Krakow in 5 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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5 days adds the Tatra Mountains to the core and both major day trips
Days 1-4 here are the exact plan in the 4-day itinerary : Rynek Główny and Wawel Hill, Kazimierz and Podgórze, Wieliczka Salt Mine, and Auschwitz-Birkenau on its own day. Day 5 adds Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains, roughly 2-2.5 hours south. If 5 days is more than you need, the 3-day itinerary covers the core plus one day trip. Most days run 160-350 PLN a person; Day 5 runs higher given the mountain transport.
Book these before you go
- A Wawel Castle State Rooms ticket for Day 1
- A Wieliczka Salt Mine slot for Day 2, or direct through bilety.kopalnia.pl
- For Day 3, the official Auschwitz-Birkenau reservation at visit.auschwitz.org , never through an affiliate
- A Zakopane day tour for Day 5 if you’d rather not manage the bus and cable car queue yourself
- A room booked ahead for the summer peak, when Old Town rates spike
Day 1: Rynek Główny and Wawel Hill
Rynek Główny is free to stand in; the hejnał plays live every hour from St Mary’s taller tower. The Cloth Hall’s ground floor is free, upper gallery 35 PLN (free Tuesdays). Budget the Wawel Castle State Rooms (57 PLN) and Cathedral (26 PLN) as two separate tickets. Lunch at a milk bar, 20-35 PLN.
| Day 1 cost (PLN, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 80 | 150 |
| Breakfast | 8 | 20 |
| Milk bar lunch | 20 | 35 |
| Wawel Cathedral / Castle + Cathedral | 26 | 83 |
| Dinner | 25 | 50 |
| Transit | 0 | 6 |
| Day 1 total | 159 | 344 |
Day 2: Kazimierz and Podgórze
Kazimierz was the pre-war Jewish quarter for around 500 years; Podgórze, across the river, was the separate WWII ghetto after March 1941. Szeroka Street is free; Remuh Synagogue and cemetery run about 10 PLN combined. Lunch is a zapiekanka at Plac Nowy (6-10 PLN). Ghetto Heroes Square is free; Schindler’s Factory runs about 60 PLN.
| Day 2 cost (PLN, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 80 | 150 |
| Breakfast | 8 | 20 |
| Remuh Synagogue + cemetery | 10 | 10 |
| Zapiekanka lunch | 6 | 10 |
| Schindler’s Factory (skip / visit) | 0 | 60 |
| Dinner | 25 | 50 |
| Transit | 8 | 12 |
| Day 2 total | 137 | 312 |
Day 3: Wieliczka Salt Mine
Wieliczka, one of the original 12 UNESCO sites (1978), sits about 30 minutes out. Tourist Route and Miners’ Route both run 143 PLN (121 reduced); the Tourist Route ends at St Kinga’s Chapel, carved entirely from rock salt. Book ahead.
| Day 3 cost (PLN, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 80 | 150 |
| Breakfast | 8 | 20 |
| Wieliczka Salt Mine (reduced / regular) | 121 | 143 |
| Lunch | 15 | 25 |
| Dinner | 25 | 50 |
| Transit to/from Wieliczka + around city | 15 | 25 |
| Day 3 total | 264 | 413 |
Day 4: Auschwitz-Birkenau
Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945), about 1.5-2 hours from Krakow, is a memorial and mass-murder site; treat it as the day’s only activity. Book only at visit.auschwitz.org : free self-guided visits run afternoon and evening, book up to 7 days ahead; the daytime window is paid guide-educator tours only, roughly 150 PLN, about 3.5 hours. On-site sales ended March 2026. No eating on the grounds, no photography in the Block 4 hair room or Block 11 basement, not recommended for children under 14.
| Day 4 cost (PLN, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 80 | 150 |
| Breakfast | 8 | 20 |
| Auschwitz-Birkenau entry (free self-guided) | 0 | 0 |
| Guide-educator tour (if visiting the peak daytime window) | 0 | 150 |
| Transport to Oświęcim and back | 40 | 80 |
| Quiet dinner back in Krakow | 20 | 40 |
| Day 4 total | 148 | 440 |
Day 5: Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains
Zakopane, Poland’s premier mountain resort, sits roughly 2-2.5 hours south by bus (around 30-55 PLN each way, hourly departures from Krakow’s MDA bus station); summer weekends can stretch that to 3.5-4 hours, so this is a long day, not a relaxed one. Krupówki Street, the main pedestrian promenade, is free to walk. The Gubałówka funicular (a roughly 300m climb in under 4 minutes) runs about 37-44 PLN round trip online, the budget pick over the Kasprowy Wierch cable car at roughly 130 PLN round trip. Skip both and hike toward Morskie Oko instead if you want the classic first-timer trail (about 8km each way, mostly paved, Tatra National Park entry 10 PLN); the trailhead car park fills by 7-8am in season if you’re driving, which is one more reason a bus or organized tour beats self-driving here.
| Day 5 cost (PLN, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 80 | 150 |
| Breakfast | 8 | 20 |
| Bus to/from Zakopane (round trip) | 60 | 110 |
| Gubałówka funicular (skip / round trip) | 0 | 44 |
| Lunch in Zakopane | 20 | 35 |
| Dinner back in Krakow | 25 | 45 |
| Local transit | 0 | 10 |
| Day 5 total | 193 | 414 |
Getting around on 5 days: what needs booking ahead versus what doesn’t
Days 1 and 2 are walkable with a tram ride or two; a 24-hour MPK pass (20 PLN) helps if you’re moving a lot, otherwise single tickets (4-9 PLN) usually cost less. Days 3, 4, and 5 all need transport out of the city, none covered by the city transit pass. Full fare details are in the main Krakow guide .
Book Auschwitz-Birkenau, Wieliczka, and a Zakopane bus seat before you land; all three run on schedules or timed slots that fill up. Everything inside the city itself stays cheap enough to plan on arrival.