🗺️ Krakow in two days: tickets, opening hours and a route along the Royal Road

Two full days in Krakow are enough for the Old Town, Wawel, and Kazimierz. The city's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But tickets, lines, and opening hours matter more here than the listing itself.

We've put together the main Krakow attractions into a single route. You'll see what to visit in order, how much admission costs, and where time gets wasted. We checked prices, hours, and addresses against the museums' official websites.

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The royal route: a walk through the old town

The Royal Route starts at the Florian Gate, runs along the Main Market Square, and ends at Wawel. This was the road kings took into the city before their coronation. Today it's the most logical first-day route: about two kilometers, which you can cover in half a day with stops.

💡 In short:

Start with the Royal Route: from the Florian Gate through the Main Market Square to Wawel.
Set aside half a day for Wawel: it's not one exhibition, but a castle, a cathedral, and underground chambers.
Prices and opening hours: 09/2026, verified on the official website.

1. Wawel: the castle and the cathedral

Wawel sits on a hill above the Vistula. It's home to the royal castle and the Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus. The castle was the residence of Polish kings, and the cathedral served as the burial place of monarchs, bishops, and national heroes. These are two separate entities: the museum and the parish have their own tickets and their own entrances.

Panorama of Wawel Castle and Cathedral above the Vistula

The castle sells tickets for separate routes, and that's the main trap. The route through the first and second floors costs 95 zł, reduced 71 zł (as of 09/2026, Wawel website). The castle underground chambers and the Crown Treasury cost 47 zł each, and entry to the dragon's den is 15 zł. An audio guide is included in the price of the main routes.

How to get there: 1.2 km on foot from the Main Market Square, about 15 minutes (per the map).
Cost: from 15 zł for a single exhibition to 95 zł for the full castle route.
Who it's for: those willing to spend half a day in the museum.
The catch: free tickets on summer Mondays are limited and get snapped up in the morning.

Last entry to the halls closes two hours before closing time. So come in the first half of the day, otherwise you'll only see the courtyard. A separate path leads down the hill to the Wawel Dragon statue.

2. St. Mary's Basilica

St. Mary's Basilica stands right on the Main Market Square, opposite the Cloth Hall. It's a Gothic church with two towers of different heights: the taller one plays the hejnal every hour, and the shorter one holds a heavy set of bells. The main treasure inside is the medieval altarpiece by Veit Stoss.

Tourists enter from the south side, while the main entrance from the Main Market Square leads to the prayer area and is closed to visitors. Opening hours are: Monday to Saturday 11:30 am to 6:00 pm, Sunday 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. A ticket costs 20 zł, reduced 10 zł (as of 09/2026, official website). The altarpiece is opened at 11:50 am on weekdays and at 2:10 pm on Sundays, and that's the sight worth going in for.

Open altarpiece by Veit Stoss in St. Mary's Basilica

How to get there: right on the Main Market Square, entrance from the south side.
Cost: 20 zł, reduced ticket 10 zł.
The catch: the ticket office closes 15 minutes before the end of visiting hours, and on Sunday mornings you can't get inside.

On Sundays you can only enter the basilica after noon, so plan your visit for a weekday. While you're at it, climb the tower if you want to see the city from above: tower tickets are sold separately.

3. The main market square and the cloth hall

The Main Market Square is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe. In the middle stands the Cloth Hall, where cloth was traded for centuries. Beneath the square, the Rynek Underground museum operates: you descend several meters and walk along an old trading street. Tickets are sold on site and online, and opening hours change by season, so check them before your visit.

Cloth Hall with arcades on the Main Market Square

The Royal Route passes through the square, and a straight street leads from here to Wawel. This is the busiest part of the city: cafes, street musicians, and crowds of tourists. Come here early in the morning if you want to see the square without people.

How to get there: the center of the Old Town, everything else is on foot (per the map).
Who it's for: for a first introduction to the city.

4. Kazimierz: synagogues and Jewish heritage

Kazimierz lies right next to the Old Town but looks completely different. Synagogues, old houses, and the Plac Nowy market with street food have been preserved here. You can walk from the Main Market Square in about half an hour, or take a tram to get there faster.

Old Synagogue in Kazimierz, brick facade

Krakow has dozens of churches, monasteries, and synagogues, and most of them are not museums. In Kazimierz, the Old Synagogue and the Remuh Synagogue are open to visitors: each has its own ticket, and opening hours change due to services. Check them on site, before entering.

