Most UK travellers think of Krakow as a stag weekend or a sombre history lesson, and book somewhere else. The reality is one of Europe’s best-value city breaks: a two-hour flight, a medieval square the size of a small town, and a currency that makes a round of beer cost less than a coffee back home. Poland is in the European Union but keeps its own money, the złoty, and that is the heart of the story.
This is a guide to Krakow budget travel done properly: the cheapest way to fly out, when to go, how to get around on a few złoty, what is worth your time, where to eat at three price points, and what a city break actually costs once you land. You can see the headline sights in two unhurried days and still have change from a Western European budget.
How to get to Krakow from the UK
Krakow has one airport, John Paul II (KRK), and it takes direct flights from a dozen UK cities. The flight is about two and a quarter hours, and fares stay low outside the school holidays and the December markets.
Ryanair flies from Stansted and Luton, easyJet from Gatwick, and Wizz Air from Luton and Liverpool. Jet2 has the widest regional spread, with direct flights from Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds-Bradford, Newcastle, Glasgow, Belfast and more, and its fares include a 22kg bag, where Ryanair and Wizz Air charge for anything beyond a small cabin bag, so pack to the limit with the best carry-on bag for Ryanair.
There were about 84 flights a week between London and Krakow in April 2026, so competition keeps prices down. Book a few months ahead for a midweek flight and you can land a return for well under £60.
| Airline | Flies direct from | Flight time | Typical return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | Stansted, Luton | 2h 15m | £40–90 |
| easyJet | Gatwick | 2h 20m | £45–100 |
| Jet2 | Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds-Bradford, Newcastle and more | 2h 20m | £60–130 |
| Wizz Air | Luton, Liverpool | 2h 25m | £35–90 |
From the airport, the train to Krakow Główny is the cheapest way in and runs every half hour. A taxi or Bolt to the Old Town costs more but makes sense late at night. For more on timing a cheap fare, see our guide to how to get cheap flights from the UK.
When to go, and when it’s cheapest
Krakow is a year-round city break with a clear value pattern. Spring and autumn bring mild weather and thinner crowds; summer is warmest and busiest; January and February are cold but the cheapest of all.
| Season | Weather | Crowds | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring (Apr–May) | 15–23°C, mild and bright | Building, still easy | Good valueBest mix |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 24–28°C, warm | Busiest of the year | Highest |
| Autumn (Sep–Oct) | 20°C falling to 10°C | Thinning out | Good valueBest mix |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | Often below freezing | December busy for markets, January and February quiet | CheapestLowest fares |
For weekend breaks, the cheapest fares usually fall on midweek departures. Our guide to the best time to book a holiday from the UK covers how far ahead to lock in a city break.
Getting around Krakow
The Old Town is small enough to cross on foot, and a tram or bus ticket costs a few złoty when you need one. There is no metro, and you will rarely need a taxi.
Krakow runs a timed-ticket system on its trams and buses, operated by MPK. You buy for the length of your journey, not the distance, and the same ticket works on both. A 20-minute ticket is 4 złoty, around 80p, and covers any hop across the centre. Buy from the machines at stops or on board, or use the Jakdojade app, and validate as soon as you board. Fares rose slightly on 2 March 2026, so older guides may quote less.
| Option | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| On foot | FreeFree | The whole Old Town and Kazimierz |
| Tram or bus, 20-min ticket | 4 zł (about 80p) | Quick hops across the city and the train station |
| 90-minute ticket | 8 zł (about £1.60) | Longer trips and transfers in one fare |
| Taxi or Bolt | from about 15 zł | Late nights and the airport run |
| Train to Wieliczka | a few zł each way | The salt mine day trip |
The best things to do in Krakow
Krakow’s headline sights cluster inside one walkable Old Town, and most cost a few złoty or nothing. The Main Square, Wawel Hill and the Kazimierz quarter fill two easy days.
Start on the Main Market Square, Rynek Główny, the largest medieval square in Europe and free to wander. The Cloth Hall runs down the middle, its ground floor still a market of amber and souvenirs. On the hour, a trumpeter plays the hejnał from the tower of St Mary’s Basilica and stops mid-note, a tradition that has run for centuries. The church interior, with its carved blue-and-gold altarpiece, costs around 20 złoty, roughly £4.
South of the square, Wawel Hill carries the royal castle and cathedral above the Vistula. The grounds are free, and you pay only for the interiors you choose: the Dragon’s Den is 15 złoty, the state-room tours start higher. Below the hill, a bronze dragon breathes real fire every few minutes, to the delight of every child watching.
A short walk south lies Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter, now the city’s most characterful district of synagogues, galleries, bars and street food on Plac Nowy.
| Place | What it is | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Main Market Square | Europe’s largest medieval square and the Cloth Hall | FreeFree |
| St Mary’s Basilica | Gothic church and the hourly hejnał trumpet call | about 20 zł (£4) |
| Wawel Royal Castle | Royal hill, cathedral and the dragon’s den | Grounds free, interiors from 15 zł |
| Kazimierz | Old Jewish quarter, bars, galleries and street food | Free to exploreFree |
| Schindler’s Factory | WWII museum in the old enamel works | Paid, book onlineSells out |
Day trips: Auschwitz and the Salt Mine
Two of Poland’s most visited sites sit within ninety minutes of Krakow. Auschwitz-Birkenau is a sobering half-day, and the Wieliczka Salt Mine an underground world of chapels carved from rock salt.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, about an hour and a half west of the city, is free to enter, but in the busy hours a guided tour is compulsory and costs around 150 złoty. From 1 March 2026 every visit must be booked online in advance, as the on-site ticket desk has closed. Allow most of a day, and treat it as the reason for the trip rather than one stop among several.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine, just south-east of Krakow and reachable by train, is the lighter half-day. The standard Tourist Route costs 143 złoty, about £28, and leads through chambers, lakes and a vast carved chapel more than a hundred metres underground. Both sites get busy, so a morning slot is worth the early start.
