Krakow on a Budget: Free Things and Money-Saving Tips

Kraków is already one of the cheaper city breaks in Europe, which is part of its appeal — but it’s easy to do it for even less without missing anything. Much of what makes the city special costs nothing at all. Here’s how to keep the trip affordable. For the wider picture, see our Kraków travel guide.

The best things are free

A surprising amount of Kraków costs nothing. You can spend a full day on the free sights alone:

• The Main Market Square, the Cloth Hall’s ground floor and the hourly hejnał from St Mary’s tower.
• The Royal Route and the city gates — St Florian’s Gate and the Barbican from the outside — and the green Planty ring around the Old Town.
• Wawel Hill: the grounds, courtyards and viewpoints are free, even if the museums aren’t.
• Wandering Kazimierz, crossing the Bernatek Footbridge, and the courtyard of the Collegium Maius.
• Kraków’s churches, and the riverside boulevards along the Vistula.

Several museums also offer one free-entry day a week, usually with a limited number of tickets — check which museums and which day before you go, and arrive early.

Eat well for little

Polish food is cheap and filling. The classic budget meal is the bar mleczny (milk bar), a no-frills canteen serving home cooking at very low prices. Street food is just as good value: a zapiekanka from Plac Nowy in Kazimierz, or an obwarzanek — the ring-shaped bread — from the blue carts around the Old Town. Many restaurants do a cheap weekday lunch deal (look for lunch or zestaw), and the tap water is safe to drink, so you don’t need to buy bottled.

Get around for next to nothing

The centre is walkable, so you may barely need transport at all. When you do, a multi-day tram ticket is cheaper than paying per ride, and for the airport the train is far cheaper than a taxi — see our airport guide and getting around Kraków.

Sleep cheaply

Kraków has a strong hostel scene and plenty of good-value apartments, especially in Kazimierz and Podgórze rather than right on the Old Town square. The biggest saving of all is timing: come in the off-season — January and February outside the Christmas period — and both rooms and flights drop sharply. See where to stay and the best time to visit.

See the sights for less

• Use the free museum days where they exist, and book tickets directly with each attraction rather than through resellers.
• For day trips, going independently by train or bus is cheaper than an organised tour — our day trips guide has the options.
• Many of the city’s best experiences — the squares, the markets, the river, Kazimierz at night — are free anyway.

Frequently asked questions