Krakow Price Guide | Calculating The Daily Costs To Visit Krakow

Krakow is one of Europe’s hidden gems (although it is starting to become much more well-known). We like to think of it as a cheaper and less fancy version of Prague. Krakow’s cheap alcohol, accommodation, and food have made it a popular destination for budget travelers looking for something a little different.

In this Krakow travel price guide, we’ll outline the estimated travel expenses for food, accommodation, attractions, alcohol, and other common expenses so you can better budget your trip to Krakow.

This Krakow Price Guide is part of our City Price Guide Series where we break down the travel costs of Europe’s most popular cities.

AVERAGE DAILY COST FOR VISITING KRAKOW

For budget-minded travelers, it costs around $30-$50/day to visit Krakow. These prices are based on what you’ll need to visit the city comfortably as a budget traveler.

If you want to upgrade your accommodations, add another $30-$50/night depending on your stay. These prices also don’t include things like big nights out at the bar/pub, club entry fees, souvenir/clothing shopping, tours, random purchases, nicer food, etc.

Poland’s currency is the Zloty but we’ve listed most prices in US dollars for simplicity. The actual prices will vary based on the current exchange rate.

AVERAGE DAILY COST OF BUDGET TRAVEL IN KRAKOW: $45

• Attractions: $6 (one paid attraction + any free sights)
• Food: $19
  • Breakfast: $2.50
  • Lunch: $4
  • Dinner: $10
  • Treat (dessert/beer/wine): $2
• Transportation: $1
• Accommodation (hostel): $20

AVERAGE DAILY COST OF FRUGAL TRAVEL IN KRAKOW: $29

• Attractions: $3 (free walking tour + visit one of the free sights)
• Food: $13
  • Breakfast: $0 (free hostel breakfast)
  • Lunch: $4 (traditional Polish food, ethnic street food, takeaway shop fare, or similar)
  • Dinner: $8 (make your own meal in the hostel or grab something cheap)
  • Pastry: $1
• Transportation: $0
• Accommodation (cheap hostel bed): $13

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KRAKOW ATTRACTION AND MUSEUM PRICES

Almost all attractions in Krakow are affordable so it won’t hurt your budget to see a few different things. Be sure to check out Plac Nowy, which is brimming with flea markets and antique bazaars. The most expensive attraction for most people is the Auschwitz tour (it’s worth the money).

• St. Mary’s Basilica: $3.50
• Wawel Cathedral: $5
• Wawel Royal Castle: each exhibit has a separate ticket ranging from $4-$7
• Galicia Jewish Museum: $5
• Museum at Market Square: $6
• Wieliczka Salt Mine: $26
• Auschwitz-Birkenau: day trip from Krakow, around $35 for a bus tour
• Salt Mine & Auschwitz combo bus tour: $70
• Walking tour: Free (but you should tip the guides) or $16 (for paid tours)
• Bike tour: $24

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KRAKOW FOOD PRICES

Traditional Polish food is hearty and cheap. You can even find non-Polish food at reasonably affordable prices in Krakow.

Also, note that the biggest meal of the day is usually around 3 pm and dinner is normally fairly light. Like any city, try avoiding tourist traps if you want the best prices and quality. Furthermore, Krakow is going through a bit of a youthful resurgence so you’ll find lots of hip new restaurants opening up often. Read more of our strategies for Eating and Drinking in Europe on a Budget.

BUDGET BREAKFAST PRICES IN KRAKOW: $2-$5

• Many hostels will offer a free simple breakfast that normally consists of cereal, bread/croissant, and maybe milk, coffee, tea, or juice (some hostels will offer more and some less).
• Coffee & pastry: $3-$5
• Yogurt with fruit or muesli: $2.50
• Cottage cheese (savory): $3.50
• Traditional obwarzanek (similar to a bagel or pretzel): $.50

BUDGET-FRIENDLY BREAKFAST PLACES:

• Milkbar Tomasza: Traditional no-frills milkbar with cheap breakfast options.
• Smakolyki: Traditional breakfast to dinner.
• Bagelmama: Bagels with various toppings.
• Frania Cafe: They’ll do your laundry and serve you a tasty breakfast and other goodies.
• Coffee Kiosk: A tiny place that serves coffee, muffins, and other pastries.
• Nowa Prowincja: Hot. Chocolate. Ohh, and they have other traditional Polish meals (breakfast to dinner to drinks).
• Chimney Cake Bakery: Traditional Polish bakery.
• NapNap Cafe: Breakfast, brunch, and coffee.

