Poland
Kraków on a budget: how much to plan?
Plan €1386 for 7 nights in Kraków, return flight from London included, or €445 travelling cheap. On the ground that works out at €195 per person per day in comfort, €61 travelling cheap.
- From
- €61/day
- vs. London
- 87%
- Best month
- Jul
Your trip to Kraków
Set the length, the number of travellers and the comfort level: the figures recompute here.
€1,386
per person, flight included
- on the ground
- €1,365
- flight from London
- €21
- per person per day, on the ground
- €195
In short, where the money goes
- The heaviest line
- Accommodation42 % of the trip
- The strongest lever
- Accommodation€455 less travelling cheap
- Seven nights on the ground
- €1365excluding flights
Accommodation
€574
Food
€462
Transport
€126
Activities
€105
Extras
€98
Over seven nights, accommodation accounts for 42 % of what you spend. The line where travelling cheap changes the bill most is accommodation, a €455 gap. The others are worth discussing, that one decides.
Basis: 24 hotel addresses surveyed for a 15 October 2026 arrival, twelve months of airfares surveyed on 17 August 2026. The total excludes flights, insurance, personal shopping and any lodging split between several people.
InstantTripCost estimate
Full 7-night budget breakdown
Per-person estimate including flights from London, split across the six expense categories.
per person · Comfort
| Category | Budget | Comfort | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | €18 | €21 | €32 |
| Hotel | €119 | €574 | €1001 |
| Food | €210 | €462 | €1050 |
| Transport | €56 | €126 | €315 |
| Activities | €21 | €105 | €378 |
| Misc | €21 | €98 | €329 |
| 7-night total | €445 | €1386 | €3105 |
Flight from London (annual median).
Unit prices
comfort
Enough to check the total yourself, line by line, at the comfort level you picked.
- €10
- Breakfast
- €19
- Lunch
- €37
- Dinner
- €6
- City ride
- €15
- Site admission
- €195
- A full day
Orders of magnitude derived from our measured ranges, not surveyed venue by venue. Prices vary by neighbourhood and season.
The three tiers
What a budget traveller, a comfort traveller and a premium traveller typically spend.
Budget
€55
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €17
- Meal
- €10
- Transit / day
- €8
Comfort
€166
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €82
- Meal
- €22
- Transit / day
- €18
Luxury
€338
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €143
- Meal
- €50
- Transit / day
- €45
When to go, and what the month changes
Average temperatures and conditions by month in Kraków.
Best month to visitJuly
Where to sleep in Kraków
Choosing a district
Kraków is compact and its old town is almost entirely pedestrian, so staying central buys you nightlife rather than shorter commutes. Supply is broad: the survey turns up over 400 budget addresses and 500 mid-range properties, which keeps pressure on prices even in high season. A well-rated dorm bed runs €13 or €14 a night, a decent double around €70.
Stare Miasto - Vieille-Ville
Inside the Planty ring, around Rynek Główny and Floriańska street. Pedestrian zone on uneven cobbles, with over 300 places to eat and drink in this perimeter alone. Lively until late.
Kazimierz
The old Jewish quarter, around Szeroka street, the Remuh synagogue and its cemetery. Plac Nowy concentrates the late-night zapiekanki and the Sunday flea market.
Podgórze
Right bank of the Vistula, linked to Kazimierz by the Bernatka footbridge. Home to Schindler's enamel factory and MOCAK, the contemporary art museum. Quieter and often a notch cheaper.
Kleparz - Gare principale
Just north of the walls, five minutes on foot from the Barbican. The airport train arrives at Kraków Główny and the Krakowska mall sits next door. Practical rather than pretty.
The hotels we measured
Accommodation picks by price range.
Rembrandt Hostel
Hostel, very well rated (8.6/10) from 366 reviews.
Atlantis Hostel
Hostel, well rated (8.3/10) from 6,784 reviews.
Lorf Hostel&Coffee
Hostel, standard (6.8/10) from 1,725 reviews.
Cozy Old Town Apartments
Hotel, well rated (8.3/10) from 1,485 reviews.
Hotel Yarden by Artery Hotels
Hotel, well rated (8.2/10) from 3,731 reviews.
Hotel Eden
Hotel, very well rated (8.6/10) from 1,690 reviews.
Residence 9
Hotel, very well rated (8.9/10) from 1,429 reviews.
Hotel Estera
Hotel, very well rated (8.8/10) from 2,676 reviews.
Ventus Rosa Boutique Aparthotel
Hotel, rated excellent (9/10) from 3,011 reviews.
