Where to Stay

Hotels in Kraków

Kraków now offers a wider selection of accommodation than anywhere else in the country. However, booking ahead—especially in the summer is essential, since Kraków was chosen as a European City of Culture, tourists have been arriving in record numbers and the hotels are often fully booked weeks in advance.

Kraków is rich with history which means that many of the most interesting places to stay are in beautiful historic buildings. In Kazimierz, the traditional Jewish quarter, you can stay in places that feel like they haven't changed for a century or more.

The Old Town

The good news for travelers is that there are many hotels located here with several of them being very reasonably priced.

The Hotel Elektor and Hotel Pollera are both located in historic buildings on Ulica Szpitalna, a quiet side street. The Saski Hotel is located in a 16th Century building just off the square and the Rezydent Hotel is housed in a medieval structure. The Hotel Francuski is also centrally located and the Hotel Hotel Pod Roza is another classic, with a particularly fine Italian restaurant—Ristorante Amarone—inside. The recently opened Hotel Copernicus is a beautiful new world-class addition to the hotel scene and the Grand Hotel is suitably opulent. Staying at any of these enables the visitor to be within close proximity of all the major sites and to get an immediate sense of the city's history. There are new hotels opening up in Kraków all the time. Some of these are built from scratch and offer the most modern conveniences and services. The Hotel Orient offers a pool, sauna, solarium and fitness club. The Hotel Demel is also modern and has very high standards of service. The Hotel Niebieski has modern conveniences with an intimate atmosphere and a fireplace lounge.

Other new hotels have opened up in old structures. The Hotel Twierdza has made use of a long, bunker-like fort, full of atmosphere and history. The Hotel Franciszek has style and elegance and is housed in a building from the 1800s. The Hotel Fortuna and its partner the Hotel Fortuna Bis are comfortable and reliable as well as extremely convenient.

Near the Wisla

While the Old Town hotels are very central, they are not able to provide such facilities and luxuries as swimming pools, casinos, conference rooms etc. Fortunately for those who are looking for such amenities, there are plenty of suitable hotels in Kraków. While major international chains are not present here, the Polish chain Orbis is. The Forum Hotel offers wonderful panoramas of the Wisla and Wawel and has a nightclub and swimming pool. The Hotel Orbis Continental has a large and popular casino. The Ibis Hotel is modern with excellent service and is only a few minutes by taxi from the Old Town.

Historic Kazimierz

Kazimierz was once the city's Jewish quarter and it is becoming so once again. After the popularity of the film Schindler's List - which was partially filmed in Kraków and in this district specifically —a new interest in the area's past has emerged. While plenty of shops and restaurants have opened up - along with Klezmer music and Judaica bookstores—the biggest news for the traveler is that the formerly neglected and rundown Kazimierz has recently seen a boom of small, unique hotels.

Popular favorites are Hotel Alef with its eccentric charm and Eden Hotel which has traditional Jewish features such as a mezuzah scripture holder on each door and a ritual mikveh bath. The Hotel Kazimierz is in a restored house with classic touches and the Regent Hotel offers all modern conveniences. The Klezmer Hois could be called a Jewish-style inn, with its ten cozy rooms above the popular restaurant and cafe.

Czarna Wies

There are several popular budget hostels, guest houses and hotels in Kraków. One of the largest of these is the Bursa Jagiellonska (located south of the Wisla, which is a student dormitory during the school year and a low-priced hotel in the summer. In the district of Czarna Wies, the YHA Hostel is large, cheap and central, Slightly more expensive, but still very reasonable is the Mistia. Bydgoska 19 is also recommended. The Instytut Polonijny —although situated in a forest out of town, offers fantastic views of the Wisla.