Krakow rewards planning before arrival. First-timers often waste time and money on avoidable mistakes: the wrong tram ticket, sold-out day trips, or breaking local alcohol rules.
Three days covers the city plus one day trip. Add a fourth or fifth day if you want to see both Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Wieliczka Salt Mine without rushing.
Wieliczka Salt Mine sits 10 km southeast of the city centre. The Tourist Route takes 2 to 3 hours underground, fitting into half a day. Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oświęcim is 60 to 65 km away. Guided tours from Krakow take about 7 hours door to door, according to operators such as Musement. Book both on their official sites before you go. Both have timed entry and both can sell out.
Poland uses the Polish złoty, not the euro, at about 4.37 PLN to €1 in mid-October 2026, according to Exchange-Rates.org. Contactless payment is standard and accepted by almost every vendor, but keep a little cash for market stalls and tips. When a card machine offers to charge you in your home currency, say no and pay in PLN. That's dynamic currency conversion, and the rate generally isn't favourable, as Wise explains.
A cheap day costs about €12 to eat, drink and get around, with food taking more than half. Add your bed on top. For an ultra-budget day with a dorm, canteen meals and free sights, Hello Cracow puts costs at 130 to 215 PLN, about €30 to €49.
From the airport, the SKA1 train runs to Kraków Główny, the main station, in about 17 minutes for 20 PLN, about €4.60, according to Visit Krakow. Trains run roughly every 30 minutes. Buy at the terminal machine. The conductor only takes cash.
Validate paper tram and bus tickets in the yellow box as soon as you board. App tickets like Jakdojade activate on board instead. A 20-minute ticket costs 4 PLN as of October 2026.
Krakow's Clean Transport Zone has applied since 1 January 2026, and older cars pay a fee, Notes from Poland reports.
The Old Town, Wawel and Kazimierz sit close together. You'll only need trams for longer hops.
Shop alcohol sales stopped at 10pm starting 1 September 2026, according to RMF24. Before that date, the ban ran from midnight to 5:30am after Krakow first banned night-time alcohol sales in July 2023. Bars, pubs and restaurants keep serving as usual. Drinking in public places such as streets, parks and squares is banned in Poland outside licensed bars and café gardens and is punished with a fine of typically up to a few hundred PLN, according to TripBase.
Stay in or near the Old Town if it's your first visit. You can walk to the Main Market Square, Wawel and most free sights. Pick Kazimierz if bars, cafes and late nights matter more. It's about 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the square.