Some of the best experiences in Kraków cost nothing. Spending time in the Main Market Square, the great medieval square at the heart of the Old Town, is a pleasure at any hour, especially when the hejnał trumpet call rings out from St Mary's. The Planty, the ring of gardens laid out on the line of the old city walls, gives an easy green loop of around four kilometres that connects most of the central sights, and a slow walk through Kazimierz, the former Jewish town, reveals synagogues, courtyards and some of the city's liveliest cafés and bars.
For a view over the whole city, take the bus or walk up to the Kościuszko Mound in Zwierzyniec, a memorial raised in the 1820s with a spiral path to its summit. The most popular half-day trip is the Wieliczka Salt Mine just outside the city, where guided routes descend past chapels carved from rock salt; book a timed tour online. Mornings are best for the square and the Planty, late afternoon for the mound, and evenings for Kazimierz.
5 places · Updated October 27, 2026
Our top 3 things to do in Kraków
Thing to do
The 3.8-hectare medieval market square at the centre of the Old Town, laid out in 1257 and framed by the Cloth Hall, St Mary's Basilica and the Town Hall Tower.
View details — Main Market Square (Rynek Główny)Thing to do
A centuries-old royal salt mine just outside Kraków, where guided routes descend past chapels and sculptures carved from rock salt to 135 metres below ground.
View details — Wieliczka Salt MineThing to do
The former royal town south of the Old Town, once a great centre of Jewish life, now a district of synagogues, cafés, bars and restored historic streets.
View details — Kazimierz Jewish QuarterThing to do
A 35-metre memorial mound raised in 1820 to 1823 on Sikornik hill in western Kraków, with a spiral path to the top and wide views over the city.
View details — Kościuszko MoundThing to do
A four-kilometre ring of gardens laid out in 1822 to 1830 on the line of the demolished city walls, making an easy green loop around the Old Town.
View details — Planty Park Walk