Where to eat in Krakow
Polish food is hearty and cheap, built on pierogi, soup and the grill. You can fill up for under £10 or take a table on the main square for a fraction of a Western European bill.
For the cheapest authentic meal, find a milk bar (bar mleczny), a no-frills canteen left over from the communist era where a plate of pierogi or a bowl of żurek costs 15 to 25 złoty. For something more reliable for visitors, Pierogarnia Krakowiacy serves plates of dumplings for 40 to 60 złoty across several Old Town branches.
Budget, under £10. Pierogarnia Krakowiacy is a self-service dumpling house with branches around the Old Town, including Szewska 23. A generous plate of pierogi with crispy onions runs 40 to 60 złoty. Add a milk bar lunch on another day and you will struggle to spend £10 a head.
Mid, £15 to £25. Pod Wawelem, at the foot of the castle, serves huge Galician portions, pork knuckle and fresh beer in a buzzing hall with a garden terrace on the Planty. It is loud, generous and good value for what lands on the plate.
Worth the spend, £35 to £55 a head. Szara Gęś, at Rynek Główny 17, plates refined modern Polish cooking in a fourteenth-century room on the main square, with an emphasis on poultry. It is the splurge that still costs less than an equivalent table in London or Paris.
Where to stay in Krakow
The Old Town puts you inside the ring of the Planty park and within walking distance of everything. Kazimierz is cheaper and livelier at night, and both beat any out-of-town option for a short break.
| Area | Best for | The feel |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town (Stare Miasto) | First-timers, sights on the doorstep | Inside the Planty ring, walk everywhere |
| Kazimierz | Nightlife, food and value | Bohemian and lively after dark |
| Kleparz and Piasek | Cheaper beds near the centre | Local, a short walk to the square |
| Podgórze | Quiet nights and wartime history | Across the river, residential |
For a budget base, Hotel Wawel sits a few minutes from the square from around £55 a night. For a mid-range riverside room below the castle, Hotel Pod Wawelem has a rooftop terrace from about £90. To push the boat out, Hotel Stary is a five-star townhouse with cellar pools off the square from around £180.
How much does a Krakow city break cost?
Few European cities give you more for your money than Krakow. A careful traveller can manage on around £40 a day on the ground once flights and a hotel are booked, because the food, drink and transport are all cheap. That value is what makes Krakow budget travel so easy to recommend.
| Traveller | Daily spend on the ground | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Shoestring | about £35 | Hostel dorm, milk bars, tram tickets, free sights |
| Mid-range | £75–110 | Three-star hotel, restaurant meals, paid attractions |
| Comfortable | £150 and up | Four or five-star, taxis, fine dining and tours |
If you are travelling in the holidays, our guide to cheap holidays during the school holidays explains how to keep the dates affordable, and you will find more like it across our destination guides.
Know before you go
Poland uses the złoty, not the euro, and that is half the reason Krakow is so cheap. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but a little cash is handy for milk bars and market stalls. As a rough guide, £1 is around 5 złoty.
Polish is the language, though English is widely spoken in the Old Town, restaurants and tourist sites. Plugs are the European two-pin type C and E at 230 volts, so pack an adapter, unlike the UK-style sockets in Cyprus or Malta. Poland drives on the right, and the clocks sit one hour ahead of the UK.
Poland is in the Schengen area, so there is no visa for UK visitors staying under 90 days in any 180. Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond your trip and issued within the last ten years. From the last quarter of 2026, UK travellers will also need a €20 ETIAS authorisation, so check the latest GOV.UK Poland entry advice before you book.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Currency | Polish złoty, not the euro; about 5 zł to £1 |
| Language | Polish; English widely spoken in the Old Town |
| Plugs | Type C and E, 230V; bring an adapter |
| Driving | On the right |
| Time | CET, one hour ahead of the UK |
| Entry | Schengen; no visa under 90 days; €20 ETIAS from late 2026 |
Krakow budget travel: your questions answered
Is Krakow cheap to visit?
Yes, Krakow is one of the best-value city breaks in Europe for UK travellers. Budget around £35 to £40 a day on the ground, before flights and your hotel.
How many days do you need in Krakow?
Two full days cover the Main Square, Wawel and Kazimierz at an easy pace. Add a third day if you want a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau or the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
Do they speak English in Krakow?
Yes, English is widely spoken in the Old Town, restaurants, hotels and at the main sights. A few words of Polish are appreciated but rarely needed.
What is the cheapest time to visit Krakow?
January and February have the lowest flight and hotel prices of the year. It is cold and often snowy, but the city is quiet and the sights stay open.
Do I need a visa or ETIAS to visit Poland?
UK visitors need no visa for stays under 90 days in any 180-day period. From the last quarter of 2026 you will need a €20 ETIAS authorisation, applied for online before you travel.
Is Krakow worth visiting?
Yes, Krakow pairs one of Europe’s finest medieval old towns with very low prices and a short flight from the UK. It suits first-time city-breakers and return visitors alike.
How do you get to Auschwitz from Krakow?
Auschwitz-Birkenau is about ninety minutes west of Krakow by bus, train or organised tour. Entry is free but a guided tour is required in peak hours and must be booked online in advance.
