A 3-Day Krakow Plan: A Medieval Square That Survived Two World Wars, 8 PLN Beer, and the Day Trip That Changes You

Arrive before 9 AM to see the square nearly empty. The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) has been a marketplace since the 1300s. The ground floor still sells amber jewelry, leather goods, and souvenirs. On the hour, listen for the hejnal, the trumpet call played from the top of St. Mary's Basilica tower, which cuts off mid-melody to commemorate a 13th-century trumpeter shot by Mongol invaders.

The wooden altarpiece by Veit Stoss (1489) is one of the greatest Gothic sculptures in existence. It opens at noon daily. The tower climb is 239 narrow steps up with a view over the entire square and beyond to Wawel. Only 8 people are allowed up at a time, so book in advance at bilety.mariacki.com.

Milk bars are communist-era subsidized cafeterias that still serve cheap, homestyle Polish food. Try pierogi (8 to 15 PLN for a plate), bigos (hunter's stew), or zurek (sour rye soup). Bar Mleczny Pod Temida on Grodzka or Milkbar Tomasza are both near the square and serve filling meals for under 30 PLN.

Wawel is the Polish equivalent of the Tower of London or Prague Castle, the seat of kings for 500 years. The State Rooms and Cathedral are the two must-sees. Buy tickets at the booth on the hill or online at wawel.krakow.pl. There is a daily visitor cap, so arrive before 10 AM in summer. The cathedral holds the tombs of Polish kings and the Sigismund Bell, which you can see (and touch) at the top of the tower.

The Planty is a green belt that follows the path of Krakow's demolished medieval walls. It loops 4 km around the entire Old Town. Walk it in the late afternoon when the light filters through the trees. Pass the Barbican (a 15th-century fortified gatehouse) and the remaining fragment of the city wall near Florianska Gate.

Walk south to Kazimierz for the evening. Plac Nowy (New Square) is the center of the neighborhood's bar and restaurant scene. Try a zapiekanka (Polish open-faced baguette with mushrooms and cheese) from one of the stands in the round Okraglak building in the square's center, about 12 to 18 PLN. Then pick any of the bars lining the square for a craft beer or cocktail.

The cheapest option is the Lajkonik bus from the MDA bus station (next to Krakow Glowny train station), which runs every 30 to 60 minutes and takes about 90 minutes. Alternatively, book a guided tour that includes transport. Entry to the memorial itself is free, but guided tours (strongly recommended) cost 75 PLN per person. In peak season (April through October), unguided visits are only possible at certain early morning or late afternoon time slots.

This is the original camp with the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate, the prisoner barracks converted into exhibitions, and Block 11 (the punishment block). The national exhibitions and the rooms of confiscated belongings, shoes, suitcases, and hair, are harrowing. Photography is allowed in most areas but not in the Room of Hair or the basement of Block 11. Be prepared emotionally. This is not a museum in the conventional sense.

A free shuttle runs between the two sites, about 3 km apart. Birkenau is the much larger camp, 170 hectares, where the scale of the genocide becomes physically overwhelming. The railway tracks leading through the gate, the ruins of the gas chambers, and the vastness of the site are difficult to process. Walk to the memorial at the far end between the destroyed crematoria. Allow enough time. Rushing this defeats the purpose of being there.

Most people return to Krakow emotionally drained. A quiet dinner is the right move. Starka on Jozefa street in Kazimierz serves Polish food in a low-key cellar setting. Or walk along the Vistula river at dusk. The city feels different after Auschwitz, and that is the point.

Start at Szeroka Street, the ceremonial heart of Jewish Kazimierz. The Old Synagogue (the oldest surviving synagogue in Poland, 15th century) houses a museum of Jewish history. The Remuh Synagogue next door has an active congregation and a Renaissance-era cemetery. The Jewish bookshop on Jozefa street and the Galicia Jewish Museum on Dajwor street add depth. Walk slowly. The neighborhood rewards attention.

Cross the Vistula via the Bernatka footbridge into Podgorze. The Ghetto Heroes Square has a memorial of 70 oversized bronze chairs representing the furniture abandoned when residents were deported. Schindler's Factory (Fabryka Schindlera) is now a museum about Krakow during the Nazi occupation. It is one of the best WWII museums in Europe. Book tickets online at muzeumkrakowa.pl, as it sells out regularly.

Podgorze has been gentrifying steadily and has excellent restaurants at lower prices than Kazimierz. Zielona Kuchnia on Rynek Podgorski serves seasonal Polish dishes. The area around Plac Bohaterow Getta (Ghetto Heroes Square) has several good casual spots.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine has been operating since the 13th century and reaches 327 meters underground. The tourist route descends to 135 meters via 800 steps (there is a lift back up) through chambers carved from salt, including the Chapel of St. Kinga, an entire underground cathedral with chandeliers made of salt crystals. Tours run every 15 to 30 minutes in English. Book at wieliczka-saltmine.com. Take Bus 304 from the Galeria Krakowska bus stop near the main train station (30 minutes, 5 PLN).

For your last night, eat well. Marchewka z Groszkiem on Mostowa street serves modern Polish food at reasonable prices. Afterward, the bars on Plac Nowy and along Jozefa street stay open late. Alchemia is the original Kazimierz bar, dark, candlelit, with live music in the basement. Craftowe Piwo on Meiselsa has 20+ Polish craft beers on tap for 12 to 18 PLN a pint.