The Best Day Trips from Kraków
Of all the sites surrounding Kraków, the two most significant are the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and the enchanting Wieliczka Salt Mine. It’s even possible to see both in one day, though they offer very different experiences. Also close by are attractions like Ojców National Park, the historic town of Lanckorona, the former miners’ colony of Nikiszowiec, several painted-timber churches, and the Kasprowy Wierch ski area.
Więźniów Oświęcimia 20, 32-603 Oświęcim, Poland
While unspeakably sad and heart-rending, a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is an important one. Located in the small town of Oświęcim (better known by its German name, Auschwitz, as this area of Poland was part of the Third...
Kuźnice 14, 34-500 Zakopane, Poland
A mountain in the Western Tatras, Kasprowy Wierch towers 6,519 feet above the border between Poland and Slovakia. A cable car runs to the top, making the mountain an ideal place for skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer, or simply enjoying...
Lanckorona, Poland
A charming historic village, Lanckorona makes for a romantic day trip from Kraków. The town’s picturesque setting endeared it to lovers and artists alike; some settled here, while others visited regularly for plein-air painting...
Nikiszowiec, 40-001 Katowice, Poland
Arriving at Nikiszowiec is like entering a different, somewhat dreamlike universe. The miners’ village, with its residential quarters and communal facilities, was built by the owners of the Giesche mine between 1908 and 1918 and considered...
Ojców 9, 32-045 Sułoszowa, Poland
Small in size but not in beauty, Ojców National Park is an easy drive from Kraków. Here, visitors find white limestone rock formations carved into fantastic shapes by the Prądnik River. The river also molded hundreds of caves, which...
During a tour of the more-than-700-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine, you’ll travel through a labyrinth of underground corridors and stairs leading to a variety of fantastically shaped chambers, chapels, salt sculptures, and subterranean lakes....
Binarowa, Poland
Some 250 timber structures—from Orthodox, Greek, and Roman Catholic churches to houses, manors, and bell towers—make up the Wooden Architecture Route in Southern Poland’s Małopolska region. You’ll never see them all in a...
