MUSEUMS

Oskar Schindler’s Factory

Housed in the very industrial hall that was used by Oskar Schindler as an enamel plant back in WWII, this is surely one of the most fascinating museums in Krakow. Not only does it chronicle the emotional tale of how one man conspired against the Nazis to save as many Jews from the onslaught of the Holocaust as he could, but it also goes even further back into the city’s past, telling tales of its foundation, its rich cultural fabric and technological innovations over the ages.

Pharmacy Museum

Test tubes and dust-caked glass bottles of all shapes and sizes are crammed into the various historic pharmacy rooms of this interesting and quirky little museum. Nestled in an historic late-medieval period home in the Krakow Old Town, the institution is arguably the best on the continent for chronicling the development of pharmaceuticals and prescription medicine throughout the 1800s and 1900s.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is perhaps the most sobering of all the WWII relics in Europe. Once the place where the horrific result of the Nazi Final Solution came to bear on the Jewish and minority populations of the continent, it stands as a reminder of the notorious death camps of the Holocaust. Trips to the UNESCO site are easy to make from Krakow, which sits just an hour’s drive away to the east.

Rynek Underground

Set beneath the cobbles of the Main Market Square, the Rynek Underground Museum offers a journey back in time; back to when merchants from all over Slavic Europe would have traded cloth and wares in this sprawling plaza in the heart of the town. Excavations of the historic medieval relics drive the exhibition, while immersive recreations of what Krakow was like in the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th centuries offer an insight into the rich history of Lesser Poland.

MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art

Just a glimpse at the swish, Bauhaus-style shell of the MOCAK museum in Podgorze is enough to hint at the wonders that lurk within. Dedicated to all things contemporary in the art world, the place boasts a range of regular touring exhibits that showcase the likes of avant-garde and the newest cutting-edge of Polish photography. There are also installation pieces and one excellent coffee shop on site.

Gestapo Headquarters

Sat hidden on the outskirts of the city’s historic core, visitors will need to seek out the basement exhibits of the old Gestapo Headquarters. Once you’ve found them, be ready for a journey through the dark days of Nazi occupation and the decades of communist rule in Poland, when the locals of Krakow lived under state scrutiny and totalitarian oppression. There are recreated cells, nooses and even uniforms worn by politico prisoners.

Lost Souls Alley

Haunting ghosts and spine-tingling ghouls await visitors to this spooky museum on Florianska Street. One part haunted house and one part thrilling immersive exhibition about the more macabre side of Krakow, the place rarely fails to get the goose bumps rising. You’ll need plenty of courage to navigate the dark rooms and corridors as your flashlight flickers, and all your wits about you to escape the challenges along the way.

Krakow Pinball Museum

Hidden down a small alleyway between the Old Town and the Kazimierz district, the Krakow Pinball Museum does exactly what is says on the tin. Inside, flickering lights and whirring thingamabobs herald an array of classic pinball machines. Some can be played while others are just there for show. The best part though? There’s an on-site bar offering craft beers and drinks!

Collegium Maius

Follow in the footsteps of one of Poland’s greatest ever thinkers with a trip to the regal rooms of the prestigious Collegium Maius. A department of the iconic Jagiellonian University, the place was once home to none other than Nicolas Copernicus, who made many an important observation while studying in these halls. There are also Nobel prizes adorning the display cabinets, and one fantastic clock that takes the meaning of cuckoo to the next level!

Ethnographic Museum

Housed in a grand building with a bulbous, Germanic spire on the edge of the Kazimierz district, Krakow’s Ethnographic Museum is the place to go to learn all about the folksy traditions of Slavic Europe and southern Poland. There are exhibits that detail the curious, flowery architecture of the region, and the craft movements of the nearby Tatra Mountains, along with a regular array of touring collections that change each month.

Stained Glass Museum

Not so much a museum of stained glass as it is an active workshop for the creation of awesome stained glass art commissions, this interesting stop off close to the Vistula River is one of the city’s quirkier and more hands-on attractions. Visitors will need to call ahead to book onto one of the scheduled tours, which not only talk about the 100 year tradition of glass making at the facility but also showcase some of the artists currently working there.

Home Army Museum

Because this large museum occupies a place on the far side of the dual carriageway leading out from the Krakow Old Town, it’s often not visited by the crowds that its fascinating exhibits probably warrant. The good news is that it means patrons might just get the whole place to themselves, as they wander the restored railway depot unravelling the heroic story of Poland’s famous Armii Krajowej (the honoured national resistance movement that combatted first the Nazis and then the Soviets).

PARKS

Planty Park

The Planty is the most definitive of all the parks in Krakow. Running the whole length around the Old Town area, it can even be made out on tourist maps of the city. It actually marks the spot where the medieval town walls once rose to defend the centre, sprouting out from the colossal Wawel Hill in the south and going all the way to the turrets of the Barbikan in the north. Today, the walls have been almost entirely (you can still see one small section of historic wall) with green parklands. Streams of pedestrians and joggers hit the cobbled paths; folk laze on the benches; children enjoy the playgrounds and there’s some of the top dog watching in town.

