6 Days in Krakow: First-Timer Plan
Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.
Six days takes the 5-day plan (city core, Wieliczka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Zakopane) and adds a sixth day inside the city limits: Nowa Huta, Kraków’s communist-era planned district, plus deeper Old Town exploration in the afternoon. With less time, use the 5-day version ; with a full week, the 7-day plan adds Ojcowski National Park.
Book these before you go
Day 1: Rynek Glowny and Wawel Hill
Morning
Rynek Główny (1257), the Cloth Hall’s free ground floor, and St Mary’s Basilica (about 15 PLN). Catch the hejnał on the hour.
Afternoon
Wawel Hill: Castle (57 PLN/43 reduced) and Cathedral (26 PLN/18 reduced), separate tickets at separate offices. The Dragon’s Den (15 PLN, April-October) and Dragon statue.
Evening
Dinner at Bar Mleczny Pod Temidą, then the Planty.
Day 2: Kazimierz and Podgorze
Morning
Kazimierz, the pre-war Jewish quarter for roughly 500 years, distinct from the WWII ghetto sealed across the river in Podgórze from March 1941. The 1553 Remuh Synagogue (combined ticket around 10 PLN).
Afternoon
Cross the Bernatek footbridge to Ghetto Heroes Square and Schindler’s Factory (roughly 60 PLN, book at muzeumkrakowa.pl ).
Evening
A zapiekanka on Plac Nowy, then Singer or Alchemia.
Day 3: Wieliczka Salt Mine
Morning
Wieliczka Salt Mine, about 30 minutes out, a separate UNESCO listing from 1978. The Tourist Route (143 PLN/121 reduced) ends at St Kinga’s Chapel.
Afternoon
Back mid-afternoon for the Rynek Underground Museum or a second Kazimierz pass.
Evening
An early night ahead of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Day 4: Auschwitz-Birkenau
Morning
Auschwitz Birkenau, German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945), near Oświęcim, about 1.5 hours out. Entry is online-only at visit.auschwitz.org ; on-site sales ended March 2026. A guide-educator tour (roughly 150 PLN) is required at midday; self-guided entry runs afternoon and evening. Not recommended for children under 14.
Afternoon
Return to Kraków; keep the rest of the day unstructured.
Evening
A quiet dinner near your hotel.
Day 5: Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains
Morning
Bus or tour south to Zakopane, about 2-2.5 hours. Walk Krupówki Street, then the Gubałówka funicular.
Afternoon
The Kasprowy Wierch cable car climbs to 1,987m in about 20 minutes, doubling as Tatra National Park entry. Hikers can do Morskie Oko instead, about 2 hours each way.
Evening
Back to Kraków (or an overnight if it’s a summer weekend, when travel time can stretch to 3.5-4 hours).
Day 6: Nowa Huta and a deeper look at the city
Morning
Tram lines 4, 10, or 22 (about 30 minutes, a standard 6 PLN single-ride ticket) reach Nowa Huta, the Soviet-style planned district built from 1949 around a steelworks. See Plac Centralny, the Lord’s Ark Church, and, if you want the full experience, a Trabant or Lada tour of the district with Crazy Guides.
Afternoon
Back in the center, use the afternoon for whatever’s still on your list: the Czartoryski Museum’s Lady with an Ermine, the free Collegium Maius courtyard, or the climb up Kościuszko Mound for a 360-degree city view (40-45 PLN).
Evening
A last dinner wherever you haven’t eaten yet; six days is enough to have found a favorite corner of Kazimierz or the Old Town by now.
Getting around and where to stay
Old Town, Kazimierz, and Podgórze are within a 15-25 minute walk of each other; Nowa Huta adds a short tram ride. Wieliczka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Zakopane are reached by bus, train, or a bundled tour. A single MPK ticket (4-9 PLN by duration) or a 20 PLN 24-hour pass covers city transit throughout. Stay in the Old Town or Kazimierz for the most walkable base.
One concrete tip: save Nowa Huta for day six, not earlier. It reads very differently once you’ve already spent five days in the medieval core, and the contrast is the point.