Krakow

Centering around the Rynek market square, this central UNESCO-protected area is ideal for first-time visitors seeking major medieval sights like Wawel Castle.

This historic Jewish neighborhood offers beatnik bars, independent boutiques, synagogues, and traditional kosher or modern street food.

Located south across the river, this gentrified former WWII Jewish Ghetto area features quiet riverfront bistros, cocktail clubs, and the Oskar Schindler Factory museum.

The area surrounding the corner of Krupnicza and Dolnych Mlynow offers a lived-in local vibe with vegan restaurants catering to Jagiellonian University students.

This green eastern suburb offers a step back into the Cold War era with its Socialist Realist architecture and underground nuclear bunkers.

An excellent, quiet Old Town hotel attached to a monastery offering rooms for under $120.

A modern Polish restaurant in the Old Town known for award-winning, unfussy interpretations of classic dishes.

A street back from the main square lined with lounges like Pierwszy Lokal and Tram Bar that attract local late-night crowds.

Perched on Wawel Hill, this 16th-century Renaissance palace was the seat of Polish royalty and houses 16th-century tapestries, state rooms, and the coronation sword Szczerbiec.

Surrounded by historic buildings, this is the largest medieval town square in Europe and serves as the focal point of Kraków's Old Town.

Located beneath the Main Market Square, this archaeology museum features multimedia displays and holograms showcasing medieval market stalls and burial customs.

This revived neighborhood served as Poland's center of Jewish culture for 500 years and features restored synagogues, museums, and weekend flea markets at Plac Nowy.

Located outside the city, this subterranean labyrinth features chambers, an underground lake, and chapels with statues and chandeliers entirely carved from salt.

Set in Oskar Schindler's former enamel factory, this museum hosts a permanent exhibition detailing everyday life in Kraków under Nazi occupation from 1939 to 1945.

Surrounded by limestone cliffs and pine forests, this flooded former quarry offers five enclosed swimming pools connected by wooden docks for a free summer outing.

Located east of the city, this district showcases socialist realist urban planning and communist architecture from the 1950s.

This two-Michelin-starred restaurant serves a progressive tasting menu rooted in Polish terroir with hyper-local ingredients like beets and carp.

Featured in the MICHELIN Guide, this design-forward venue presents modern twists on traditional Polish classics like żurek and kotlet schabowy.

A popular, budget-friendly milk bar near the center serving low-cost soups, pierogi, and cutlets.

An informal restaurant delivering hearty homestyle Polish cooking with generous, inexpensive lunch specials.

A hip, plant-filled restaurant serving locally sourced Polish dishes alongside biodynamic wines.

Occupying a historic Gothic cellar, this restaurant specializes in traditional Polish food cooked over a beechwood grill.

Plac Nowy in Kazimierz is the city's signature street food location for zapiekanka, an open-faced baguette topped with cheese and mushrooms.

A nighttime Kraków classic serving grilled sausages directly from a famous blue van near Hala Targowa.