11 Free Things to do in Krakow – Poland

Krakow is one of Europe’s best preserved historic cities since it miraculously survived unscathed from WWII. As a result, Krakow’s stunning old town is filled with hundreds of gorgeous centuries-old buildings, spacious plazas, soaring stone churches and cobblestone streets.

Quite happily for budget travelers, Krakow – and Poland in general – is a very inexpensive city, well within the means of most budget travelers. Accommodation, food and transportation are all rather cheap.

Entrance fees to most museums and attractions are also reasonably priced, generally ranging from 2-5 Euros. Even so, for anyone who wants to visit several museums, the total cost can quickly add up. In addition, entrance to Wawel Castle interior rooms and a few major museums and churches do have higher entry fees.

In any event, it’s always great to have some free things to see and do, regardless of one’s budget. And Krakow offers a huge array of fantastic freebies which will allow any visitor to experience the city in much greater depth, especially for travelers on a tight budget.

When I recently explored Krakow for two weeks, I took full advantage of all the great free activities and gratuituous entrance days. This allowed me to learn a lot more about Krakow, its history, architecture, culture and arts than I ever could have learned otherwise.

Here are the best freebies I discovered during my stay. I highly recommend doing any or all of these, not simply because they’re free but because they are actually really fantastic things to see and do.

(Incidentally, I learned about most of these things during my walking tours)

1. Learn about Krakow on Free Walking Tours

In Krakow there are several free walking tour companies. I ended up joining four of six tours with the company Walkative, simply because I found their flyer at a hostel on my first day in the city.

I was really happy with all the tours, which each lasted 2-2.5 hours. The tour guides were friendly, knowledgeable and fun. I learned heaps from all of them.

I joined their tours about Old Krakow, Jewish history in Krakow, Communist Regime in Krakow and their Night Walking Tour.

Guides on these free tours rely on tips for their income. Each guest is welcome to pitch in as much as they think the tour was worth and/or what they can afford. Personally, I always donate a few dollars and I see other visitors donating even more.

2. Visit Krakow Museums on their weekly free entry days

Not all, but most, Krakow museums have one day every week offering free entry to everyone. The specific day varies from museum to museum, so you have to do some research to find out which days those are for each museum you’re interested in. Krakow’s Tourist Information offices can tell you or you can research it online.

If you search online, beware to only use each museum’s official website for the current information. Don’t use info on travel blogger’s sites or sites with information about a mass of museums. I discovered that their information is often out of date (which messed me up on visits to a few key museums I wanted to see).

Several museums are free on Tuesday, others on any day from Wednesday through Sunday. Most museums are closed on Monday.

There’s one museum that has a free day each week but requires visitors on that day to get a ticket (free) in advance. It’s the extremely popular Underground Museum, located below the huge Cloth Market Hall in Krakow’s central plaza. Check out their website well in advance to find out how to reserve a ticket. This is one of the museums I missed because I didn’t know about the advance reservations. Sigh.

Be sure to plan your free museum visits well in advance since each one is only free one day per week.

3. Hang out in Krakow’s main plaza – Rynek Glowny

Old Town Krakow’s main plaza – Rynek Glowny – is considered by many to be the heart of the city. It’s probably the best place to catch the vibe of Krakow old town.

The huge plaza is a major meeting point for both locals and visitors. It’s home to several of Krakow’s most important historic buildings, including St Mary’s Basilica, the massive Cloth Hall, Town Hall Tower and petite St Wojciech Church.

It’s the gathering point of Krakow’s gorgeous horse & carriages. And it’s the main pedestrian thoroughfare in old town as visitors stroll between Barbican Tower in the north to Bratislava Castle to the south.

Surrounding the huge plaza are many open-air restaurants, cafes and bars, making Rynek Glowny also a major dining & drinking spot.

Many public benches are dotted around the plaza, so it’s quite easy to sit, relax, people-watch or admire the stunning buildings and horses.

4. Admire Krakow’s stunning horse & carriages

As I just mentioned, Rynek Glowny is the gathering point of the city’s many gorgeous horse & carriages. So while you’re there, be sure to take time to admire these beauties.

The magnificent white carriages are pulled by two large & sturdy horses and driven by beautifully-uniformed women. This is the first place in the world where I’ve seen women driving carriages rather than men. They add an extra beautiful & fashionable touch.

The massive horses are all stunning and come in many different colors, from pure black to brown to white. But the amazing Appalusa’s are the most strkingly beautiful, in my opinion.

The horses are decorated with very fancy & strking reins & gear of leather and silver.

