Solo Travel Guide to Kraków, Poland

Kraków is a city to walk, climb and float through: up the tower of St Mary's, down the Wisła by boat, and out late to dance. My base was the Wyndham Grand Krakow Old Town.

Kraków was the one major Polish city to come out of the Second World War physically intact, so its medieval core is the real thing rather than a reconstruction. It's affordable, small enough to cover on foot, and easy to navigate on your own. It also sits ninety minutes from Auschwitz, and I'd plan the trip around that rather than tacking it on.

Is Kraków safe for solo travelers?

Very. Poland has low violent crime rates and Kraków's centre is busy, well lit and heavily policed. Walking alone at night in the Old Town or Kazimierz is unremarkable.

The main annoyance is the stag-party trade concentrated in a few Old Town bars on weekends. It's loud rather than dangerous, and easy to sidestep by drinking in Kazimierz instead.

Where to stay in Kraków

My stay: the Wyndham Grand Krakow Old Town.

Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter, is the best base: atmospheric, full of bars and cafés, fifteen minutes' walk from the main square. Old Town is convenient and pricier, and noisier at weekends. Podgórze across the river is quiet and residential with the Schindler's Factory museum nearby.

Things to do in Kraków alone

The Main Market Square is the largest medieval square in Europe and genuinely impressive. Climb the tower at St Mary's Basilica, and be there on the hour for the trumpet call that cuts off mid-note.

Buy a ticket and climb Wieża Mariacka, the tower of St Mary's, then take a break at the great café at the top of Sukiennice, the Cloth Hall in the middle of the square. And don't feed the pigeons. Although legend says a witch once turned the Prince's knights into pigeons, so perhaps treat them with a little respect.

Wawel Castle and cathedral sit above the river. Kazimierz repays a long, slow wander. Schindler's Factory is an outstanding museum about the occupation of the city and should be booked ahead.

Two of my own favorites: taking a boat down the Wisła (Vistula), which I love, and an afternoon at Rakowicki Cemetery, where beautiful monuments mark the graves of many notable artists, writers, scientists, politicians and historical figures.

Kraków After Dark

For a night out, Teatro Cubano is where to dance the night away, with great reggaeton. On the way home, eat a zapiekanka; it's the city's classic late-night food for a reason.

Auschwitz-Birkenau: Book This Before You Book Anything Else

The Memorial is about 90 minutes from Kraków and it is the reason many people come to this city. Turning up without a booked entry pass doesn't work, so read this before you fix your dates.

Every entry pass is booked online in advance; there are no on-site ticket sales. There is no ticket window, no queue you can join, no chance of a spare. One pass covers both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

visit.auschwitz.org is the only official booking site. The Museum states plainly that it doesn't work with outside companies and isn't responsible for bookings made elsewhere. People pay third parties for something the Museum gives away free, see below.

Two kinds of visit:

• Individual, without an educator, free. A timed pass in strictly limited numbers, and it goes fast, so book well ahead.
• Guided tour with a Museum educator, for a fee. About three and a half hours across both sites with a headset system, in English and several other languages.

When to book: the system opens 90 days ahead, at midday. For a visit between May and September, four to six weeks is the practical minimum for an English guided tour at a time you'd choose. Passes are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Take the guided tour if you can. The free option is the same site and the same rooms, but Auschwitz is not a place that explains itself, and three and a half hours with an educator is a genuinely different experience from walking it cold.

On the day: bring photo ID matching the name on your pass. It's checked. Bags larger than 35 × 25 × 15 cm aren't allowed in, so leave luggage in the car or at your accommodation. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your slot.

And plan the rest of the day around it, not the other way round. Allow the full day, and put nothing in the evening. Travelling alone, there's nobody to decompress with on the way back, a lot of solo visitors find that harder than expected. Give yourself somewhere quiet to land.

Eating alone in Kraków

Polish food is underrated and portions are large. Pierogi, żurek soup, bigos. Milk bars, canteens subsidised since the communist era, serve full meals for a few euros and are completely normal to eat in alone. Bar Pod Kopytkiem is a good one to try. For something sweeter, Tradycyjna Pijalnia Soków is an old-school juice bar chain worth a stop between sights.

Kazimierz has the best restaurant scene, and a zapiekanka from the round market building at Plac Nowy is the classic late-night food. Café Mozaika, also in Kazimierz, is a solid stop for a slower coffee or brunch. For a proper sit-down dinner, Kapłony i Szczeżuje, right next to the Isaac Synagogue in Kazimierz, does an elevated take on Polish-Jewish cuisine and is worth booking ahead.

Getting around Kraków

The Old Town is pedestrianised and everything central is walkable. Trams cover the rest and are cheap. The airport connects by train to the main station in 20 minutes.

Practical info for Kraków

• Best time to go: May to June and September. July and August are hot and crowded; winter is cold with Christmas markets in December.
• Currency: Polish złoty, not the euro. Cards accepted almost everywhere.
• Getting there: Well connected across Europe by budget airlines. Trains to Warsaw take about 2.5 hours.
• Visa: Schengen area rules apply.

How long to spend in Kraków

Three days for the city, four if you're visiting Auschwitz, which needs a day of its own in more ways than one.

Where to go next

• Crete, the other European trip on this site, for when the city leaves you craving the sea.