In the past we've explored some amazing European cities and told you the best things to do for free when visiting them. We've taken you to Budapest and Prague, but now we're heading to Poland to explore everything that Krakow has to offer.
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If you're working on a budget or looking to save a little money towards the end of your trip, the Krakow has plenty of free activities for you to fill your time with. You could in theory have a whole holiday planned around the free things to do in this amazing city. Here's 10 of the best things you could do for free when visiting Krakow.
10 RIVER WALK
The River in Krakow is really beautiful and takes you to some unique and interesting places. The river goes along the side of the city and actually separates two key areas of Krakow. By walking along it you can actually discover a lot more than you'd expect.
Not only is this a relaxing and peaceful walk, but you can also get a better understanding of the city. The river perfectly represents both the historical and brand new architecture that Krakow is built from. This walk also gives you the opportunity to see the castle from a different angle.
9 THE DRAGON
Along this walk and at the bottom of the castle grounds you'll find the dragon. This is an artistic statue created by Bronislaw Chromy. It's an icon of the city and you'll likely find many smaller tourist statues to take home with you, based on this dragon.
The dragon itself is the Wawel dragon of legend. Every now and then the statue itself breaths fire. This has become a well-known location for tourists exploring the city and make sure you have your cameras ready for the moment those flames appear.
8 CASTLE GROUNDS
Wawel Castle and its grounds are truly spectacular. It's completely free to explore the interior and the grounds of the castle and the cathedral that sits alongside it. While the exhibitions inside are worth paying for, you can make a trip here without parting with any cash.
The castle symbolizes the rich history of the city of Krakow. There's many points of information to help learn more about that story and if you want to enjoy the amazing views from the top of the hill, there's plenty of spots to sit and relax.
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7 ST MARY'S TRUMPET CALL
St Mary's Basilica is an amazing place of religious worship. It sits in the iconic Krakow square which is also worth exploring while you're looking at the Basilica. St Mary's itself is amazing to look at from the outside although you have to pay to enter.
On the hour though St Mary's relives its historic tradition for brand new visitors. Every hour the trumpet player of St Mary's will play his instrument for some time. He plays it from the top of the Basilica yet you can still hear his tune all the way on the ground.
6 CITY EXPLORATION
Of course, like any city the best thing you can do in Krakow is just explore everything it has to offer. It's completely free to walk the streets and although you could pay for a horse and carriage ride you might as well do it on foot.
All the locations on this list are accessible just by walking, but there's so many hidden gems that you'll only find by exploring further. There's lots of artistic statues, free museums and the architecture of the city tells a story about invasion and innovation.
5 JEWISH QUARTER
The Jewish Quarter is a very significant part of Krakow. Poland has a terrible history in regards to the Holocaust. The country is of course the site of some of the biggest concentration camps in the world. The Jewish Quarter is therefore a place that everyone should visit out of respect.
Not only is there a number of beautiful Synagogues and a free museum all about the Jewish religion and culture but there's also a powerful piece of art that represents all the lives affected by the Holocaust. It's all free to visit and it's so important that people do continue to go there.
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4 CLOTH HALL
In the center of the main town square is the Cloth Hall. This is a massive building that really was at one time the main feature of this square. It's an old market hall where local merchants would sell their products to the citizens of Krakow.
Today it's home to a lot of local craftspeople too. However, it also features a lot of tourist products as well such as the dragon statues that we mentioned earlier. To feel the culture of the city though it's worth heading into the Cloth Hall, which also features all the major crests of Polish cities on its walls.
3 PLANTY PARK
There are a number of parks all around Krakow, all of which are beautiful. However, Planty Park is the most widely recommended one to spend an afternoon exploring. You'll cross over it many times just by exploring the city anyway, but spend a bit of time there.
The park leads on to the Barbican as well as the city itself. There's plenty of places to have a picnic in this serene park as well. There's lots of benches and it's the kind of location where you can sit for an hour, read a book or just watch the world go by.
2 FATHER BERNATEK BRIDGE
We've already mentioned the river walk and that there's plenty to see along it. If you want to cross the river to see a completely different part of Krakow then you need to use one of its many bridges. Luckily, there's a perfect one to choose.
Father Bernatek Bridge is home to a number of artistic statues. As you walk along the bridge there's so many different statues of people balancing on this modern construction. Some of the best include members of a circus who are performing in various ways.
1 THE BASILICA OF ST FRANCIS
The Basilica of St Francis is one of the free religious buildings in the city. While there are so many different churches and cathedrals to choose from there's no excuse to not visit this Basilica since the cost of entry is non-existent.
Like so many other religious places in Krakow, the Basilica is beautifully decorated inside. it's an incredibly colorful interior with a number of gold ornaments and a spectacular ceiling. It needs to be seen to be believed and it's so peaceful that you can stare in awe for a few hours as you take in the beauty.