BUDGET LUNCH PRICES IN KRAKOW: $3-$8

• Super budget travelers can make a super cheap lunch of bread, cheese, and fruit from any grocery store for a few dollars.
• Pierogi: $3-$4 (for a plateful)
• Meal at a “milk bar” cafeteria (basically a holdout from the communist times): $2.50-$5
• Sandwich: $3
• Cheap takeaway meals (like a kebab with fries): $4.

BUDGET DINNER: $6-$15

• You should be able to find dinner at a restaurant in a less touristy part of town for around $6-$15.
• An above-average three-course meal with wine at a restaurant will cost around $20.
• For $25-$35, you can have an excellent three-course meal at a fancy restaurant.
• Many of the options from the Budget Lunch section above also apply to dinner.

BUDGET-FRIENDLY LUNCH AND DINNER RESTAURANTS

• Polakowski Self-Service Restaurant: No-frills traditional Polish home cooking at cheap prices.
• Mleczarnia: Traditional Polish food in a homey setting.
• Przystanek Pierogarnia: Perogies!
• Pierogarnia Krakowiacy: Perogies again!
• Kielbaski pod hala targowa: Polish sausage food truck.
• Kuchnia Polska Gaska: Homecooked Polish goodness.
• Kuchnia u Doroty: Delish traditional Polish food and big portions.
• Bar Grodzki: Old school, no-frills Polish food.
• Chata: Even more great Polish food.
• Vegab: Vegan wraps if you need a break from all that heavy Polish food.
• Moaburger: New Zealand-style burgers.
• GOGO BURGER: Burgers.
• M22 Beef’N’Chips: Burgers and fries.

DRINKS AND ALCOHOL PRICES IN KRAKOW

• Pint of standard beer at a bar/restaurant: $2
• Pint of beer from a grocery store: $.80
• Bottle of (drinkable) wine from the grocery store: $5
• Cocktail at a club: $4-$5
• 750ml bottle of vodka from a bar: $25
• Espresso: $1-$2

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KRAKOW TRANSPORTATION PRICES

Although there’s no subway, Krakow does have buses and trams (but the old city is very walkable). These prices are for Zone 1, which will cover just about everything you need. If you want to get to/from the airport by bus, you’ll need to purchase a ticket for Zone 2 (just slightly more expensive).

Tickets for bus and tram:

• One journey: $.85
• Two journeys (for one person): $1.5

Short-term Tickets:

• 20 minutes: $0.75
• 40 minutes: $1
• 60 minutes: $1.35
• 90 minutes: $1.60

Day passes:

• 1-day: $4
• 2-day: $6.40
• 3-day: $9.65
• 7-day: $12.85

Bus from airport to city: $1.07 (one-way bus ticket for Zone 2)

Taxi from airport to city (Krakow Airport Taxi): $24

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KRAKOW HOSTEL, HOTEL, & RENTAL APARTMENT PRICES

Krakow is a city filled with multiple amazing hostels — and they’re cheap. For whatever reason, the hostels in Krakow are some of the nicest we’ve seen in Europe. Additionally, hotels and rental apartments are also very affordable.

KRAKOW HOSTEL PRICES: $10-$22/NIGHT

You should budget about $16/night per person for a decent hostel — although many hostels raise their prices on the weekend. Remember, these prices are for a bed in a shared dorm room. Expect to pay $40-$60/night for a private room. Here’s our Guide To The Best Hostels in Krakow if you want to learn more.

We book our hostels through Hostelworld because they have the best selection of hostels.

KRAKOW BUDGET HOTEL PRICES: $35-$90/NIGHT

A decent quality budget hotel will cost you around $55/night but the quality gets nicer starting at $80/night.

I suggest checking out Booking.com to see hotel prices for your dates since they’re always changing.

KRAKOW RENTAL APARTMENT PRICES: $50-$100+/NIGHT

Krakow has a decent amount of rental apartments throughout the city. They can be a good option for large groups or travelers who want a little more space (and a kitchen). On the other hand, you may also have to deal with inconvenient check-in processes and things like extra cleaning fees and service charges. For short stays, we prefer hotels/hostels but rental apartments can be a nice option for longer stays. Airbnb is always popular but you can sometimes find cheaper/better options on our list of Airbnb Alternatives.

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READ MORE ABOUT THE COST OF VISITING EUROPE

Check out our guide on How Much It Costs To Backpack Europe to learn more about budgeting your entire trip (including many more city price guides).