Things to do in the city of Kraków (Cracow) with kids

Why Krakow is worth visiting

Kraków (in English Krakow or Cracow) is a city located in southern Poland on the Vistula River – the second-largest city in Poland (after Warsaw) in terms of population and area. The former capital of Poland and the seat of Polish kings. On one hand, it’s small enough that you don’t feel overwhelmed here. On the other hand, it is so rich in history, culture, nature, and tourist attractions that you want to stay here longer or come back again!

The uniqueness of Krakow has been recognized by UNESCO that placed the Historic Centre of Krakow on its list of World Heritage Sites: “The 13th-century merchants’ town has Europe’s largest market square and numerous historical houses, palaces and churches with their magnificent interiors”. 

Finding accommodation in Krakow is easy. There are many hotels in different price ranges located close to the main tourist attractions as well as a wide selection of apartments for short rent if you prefer that option. 

There are plenty of restaurants in Krakow serving traditional Polish dishes, but also restaurants with international cuisine. As in other large cities in Poland, it is not difficult to find a child-friendly restaurant – with a special kids’ menu, a play area, changing facilities. 

Krakow sounds like a great family-friendly destination, doesn’t it?

How to get to Krakow by train, by car, by plane

Krakow is located in southern Poland on the Vistula River. Krakow’s location on Google map.

How to get to Krakow by train

The main railway station in Krakow is called in Polish Kraków Główny (location on Google map, train timetable). It’s conveniently located in the center of the city, just  1 km from the Old Town. The most popular domestic connections include Warsaw (the shortest travel time: 2 hrs 30 mins), Wrocław (3 hrs 15 mins), Poznań (5 hrs 23 mins), Gdańsk (5 hrs 18 mins), Łódź (3 hrs 8 mins), Katowice (1 hrs 4 mins), Lublin (4 hrs 10 mins including 1 change), Toruń (5 hrs 32 mins).

International rail connections include Lviv, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Graz, Berlin, Grodno.

How to get to Krakow by car

Krakow is well connected with other cities in Poland. Approximate (depending on traffic) travel time from: Warsaw 3 hrs 40 mins, Wrocław 3 hrs, Poznań 4 hrs 50 mins, Gdańsk 6 hrs 30 mins, Łódź 3 hrs 40 mins, Katowice 1 hrs 10 mins, Lublin 4 hrs, Toruń 5 hrs 10 mins.

How to get to Krakow by plane

Krakow’s international airport (Polish name: Port Lotniczy Kraków-Balice, location on Google map, website in English) is located just 15 km from the Old Town. How to get from Krakow airport to the city center? By taxi (info in English about Krakow airport taxi service), Uber (you can get a price estimate for Krakow here on Uber’s website), train to Kraków Główny main railway station in the city center (info in English about train connection from Krakow airport), public bus (info in English about bus connection from Krakow airport).

Attractions of Krakow: Main Market Square and the Old Town

This is the heart, showcase, and essence of Krakow: the main market square (Rynek Główny, location on Google map) and the Old Town (Stare Miasto, location on Google map). All within easy walking distance!

In good weather, reserve a few hours to wander the cobblestone streets, discovering charming nooks, small streets where you can feel history at every step (Krakow market was the largest market in medieval Europe!).

The main market square is a pedestrian-only zone so kids can run free here (it’s usually crowded so don’t lose the kids!). A typical picture for this place is children playing among the pigeons which gives the impression that they (the pigeons) have already seen everything and that nothing will scare them…;) Children will be charmed by the many street performers (e.g. “live statues”), you can often see a huge soap bubble show too.

The Old Town is packed with cafes and restaurants, many of which have lovely little open-air gardens.

If you need a quick snack – you will find carts selling a traditional Krakow snack on the market square or in one of the streets of the old town – a bagel (in Polish: obwarzanek). It’s a braided ring-shaped bread sprinkled with salt, poppy or sesame seeds. Kraków bagels!⁠

And if you want to spoil your children – you can buy sweet cotton candy (in Polish: wata cukrowa) on the street.

In the central part of the Main Market Square, there is a large renaissance building – Krakow’s oldest “shopping center” called in Polish Sukiennice (the Cloth Hall). Today, there are stalls selling traditional Polish jewelry, souvenirs or handicrafts, and on the first floor, there is a branch of the National Museum – the Gallery of Polish Painting and Sculpture of the 19th century.

When you get tired, a nice break is a horse-drawn carriage ride. A basic tour with horse and carriage (from the Old Town down to the Wawel Castle) takes about 20 minutes.

