Where to Stay in Krakow – Best Hotels and Neighborhoods

Krakow may look large and sprawling on a map, but many of the main tourist sites are located in and around the old town. The old town is the most popular area to stay in Krakow, simply because it is close to almost everything and a beautiful place to start and end your days. However, you can also stay in Kazimierz or a less touristic neighborhood.

In this article, learn about the different neighborhoods and learn where to stay in each of them, depending on your budget.

Where to Stay in Krakow

The Old Town (Stare Miasto)

The old town is the historic heart of Krakow. This is where you will spend most of your time. The main sites included Wawel Castle, the Main Market Square, a handful of excellent museums, and some fantastic restaurants.

Staying in the old town will be a little more expensive than the other neighborhoods on this list, but you will be within walking distance of the main sites.

The Main Market Square

Luxury

Wyndham Grand Krakow Old Town

The Wyndham Grand Krakow (once called Hotel Unicus Palace) is one of the highest rated 5-star hotels in Krakow. Rooms are elegant, classy and look simply gorgeous. If you need a break from sightseeing, take advantage of the sauna, the spa, or the very unique indoor pool. Hotel Unicus Palace has a prime location on Florianska Street near St. Mary’s Basilica.

Hotel Stary

Hotel Stary is another top pick if you are looking for a luxurious stay in Krakow. This boutique hotel offers not one but two swimming pools, a spa, a gym, and a restaurant. From the rooftop bar you get an incredible view over the Main Market Square. This hotel even won an award for the most beautiful hotel interior design in Europe. Sounds nice, right?

Upscale

Hotel Polski Pod Bialym Orlem

This historic property gets rave reviews for cleanliness, comfort, and location. Rooms are traditionally decorated and people love the breakfast here. Located near Florian’s Gate at the northern end of the old town.

The view from the walls at Florian’s Gate. Hotel Polski Pod Bialym is just across the street.

Betmanowska Main Square Residence

This is one of the highest rated properties on Trip Advisor and gets near-perfect reviews on Booking.com. Located right on the Main Market Square, it’s hard to beat this location. You can stay in a traditional hotel room or an apartment that can accommodate up to six people. Plus, when you arrive, you are greeted with a bottle of Prosecco. How can you beat that?

Midrange

Mint Luxury Apartments

This is where we stayed. We had a two-bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, a washing machine, air conditioning, two bathrooms, and a living area. The second bedroom is actually a loft that has a queen bed, a twin bed, and its own bathroom. The soundproofing is awesome and we never heard street noise or our neighbors.

This apartment is located just one block away from the Main Market Square so it’s hard to beat this location. I highly recommend these apartments if you are traveling as a family, and they offer apartments that can accommodate up to 11 people. On Booking.com, the apartment we stayed in is listed as the “Two-Bedroom Penthouse Apartment.”

Venetian House Market Square Aparthotel

Our mothers visited Krakow with us. They stayed here and also had a great experience. Located right on the Main Market Square, their hotel had a small restaurant that served breakfast. They shared a twin room but the hotel also offers suites that can accommodate up to six people.

Get prices, read reviews, and see photos on Booking.com

Wawel Castle

Stradonia Serviced Apartments

This property gets nearly perfect reviews on Trip Advisor and Booking.com. Apartments can accommodate two to eight people. Some rooms even offer a view of Wawel Castle. The apartments have a kitchenette, small living area, a washing machine, and air-conditioning. These apartments are located in between the old town and Kazimierz, a prime location in Krakow. If you want to stay here, make your reservations as soon as possible. This property was sold out during our trip to Krakow.

Budget

Hostel Kubik

This hostel is located in Nowy Swiat, which is just to the west of the Old Town. With great reviews, it might be worth the short, extra walk to get to the Old Town from this hostel. Take your pick from double or quadruple rooms. Some double rooms have a private bathroom. 

Kazimierz

Kazimierz is the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. It’s a funky mix of synagogues, boutiques, excellent restaurants, and souvenir shops. With its grittier, edgier vibe, this area feels much different the old town. Stay here if you want a less touristy experience.

