Krakow
Book a cheap City Break to Krakow with Best4Travel! Find cheap flights to Krakow and great holiday deals on hotels in Krakow. Cheap weekend getaways. Poland holidays. Best4Travel
City Breaks
Book a cheap city break to Kraków with Best4Travel! As one of the oldest cities in Poland, Krakow has a depth of history and culture that one can only truly appreciate in person. From the gorgeous architecture of Wawel Castle, the stunning descent into the Wieliczka Salt Mine, and the profound stories shared at Oskar Schindler’s Factory, holidays in Krakow are sure to stay with you long after you leave.
Here at Best4Travel, we have access to great-value holiday deals on flights and centrally located accommodation in Kraków that you won’t find anywhere else!
For more information on any of the hotels or destinations featured on Best4Travel.ie, or for a tailored quotation on any of our City Break Packages, please visit any one of our stores nationwide, or simply call one of our expert travel agents today at our Irish call centre FREE on 1800 814 000.
Attractions in Kraków's Main Square
- Cloth Hall
This iconic building in Kraków’s Old Town main market square was once a thriving centre for international trade in 15th century Poland. The stalls in the lower level of the hall are still active today, while the upper level has been renovated to house The Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art at Sukiennice, which holds the largest collection of 19th century Polish paintings and sculptures.
- Town Hall Tower
Standing 70 metres tall, the Town Hall Tower (Wieża Ratuszowa) is all that remains of the 13th century Kraków Town Hall. As well as being a wonderful example of gothic architecture, the tower also has an observation deck with a wonderful view of the city below
- 1898 Adam Mickiewicz Monument
Having been in Kraków’s main square since 1898, the destruction of this bronze statue of Adam Mickiewicz (a revered Polish Romantic poet) by Nazi invaders in 1940 was a bitter blow to the surrounding community that lasted until its restoration in 1955. Today, the statue is a common meeting place for locals and tourists in the area.
- Church of St. Adalbert
This 11th century church is not only older than Kraków’s main square itself, it is also one of the oldest stone churches in all of Poland!
- St. Mary's Basilica
This incredible 14th century Gothic basilica is home to one of Poland’s most precious national treasures; the Veit Stoss altarpiece. Carved between 1477 and 1484, it is the largest Gothic altarpiece in the world.
Shortly before the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1940, the piece was taken apart and dispersed across the country for safe keeping. Unfortunately, the Nazis discovered the different pieces, stole them, and sent them back to Germany. No one knew where the panels were hidden until Polish POWs in Nuremberg Castle reported their whereabouts back to the Polish resistance. The different pieces were returned to Poland after the war in 1946, and restored to St. Mary’s Basilica in 1957.
Wieliczka Salt Mine
Opened in the 13th century, the Wieliczka Salt Mine has produced table salt for over 700 years, and is officially classified as a National Historic Monument. The mine has a depth of 327 metres (1073 feet), of which tourists can explore 135 metres via a wooden staircase of 800 steps. There is, however, an elevator available at the end of the tour to bring visitors back to the top, so wheelchair access to the mines can be arranged.
Over 1 million people visit the mines every year to see the famed St Kinga's Chapel, the glamorous reception rooms, the salt crystal chandeliers, and the many rock salt statues on display throughout the mine, including one of Pope John Paul II who had lived in Kraków for four decades from 1938.
Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory
Here in a former metal factory your will find the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków and a branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow, which tells the story of Oskar Schindler and the 1200 Jewish people he saved from Nazi persecution. This incredible feat was recorded in the novel Schindler’s Ark in 1982, and adapted into the highly acclaimed movie Schindler’s List in 1993.
Schindler took over this factory in November 1939 (three months after the Nazis invaded Poland), and renamed it Oskar Schindler’s Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik (DEF). After witnessing the liquidation of a nearby Jewish ghetto in March 1943, Schindler and his wife Emilie Schindler began to bribe Nazi officials (including SS-Hauptsturmführer Amon Göth, the notoriously savage commandant of the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp) to protect their Jewish workers.
