Best Krakow Walks

16/09/2026

🇬🇧 NEW: Krakow Free Walking Tour!

We’ve just launched a new 2-hour free walking tour of Krakow’s Old Town & Wawel Hill, running every day at 10:30 AM.

It’s a great way to start your visit and get to know Krakow - with plenty of history, local stories, legends, curiosities and practical tips along the way.

And how does a free tour work? There’s no fixed price - you simply join the tour and, at the end, decide how much you’d like to tip your guide based on your experience.

👉 Coming to Krakow? Start your visit with us!

About the tour Just arrived in Krakow? Start here. Join me for a history 2-hour free walking tour through Krakow’s historic heart, from the medieval Old Town to Wawel Hill – the best introduction to the city for first-time visitors. We’ll explore Krakow’s most important landmarks and uncover...

30/08/2026

☀️ Time for a little break!

After a busy summer of showing you around Kraków, it's time for us to pack our bags and take a few days off. 🇵🇱✈️

We'll be away from August 31 to September 14.

That means our tours will take a short break too — and we'll be back, rested and ready to show you more of Kraków from September 15.

📩 If you send us a message while we're away, don't worry — we'll reply to all messages after we return.

Thank you for an amazing summer and for trusting us to show you our city!

See you in September! 👋🇵🇱

25/08/2026

🇵🇱 Already been to Kraków? Come back.

You've seen the Main Square.

You've walked up Wawel Hill.

You've taken a photo with the trumpet player.

Maybe you've even eaten your way through Kazimierz.

So what else is there to do in Kraków?

A lot.

Kraków is one of those cities that changes depending on how much time you give it.

On your first visit, you see the highlights.

On your second, you start noticing the details.

Here are a few ideas for your next trip:

🏭 Explore Nowa Huta — a completely different side of Kraków, built as an ideal socialist-realist city after World War II.

⛪ Go beyond the famous churches — Kraków has dozens of them, and many hide incredible stories, works of art and unexpected details.

✡️ Look at Kazimierz differently — don't focus only on its Jewish heritage. Explore the often-overlooked Christian side of Kazimierz, with its beautiful churches, medieval history and centuries-old traditions.

🚶 Walk outside the Old Town — Podgórze, Zwierzyniec and other neighbourhoods offer a much more local side of the city.

🍴 Try Polish food beyond pierogi — żurek, obwarzanek, maczanka, kiszonki, oscypek, Polish cakes… there's much more to discover.

🎨 Discover Kraków's artists and intellectuals — Matejko, Wyspiański, Szymborska, Lem and many others left their mark on the city.

🌳 Slow down — walk along the Vistula, explore Planty or find a café away from the tourist crowds.

The first time you visit Kraków, you see the city.

The second time, you start seeing its character.

And that's often when Kraków gets really interesting.

🇵🇱 Have you already visited Kraków? What did you miss the first time?

19/08/2026

🎨 Why was Jan Matejko so important to Poland?

If you visit Kraków, you'll see his name everywhere.

But to understand why Jan Matejko is such an important figure in Polish culture, you need to understand what Poland looked like during his lifetime.

When Matejko was born in 1838, Poland didn't exist on the map.

The country had been divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria in the Partitions of Poland. Kraków itself was part of the Austrian Empire.

For Poles, this wasn't simply a political problem.

There was a very real fear that, without their own state, Polish national identity could eventually disappear.

And this is where Matejko's paintings became so important.

Instead of painting mainly what was happening around him, Matejko painted Poland's past.

Kings. Battles. Political events. Victories. Defeats.

His enormous historical paintings brought important moments from Polish history back into the public imagination.

One of his most famous paintings, The Battle of Grunwald, shows the Polish-Lithuanian victory over the Teutonic Order in 1410.

Another, The Union of Lublin, depicts the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

And Stańczyk, perhaps his most psychologically complex painting, uses a historical court jester to comment on Poland's political situation.

For a nation without a state, these paintings had a meaning that went far beyond art.

They reminded people:

We had a history.
We had our own political traditions.
We had achieved great things.
And we still existed as a nation.

Matejko became one of the most important figures of the Polish national revival.

He also spent much of his life in Kraków, where he became a professor and later director of the Kraków School of Fine Arts.

And there's an interesting irony here:

Many of the people looking at his paintings in the 19th century were living under foreign rule.

But they could stand in front of a painting of a Polish king, a Polish victory or an important moment in Polish history and see something that no partitioning power could completely take away:

their memory of being Polish.

That's one reason Matejko is still such a big deal in Poland today.

And if you're walking around Kraków, you're actually walking through the city where he lived, worked and painted many of these scenes.

🇵🇱 Want to learn more about Matejko and other important figures who shaped Polish history and culture? Join us on one of our Kraków tours and discover their stories where they actually happened.

15/08/2026

🇵🇱 August 15 – The Miracle on the Vistula

Today, Poland celebrates Armed Forces Day.

But August 15 is also associated with one of the most important battles in Polish history: the Battle of Warsaw of 1920.

Just two years after regaining independence, Poland found itself fighting for its survival.

The Polish-Soviet War had been going on since 1919, and in the summer of 1920 the Soviet Red Army was advancing rapidly westwards.