Park Jordanow

Park Jordanow is much more a local’s park than many of the other green spaces closer to Krakow’s centre. A patchwork of wide meadows (the grass is annoying left quite long for much of the year) and little clutches of trees, it’s a great place to go for a wander. The eastern edge of the park is filled with statue-lined walkways, which is great if you want to get to know some of the luminaries of Krakow. The western side of the park, meanwhile, has a large hill and playground. And the southern side is packed with basketball courts, outdoor exercise equipment and a café or two. It also spills out on the huge meadow of Blonia, but more of that one later.

Blonia (Błonia)

Okay, so it’s fair to say that Blonia is hardly a park at all, but rather one huge meadow that forms a triangle of swaying grass and oak trees just on the western edge of the Krakow Old Town. It conveniently separates the city’s two large football stadiums (helpful on match days!) and is often used to host big events, like game screenings and festivals. During the summer, the path that encircles the Blonia is a hubbub of activity. Joggers hit it in the evening, there are always rollerbladers about, a couple of cafes thrum in the warm airs, there’s a small rugby (yep, rugby!) ground, and the people watching is top notch.

Park Bednarskiego

Spreading out on the hills of Podgorze, away from the usual hustle and bustle of the tourist districts in Old Town and Kazimierz, pretty Park Bednarskiego is a great place for a little peace and quiet. From spring time, it comes alive with blooms of pretty tulips and green lawns. There are the usual ubiquitous statues to Adam Mickiewicz and other Polish national heroes. And the walking paths are more interesting (and challenging) than other parks on this list, weaving between craggy outcrops of rock, winding up steep stairs and even alighting on clifftops that overlook the south side of the city.

Park Lotnikow Polskich

You’ll have to head out to the eastern edge of the city to get to the vast green spaces of Park Lotnikow Polskich, which spread out right next to the colossal events space of the Tauron Arena. Popular with locals, the place has winding running paths (these are even marked with length to make it easy to count distance) and plenty of open green spaces with shade and picnic facilities. Summertime also opens up one of the larger playgrounds in the city, making this one a top choice for the younger visitors or travelers with kids in tow.

MARKETS

Plac Nowy

Plac Nowy is the beating heart of the Kazimierz district, where countless bars and beatnik beer dives spill on to the pavements. Right throughout the week (but especially on Sunday mornings), it’s also home to an array of ad hoc market stalls, who tout a curious medley of old Soviet trinkets and Red Army paraphernalia (almost all of it fake, by the way). There are stacks of vintage records, tie-dye clothing and used cameras for sale too, not to mention the usual mix of fresh fruit merchants and veg shops. Everything (apart from the food) is up for haggling here, so be sure to prep your bartering skills before you arrive.

Nowy Kleparz

Coming up to almost 100 years of trading, the large farmer’s market that bustles and hustles at Nowy Kleparz is now surely one of the most iconic in Krakow. It’s centrally located and easy to reach, and comes laden with sellers of great regional (and some not-so-regional) produce: fruit, flowers, veg, bread, cheeses, homemade pierogi dumplings – the list goes on. There are also plenty of places to grab a bite, with zakpiekanki (half-baguette pizza breads) and Polish blood sausage both top of the menu.

Plac Imbramowski

If it’s a glimpse of local life and local produce you’re after, then there’s arguably nowhere better than the sprawling local market at Plac Imbramowski. Away from the much-trodden Old Town area, it’s reachable on a number of buses from the main station. The place is packed with local farmers touting their goods, with stacks of pink-hued beetroot and orange pumpkins converging with a multitude of forest mushrooms and nuts. There are also pet shops, domestic stores, health emporiums, butchers and bakeries, all of which attract a crowd of people not yet wooed by the arrival of multinational supermarkets in Poland.

Hala Targowa Unitarg

Just a short ride on tram 50 from the main train station, or a 10 minute walk from the Old Town area, the sprawling marketplace of Hala Targowa spreads out below the rumbling rail tracks. It’s a lively, lived-in place, where butchers and spice sellers and local Polish delicatessens all vie for customers throughout the week. However, it’s on the weekends that this place really comes into its own, when everyone and his cat comes to set-up shop and hawk the antiques from their attic.

Sukiennice

Although there’s nothing authentically local about the Sukiennice, stood in the middle of the Krakow Market Square and attracting mainly tourists with its array of cookie-cutter souvenir shops and novelty travel t-shirt sellers, it’s still worth a visit – if only for the history! Yep, this huge trading hall was first built way back in the Renaissance, and boomed with silk sellers and rich crochet merchants throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. It’s also a part of the Krakow Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by excellent cafes and beer bars.