Quaint and historic accommodation choices can be found in the Old Town,
close to Krakow Glowny Station, while the streets immediately around the station
are home to cheap hotels and hostels, offering reasonable accommodation at budget prices
to suit all pockets, including several aimed specifically at backpackers. They usually offer basic
breakfasts, clean sheets, Wi-Fi access, and may have laundry services and luggage lockers.
Many hotels and accommodation choices can be found clustered around Krakow’s main railway station, Glowny Central, which sits immediately adjacent to the Old Town city centre, and within easy walking distance of the city’s central square.
The main entrance to the Glowny concourse is off Pawia Street, taking passengers through the giant Galeria Krakowska shopping mall. Although the platforms at Krakow Glowny are at street level, the actual concourse, ticket offices and public services are all underground. This new concourse was opened in 2014, and is described as Poland’s only subterranean train station.
The concourse is full of shops, restaurants, cafes and the full range of public and transport services you’d expect to find at a modern railway station, including a VIP lounge. The station can also be accessed from the city’s central bus and coach station on Bosacka Street.
Many hotels in the Nowa Huta district are extremely cheap, if basic and often formed from previous workers’ hostels. If you want to push your budget a bit, while still being near Glowny station, then you’ll find luxury hotels in the historic centre, often in beautiful converted homes and palaces.
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31-506, Kraków, Topolowa 40
Atelier Aparthotel by Artery Hotels is located in... read more
PLN 136
31-153, Kraków, Szlak 33
The 3-star Old Time Hotel is housed in... read more
PLN 149
31-529, Kraków, Sołtyka 19
The family run 3-star Batory Hotel is situated... read more
PLN 252
31-024, Kraków, Szpitalna 28
Situated in the heart of the Old Town,... read more
PLN 238
31-156, Kraków, Kurniki 4
Mały Kraków Aparthotel is conveniently located only 300... read more
PLN 110
31-023, Kraków, Radziwiłłowska 3
This 4-star hotel is located just 9 minutes'... read more
PLN 234
31-029, Kraków, Zyblikiewicza 16
Located only 750 metres from the Kraków’s Main... read more
PLN 210
31-011, Kraków, Pl.Szczepanski 7/15
Globtroter is a friendly, clean accommodation with spacious,... read more
PLN 137
31-508, Kraków, ul. Bosacka 5
Station Aparthotel is located just next to the... read more
PLN 95
31-024, Kraków, Szpitalna 34
Kraków City Apartments is situated a 4 minutes'... read more
PLN 196
31-146, Kraków, Długa 26
Located just 800 metres from Kraków Główny Railway... read more
PLN 102
31-019, Kraków, ul. Floriańska 5
Heynow Hostel is located in the heart of... read more
PLN 98
31-034, Kraków, ul. Kopernika 8
Apartamenty Parkside Kraków, located in the city centre,... read more
PLN 180
31-510, Kraków, ul. Rakowicka 19
Platinum Aparthotel is located in the city centre,... read more
PLN 199
21-157, Kraków, Plac Matejki 6/9
Roller Hostel is located in the centre of... read more
PLN 111
31-506, Kraków, Topolowa 27
Topolowa Residence is located in a quiet street... read more
PLN 251
31-027, Kraków, Mikołajska 17
INGO Aparthotel is located in the centre of... read more
PLN 195
31-017, Kraków, Rynek Główny 44
Aparthotel Betmanowska Main Square Residence is located in... read more
PLN 379
31-510, Kraków, Blich 3/19
Located within 2 km of St. Mary's Basilica... read more
PLN 207
31-018, Kraków, Św. Jana 2 (Reception)
Fragola Apartments Old Town offers 19 individual apartments... read more
PLN 259
31-146, Kraków, Długa 41
Zulian Aparthotel by Artery Hotels offers accommodation in... read more
PLN 216
31-503, Kraków, Lubicz 17a
Situated in Kraków in the Lesser Poland region... read more
PLN 277
31-509, Kraków, 23 Aleksandra Lubomirskiego
Situated in Kraków, 2 Nights Apartments features free... read more
PLN 196
31-029, Kraków, 14 Mikołaja Zyblikiewicza
Offering city views and free WiFi, Aparthotel KrakowLiving... read more