There are several routes to choose from – they have a card with information in English and prices (when there are not many tourists interested in these rides, you can negotiate the price). When renting some horse-drawn carriages, you can even pay by card.

In one of the corners of the Market Square, there is St. Mary’s Basilica, a gothic church dating back to the early 13th century (Bazylika Mariacka, location on Google map, website in English). We know that children usually do not react enthusiastically to visiting churches but in the case of St. Mary’s Basilica, it is worth trading with them! To be in Krakow and not see St. Mary’s Basilica inside is like being in Paris and not visiting Notre Dame Cathedral. St. Mary’s Basilica is famous for its wooden altarpiece (after almost six years of restoration work, the altar was fully unveiled in February 2021) and unique stained glass windows.

The famous altar opens at 11.50 am and closes at 6 pm. To visit the part of the church closest to the altar, you need to buy a ticket (regular ticket 10 PLN, reduced ticket 5 PLN). Tickets can be purchased at the visitor service point (Plac Mariacki 7, location on Google map). You can also buy tickets to enter the church tower there.

It is worth taking a closer look at the taller tower of the church’s two towers, topped with a late gothic golden crown. It is said to be the only tower in the world from which the bugle call (in Polish: hejnał) has been sounding every hour for over 600 years! The bugle call is played every hour, in the direction of the four corners of the world, by a trumpeter – a fire brigade officer. The bugle caller at the end waves to the tourists in the market square.

Don’t be surprised when you hear that the bugle call melody suddenly stops… Legend has it that when in 1241 a foreign army approached Krakow, the guard on the tower started to sound the alarm. He managed to warn the city from attack, but an enemy arrow shot through him in half-time. This is why the bugle-call melody ends so suddenly – at the same moment that the guard stopped playing it in 1241.

If you are in the Old Market Square and it gets too warm or too cold, we recommend visiting the underground museum, which is located right under the market square! The museum is called Rynek Underground/Rynek Podziemny (website in English). During the archaeological excavations, many traces of the medieval history of Krakow were discovered here. A unique archaeological reserve with an area of 4,000 m² was established under the Market Square and in 2010, a museum and a tourist route were opened.

It’s a modern museum with touch screens, films, projectors, audiobooks. There is also a playroom for children and an automated puppet theater showing the Legend of Old Krakow. 

As the museum is relatively small and very popular with tourists, it is worth buying tickets in advance (online tickets). Free admission for children up to 7 years old. Entrance to the museum through the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) from the side of St. Mary’s Church (Bazylika Mariacka). Audioguides are available in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian.

Photo source: Muzeum Rynek Podziemny

What if you feel tired of sightseeing and want to take a break? Take a look at the map of Krakow, you will notice that the Old Town is surrounded by a wide ribbon of greenery. This is a city park called Planty in Polish – a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Old Town. The park is full of old trees that provide blissful shade, most of which are dignified branching chestnut trees. You will find here playgrounds too.

Kraków’s Royal Castle – Wawel (and the legendary dragon’s den)

Wawel Castle is a must-visit sight for tourists in Krakow and a place that children in Polish schools learn about from an early age. Wawel Hill is one of the symbols of Polish statehood, from the times when Krakow was the capital of Poland – it was the former seat of Polish kings, the place of their coronation and burial.

When it comes to visiting the Wawel Castle – one of the options is to simply walk around the courtyard (it’s FREE to enter), go down to the Vistula River to the dragon sculpture (details below) and continue the walk on the Vistula boulevards (in high season there are boats offering tourist cruises).

If you would like to visit one of the buildings from the inside, it is necessary to purchase tickets.

On Wawel Hill, you can visit the Royal Cathedral where, among other things, there are royal sarcophaguses and you can climb the castle tower and touch the largest bell in Poland – the Sigismund Bell (Dzwon Zygmunta).

A tip for tourists – the Cathedral is a separate institution from the Wawel Museum and you have to buy tickets separately (website in English where you can buy tickets online). The audio guide is available in Polish, English, Czech, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Slovak, Hungarian, Italian, and Ukrainian.

You can also visit one of the tourist routes offered by the Wawel Castle Museum (Website in English. Facebook. Instagram. Online tickets). In high season, it is recommended to buy tickets in advance, online – to avoid long lines.

A nice sightseeing option are guided tours (also available in English), which are easy to join. If you buy tickets online – first select the date, then click ‘museum visit’ under Wawel Royal Castle, a list of guided tours in Polish or English will be displayed.

