of the year is to enjoy a lot of hot soups, hot wine or even hot beer.
In the summer between May and August, Krakow is quite crowded, but still less so than some of Europe’s top destinations. If you want to sidestep crowds during this time, it’s a good idea to visit the highlights of the city like Wawel Castle, Schindler’s Museum, etc., immediately after they open or (even better) one hour before closing time. Make sure to book your tickets in advance online to save time, rather than waiting in long ticket lines.
Be an eco-visitor
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Krakow is a clean city and in many places around the city centre you will notice special litter bins for separating waste. You can easily avoid single-use plastic bottles as our tap water is drinkable and available for free in the majority of local restaurants.
Avoid food waste
If you ordered too much food and want to help the local community, you can always leave uneaten items in one of our many social refrigerators, available for people who need them. The one closest to the tourist areas is in the Kazimierz district at 28 Paulinska street. A list of others is available on the Foodsharing Krakow Facebook page.
Put your feet to work
Krakow is a great city for pedestrians and you can also use public bikes to get around, which are available in many places around the city. There is detailed information in English about how to register with bike-sharing systems like Wavelo. Taxis, Uber and private cars are quite expensive, contribute to traffic, and increase pollution. If you don’t feel like walking or riding a bike, try to stick to public transport, which is cheap, local and available even during the night.
Practicing Polish with the locals | Photo by Krakow Urban Tours
Learn the lingo
Making a small effort to say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in Polish can make all the difference for showing your respect to locals. Keep these phrases in your backpocket when you’re wandering around Krakow:
- yes = tak
- no = nie
- hello/good day = dzień dobry
- goodbye = do widzenia
- thank you = dziekuje
- cheers = na zdrowie
- Please do not add straws to my drink = proszę napój bez słomki
Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be feeling – and acting – like a local in no time! And of course, don’t forget to hop onto one of our locally led Krakow tours for even more insight into life in this fascinating city.
Krakow Souvenir-making workshop: giving something back to the local communityOur local guide Monika talks about why she is so passionate about her new Krakow tour, which teams up with social enterprise organisation ŻyWa Pracownia (Alive Lab) to support local residents who are living below the poverty line:
My team and I have partnered up with ŻyWa Pracownia (Alive Lab), a socially engaged organisation based in the Podgorze neighborhood of Krakow, that specialises in giving workshops on traditional crafts, design, architecture and urban gardening. The main idea of its creators, Magda and Adam, was to combine nature and folk culture (a natural combination for them as Magda has a background in arts and crafts and is fascinated by Polish ethnographic design, while Adam is a nature lover with highly effective social skills). Together they are dedicated to ecological and cultural education and to the promotion of a world which is open for everybody, without any social or cultural barriers. The organisation is very hands-on in the local community, regularly working on community projects such as designing natural spaces for children, building outdoor installations that enhance neighbourhoods, and introducing urban gardens to built-up areas.
Learning how to make traditional Polish folk dolls with the friendly volunteers at ŻyWa Pracownia. | Photo credit: Krakow Urban Tours
All the workshops run by ŻyWa Pracownia are open for all, particularly those at risk of social exclusion; street children, senior citizens, the poor, the disabled, refugees and the homeless. Many workshops are held at the organisation’s HQ, 5 Celna Street, but they also do a lot of out reach work. ŻyWa Pracownia cooperates with many local non-profit organisations and cultural institutions and are very visible the whole year round as they participate in numerous festivals and cultural events such as the Ethno Festival in Krakow, the Feast for the Poor, the Pannonica Folk Festival in Beskidy mountains etc.
Krakow Urban Adventures’ In Focus Souvenir Making Workshop is your special invitation to see the real city of Krakow, with its joys and sorrows, without separation between locals and foreigners. If you join us on this tour, not only will you learn how to make a traditional Polish folk doll to take home with you, you’ll learn about Polish history and local traditions as well as everyday life in the city and the challenges its citizens face and you’ll contribute directly to the great work of ŻyWa Pracownia.
Volunteers helping out at the weekly Sunday Soup Day that takes place in Planty Park, which provides hot food for locals who are below the poverty line and gives them a safe space to come and talk about their problems. | Photo credit: ŻyWa Pracownia
ŻyWa Pracownia are also behind the very special Sunday initiative called – Zupa na Plantach (Soup in the Planty Park), which began somewhat spontaneously some years ago but soon became a weekly tradition that inspires people people all over Poland. Thanks to ŻyWa Pracownia every single Sunday local volunteers work together to prepare a huge pot full of tasty, hot soup; they then bring it from their kitchen to Planty Park near the railway station to share with poverty-stricken local people. Inclusion is a big part of the initiative; eating together shows that the poor are accepted and encouraged to talk about their problems and open up.
In addition to this project, ZyWa Pracownia also provides clothes and hygienic materials for those in need and a Mobile Library for the Homeless which provides easy and free access to education and culture for people who cannot afford to buy books or simply have no home to collect them.
We at Krakow Urban Adventures love what ZyWa Pracownia are doing and we constantly keep our fingers crossed for the success of their mission of helping others. That is why we promote them a lot during our tours and why we participate in the Zupa na Plantach Sundays project regularly. Proceeds from our In Focus Souvenir Making Workshop go directly to support this initiative.
Our tour guests know that the beautiful dolls that they are taking home with them from Krakow as a gift have a story behind them. Each doll made on the tour provides 5 free soups for local people in need. Isn’t it great that you can create something for you and help others at the same time? We really think it is!
