Kraków
Kraków is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life. Cited as one of Europe's most beautiful cities, its Old Town with Wawel Royal Castle was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the world's first sites granted the status. Learn more about Kraków…
Arriving in Kraków
Several options exist to arrive in Kraków. You can find below a summary of these options, but more details can be found here.
By plane
Kraków Airport (KRK, also known as John Paul II International Airport Kraków) is located in Balice, 12 kilometers from Kraków's center.
From the airport you can reach the main railway station Kraków Główny by train. The train runs daily every 30 minutes between 4 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., taking 20 minutes. A single ticket costs about 17 PLN (about 3.61 euros). You can buy tickets directly on board, by cash or card. In case you cannot use the ticket machines on board, you can buy train tickets directly from the employees, who should should speak English.
Alternatively, the City Bus 208 runs between the airport and the central bus and train station, between 4:20 a.m. and 22:30 p.m. During the night, it is replaced by the Night Bus 902. A ticket costs 6 PLN (about 1,27 euros). Unlike the train, you cannot buy a ticket directly on board, you must therefore buy the ticket beforehand at any selling point then validate it on the bus.
Finally, you can also take a taxi. A trip to the Old Town should cost 90 PLN (about 19,12 euros).
By train
Kraków has direct international train connections with Berlin (7 hours and 30 minutes), Prague (7 hours and 30 minutes), Vienna (6 hours), Budapest (9 hours), Vilnius (16 hours).
Within Poland, Kraków has several national train connections with main cities such as Warsaw (2 hours and 40 minutes), Poznań (5 hours and 30 minutes), Łódź (3 hours).
By bus
Kraków has direct international bus connections to Kraków from Vienna (7 hours), Budapest (8 hours), Prague (8 hours), Berlin (8 hours), Hamburg (12 hours), Munich (13 hours), Cologne (14 hours), Venice (15 hours) and Amsterdam (20 hours).
Within Poland, Kraków has several national bus connections with main cities such as Warsaw (5 hours), Gdańsk (9 hours), Szczecin (9 hours), Poznań (7 hours), Wrocław (3 hours), Łódź (4 hours), Katowice (75 minutes), Przemyśl (4 hours) and Zakopane (2 hours and 20 minutes).
By car
The main highway to Kraków from the west is the A4 motorway from the German border, where it meets Autobahns A4 from Dresden and A13 from Berlin. There is a 20 PLN (about 4.25 euros) toll on the section between Katowice and Kraków, pay by card of cash.
From Warsaw (300 kilometers away) use the E77, passing Radom and Kielce, and reckon 5 hours.
Sightseeing
Kraków's main sightseeing attractions are
- Wawel, a citadel perched on a crag.
- Main Market Square, the grand center of Old Town, with St Mary's Basilica and the Cloth Hall.
- Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter.
- Several museums, such as the National Museum or the Museum of Kraków.
- Nowa Huta, a neighbouring city built during Communist times for the workforce of the colossal steelworks there.
- Auschwitz-Birkenau is a simple day-trip from Kraków.