How to get there: about 2 km from the Market Square (see map).
Who it's for: for those who want to see Krakow without the tourist crowds.

5. Jagiellonian university and collegium maius

Jagiellonian University is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Its main historic building, Collegium Maius, stands 400 m from the Market Square, about a 5-minute walk (see map). You enter a courtyard with arcades, where an old clock with figures has been preserved. Inside, there is a museum with historic halls and an old library.

Collegium Maius courtyard with arcades and a well in Krakow

Nearby is the Jagiellonian Library, the city's main book repository. It holds thousands of manuscripts and hundreds of thousands of printed volumes. Permanent exhibitions are open to visitors, but the schedule is published by the library itself, so check the dates in advance.

Who it's for: for those interested in science, books, and the city's student history.

6. St. Anne's church and the national museum

St. Anne's Church stands next to the Market Square. It is one of the most richly decorated Baroque churches in the city: the interior has plenty of gilding and stucco. Entry and hours depend on the service schedule, so tourists are not admitted at all times.

Baroque painted vault of St. Anne's Church

The National Museum holds the main collection of Polish painting, including works by Jan Matejko and Henryk Siemiradzki. The exhibitions are spread across several buildings, and each branch has its own schedule. Check prices and opening hours on the museum's website before your trip.

Who it's for: for those willing to set aside a full day for painting.

7. Museum of Engineering and the suburbs

The Krakow Museum of Engineering showcases city technology, old machines, and engineering models. Part of the exhibition is designed for children, so families often come here. Tickets and opening hours depend on the current exhibition, so check them on the museum's website.

Historic tram depot with tracks and gates

© This Photo was taken by Miha Peče . Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author. I would much apprec · CC BYPhoto: This Photo was taken by Miha Peče . Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author. I would much apprec, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

The Old Town is not all of Krakow. Around it lie suburbs with monasteries, churches, and chapels. Most of them are active places of worship rather than museums, and some sites are open only during services.

Who it's for: for families with children.

Tickets, opening hours, and prices

Site	Admission	Hours	Closed
Wawel, castle (floors 1-2)	95 zł, reduced 71 zł (prices and hours)	Tue-Sun 9:00-17:00	Monday (in summer some exhibitions are free)
Wawel, underground and treasury	47 zł (Wawel prices)	Tue-Sun 9:00-17:00	Monday (in summer some exhibitions are free)
Descent to the Wawel Dragon	15 zł (castle tickets)	9:00-17:00 until late October	November-March
St. Mary's Basilica	20 zł, reduced 10 zł (church website)	Mon-Sat 11:30-18:00, Sun 14:00-18:00	none

Wawel tickets are sold online and at ticket offices, but popular routes sell out in advance. You can buy Krakow museum tickets on Tiqets.

Tours and tickets in Krakow

Guided tours, skip-the-line tickets and activities — most offers can be cancelled free of charge.

See offers on Tiqets

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⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Krakow?

Two full days are enough for the Old Town, Wawel, and Kazimierz. If you want to add Wieliczka and a couple of museums, plan for three days. Wawel takes half a day, so don't schedule it on your arrival or departure day.

When is Wawel admission free?

In summer, on Mondays, the museum opens some exhibitions for free, but tickets are limited and sell out in the morning (as of 09/2026, official museum page). The rest of the time, Monday is closed for most routes. Plan your visit on a weekday other than Monday.

What to see in Kazimierz?

Start with the Old Synagogue and the Remuh Synagogue, then walk to Plac Nowy market. The district is compact, and you can cover it in two to three hours. In the evening there are plenty of bars, while during the day it's quieter and less crowded.

Is Wieliczka worth visiting?

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is close to Krakow and takes half a day. It's safer to buy tickets in advance through the official website, especially on weekends. On-site ticket offices may not have tickets available in the language you need.

How to get from the airport to the center?

A train and a bus run from the airport to the center, and the trip takes about half an hour. Buy tickets at station machines or from the driver. With luggage, a transfer is more convenient, but it costs more; compare options in advance.

In short: what's worth booking

If you have two days, base yourself in the Old Town: from there you can walk to Wawel and Kazimierz. If you're going for the museums, buy Wawel tickets in advance: ticket offices and lines eat up time. With kids, start with the Wawel Dragon and the Rynek Underground, and save the long galleries for later.

Hotels in central Krakow are easy to compare on Trip.com, and tickets and tours with time slots can be booked on GetYourGuide.

What to see in Krakow: Wawel, Main Market Square and Kazimierz