Krakow is a beautiful city and recently – with the proliferation of airlines flying there – has become a much loved destinations for families and group of friends thanks to proximity to the UK (2.5h from London), history and heritage and affordable food and lodgings.

I have only visited once and I know I will go again. There is much to see and do and Poland is a big country with many other cities worth a visit (such as Wrocław).

Unfortunately with fame comes tourism, and ʼunfortunatelyʼ is only referred to sheer volume of people in the main areas such as the Rynek (old town square) as well as the enourmous amount of cheap souvenir shops, street sellers, horse drawn carts and the likes.

Still, it is easy to find quiter areas to walk around, sightseeing in peace and the opportunities to learn about the country are plenty, just like many lovely cafes (kawiarna) where to pause with a good book or perhaps the city map to plan your next move.

Here are our favourite 5 things to do in Krakow

Enjoy a coffee in a secluded courtyard

Coffee culture is very strong in Poland and there are quite a few specialty coffees in Krakow, although you might need to go seek them out, and avoid those who are tourist traps. We followed our local friendsʼ recommentations and enjoyed calm morning breakfasts in the secluded, cooling gardens of some of the best ones.

Just north of the old town is Kawiarna Fornir, blink and youʼll miss it – itʼs infact hidden within a period building and part of an apart-hotel small complext but once you find it, itʼs a perfect spot: fabulous bakes (we tried the local pastries with fruit and custard, the banana and chocolate cake and the fresh blackcurrant loaf), and the coffee is very good, served by staff speaking perfect english with a very friendly and helpful attitude.

South of the old town and also somehow hidden away in trendy Kaminierz is Karma Coffee Roasters, with a shabby chic spacious inner courtyard; think mismatches second hand furniture and intellectual vibes. The flat white was the best we had in Poland, and the raspberry loaf was delicious, just like the local dough pastry with veggies inside.

Finally, worth mentioning Chimera, in the middle of the Old Town but somehow avoided by tourists. Self service buffet of local vegetarian food, with plenty of cakes to choose from, the indoor courtyard is absolutely full of plants everywhere so you feel like youʼre in an urban jungle. The food is genuine, filling and fresh.

Dine at a Bar mleczny

Bar mleczny translates as ʼmilk barʼ – it seems that traditionally these cafes would serve dairy products primarily. Today they are found in all Poland and are low key, simple places with home cooked, genuine local food, similar to an english ʼcaffʼ.

There are a few in Krakow, including one in the old town (Pod temidą). We visited one near Hala Targowa (see below) called Targowy as recommended by my colleague who lives in town and it really did not disappoint. The fact that 98% of punters while we were there seemed local and that the staff did not speak english was a good sign. We tried Pierogi Ruskie of course, and a rye soup (traditional easter food), and really enjoyed both. Cheap and chearful as we say, but done very well!

“ruskie” might also be called “ukraińskie” because people wrongly asociate name “ruskie” with a certain country east from Ukraine, (which is actually wrong association historically speaking too). So after war started many people stopped calling them “ruskie” as an act of rebellion and solidarity) 

My local friend and tour guide Miss M

Shop at second hand clothes stores

There are many trendy vintage stores in Krakow and they sell very cool and actually not that cheap fashion. What we are referring to are the many second hand stores that are found everywhere in cities in the country, perhaps a habit from the communist period as we were told by a local friend. These have hardly any sign or any fancy names, and are restocked weekly; then every day after there is a discount, starting from 10% off onwards until the next restocking session. Apparently much of the merchandise comes from the UK as we had noticed the brands are mostly our household names (George, TU, Next, etc).

We popped in a few and managed to score a couple of items for about £6 in total, and the zero waste approach is fully achieved!

Learn about Krakowʼs tragic past

We did of course spend a day visiting Auschwitz concentration camp with a guided tour, and it has to be done, it is a part of history that will never be erased and that must always be remembered (even if these days it seems history repeats itself regardless of the horrors of the past). But we found the experience odd, given the enormous amount of people visiting, the queues, the fairly morbid type of tourism on site (from people posing in front of the Birkenau ʼgates of hellʼ to a group of Isra3li tourists clad in that countryʼs flag). We also couldnʼt visit Schindlerʼs factory, now a museum, due to the overcrowding and the tickets being sold out.

We instead had Pomorska Street museum all to ourselves. This recently opened small museum (about 20m walk from the old town) explains life under the totalitarian regimes that one after the other terrorised the citizens of Krakow, the nazis first and right after them, the russian and pro russian communists.

Here, storytelling is exceptional, and many tragic and heroic stories are told in much detail, with photos, objects, letters, and more from the people that lived through these horrific decades. One could spend hours here, reading, listening, watching and perusing the digital displays that really, finally, make one understand and feel what it must have been like. No selfies here, no crowds, no flags. Just time to absorb and individually grieve for the past events. I told my companion ʼeach story is a movie waiting to be filmed, a book waiting to be writtenʼ. The visit ends in the basement, which is where prisoners of both regimes were held, tortured, killed and in some cases, managed to escape.

Visit a market hall to marvel at fresh produce

I love a good local market, and I really miss one where I live in London. We have them in Italy, and so everywhere I go, I try to find one, it is so interesting to see, and feel part of the day to day life away from tourist crowds (not talking Borough Market or La Boqueria of course). I remembered the one in Cardiff which was wonderful, so it was great to visit these markets in Poland as well.

We loved the large indoor, brutalist structure of the Hala Targowa in Wrocław, and in Krakow, we popped by a couple of outdoor ones, including the one by the aptly named train station Hala Targowi. We bought some fresh fruit and ate these as we walked around, picking up some cheap Pokemon cards for the little one and some freshly baked Obwarzanek (similar to a bagel, sold everywhere on street corners here).

Krakow is well worth a visit

Indeed, and we couldnʼt recommend it more. You might find tourists in the above locations too, but they are worth checking out to seek some of the best off the beaten track experiences in Krakow.