In 1945 when Nazi leaders ordered Kraków to be rid of all Jewish people, and to close any factory not immediately involved in the Nazi war effort, Schindler bribed officials so he could move his factory to Brünnlitz. Schindler had Göth’s secretary, Mietek Pemper, make a list of 1200 Jewish people (workers and survivors of the ghetto) to come with him. These 1200 survivors would become known as Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews) after the war, and Schindler would be honoured with the title Righteous Among the Nations.
Where to Eat in Kraków
Part of the fun in visiting a new country is discovering and enjoying the local cuisine for yourself. However, on a city break it can often be difficult to know where to start.
To help set your holiday off on the right foot, we here at Best4Travel have compiled a list of the Top Rated Restaurants in Kraków, divided by price to cater for all budget types!
- Low Cost
- Milkbar Tomasza, ul. Sw. Tomasza 24, Kraków 31-027
- Moaburger, ul. Mikołajska 3, Kraków 31-027
- Smakołyki, Straszewskiego 28
- Moderately Priced
- Old Town Restaurant Wine & Bar, ul. Świętego Sebastiana 25, Kazimierz, Kraków 31-050
- Zielona Kuchnia, ul. Ambrożego Grabowskiego 8/9, Małopolskie, Kraków 31-126
- Restauracja Starka, ul. Józefa 14, Kraków 31-056
- Expensive
- Cyrano de Bergerac, ul. Sławkowska 26, Kraków 31-014
- Wierzynek Restaurant, ul. Rynek Główny 16 (1st and 2nd Floor), Kraków 31-008
- Szara Ges, ul. Rynek Główny 17, Kraków 31-008
Nightlife
- Pubs
- Dobry Kumpel Pub, Floriańska 47, Kraków 31-019
- Omerta Pub, ul. Warszauera 3, Kraków 31-057
- Polski Pub, Rynek Glowny 44, Kraków 31-017
- Clubs
- Frantic Club, Szewska 5, Kraków 31-009
- Taawa Music Club, Estery 18, Kraków 33-332
- Baccarat Music Club, Stolarska 13, Kraków 31-043
Transfers
With Best4Travel you can have a transfer arranged for you from John Paul II International Kraków–Balice Airport straight to your hotel! The approximate transfer times from the airport to Kraków’s top hotel and tourist destinations are as follows:
- Main Square: 25 minutes
- Floriańska: 30 minutes
- Lipowa: 30 minutes
- Szewska: 25 minutes
- Wawel Castle: 30 minutes
- Wieliczka: 25 minutes
For more information or for a tailored quotation on transfers to any of the destinations in Kraków featured above, please drop into any one of our stores nationwide or call our expert Irish call centre today FREE on 1800 814 000.
Best4Travel Tips
Currency: Polish złoty (zł)
Language: Polish
Time Difference to Ireland: +1 hour
Flight Time: Approx. 2 hours 55 mins.
Local Phrases:
- Hello: Cześć
- Good morning: Dzień dobry
- How are you?: Jak się masz?
- Good afternoon: Dzień dobry
- Good night: Dobranoc
- Goodbye: Do widzenia
- Please: Proszę
- Thank you: Dziękuję
- You’re welcome: Proszę bardzo
- Where is…?: Gdzie jest…?
- Do you speak English?: Czy mówi pan po angielsku?
- I am from Ireland: Jestem z Irlandii
- My name is…: Mam na imie...
Public Holidays
- 1 January: New Year's Day
- 6 January: Epiphany
- March/April:
- Easter Sunday
- Easter Monday
- 1 May: Labour Day
- 3 May: Constitution Day
- May/June:
- Whit Sunday
- Corpus Christi
- 15 August: Assumption Day
- 1 November: All Saints' Day
- 11 November: Independence Day
- 25 December - Christmas Day