Kraków itinerary: 1 to 5 days
Plans for one to five days in Kraków, day by day: the Wieliczka Salt Mine, Wawel Castle and Cathedral, the Main Square and St. Mary's Basilica first, then the Planty, Manggha and the National Museum, and the Czartoryski Museum, the Barbican and the Ojców valley as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Kraków in 1 day
Day 1
Wieliczka Salt Mine
A UNESCO-listed salt mine south-east of the city, with underground chapels, statues and lakes carved out of rock salt.
Wawel Castle
The royal residence of Poland's kings on Wawel Hill, with a Renaissance arcaded courtyard and state rooms.
Wawel Cathedral
The coronation and burial church of Polish kings, with royal tombs, chapels and the great Sigismund Bell.
Saints Peter and Paul Church, Kraków
A Baroque church on Grodzka Street, fronted by statues of the twelve apostles.
Kraków in 2 days
Day 1
Wieliczka Salt Mine
A UNESCO-listed salt mine south-east of the city, with underground chapels, statues and lakes carved out of rock salt.
Wawel Castle
The royal residence of Poland's kings on Wawel Hill, with a Renaissance arcaded courtyard and state rooms.
Wawel Cathedral
The coronation and burial church of Polish kings, with royal tombs, chapels and the great Sigismund Bell.
Saints Peter and Paul Church, Kraków
A Baroque church on Grodzka Street, fronted by statues of the twelve apostles.
Day 2
Collegium Maius
The Jagiellonian University's oldest building, with a Gothic courtyard and a museum where Copernicus studied.
National Museum, Kraków
The main building of Poland's largest museum, with 20th-century Polish art, crafts and arms and armour.
Sukiennice Museum
The National Museum's gallery of 19th-century Polish painting, on the upper floor of the Cloth Hall.
Main Square, Kraków
One of Europe's largest medieval squares, with the Cloth Hall, the Town Hall Tower and St. Mary's Basilica.
St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków
A Gothic brick church on the Main Square, famous for Veit Stoss's carved wooden altarpiece.
Kraków in 3 days
Day 1
Wieliczka Salt Mine
A UNESCO-listed salt mine south-east of the city, with underground chapels, statues and lakes carved out of rock salt.
Wawel Castle
The royal residence of Poland's kings on Wawel Hill, with a Renaissance arcaded courtyard and state rooms.
Wawel Cathedral
The coronation and burial church of Polish kings, with royal tombs, chapels and the great Sigismund Bell.
Sukiennice Museum
The National Museum's gallery of 19th-century Polish painting, on the upper floor of the Cloth Hall.
Day 2
John Paul II Cathedral Museum
A museum on Wawel Hill with the cathedral's treasures and objects linked to Karol Wojtyła.
Planty Park
A ring of gardens around the Old Town, laid out where the medieval city walls once stood.
St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków
A Gothic brick church on the Main Square, famous for Veit Stoss's carved wooden altarpiece.
Saints Peter and Paul Church, Kraków
A Baroque church on Grodzka Street, fronted by statues of the twelve apostles.
Main Square, Kraków
One of Europe's largest medieval squares, with the Cloth Hall, the Town Hall Tower and St. Mary's Basilica.
Day 3
Divine Mercy Sanctuary, Kraków
A major pilgrimage church in Łagiewniki, linked to Saint Faustina Kowalska, with a tall viewing tower.
Manggha
A museum of Japanese art and technology across the Vistula from Wawel, in a building by Arata Isozaki.
National Museum, Kraków
The main building of Poland's largest museum, with 20th-century Polish art, crafts and arms and armour.
Kraków in 4 days
Day 1
Wieliczka Salt Mine
A UNESCO-listed salt mine south-east of the city, with underground chapels, statues and lakes carved out of rock salt.
Wawel Castle
The royal residence of Poland's kings on Wawel Hill, with a Renaissance arcaded courtyard and state rooms.
Wawel Cathedral
The coronation and burial church of Polish kings, with royal tombs, chapels and the great Sigismund Bell.
Sukiennice Museum
The National Museum's gallery of 19th-century Polish painting, on the upper floor of the Cloth Hall.
Day 2
John Paul II Cathedral Museum
A museum on Wawel Hill with the cathedral's treasures and objects linked to Karol Wojtyła.
Planty Park
A ring of gardens around the Old Town, laid out where the medieval city walls once stood.
St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków
A Gothic brick church on the Main Square, famous for Veit Stoss's carved wooden altarpiece.
Saints Peter and Paul Church, Kraków
A Baroque church on Grodzka Street, fronted by statues of the twelve apostles.
Main Square, Kraków
One of Europe's largest medieval squares, with the Cloth Hall, the Town Hall Tower and St. Mary's Basilica.