The latest and modern arrangement has the “Crown Treasury” exhibition, which can be visited individually with an audio guide or on a guided tour.

The Castle dragon – Smok Wawelski

The symbol of Krakow is the Wawel dragon. In souvenir shops you will find a lot of different dragons, you can also buy children’s books there in English (and sometimes also in other languages) describing the legend of the Wawel dragon.

A metal sculpture of a dragon (breathing real fire every few minutes!) can be found at the foot of the castle, on the banks of the Vistula (location on Google map). Visiting the dragon sculpture and taking a picture with it is worth leaving at the end of your visit to the Castle, especially if you are with children – the sculpture is located at the foot of the castle and children may not want to go back up.

The sculpture is located next to the legendary dragon’s den (in Polish: smocza jama).

A cool attraction is a short route through the castle courtyard down to the dragon’s cave. The entrance is a small tower (look for signposts in Polish and English in the courtyard of the castle to the dragon’s lair). You go down the stairs (it used to be a castle well) to a real cave. It’s quite dark there, a lot of nooks and crannies, a real dragon atmosphere! You exit at the back of the dragon sculpture.

Entrance to the dragon’s lair route is payable (tickets can also be purchased at the vending machine before entering the route, where you can pay by card).

Visiting the dragon’s den is possible only in the high season (it is closed in November – April).

The tour is not wheelchair or stroller accessible – the route is mostly narrow winding stairs (although there is no ban, if you have a small folding stroller, you can try it, although it will probably be tiring;).

Make your own famous traditional Kraków snack – obwarzanek

Kraków has its food symbol – it is ‘obwarzanek‘ – a traditional Kraków snack (known since medieval times!). Something similar to a bagel or a pretzel. It’s a braided ring-shaped bread sprinkled with salt, poppy or sesame seeds.

The obwarzanek has been awarded the status of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) by the European Union. The certificate strictly determines its weight, shape, and production process and can be granted only to bakers from the city of Krakow.

The Museum of Obwarzanek offers an interactive show presenting the history and tradition of obwarzanek baking. During the show, you will learn which queen ate it and why it shouldn’t be confused with a pretzel or a bagel; you will discover all its secrets and learn about its unique production process. But most of all – you will make your bagel from start to finish! You will leave the Museum with a hand-made warm obwarzanek.

Photo source: Żywe Muzeum Obwarzanka

Water park in the city of Kraków

Photo source: Park Wodny Kraków

High ropes courses in Kraków

Photo source: Krakowski Park Linowy

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If you need a break from Polish history – visit the Museum of Japanese Art and Culture

Visiting the Museum of Japanese Art and Culture is an excellent idea, for example, after a walk to the Wawel Hill with the Royal Castle – the Japanese museum is located on the other side of the Vistula River from the Royal Castle and can be reached in a 10-minute walk over the bridge.

The museum is not large, usually not crowded, it offers temporary exhibitions, e.g. an exhibition of kimonos. It offers guide services for groups and families (you can book a guide for a family tour also in English). You will find detailed information on their website (plan your visit).

The Museum has a shop with Japanese souvenirs and products related to current exhibitions and a restaurant offering Japanese cuisine (the restaurant does not serve sushi). The restaurant has a beautiful view of the Wawel Castle (info about the restaurant in English, Facebook, Instagram).

Photo source: Muzeum Sztuki i Techniki Japońskiej Manggha

Day trip from Krakow: the underground salt mine in the town of Wieliczka

The underground Wieliczka [vyel-ich’-kah] salt mine is one of the world’s oldest (established in the 13th century) salt mines, located in southern Poland, only 14 km from the city of Kraków. It’s available to tourists who can go down and admire underground lakes, unique statues sculpted in the salt, chapels, long corridors, and… underground church carved out of the rock salt.

The salt mine in Wieliczka (together with a nearby mine in Bochnia) is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List (more on UNESCO’s website). UNESCO recognizes “hundreds of kilometers of galleries with works of art, underground chapels and statues sculpted in the salt, making a fascinating pilgrimage into the past”.

Other Krakow day trip ideas: the Ojcowski National Park, the Tatra National Park & Zakopane, “Energylandia” amusement park

The Ojcowski National Park near Kraków – caves, two castles, hiking trails

The Ojcowski National Park (Ojcowski Park Narodowy) is located 20 km north of the city of Kraków. It is the smallest of the Polish national parks and very charming. The Park covers the picturesque valley of the Prądnik River.

