Visit an Authentic Polish Christmas Market

Locals in Krakow wait all year for their favorite market: the annual Christmas market! This is the place to try festive dishes and look for traditional, handmade gifts, but it’s more than just a place to shop.

It’s also a magical area, where it feels like time stands still as you explore. Stroll alongside local families among the colorful wooden stalls, admiring all the beautiful baubles and chains, and enjoying the scent of freshly cut Christmas trees.

Highlights:

  • Visit an authentic Polish Christmas market full of holiday decorations and gifts.
  • Try some aromatic mulled wine served the traditional way, straight from a wooden barrel.
  • Admire Krakow’s famous handmade cribs and learn the centuries-old tradition of how they’re built.
  • Taste traditional seasonal dishes at a beloved local restaurant.
  • Learn about Christmas traditions in Poland, both today and those from the country’s communist era.

Language: English

Inclusions: Local English-speaking guide, local snack, a glass of mulled wine, typical Christmas plate at a nearby restaurant.

Exclusions: Additional food and drinks, items of a personal nature, transportation to and from the meeting and endpoints, tips, and gratuities for your guide.

Schedule details

  • Duration: 2.5 hours
  • Meeting point: 27 Main Square (Rynek Główny 27), inside the main gate to Under the Rams Palace (Pałac pod Baranami). View on Google Maps.
  • Find the exact meeting point with what3words: ///tonsils.incoming.deserved
  • Starting time: 11.00 AM
  • Ending point: Main Square of Krakow

Full Itinerary

The Palace under the Rams (Palac pod Baranami), our meeting place for this tour, is in itself a great introduction to the merry atmosphere of a Polish Christmas! From the gate stretches an incredible view of Krakow’s traditional Christmas market, which, for the entire month of December, is located in the Main Square, in the very heart of the city.

We’ll start our Krakow Christmas tour with a cup of hot coffee or winter tea in a secret café that’s hidden deep underground. Once we’ve warmed our insides, we’ll head back outdoors and take a walk among the wooden stalls of the market, where you can buy the finest of local souvenirs and handmade Christmas decorations to take back home with you (just leave lots of room in your suitcase!). We’ll stop to sample some regional cheeses like oscypek, and you’ll get to try aromatic mulled wine, served directly from huge wooden barrels.

We’ll admire some traditional Krakow Christmas cribs, and you’ll learn why they are such an important tradition here. We’ll also visit a nearby gallery, where you’ll learn how beautiful hand-painted glass balls are made.

To finish off your Krakow tour, we’ll warm up in a local restaurant that’s known for serving the best festive dishes of the season. You’ll get to dig into your plate as your local guide tells you all about Christmas traditions in Krakow and throughout Poland, both today and back in communist times.

Child Policy: This is a child-friendly tour.

Local Impact: How you will help the local community by joining this tour:

  • On this tour, you will be introduced to local holiday traditions while exploring Krakow’s vibrant Christmas market.
  • This tour also supports local cultural heritage by taking you to a small, local gallery where you will learn how traditional hand-painted glass balls are made.
  • As part of your tour, you will enjoy traditional Christmas food in a small, local restaurant located off the beaten track for a taste of authentic Krakow.

Local contact:

Office phone number: +48 665 015 665
Email address: info@krakowurbantours.com


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