December in Krakow, Poland

Krakow has plenty to offer in regards to how you spend your time, even during the thick of the cold, winter season. The city has a well-rounded variety of tourist attractions ranging from gorgeous and unique architecture to museums and, of course, history.

Here’s how we spent our time:

• Wandering through the Stare Miasto and Cloth Hall (Old Town)

• Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory: Buy your tickets in advance. I recommend avoiding Mondays as it is free entry, so the line was so long. It was worth it to pay for a ticket and not have to wait for literal hours.

• Galicia Jewish Museum: We walked in and bought tickets in person, but you can also buy them online.

• Wawel Royal Castle

• Wieliczka Salt Mines: A 20-minute train ride from Krakow. Train tickets were around $4 round trip. All tours of the salt mines are guided, for obvious safety reasons.

• Visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau: I’m happy to recommend a tour that provides round-trip transfer from your hotel in Krakow, entry, and a guided tour for both Auschwitz and Birkenau, plus the option to buy a “bag lunch” to eat quickly in between the two. It made the whole experience seamless.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Birkenau Concentration Camp

If you visit Krakow during December, you’ll also get to experience their Christmas markets. Their main market is located in their Old Town, creating quite a large venue. The highlight is definitely the food, which you can try for reasonable prices.

We used our credit card to pay for most of our market purchases, but I definitely recommend having cash (Polish Zloty) on hand as not all stalls (especially souvenirs) accept credit card.

When it comes to Polish food, traveling during the winter months makes their cuisine that much more enjoyable, as it gives off a very “comfort food” feel.

Some of my favorite local dishes were potato pancakes, kielbasa sausage, sour rye soup (in a bread bowl, of course), stuffed cabbage rolls, and pierogis.

I definitely recommend making dinner reservations if there's a spot you have your eye on. Even during December, the city was busy and many restaurants weren't accepting walk-ins.

Here are a few restaurant/cafe recommendations, some that offer traditional Polish food and some that don’t:

• Kogel Mogel

• HEVRE Bar & Restaurant

• Finca Coffee & Pastry

• Gościnna Chata Restaurant

• Black Duck

• Smasher Burgers

For anyone traveling to Poland who is interested in utilizing their public transportation, download the app Jakdojade. This app will allow you to navigate your travel and consider all transportation options, as well as buy tickets.

If you prefer rideshare, Uber and Bolt are both incredibly affordable and reliable options.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Poland page.