The main sites include Oskar Schindler’s Factory, the Old Jewish Cemetery, Schindler’s List filming sites, and some very cool streets to explore. From here, it’s a 15 to 20 minute walk to get to the old town.

Hotel prices are cheaper here than in the old town. You can stay in some very nice hotels in Kazimierz for very reasonable prices.

Upscale

Hotel M29

This place looks amazing and on a return visit to Krakow, we would love to stay at this property. Hotel M29 features large, modernly decorated rooms. Onsite is a restaurant, bar, and garden. Rooms can accommodate two to three people.

Metropolitan Boutique Hotel

The Metropolitan Boutique Hotel is another popular pick in Krakow. Rooms are modern and tastefully decorated. If you are traveling as a family, you can reserve the superior family room that accommodates up to four people. It is located in Kazimierz near the old town, so it is only a 10 to 15 minute walk to get to the main square from here.

Midrange

PURO Krakow Kazimierz

This boutique hotel features ultra-modern décor and amenities. Have a drink at the hotel bar or dine at the onsite restaurant. If you are traveling with kids, you can rent Xbox and Playstation consoles. They even offer complimentary bike rentals and guided tours of Krakow. Stay here if you are looking for a modern, trendy hotel in Kazimierz.

Hotel Columbus

Rooms are warm and cozy with modern furnishings. People who stay here rave about the breakfast and the hotel staff. This hotel is located on the northern end of Kazimierz, so it’s just a short walk to get to the main square.

Get prices, read reviews, and see photos on Booking.com

Ruumz Bed and Rest

All rooms are air-conditioned and have a small kitchenette. This property is also located on the northern end of Kazimierz, so it’s a short walk to the main square. Get prices, read reviews, and see photos on Booking.com.

Street art in Kazimierz.

Kleparz

Kleparz is the neighborhood that is located just north of the old town. From here, it’s just a few minutes walk to the main market square. Kleparz is a nice place to stay if you want to be near the main sites but stay outside of the main touristy zone.

Cracowdays

Cracowdays is a small, boutique style apartment-hotel that offers small studios, double rooms, and triple rooms. People who stayed here raved about the cleanliness, the large, bright rooms, and the excellent location in a quiet area in Krakow. Cracowdays is a nice pick for couples and for those who want to stay outside of the touristy heart of Krakow.

K4 Aparthotel Krakow

For those who are traveling as a larger group, K4 Aparthotel has apartments that can accommodate up to six people. Each apartment offers a small living area and a kitchenette. The larger apartments also come with a washing machine. To get to the main square it is just an 8 minute walk.

The Main Market Square see from St. Mary’s Tower

Best Hotels in Krakow: On a Map

Where to Stay in Krakow: Our Recommendations

How do you decide where to stay? I narrowed down the list based on travel style and budget.

For the luxury traveler, Hotel Stary looks amazing but you also can’t go wrong with Wyndham Grand Hotel Old Town.

For couples, we recommend Betmanowska Main Square Residence in the old town, Hotel M29 in Kazimieriz, or Cracowdays in Kleparz.

For families, we recommend Stradonia Serviced Apartments, the Mint Luxury Apartments, or PURO Krakow Kazimierz (what kid wouldn’t love a little video game time as a break from sightseeing?).

If we did it again, we would stay in the Stradonia Serviced Apartments. With impeccable reviews, a prime location, and apartments that can accommodate up to eight people, this place sounds perfect for families. However, the Mint Luxury Apartments were also very nice and we loved our stay here.

Are you visiting Krakow soon? Comment below if you have any questions about where to stay or if you want to offer advice to our readers.

More Information about Poland

KRAKOW: Discover what there is to do in our article Best Things to Do in Krakow. Plan your visit with our 3 Day Krakow Itinerary.

AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU: Learn how to plan your visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau on a day trip from Krakow.

POLAND ITINERARY: In our 10 day Poland Itinerary, visit Gdansk, Warsaw, and Krakow.

WARSAW: For a list of the top experiences, take a look at our guide to the Best Things to Do in Warsaw and learn how to plan your time with our 2 Day Warsaw Itinerary.

FIRST TIME IN EUROPE: If this is your first time in Europe, don’t miss our article 7 Things to Know when Planning Your First Trip to Europe.

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