Kraków on a budget

Daily budget and trip cost

AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.

Typical prices

Approximate prices in Kraków, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.

Money-saving tips

• Eat lunch at milk bars, where soups and pierogi cost a fraction of restaurant prices.
• Several Kraków museums have one free-admission day a week for permanent exhibitions; check each museum's site.
• The Main Square, Kazimierz, the Planty, Wawel Hill's grounds and Krakus Mound are free.
• Decline dynamic currency conversion at ATMs and card terminals and pay in złoty; avoid exchange kiosks with poor rates near the Main Square.
• Use ride-hailing apps rather than street taxis to avoid overcharging.
• Travel by public bus or train to Wieliczka and Auschwitz instead of a tour if you want to save money, but book entry passes in advance.

Free things to do

• Main Market Square — Laid out in 1257, the Rynek Główny is one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe, ringed by townhouses, café terraces and the Town Hall Tower, with the Cloth Hall in the middle and the small St Adalbert's Church in one corner.
• Cloth Hall — The Sukiennice, a Renaissance market hall with an arcaded loggia and carved parapet, still has stalls inside selling amber, wood carvings, lace and leather.
• Kazimierz Jewish quarter — Szeroka Street is lined with the Old Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue building in Poland and now a museum, and the Remah Synagogue with its old cemetery, still used for worship.
• Ghetto Heroes Square and Pharmacy Under the Eagle — The square at the heart of the wartime Podgórze ghetto is filled with 70 oversized empty iron chairs, a memorial to the deportations.
• Planty Park — A ring of gardens about 4 kilometres long replaced the medieval city walls in the 19th century and now encircles the Old Town.
• Krakus Mound — A prehistoric earth mound in Podgórze, said to be the burial place of the city's legendary founder Krakus, gives a free, open panorama of the Old Town, Wawel and the river.

All free things to do in Kraków.

Where to stay on a budget

Eating well for less

• Obwarzanek krakowski — Street carts on almost every Old Town corner, especially in the morning when they are freshest.
• Zapiekanka — The hatches around the round market hall (Okrąglak) on Plac Nowy in Kazimierz, open late.
• Oscypek — Street stalls on the Main Square and at Christmas markets, and highland-style restaurants.
• Grilled kiełbasa — The sausage vans by the Hala Targowa market hall in the evening, and food stalls at markets and festivals.

Getting around for less

Questions travellers ask