There are many caves and grottos in the area of the Park, two of which are open to tourists from April to October: Łokietek Grotto (Grota Łokietka) and Ciemna Cave (Jaskinia Ciemna). These caves are closed for the winter season due to the protection of bats. The Łokietek Grotto is the largest cave in the Park. Its length is 320 m. It consists of several corridors and 4 rooms. Visiting the cave is facilitated by wooden stairs and electric lighting. At the Ciemna Cave, you can see, among others, the reconstruction of the camp of the Neanderthals who once lived in the cave.

The Tatra National Park – 275 km of mountain hiking trails for beginners and for advanced climbers

The Tatra Mountains (Tatry in Polish) – the highest mountains in Poland, located in the south of Poland (110 km from Krakow) and protected as national parkland – are part of the Carpathian Mountains. The town of Zakopane is in the heart of the Polish Tatra Mountains, serving as a starting point for hiking trails for amateurs as well as experienced hikers.

The highest peak in Polish Tatras (Rysy) is 2,499 m but the mountains are rich in trails suitable for families with children (including toddlers), seniors and all those who love nature.

The Polish Tatras are covered by the Tatra National Park (Tatrzański Park Narodowy), offering 275 km of marked hiking trails of varying difficulty: from very easy to extremely demanding and equipped with devices like chains, buckles, and ladders. You will find in the Tatra Mountains many well-marked trails of easy to moderate difficulty – perfect for beginners, usually half-day to one-day tours. Hiking trails in the Tatras are marked with five colors: black, red, green, blue, yellow. The colors do not indicate the difficulty of the trail.

Energylandia – the biggest amusement park in Poland

“Energylandia” amusement park is located 50 km from Krakow. Attractions include fairytale land, an extreme zone, a water park, and dragon town.

Photo source: Energylandia

Energylandia Water Park is the largest outdoor water park in Poland. There are 3 pools with a maximum depth of 140 cm, 14 water slides, a beach.

The water zone of the amusement park operates mainly in the summer period, in favorable weather when the air temperature reaches at least 20°C.

Photo source: Energylandia 

Photo source: Energylandia

Outdoor Christmas and New Year Market in Kraków

Outdoor Christmas and New Year Market in the Old Town
Location: the main square of the Old Town Market Square of Kraków (Rynek Główny). Souvenirs, gifts, local crafts and food, Christmas decorations, ceramics, wood products, jewelry, toys. Facebook page.

“Bricks & Figs” – a museum of LEGO minifigures and sets in Kraków

The Museum displays the world’s largest exhibition of LEGO figures. The attractions include a LEGO figure that has been to space, one of the world’s three real gold figurine prototypes, 14,000+ LEGO minifigures, and 700+ unique, selected “most” sets – the world’s largest, rarest, and most expensive. The Museum’s offer includes workshops for kindergartens and schools and birthday parties.

Photo source: “Bricks & Figs”

“Wheels & Heels” – a museum of dolls and toy cars in Kraków

The Museum displays the world’s largest collection of dolls and toy cars. The attractions include a unique collection of almost a thousand Barbie™ dolls, the first doll presented at the Toy Fair exhibition over 65 years ago, modern and historical Hot Wheels® collectible models, Matchbox® car models. LLedo and Dinky from over 50 years ago, 9,000+ toy cars. The Museum’s offer includes workshops for kindergartens and schools and birthday parties.

Photo source: “Wheels & Heels”

Cogiteon Science Center

The museum map of Kraków was enriched in 2024 with a new science center called Cogiteon. It offers 400 rooms, 100 interactive exhibits, six laboratories and educational rooms, green areas of the park, and a roof garden. The science center has a dedicated playing area for children ages 3-6.

Website in Polish, location on Google map. 

Photo source: Małopolskie Centrum Nauki Cogiteon

Escape rooms in Kraków (available in English)

Gamescape Escape Rooms in the western Kraków

Combinator Escape Rooms in two locations in the center of Kraków

ExitRoom Escape Rooms in Kraków’s Old Town

Lock & Roll Escape Rooms in Kraków’s Old Town

Scary Hostel Escape Rooms in Kraków’s Old Town

Subscribe to our monthly newsletters in English to explore Poland and learn about Poland! Once a month you will receive a Newsletter: ‘Explore Poland with Kids‘. You will find there family-friendly destinations in Poland – beautiful places in Poland worth visiting with children – from city break destinations to hiking in the mountains (lots of practical tips!); things you can’t miss in Poland in a given month; dates to remember, holidays, observances in Poland in a given month so you can mark your calendars accordingly.

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