PLN 199
31-143, Kraków, Swietego Filipa 9C,Stare Miasto
Situated in Kraków centre, 1 km from St.... read more
PLN 142
31-153, Kraków, Several different locations
Offering different locations, MB Cracow Apartments is set... read more
PLN 143
31-018, Kraków, 2 Świętego Jana
Featuring free WiFi and air-conditioning, Feniks Fragola Apartments... read more
PLN 249
31-156, Kraków, Kurniki 4
Situated in Kraków in the Lesser Poland region,... read more
PLN 114
31-148, Kraków, Helclów 19
Set in Kraków, Corner Hotel is 1.3 km... read more
PLN 119
31-503, Kraków, ul. Lubicz 17
Situated in Kraków in the Lesser Poland region... read more
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31-034, Kraków, 10C Lubicz
Situated in Kraków, 1.5 km from St. Mary's... read more
PLN 151
31-021, Kraków, 32 Floriańska
Set in Kraków, 300 metres from St. Mary's... read more
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31-510, Kraków, Rakowicka 22J
Located in Kraków in the Lesser Poland region... read more
PLN 549
31-505, Kraków, ul. Lubomirskiego 23
Located within 700 metres of Galeria Krakowska and... read more
PLN 189
30-528, Kraków, Świętego Tomasza 30
Set in Kraków in the Lesser Poland region,... read more
PLN 210
The main railway station (Dworze Glowny) is located just outside the Old Town District of Krakow and is well-served by public transport.
Trains at the busy Glowny station cover the local suburbs, the Polish capital Warsaw, other regional cities in Poland, and European destinations, such as Prague, Lviv, central Budapest and Vienna in Austria. All international routes are overnight services, which arrive in the city in the early morning.
If you would like to travel by train to other places in Poland or Europe, there are six kinds of trains to be chosen: InterCity (IC), EuroCity (EC), express trains (Ex), TKL, normal and local trains. InterCity (IC), EuroCity (EC) and express trains are quicker and more expensive than normal trains, and you must pay extra for a seat reservation.
The central train station in Krakow , Kraków Główny Railway Station, handles all international and most domestic trains. The only other station of any significance is Kraków Płaszów, 4km (2.5mi) southeast of the city centre of Krakow Poland, which operates some trains that don’t call at Kraków Główny. Local trains between the two stations run every 15 to 30 minutes.
There are good daily train services to major destinations throughout the country such as Warsaw. Internationally, there are one or two direct trains daily to Berlin in Germany, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest in Hungary, Hamburg, Kyiv, Odesa, central Prague and Vienna in Austria.
Air Connections — John Paul II International Airport is located in the suburb of Balice, about 10km (6 miles) from town. The airport is easily reachable by bus or taxi.
Krakow is Poland’s second city, and offers visitors a beautiful vista along the River Wisla, or Vistula, backed by views of the Carpathian Mountains. The city centre offers its visitors plenty of history and culture, hearty food and a vibrant social scene, with many bars and nightclubs.
Krakow now has 18 boroughs, but historically was divided into the four quarters of Nowa Huta, Krowodrza, Podgorze and the historic and ancient city centre of Krakow itself, where many medieval features can still be discovered.
Krakow has a history going back over 20,000 years, with legend saying that the city grew out of a cave, where the mythical King Krak, slayed a dragon. The name itself first appears in the mid-tenth century, described as a trade centre by a Spanish merchant.
Wherever you choose your accommodation in Krakow, you will be within easy reach of everything on the city’s cheap and reliable public transport system.
Parking is always difficult to find in central Krakow, so don’t assume that any hotel, even luxury ones, will have parking for hire cars. If you do want parking, then head slightly further out from the station, towards the suburbs.
www.rozklad.pkp.pl — Polish railway