All observed hotels in Kraków
24 of 24 surveyed properties shown, the cheapest in each tier. Nightly rate for a 2-night stay arriving 15 October 2026.
| Hotel | Category | Rating | From / night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rembrandt Hostel | Budget | ★ 8.6 | €13 |
| Atlantis Hostel | Budget | ★ 8.3 | €13 |
| Lorf Hostel&Coffee | Budget | ★ 6.8 | €13 |
| Dream Hostel & Apartments | Budget | ★ 8.4 | €14 |
| Lorf Hostel&Apartments | Budget | ★ 6.7 | €14 |
| Hostel Deco | Budget | ★ 7.9 | €14 |
| AMETYST Hostel | Budget | ★ 7.5 | €15 |
| Das Hostel | Budget | ★ 8.5 | €15 |
| Cozy Old Town Apartments | Mid-range | ★ 8.3 | €54 |
| Hotel Yarden by Artery Hotels | Mid-range | ★ 8.2 | €64 |
| Hotel Eden | Mid-range | ★ 8.6 | €70 |
| Hotel Wyspiański | Mid-range | ★ 8.5 | €71 |
| Residence 9 | Luxury | ★ 8.9 | €72 |
| Residence B&B La Fontaine Aparthotel | Mid-range | ★ 7.6 | €75 |
| Hotel Maximum | Mid-range | ★ 8.4 | €76 |
| Hotel Kazimierz II | Mid-range | ★ 8.3 | €76 |
| Hotel Estera | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €76 |
| David Boutique ApartHotel | Mid-range | ★ 8.4 | €77 |
| Ventus Rosa Boutique Aparthotel | Luxury | ★ 9 | €88 |
| Hyatt Place Krakow | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €100 |
| Hotel Palladian | Luxury | ★ 8.9 | €107 |
| Sky Hotel Kraków | Luxury | ★ 9.3 | €115 |
| TRIBE Krakow Old Town | Luxury | ★ 9.3 | €116 |
| Hotel Kossak | Luxury | ★ 9.3 | €124 |
What food costs in Kraków
Concrete benchmarks to set your meal budget, from the morning coffee to dinner.
Kraków's budget reflex is called the bar mleczny, the milk bar: a canteen inherited from the socialist era where a full Polish plate, pierogi or placki ziemniaczane, goes for around ten złoty, barely more than €2. It's the local equivalent of Madrid's set lunch, at half the price. Alongside, the street feeds you well: the obwarzanek, a dough ring halfway between a bagel and a pretzel, sells for 3 zł on every corner, and the zapiekanka, a long open-faced baguette baked with toppings, is eaten on Plac Nowy in Kazimierz until late. The nighttime classic is the kiełbasa van on Grzegórzecka street, open Monday to Saturday from 8pm to 3am: 15 zł for a grilled sausage with a roll and mustard. A proper sit-down restaurant in the old town costs more of course, but the city counts over 300 of them within the Rynek perimeter alone, leaving room for every budget.
What getting around costs in Kraków
Transit, distances and the smart moves so you don't pay the tourist tax.
The old town is entirely walkable: the Planty loops around it in one stroll, and the Royal Way links St Florian's Gate to Wawel in about twenty minutes. The transport budget therefore often boils down to airport runs and trips out to Nowa Huta. Trams and buses are run by MPK, and a ticket bought from the driver costs 6 zł, exact change only since no change is given. Better to buy at a machine or in the Jakdojade app, bearing in mind that not all machines take cards. From the airport, the train links Kraków Lotnisko to the main station in 20 minutes, every half hour from 4am to 12:30am, for 20 zł one way and 40 zł return; buses 208 and 902 cover the same route for 6 zł if the timing suits. Either way you stay far below a taxi fare.
What sightseeing costs in Kraków
Recommended activities and tours.
National Museum in Kraków
The National Museum in Kraków (Polish: Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie), popularly abbreviated as MNK, is the largest museum in Poland. Established in 1879, the museum consists of 21 departments which are divided by art period: 11 galleries, 2 libraries, and 12 conservation workshops.
Art museum
St. Mary's Basilica in Kraków
The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Polish: Kościół Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Marii Panny), known colloquially as the St. Mary's Church (Polish: Kościół Mariacki), is a historic Roman Catholic parish church located at Mariacki Square at the north-eastern corner of the Main Market Square in the Old Town of Kraków, Poland.
Church
Wawel Castle
The Wawel Royal Castle (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvavɛl] ; Zamek Królewski na Wawelu) and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established on the orders of King Casimir III the Great and enlarged over the centuries into a number of structures around a Polish Renaissance courtyard.
Castle
Czartoryski Museum
The Princes Czartoryski Museum (Polish: Muzeum Książąt Czartoryskich [muˈzɛ.um ˈkɕɔ̃ʐɔnt t͡ʂartɔˈrɨskʲix]) - often abbreviated to Czartoryski Museum - is a historic museum in Kraków, Poland, and one of the country's oldest museums. The initial collection was formed in 1796 in Puławy by Princess Izabela Czartoryska.
