Kings, dragons and the memory of Kazimierz, on the banks of the Vistula.
Kraków was Poland's capital for more than five centuries and came through the Second World War with its Old Town almost intact. Between the Barbican and Wawel Hill you'll find coronations, a trumpeter who breaks off every hour and a dragon that still breathes fire; beyond the old walls, Kazimierz and Podgórze hold the story of one of Europe's great Jewish communities. Three free routes to explore it on foot, at your own pace.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
From the town founded by Casimir the Great to the square of empty chairs: five centuries of Jewish life in Kraków and its end in the Holocaust.
A trumpeter who never finishes, a hanging knife, a magician on the Moon and a dragon by the Vistula: Kraków's legends, kept apart from its history.
The coronation route, from the northern gate of the walls to the hill of kings, by way of the Rynek, St Mary's and Kanonicza Street.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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Itineraries
We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.
All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.
See the itinerary 2A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.
See the itinerary 3The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.
See the itineraryWhat to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Thin-dough dumplings, boiled or fried golden in butter. The classic is ruskie, filled with potato and curd cheese and topped with fried onion, but there are meat ones and sauerkraut-and-mushroom ones too. In a bar mleczny, the no-frills canteens of the communist era, you order at the counter and eat at shared tables.
Where to try it
A sour soup made with fermented rye, white sausage, a hard-boiled egg and a hint of marjoram, often served inside a round loaf. Nothing beats it on a cold evening. Wierzynek is named after the burgher who, according to the chronicler Długosz, threw a banquet for several kings in 1364; the restaurant itself opened in 1945.
Where to try it
Half a baguette grilled with mushrooms and melted cheese, finished with ketchup and whatever toppings you fancy. It started life as a quick snack in 1970s Poland and has become an institution at the hatches of the Okrąglak on Plac Nowy, where there's a queue at almost any hour.
Where to try it
'Hunter's stew': sauerkraut and fresh cabbage slow-cooked for hours with several meats, kiełbasa, dried mushrooms and prunes. It tastes even better reheated. Hawełka, on the Rynek, traces its history back to 1876 and serves traditional Polish cooking.
Where to try it
Polish cheesecake, dense and creamy, made with twaróg curd cheese; the Kraków version sometimes has a pastry lattice on top. Try it with coffee at Noworolski, the Art Nouveau café in the Cloth Hall that opened in 1910, or at Jama Michalika (1895), birthplace of the Zielony Balonik cabaret. For breakfast, grab an obwarzanek, the bread ring sold from street carts.
Where to try it
