Krakow

9.3.2026 – 9.6.2026 || Krakow | Poland

After three days in Prague and three days exploring Budapest, we made our way to Krakow to conclude our trip. Having never set foot in Poland before, I was particularly excited to sample as many pierogies as possible and explore the pottery that the region is renowned for. I learned a lot about the city’s past. I also enjoyed Polish comfort foods, street snacks, and soups. I left with a desire to return and explore other cities in Poland in the future. Here is a glimpse of what we did while in Krakow, from wandering through the historic Old Town to delicious local cuisine and visiting historical sites.

We had a late evening flight from Budapest to Krakow which meant we had a full day in Budapest before we left so the sites of Krakow had to wait until the morning. We booked the Stradom House Hotel through Elizabeth at Souvenir & Far and received a room upgrade and sweet treats as a welcome to Krakow. The next morning we headed to Kopi in the Kazimierz neighborhood where the ice is shaped like a bear and a croissant and waffle combination called a croffle is the main menu item. The owner takes great care in crafting every drink and croffle. He even waved to us from across the street later in the day when we walked by his shop again.

After breakfast, we headed over to Wawel Royal Castle and checked out the main spots. I enjoyed the peach and pink garden – the colors really popped next to the brick buildings! Then it was time to go pottery shopping.

We strolled over to the Main Market Square right in the heart of Old Town, grabbing a Polish donut called paczki on the way. The square was huge, it’s one of the biggest in Europe!

There were so many pigeons in the square. I couldn’t get Tom Petty’s lyrics “there’s pigeons down on market square” out of my head. But onwards to pottery shopping. I was in search of Bolesławiec pottery, the most famous Polish pottery made about four hours from Krakow. I found Mila (pictured below) and Polish Pottery to have the best selection. I bought a Christmas ornament and a set of three dishes of varying size to serve snacks.

After a pastry filled start to the day, it was time for a more substantial meal at Emalia Zablocie. Following lunch, we made our way to Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory, a museum that showcases the harsh realities of life in Krakow during the Nazi occupation, serving as a tribute to Schindler and the lives he saved. It was a weighty experience that was well done.

We also visited the Empty Chairs Memorial located in Ghetto Heroes Square, where we paused to reflect over a coffee and consider the symbolism represented by the chairs. After these experiences, we wanted to learn more and decided to book a half-day guided tour of Auschwitz for the following day.

We continued walking through the former Jewish ghetto, Stare Podgórze and crossed the bridge to Kazimierz.

We hit up Starka for dinner where the dumplings, or pierogies, stole the spotlight! We got a mixed platter as an appetizer to try all three kinds. My favorite was definitely the green one stuffed with spinach, cheese, and garlic. It was a way lighter and better version than the Mrs. T’s frozen variety that we usually make at home.

The following morning, we had a scheduled tour pick-up at our hotel at 5:30 AM for the drive to Auschwitz. Our driver informed the eight of us that we would be assigned a tour guide who would lead us through Auschwitz I before regrouping and heading to Auschwitz II Birkenau where we would meet the same guide. It was a solemn, heavy experience that was very informative with very moving exhibits. Photos were only permitted at Auschwitz I and depict just a portion of the tour and exhibits. I highly recommend booking a tour if you are in Krakow and combining it with Schindler’s Factory for a fuller understanding and appreciation of history.

When we got back to Krakow, we needed something lighter to do. I remembered spotting a poster in Old Town for the Banksy Museum, so we decided to check it out. It was actually pretty awesome! The museum has over 100 cool recreations, replicas, and prints of the anonymous artist’s street art. These two were definitely my favorites.

Sticking with the arts we went to a candlelight Chopin concert before dinner at Kluska na Placau. The free glass of sparkling wine at the concert was warm and terrible but we enjoyed the music performed by an award-winning pianist for about 50 minutes. We dined in an outdoor courtyard where we experienced another variation of dumplings.

Our time in Krakow was wrapping up, but we had until 11am to chill before heading to the airport. We grabbed breakfast at Marble Cafe and strolled along the river towards Old Town. We picked up a couple of bagel-pretzels called Obwarzanek Krakowski for the flights back to the United States.