Art museum
Krakus Mound
Krakus' Mound (in Polish. Kopiec Krakusa), also called Krak's Mound, is a tumulus located in the Podgórze district of Kraków, Poland, and is thought the resting place of Kraków's mythical founder, King Krakus.
Monument
Polish Aviation Museum
The Polish Aviation Museum (Polish: Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego w Krakowie) is a large museum of historic aircraft and aircraft engines in Kraków, Poland. It is located at the site of the no-longer functional Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport.
Military museum
St. Andrew's Church
The Church of St. Andrew (Polish: Kościół św.
Church
Kościuszko Mound
Kościuszko's Mound (Polish: Kopiec Kościuszki) is an artificial mound in Kraków, Poland. It was erected by Cracovians in commemoration of the Polish national leader Tadeusz Kościuszko, and modelled after Kraków's prehistoric mounds of Krak and Wanda.
Monument
Planty Park
Planty is a historic urban park surrounding the Old Town in Kraków, Poland. It was built on the site of the destroyed Medieval defensive walls of the city.
Park
St. Adalbert's church
The Church of St. Adalbert or the Church of St.
Church
Places referenced on Wikidata. Admission prices vary by season - check each venue's official site.
Paying less in Kraków
What moves the needle
What each decision takes off the €1388 total, strongest lever first.
- − €938
Travel cheap rather than mid-range
Hostel or entry-level hotel, local canteens, public transport. Accommodation is where the gap opens up.
- − €390
Stay five nights instead of seven
Two fewer nights also removes two days of meals, transport and sightseeing.
- − €287
Travel as a pair
The room is shared, nothing else is. Travellers themselves name this as the strongest lever.
Differences computed from our own measurements, for a 7-night mid-range stay, excluding flights.
6 tips on the ground
- Upscale starts at €72-76 against €54-77 for mid-range: in Kraków, moving from a decent hotel to one rated above 8.8 out of 10 often costs under €10 a night.
- A full plate at a bar mleczny runs around ten złoty, roughly €2, against several times that in a restaurant on the Rynek.
- The Planty, Rynek Główny, St Mary's hejnał, the Vistula banks and the Sunday flea market on Plac Nowy are free and fill a whole day.
- The airport train costs 20 zł one way and 40 zł return bought in advance, which spares you the queue on the way back since few machines at the main station sell tickets to Kraków Lotnisko.
- A well-rated dorm bed runs €13 or €14 a night, breakfast and sheets usually included for 60 to 100 zł depending on the hostel.
- Keep some złoty coins on you: the tram driver sells the 6 zł ticket but demands exact change, and a card with no foreign transaction fee avoids 2 to 3% lost on every payment.
FAQ
FAQ - Kraków
- How much does a week in Kraków cost?
- For seven nights, plan roughly €427 per person on a budget (hostel at €13-14, milk bars, free old-town sights), and around €1,365 at mid-range comfort with a hotel near €82 a night, excluding flights.
- Is Kraków cheaper than Warsaw?
- Across a full trip, the two are practically level: the index gap between Kraków and Warsaw is a single point, which is to say nothing. The difference shows at the top end, where Kraków's ceiling stays much lower, around €143 a night against €169 in the capital. At the bottom end Warsaw keeps a slight edge, with hostels from €14.
- What's the best month to visit Kraków?
- September, without hesitation: an average high of 18.7°C and 74mm of rain, against 105mm in July, the wettest month of the year. Contrary to expectation, the Kraków summer is the wet season, with 14 rainy days in July. Winter cuts prices but is harsh: January averages -1.9°C and snow is not always cleared from the sidewalks, so waterproof shoes are essential.
- Do you need złoty cash in Kraków?
- Cards work almost everywhere, but two blind spots remain. Tram and bus drivers sell the 6 zł ticket only against exact change and give none back, and not all ticket machines accept cards. Twenty złoty in coins and small notes covers transport, a 3 zł obwarzanek and the 15 zł kiełbasa van.
At a glance
Wikidata, Wikipedia and Open-Meteo data
- Population
- 804k
- Area
- 327 km²
- Elevation
- 219 m
- Language
- Polish
- Currency
- zł
- Founded
- 14
- Avg. July temp.
- 19°
- Avg. Jan. temp.
- -2°
- Rainy days / year
- 139
inhabitants
Zloty
15° - 24°
-5° - 1°
About
Kraków in brief
Kraków, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 816,614 (2025), with 1,428,363 people living in the Kraków metropolitan area. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish economic, academic, cultural, and artistic life. Its Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the world's first sites granted the status.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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