Krakow

Currency

Poland uses the złoty, not the euro. Kantor exchange offices give good rates — much better than banks or airports — but compare a couple and avoid ones right on the Main Square.

ATMs & cards

PKO Bank Polski, mBank and Santander machines are reliable. Avoid Euronet, which is everywhere in the old town. Always decline the ATM’s conversion offer.

Euronet is the default machine in the old town and consistently the worst rate.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Very safe. Be aware that Auschwitz-Birkenau requires booking well in advance and is an emotionally heavy full-day trip — plan it deliberately, not as a casual add-on.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Routine vaccinations up to date
• Tick-borne encephalitis for forest areas in the east and north-east

Getting treated

EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment. Private clinics are inexpensive and much faster than the public queue for anything non-urgent.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Milk bars (bar mleczny) are subsidised canteens serving pierogi and soup for a few euros — the best value meal in Europe. Zapiekanka from Plac Nowy is the late-night staple.

Getting around

• Walking — the old town inside the Planty park ring is small and pedestrian
• Tram — extensive and cheap, connects the old town, Kazimierz and Podgórze
• Bus — fills the gaps, same ticket as the tram
• Train — fast intercity links to Warsaw and Zakopane
• Airport: train to Kraków Główny (20 min, 17 PLN)

Must-see

Things to do

• Walk the Main Market Square and Cloth Hall
• Tour Wawel Castle and cathedral
• Explore Kazimierz and its synagogues
• Descend into the Wieliczka Salt Mine
• Eat at a traditional milk bar
• Visit Schindler’s Factory museum

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Polish

• HelloDzień dobryjen DOH-bri
• PleaseProszęPRO-sheh
• Thank youDziękujęjen-KOO-yeh
• Yes / NoTak / Nietak / nyeh
• Excuse mePrzepraszampsheh-PRA-sham
• How much is it?Ile to kosztuje?EE-leh to kosh-TOO-yeh
• The bill, pleaseRachunek, proszęra-HOO-nek
• Cheers!Na zdrowie!na ZDRO-vyeh

Religion

Catholic

One of the most observant countries in Europe, and it shows: churches are full, roadside shrines are everywhere, and religious holidays close everything. Dress modestly in churches.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Say dzień dobry on entering shops
• Accept hospitality — refusing food or vodka repeatedly can offend
• Give flowers in odd numbers, and never chrysanthemums, which are for graves
• Dress respectfully at churches and memorial sites

Don't

• Do not say "Polish concentration camps" — they were German camps in occupied Poland, and the phrasing causes real offence
• Do not treat Auschwitz-Birkenau as a sightseeing stop; dress and behave as at a cemetery
• Do not mix vodka or drink it slowly in company; it is taken neat and together
• Do not be loud in churches, which remain in active use