Day 3
Divine Mercy Sanctuary, Kraków
A major pilgrimage church in Łagiewniki, linked to Saint Faustina Kowalska, with a tall viewing tower.
Manggha
A museum of Japanese art and technology across the Vistula from Wawel, in a building by Arata Isozaki.
National Museum, Kraków
The main building of Poland's largest museum, with 20th-century Polish art, crafts and arms and armour.
Day 4
Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University
Poland's oldest botanical garden, founded in 1783, with glasshouses and an arboretum east of the Old Town.
Kraków Barbican
A round brick fortified outpost from the late 15th century, once linked to the city walls by St. Florian's Gate.
Czartoryski Museum
Poland's oldest museum, whose collection includes Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine.
Kraków in 5 days
Day 1
Wieliczka Salt Mine
A UNESCO-listed salt mine south-east of the city, with underground chapels, statues and lakes carved out of rock salt.
Wawel Castle
The royal residence of Poland's kings on Wawel Hill, with a Renaissance arcaded courtyard and state rooms.
Wawel Cathedral
The coronation and burial church of Polish kings, with royal tombs, chapels and the great Sigismund Bell.
John Paul II Cathedral Museum
A museum on Wawel Hill with the cathedral's treasures and objects linked to Karol Wojtyła.
Day 2
Saints Peter and Paul Church, Kraków
A Baroque church on Grodzka Street, fronted by statues of the twelve apostles.
Planty Park
A ring of gardens around the Old Town, laid out where the medieval city walls once stood.
St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków
A Gothic brick church on the Main Square, famous for Veit Stoss's carved wooden altarpiece.
Sukiennice Museum
The National Museum's gallery of 19th-century Polish painting, on the upper floor of the Cloth Hall.
Main Square, Kraków
One of Europe's largest medieval squares, with the Cloth Hall, the Town Hall Tower and St. Mary's Basilica.
Day 3
Divine Mercy Sanctuary, Kraków
A major pilgrimage church in Łagiewniki, linked to Saint Faustina Kowalska, with a tall viewing tower.
Manggha
A museum of Japanese art and technology across the Vistula from Wawel, in a building by Arata Isozaki.
National Museum, Kraków
The main building of Poland's largest museum, with 20th-century Polish art, crafts and arms and armour.
Day 4
Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University
Poland's oldest botanical garden, founded in 1783, with glasshouses and an arboretum east of the Old Town.
Kraków Barbican
A round brick fortified outpost from the late 15th century, once linked to the city walls by St. Florian's Gate.
Czartoryski Museum
Poland's oldest museum, whose collection includes Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine.
Day 5
Collegium Maius
The Jagiellonian University's oldest building, with a Gothic courtyard and a museum where Copernicus studied.
Park Krakowski
A small 19th-century city park west of the Old Town, laid out on the model of Viennese parks.
Ojców National Park
Poland's smallest national park, a limestone valley north of Kraków with rock formations, caves and castles.
Watch: Kraków in 3 days
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Kraków
May to June and September are the best months, with warm weather and fewer crowds than July and August. Winter is cold and sometimes snowy, but the Christmas market fills the Main Market Square from late November to December. Easter and the long weekends in May are busy with domestic visitors.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Kraków on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Kraków on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Kraków on GetYourGuide or on Viator
- From the airport: a private transfer in Kraków with Kiwitaxi
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Poland from Airalo
- Last day: leave your bags in Kraków with Radical Storage and keep sightseeing
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Kraków
- Book the Wieliczka Salt Mine ahead; visits are guided, timed tours with several hundred steps down.
- Wawel Castle exhibitions need their own timed tickets and daily numbers are limited; arrive early or book ahead.
- Many museums, including the National Museum's branches, close on Mondays.
- Listen for the hejnał, the trumpet call played every hour from St. Mary's tower and cut off mid-melody.
- The Old Town is compact and walkable; trams are handy for Łagiewniki, Kazimierz and the National Museum.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University: Morneomorneo, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
- Collegium Maius: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Czartoryski Museum: Zygmunt Put, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Divine Mercy Sanctuary, Kraków: Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, Public domain
- John Paul II Cathedral Museum: Lestat (Jan Mehlich), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kraków Barbican: Ludek, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Main Square, Kraków: Jorge Lascar, CC BY 2.0
- Manggha: Leon Wyczółkowski, Public domain
- National Museum, Kraków: Zygmunt Put, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ojców National Park: Jan Jerszyński, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Park Krakowski: Franek Vetulani, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Planty Park: Zygmunt Put Zetpe0202, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Saints Peter and Paul Church, Kraków: Mach240390, CC BY 4.0
- St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków: Jar.ciurus, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
- Sukiennice Museum: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wawel Castle: Jar.ciurus, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
- Wawel Cathedral: Jar.ciurus, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
- Wieliczka Salt Mine: Cezary p, CC BY-SA 3.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
