9 things to do in Krakow outside the Old Town

Krakow’s Old Town is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in all of central Europe. With the largest medieval market square in the whole of the continent, beautiful restored pastel-coloured houses and the dominant spires of St. Mary’s Basilica, it isn’t a surprise this picture-perfect setting brings in plenty of visitors. And bring them, it does. It really does.

But there are plenty of things to see and do after you’ve marvelled at Krakow’s beautiful old town. (In fact, I was surprised just how big the city centre of Krakow is.) Here are some tips of things to do in Krakow outside of the Old Town.

View of Wawel Hill from across the Vistula

Overtourism in Krakow: how to avoid the crowds

First off, I wanted to mention something about crowds in Krakow. I have to admit, it took me a while to get to Krakow and one reason it took so long was its reputation as a big tourist draw – especially among British tourists (this was my fourth visit to Poland (or fifth if you count the tiny town of Zgorzelec) after Gdansk, Warsaw and Wroclaw) .

And yes, there were plenty of tourists. And yes, there were some British stag dos drinking on the streets (which is a big no-no in Poland just FYI) but it was also mid-August and therefore peak season, which means that other travellers were – unsurprisingly – impossible to avoid.

But if crowds of tourists aren’t your thing, then the masses were easy to avoid; by doing the below things we managed to have a great 48 hours in Krakow, without spending too much time in the streets and main square of the oversaturated Old Town.

Things to do in Kazimierz, Krakow

1. Explore Kazimierz

Kazimierz is a neighbourhood you’ll want to spend a lot of time in. The former Jewish district, the neighbourhood is now a hub for cafes, bars and restaurants and a great place for simply walking around during the summer evenings.

Plac Nowy, a central square in the district, played host to some cool street performers and musicians on Friday night and a market on Sunday morning. There were also a number of food stalls selling ice cream, kebabs and pizzas.

2. Street Art Walking Tour

Probably the highlight of our trip was the brilliant Street Art walking tour we did with Walkative Tours (who I would hugely recommend after tours with them in Warsaw, Wroclaw and Lviv). This was a bit of a novelty for me as I am normally very keen to do walking tours based on history (let’s be honest – I love a good tragic walking tour), but my travelling companion Denise persuaded me otherwise.

The tour was a really great way to see two of Krakow’s important neighbourhoods, Kazimierz and Podgorze and to get some great insight on contemporary art and culture in Krakow, as well as it’s history as a cradle of Jewish culture. The tour itself is free and therefore very popular (40+ people arrived for the tour), but we split into two groups of around 20 each.

3. Brunch in Kazimierz

Brunch at Ranny Ptaszek in Kazimierz

We had two fantastic brunches during our short city break in Krakow. Firstly, delicious shakshuka with feta, hummus and pita at Ranny Ptaszek, a tiny little bistro on a street corner where tables and chairs spill out on to the street.

On our second morning, we ate in the lush green garden hidden in the courtyard of 2 Okna (meaning ‘two windows’), where Denise opted for traditional pretzel-like bread and three types of hummus and I had a fantastic aubergine and feta quiche. Despite being a beautiful spot, we actually had the garden to ourselves on the Sunday morning – possibly a bit of a hidden gem?

4. Kazimierz bars

HEVRE in Kazimierz

Kazimierz had a great lively atmosphere on the Friday night we visited. The weather was great, so there was a lot of outdoor seating, open-air bars in courtyards and generally a great buzz.

If you’re looking for some casual drinks, there are plenty of options to choose from, but HEVRE was a spot we liked. Located in a grand old building, the interior is a lovely mix of opulence and neglect (think high ceilings and ripped wallpaper). Very nice for a cocktail.

Things to do in Podgorze, Krakow

5. Explore Podgorze

Street Art in Podgorze

Located south of the Vistula river, Podgorze (pronounced Pod-goo-zhe) is another neighbourhood you’ll want to visit if you are keen to put some distance between you and mass crowds of tourists. The district feels a lot newer than Kazimierz, but it still has a lot of history, as it was here that the Krakau Ghetto was located during the Holocaust and many of the neighbourhood’s museums reflect that.

Podgorze is also home to some great street art and although we didn’t eat here, I’ve also been told that there are some great bars and restaurants.

6. Schindler’s factory museum

Probably the most well-known museum located in Podgorze is Schindler’s factory, which has been turned into a state-of-the-art experiential museum. Unfortunately, it seems that tickets are very hard to come by – unless you booked online in advance (months in advance), the tickets for the day only go on sale that morning, meaning you might have to be willing to queue up at the museum at 08.45am, for a ticket allowing you in at 4pm that evening.

7. Apteka pod Orłem (the Krakow Ghetto pharmacy)

Instead, we headed to the Apteka pod Orłem (meaning ‘the pharmacy under the eagle’), which was the only pharmacy operational in a Ghetto throughout the entire Third Reich. The building is still furnished like a mid-century pharmacy but has since been turned into an multi-media museum, which chronicles Jewish life during WWII in Krakow.

I would really recommend a visit here to better understand what life in a Ghetto for Jewish families meant. Remnants of the former Ghetto wall can also be found closeby.

Things to do outside Krakow city centre

8. Escape the city in green Zwierzyniec

Despite Krakow having a very large city centre, you really don’t have to go far at all to feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. On our trip, we got up early on Saturday morning for a long run and just three kilometres from our central AirBnB, we were in the middle of the woods.

There is also a famous mound here, which apparently offers some fantastic views of the city. If you don’t fancy the run, I think it is fairly easy to get here on the bus.

9. Walk or cycle along the Vistula River

Another discovery from our run was that the paths on both banks of the Vistula river are flat, tarmacked and well-kept. It’s not hard to imagine how nice a leisurely cycle along the river would be. You also get some fantastic views of Wawel Castle from the riverbank on the side of Debniki neighbourhood. The free map from Walkative Tours has some cool suggestions of bike rides from central Krakow.

Have you ever been to Krakow?