Krakow in 6 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.
6 days adds a cheap communist-history half-day to the full trip
Days 1-5 here are the exact plan in the 5-day itinerary : Rynek Główny and Wawel Hill, Kazimierz and Podgórze, Wieliczka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Zakopane. Day 6 adds Nowa Huta, the Soviet-era planned district inside city limits, plus the Rynek Underground Museum back in the Old Town. If 6 days is more than you need, the 4-day itinerary covers the core plus both major day trips. Most days run 160-350 PLN a person.
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 4
- 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). 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), ending at St Kinga’s Chapel, carved entirely from rock salt.
| 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) 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. On-site sales ended March 2026. 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 sits roughly 2-2.5 hours south by bus (around 30-55 PLN each way). Krupówki Street is free to walk. The Gubałówka funicular runs about 37-44 PLN round trip, cheaper than the Kasprowy Wierch cable car at roughly 130 PLN. Morskie Oko (about 8km each way, mostly paved, Tatra NP entry 10 PLN) is the classic hike if you’d rather skip both lifts.
| 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 |
Day 6: Nowa Huta and the Rynek Underground Museum
Nowa Huta, a Soviet-style planned town built from 1949 around a massive steelworks, is inside city limits and reached by tram lines 4, 10, or 22 (about 30 minutes, a standard single ticket around 6 PLN each way). Plac Centralny and the Lord’s Ark Church exterior cost nothing to see; the Podziemna Nowa Huta Cold War bunker museum is worth the stop if the timing works out, check the current ticket price at muzeumkrakowa.pl . Back in the Old Town by afternoon, the Rynek Underground Museum, the 13th-14th century market stalls beneath Rynek Główny, runs 36 PLN (32 reduced), timed-entry, book ahead as it’s one of the city’s most-booked sights in summer. Close the trip with a craft beer, PINTA’s Old Town brewpub or Strefa Piwa in Kazimierz both pour Polish craft beer rather than the mass-market export lagers.
| Day 6 cost (PLN, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 80 | 150 |
| Breakfast | 8 | 20 |
| Tram to Nowa Huta and back | 12 | 12 |
| Lunch | 20 | 35 |
| Rynek Underground Museum (reduced / regular) | 32 | 36 |
| Craft beer + dinner | 30 | 55 |
| Transit | 0 | 6 |
| Day 6 total | 182 | 314 |
Getting around on 6 days: what needs booking ahead
Days 1, 2, and 6 are mostly walkable plus one or two tram rides; a 24-hour MPK pass (20 PLN) helps on the day you’re covering Nowa Huta and back. 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 the Rynek Underground Museum ahead, all three run on timed slots that sell out in summer. The rest of this route stays flexible enough to plan on arrival.