Taking a carriage ride around old town is quite expensive. But admiring and photographing the beautiful horse & carriages is free. If you can’t afford a scenic ride, at least you can admire their beauty.

5. Listen to St Mary Church’s Hourly Bugle Song

Soaring tall St. Mary’s Basilica towers over Krakow’s main plaza, providing one of the main focal points of the square, if not the whole city.

Every hour, on the hour, 24/7, St. Mary’s bell strikes the hour and then a bugle player sticks his bugle out one of the top-most windows in the tower and plays one particular historic song.

There’s a long-standing legend connected with this ritual, which you’ll learn on a free walking tour.

6. Make a Walking Loop around Krakow Old Town through Planty Ring Park

Historic Krakow used to be surrounded by thick stone walls and a moat for several centuries. The fortification system was so effective that Krakow’s walls were never penetrated, despite many heavy attacks.

In the early 1900s however, the rulers of the city decided that the fortification system was outdated and ineffective (with the advent of canons and other modern weaponry). Maintenance of the walls and look-out towers was very costly, so the government decided to tear down all the walls & towers and to fill in the moat.

Due to the persuasive petition and arguments of one man, the government did leave the northern wall and Barbicon Tower standing.

When they filled in the wall’s surrounding moat, they created a wide leafy, tree-filled park completely surrounding the old town. Today the beautiful park is full of huge shady trees, flower gardens, statues & monuments, benches and pathways.

You can walk completely around the historic old town through the park, admiring the foliage as well as many historic buildings.

I made a loop for exercise several times while visiting Krakow. It took me 30-40 minutes each time at my speed-walking pace. Probably a more realistic time for most people would be 50-60 minutes, longer if you stop to admire the buildings and/or take a rest on the shady benches.

7. Watch a Historic Musical Clock

Jagelliolon University is the second oldest in Europe, dating back to … It’s located in a group of historic Gothic brick and stone buildings just one block off Krakow’s main square.

The university’s main building (which also houses the Unviersity Museum – free on Saturdays at time of writing) is set around a large open courtyard. High up on one wall of the courtyard is a huge musical clock. Every two hours, on the hour, starting at 9 am the clock springs to life.

Several large wooden figures of important historic people make their appearance by coming out of the wall and promenading around a circular platform. It’s another fun attraction to catch in the center of old town.

8. Visit Wawel Castle & Hill

Wawel Castle complex sits atop a low hill just south of old town, above the banks of the Wistula River. The complex consists of the huge palace buildings, a vast central garden, stunning Wawel Cathedral and several other stone buildings.

It’s all surrounded by a series of thick stone walls with stone roads and stairs leading into and around the grounds.

While entry to the interior rooms of the royal palace requires ticket purchases, visitors can wander around all the grounds, gardens and exteriors of the buildings for free. There are some fantastic views over the Wistula River and the old town from various look-out points.

Entry to Wawel Cathedral – at the castle complex – is free, except to visit the cathdral museum and/or the tower.

9. Witness a Fire-Breathing Dragon

Yes! At the base of Wawel Castle’s high stone walls, right beside the languid Wistula River, there’s a metal dragon sculpture. Every five minutes a burst of strong flame spews out of the dragon’s mouth.

It’s a fun attraction to check out when visiting Wawel Castle or strolling along the river.

10. Stroll the Shores of Wistula River

The calm, wide Wistula River winds its way past the outskirts of old town and Wawel Castle, past the historic Jewish Quarter and the communist-built suburbs.

Wide parks and cycling/walking paths follow both banks of the river for many miles. Strolling or cycling along the river is a fantastic way to enjoy nature while simultaneously viewing many of the city’s gorgeous historic buildings.

11. Step inside Krakow’s beautiful churches & Wawel Cathedral

Most of Krakow’s gorgeous churches and basilcas are free to enter, nearly any time of the day, with the exception of St. Mary’s Basicila, which has quite a hefty entry fee. Even the most famous, most elaborate churches admit visitors for free, except during masses.

A few particularly gorgeous and ornate churches I can recommend include Church of St. Ann, St. Peter & Paul Church just south of the plaza, St Francis Basilica and Church of St. Giles just east of the castle complex. But there are dozens of other fabulous churches, both big and small, scattered all over Krakow. Visit as many as you like, since each is a bit different.

As for St. Mary’s Balicia, visitors can actually get inside the basilica free for a peak of the stunning interiors by entering the smaller prayer-goers’ entrance. In fact, many tour groups enter there to get a glimpse without paying, so individual visitors surely can do so without feeling they’re doing anything wrong. Going in this door lands you inside a small alcove with open views into the jaw-dropping main interiors.

You might also enjoy:

Introduction to Krakow – Poland

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