Discover Kraków’s Vibrant Neighborhoods

Let’s be honest, you’re in Kraków to see the breathtaking market square, probably Europe’s largest and certainly its prettiest. This 16th-century canvas of churches, palaces, and aristocratic mansions is best admired while sipping a Tyskie beer on the ancient cobblestones. However, Kraków is more than this famous fairytale view.

Moreover, few cities better tell the drama and dreadfulness of recent European history. In the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimierz, there is history, hope, and an awful lot of good food, while the model town of Nowa Huta offers a step back to the Cold War. Here’s our guide to finding the best Kraków neighborhood for you.

The Rynek and Old Town

Best for sights, hotels, and an alfresco drink

Nearly all of Kraków’s incredible collection of sights are crammed into the UNESCO-protected Old Town. Centered around the Market Square (Rynek), the Old Town takes less than 20 minutes to walk end to end, yet still includes blockbuster attractions like Wawel Castle, St Mary’s Basilica, and the Cloth Hall.

The Old Town is a city within a city, primarily catering to tourists. Most restaurants, bars, and hotels are located here. For first-time visitors, it’s your best base: after all, when you’ve come all this way to see the Old Town, it makes sense to stay in it. The three- and four-star hotels just off the Rynek are an absolute bargain by European standards—just avoid those near bars due to potential noise issues. The excellent Hotel Grodek attached to a monastery is a solid choice (rooms for under US$120).

Of the hundred-plus places to eat in the Old Town, you’ll want to avoid at least 80 of them. The Rynek, in particular, is bulging with tourist traps that serve below-average food at above-average prices. However, don’t dismiss the whole neighborhood; south of the square, you’ll find Kraków’s best modern Polish restaurants. Try Kogel Mogel for a busy, bistro-like atmosphere and award-winning, yet unfussy interpretations of classic Polish dishes.

By night or at least on weekends, the Rynek can be raucous; it’s fun to a point, but often marred by stag and hen parties. Consequently, do yourself a favor and walk a few streets back to find a better crowd and more enjoyable bars. Head to ul. Stolarska for lounges like Pierwszy Lokal and Tram Bar, both of which open late and attract a local crowd.

Do make time for one daytime drink on the Rynek. When the sun is shining, there is no better place to be than sitting on the terraces that skirt the square. Most establishments are average at best and may overcharge for the view, but what a view it is.

Kazimierz

Best for atmosphere, nightlife, and Jewish history

First and foremost, Kazimierz was once one of Europe’s biggest and most celebrated Jewish communities; until the Nazis invaded. The community’s heartbreaking history is visible everywhere, from the still operating synagogues to talks in the Jewish Community Centre by Holocaust survivors. The grounds also hold smashed tombstones in the cemetery.

This history provided a launchpad for Kazimierz’s recovery. There are now schmears in Bagelmama, cholent in Dawno Temu Na Kazimierzu, and kosher wine at petite terrace cafes. The area’s previously unloved tenements have attracted beatnik bars, providing a welcome alternative to the picture-postcard Old Town. Today, they’re professionally run and purposefully shabby chic, maintaining their appeal. Even after 20 years, the bars and independent boutiques like Mapaya and galleries like Galerie d’Art Naïf on intimate streets make Kazimierz one of Kraków’s most interesting neighborhoods.

Podgórze

The city’s hipster neighborhood?

Just across the river from Kazimierz, Podgórze has been touted as Kraków’s “up-and-coming hip” neighborhood for so long that it must be nearly ready for retirement. It has gently gentrified, blending long-term families with artists who contribute to its artsy reputation.

To experience the “hip” culture, head for the bistros by day and cocktail clubs by night on the riverfront, or engage with the on-trend crowd at Krako Slow Wines next to the Museum of Contemporary Art Kraków.

Podgórze’s history alone makes it worth a visit. It was here that the Nazis built Kraków’s Jewish Ghetto, as portrayed in Schindler’s List (which was filmed in Kraków). On Plac Bohaterów Getta, empty steel chairs memorialize the Jews forced into cattle cars bound for nearby Płaszów or Auschwitz. Additionally, Eagle Pharmacy on the corner is now a museum recounting the efforts of chemist Tadeusz Pankiewicz, who risked his life to smuggle medicine and shelter to Jews. Down the road, the former Oskar Schindler Factory now operates as a museum detailing the experiences of residents in Kraków during the war.

Piasek/Dolne Młyny

Best for a more local experience

The districts immediately surrounding the Old Town tend to get overlooked by tourists shuttling between it and Kazimierz. In these areas, you’ll find a more lived-in local Kraków. The small streets lined with low-rise, 19th-century tenements and townhouses provide a handsome backdrop for vegan restaurants catering to students from nearby Jagiellonian University—Kraków’s most prestigious—and a few bars that successfully navigate the line between cool and nonchalant.

The corner of Krupnicza and Dolnych Młynów is the heart of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the Tytano complex of bars, clubs, and art galleries inside a former Austro-Hungarian tobacco factory that confused visitors still hunt for has been closed for redevelopment. You can drown your sorrows with cheesecake in the lovely greenhouse at Pojnarówka coffee shop or enjoy a beer and Central European-sized cuts of meat at Kufle i Widelce.

Nowa Huta

Best for the bunkers, concrete, and communism

You can’t quite claim there is nowhere else on earth like Nowa Huta because Magnitogorsk in Russia was also built to be a Socialist Realist workers’ paradise—the pair were the only Stalinist new towns fully completed.

Although Stalin Square may now be Ronald Reagan Square, Nowa Huta still offers a step back into the Cold War; its wide avenues draped in trees are modeled on Paris, and its grand Le Corbusier-inspired blocks feature flashes of Renaissance style. Moreover, you can visit nuclear bunkers built for residents at Nowa Huta Underground.

Nowa Huta is now a working-class Kraków suburb easily reached by tram, but you’ll gain more from a trip on an organized tour—such tours often include stories of battles against communism over churches, living conditions, and Solidarność.