What to do in Krakow in 48 hours

Start in Rynek Główny, Europe’s largest medieval market square. Walk down any cobblestone street from there and find street art, historic churches, and parks full of pigeons. An ancient city from the 7th century, Kraków survived much of the destruction of World War II unlike Warsaw.

Spending 48 hours in the city, here’s what we recommend.

Eat:

• Cream of mushroom soup inside a bread bowl at Restauracja Pod Baranem, a popular Polish restaurant.
• Meat dumplings in beet broth at Miód Malina, a Polish restaurant near the Old Town.
• “Pistachio-Love” waffles from Nap Nap Cafe, a trendy bistro that serves breakfast all day.

Drink:

• Cherry liquor at Pijana Wisnia, a tiny bar that sells drinks to-go.
• Craft cocktails at William Rabbit & Company, a speakeasy underground with themed rooms.
• Latte from Tuttobene, a small cafe with quirky seats near the Kraków Barbican.
• Locally made cherry cider at Targowa2, a trendy restaurant with fresh food inside an old factory whose owner helped Jews during World War II.
• Passion fruit cocktails at Dragon Tail, a restaurant/bar in the Old Jewish Quarter with a spacious outdoor back patio.

Do:

• Buy books about the Jewish community and the Holocaust at the Galicia Jewish Museum, a small museum about Krakow’s Jewish community with a kosher cafe inside.
• People watch at Rynek Główny, Europe’s largest medieval market square.
• Reflect on the past at KL Plaszow, a public park that honors its legacy as a historic Jewish cemetery and then a concentration camp. For a brutalist statue, find the Memorial of Turn-Out Hearts erected in 1964.
• Stroll along the Vistula River in the evening. The trail is popular among runners and bicyclists.
• Take the train to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum to honor the 1.1+ million lives lost and vow to never let it happen again.
• Walk over the Father Bernatek’s Bridge, a pedestrian bridge with acrobat sculptures by Jerzy Kedziora.
• Wander around Kazimierz, Kraków’s historic Jewish quarter, and find sidwalk cafes and street art.

See:

• “Eros Bendato” sculpture by Igor Mitoraj at Rynek Główny.
• Movie set of Schindler’s List. Although it was filmed on an old labor camp, the only remains are from the movie set in 1993.
• Views of the city from Krakus Mound, a hill with a windy path to the top.
• Wawel Dragon Statue by Bronisław Chromy at the base of Wawel Hill.