Its goal was not simply to defeat Poland.

The Bolsheviks hoped that a victory in Poland would open the way further into Europe — potentially spreading the revolution to Germany and beyond.

By August 1920, the situation looked desperate.

The Red Army had reached the outskirts of Warsaw.

Then, between 12 and 25 August, the Battle of Warsaw took place.

Polish forces launched a daring counteroffensive from the south of the city, striking the exposed flank of the Soviet forces.

The result was a stunning Polish victory.

The Soviet advance was stopped, and the Red Army was forced into retreat.

The war eventually ended with the Treaty of Riga in 1921.

🇵🇱 So where does the "Miracle on the Vistula" come from?

The name became popular because, at the time, many people believed that Poland's unlikely victory had something almost miraculous about it.

The phrase was also strongly connected with Cardinal Aleksander Kakowski and the Polish Catholic tradition, which interpreted the victory as an intervention of divine providence.

But there was nothing accidental about the victory.

Polish soldiers fought fiercely, the Polish army carried out a highly effective counteroffensive, intelligence played an important role, and the Polish command made several crucial strategic decisions.

Among the people associated with the victory was Józef Piłsudski, who commanded the Polish forces.

The Battle of Warsaw is sometimes described as one of the most important battles of the 20th century.

Why?

Because a Soviet victory could potentially have changed the political future not only of Poland, but of much of Europe.

Today, August 15 is therefore much more than just another historical date in Poland.

It is a day of remembrance for the soldiers who defended the country's newly regained independence — and for a battle that helped shape the history of Europe.

🇵🇱 Happy Polish Armed Forces Day!

And if you're visiting Kraków, remember: Polish history is not just about kings and castles. The story of modern Poland is equally fascinating — and we love sharing it with our guests on our tours.

10/08/2026

🥨 Why do Krakowians love obwarzanek?

If you've ever walked around Kraków, you've probably seen them.

Round, braided, golden and covered with poppy seeds, sesame or salt. You can buy them from small blue street carts all over the city.

But obwarzanek krakowski isn't just a cheap snack.

It's a part of Kraków's identity.

The history of obwarzanek goes back centuries — the first known written reference dates to 1394, when it was mentioned in the accounts of the royal court of Queen Jadwiga and King Władysław Jagiełło.

The name comes from the Polish word „obwarzać”, meaning to boil. And that's actually the secret of how it's made: the dough is first briefly boiled in water and only then baked. That's what gives obwarzanek its characteristic chewy texture and crispy crust.

For centuries, it was a popular everyday food in Kraków. Today, you can still buy it from street vendors across the city, often for just a few złoty.

And here's something important:

Obwarzanek is NOT the same as a bagel.

They may look similar, but they're different products with different histories and methods of preparation.

So if you're visiting Kraków, don't just take a photo of one.

Buy one. Break it apart. Eat it while walking through the Old Town.

That's probably the most Kraków way to try it. 🇵🇱🥨

And if you want to learn more about Kraków through its food, we'll try an obwarzanek together on our food tours — along with plenty of other Polish dishes and drinks.

Have you tried obwarzanek? What did you think?

18/05/2026

Two fantastic days in the Tatra Mountains with our guests from the USA 🇺🇸⛰️

We explored some of the most beautiful hiking trails near Zakopane, enjoyed amazing mountain views, fresh spring air, and a proper taste of the Polish highlands.

We're always happy to show visitors that Poland is much more than just cities and history 😊

04/04/2026

Happy Easter from Best Krakow Walks!

09/01/2026

If you're looking for a fun and informative activity in Krakow, we'd like to invite you for our Traditional Polish Food&Drink Tasting Tour!

We have confirmed tours for the upcoming days:
🔵 Saturday, 10 Jan at 4:00 pm
🔵 Monday, 12 Jun at 4:00 pm
(the other dates are also possible, we run the tours from a minimum of 2 people)

What you get:
🔸10+ traditional Polish tastings, including full lunch/dinner experience (replaces your main meal of the day)
🔸Selection of high quality traditional Polish vodkas served with typical snacks
🔸English-speaking experienced foodie guide
🔸Small group experience (up to 8 people in a group)
🔸A tour summary with a full list of Polish dishes tasted on the tour and recommendations for your next days in Krakow

Book now on our site and in case of any questions, feel free to send us a PM or contact via WhatsApp: 799 289 198

Savor Krakow's best on Traditional Polish Food Tour. Delight in authentic flavors. Book now & indulge in culinary delights!

31/12/2025

As the year comes to an end, we want to say a huge thank you to the thousands of travelers who joined our walks and tours in Kraków throughout 2025.

From food tours shared around one table, to long city walks, history-focused routes, and many conversations along the way - every group brought its own energy and made this year truly special. Moments like the one in this photo are exactly why we love what we do.

We're grateful for your trust, your curiosity, and for choosing to explore Kraków with us.

Looking ahead to 2026, we're excited to welcome new guests, return visitors, and continue creating thoughtful, relaxed, and meaningful experiences in the city. More stories, more walks, and of course… more good Polish food ahead!

See you in Kraków!
Best Krakow Walks Team