Krakow is an amazing city, but if you want to discover the city with kids, you need to be willing to make some compromises to make the kids enjoy the city as well. So, what should you do with kids in Krakow?
A lot will depend on the age of your kids as you look for family-friendly programs in Krakow. But, there are some activities that for sure will give the kids some energy and joy, and here we will share some suggestions with you. One nice thing about Krakow is that the main market square is very nice and big. Here the kids can run around quite freely, and the only thing they need to worry about is the horse carriages coming all the time. But, that is, in fact, a nice thing to remember, because enjoying a ride with one of those horse carriages is one of the most family-friendly activities of all in Krakow.
With Kids in Krakow
Discover Krakow in a horse carriage
If you want to discover Krakow from a horse carriage, all you need to do is to pay a visit to the main market square. There you will see the horse carriages lined up, and you can go to any of them to enjoy a ride. The carriages have space for 6-8 people, meaning that you can take the entire family for a ride. There are different routes you can choose from, and the prices normally vary between 200-500 PLN for a ride. The length of the rides varies from 20 minutes to around 1 hour. The prices might be higher as they are shown to you on the official price list, but mostly you can do some bargaining on the price and get it a bit cheaper.
Visit the Salt Mines in Wieliczka
This program is not suitable for the youngest children who have no clue what is going on around them, but if you have kids aged 7 or older, this is a program that might be of interest to them. It is very nice to walk around inside the Salt Mines, and the simple experience of walking inside the Salt Mines, quite far beneath the entrance level is a treat for kids. The fact that they also can learn about the origin of the Salt Mines comes as a great bonus. The best way to get to the Salt Mines is by joining a group tour. But, it is important that you should join a tour in which the guide will speak a language that your kids understand. If they do not understand anything, they will not be able to pay attention, and it will just turn into a frustrating program instead.
Find a playground or maybe visit the aqua-park?
Krakow doesn’t have a lot of playgrounds in the old town area, but a quite nice one, suitable for kids aged between 2-8 years can be found as you walk along the old town walls from the Barbican in the direction of the Wawel district. You can read more about this stroll here. If you come with older kids the playground might be boring and they will quickly complain. If that is so, then you should consider taking them to the aqua-park instead. In the aqua-park, you will be able to enjoy lots of slides, jacuzzis, and other cool stuff. You can get to the water park using bus number 125, 129, 132, 138, 139, 142, 152, 182, 429, 439 or 482.
Enjoy the fresh air and watch the animals in the Zoo
Krakow has a wonderful Zoo located approximately 15 minutes outside the city center with the bus. The easiest way to get to the Zoo is by traveling by bus 134 from the Cracovia Stadion and all the way to the end station which is named Zoo. You can buy tickets for the bus using the ticket machine inside the bus. Do not forget to validate your ticket after purchasing!
The Zoo is located in a peaceful area in the forests of Krakow. Here you can see giraffes, elephants, lions, wolves, tigers, panthers, peacocks and lots of other animals. It is a real treat, and not only will the kids enjoy it, parents will have a wonderful time as well. If you plan on visiting the zoo, you will probably need a few hours to see everything inside. But, you can easily spend even more time on the inside if you let your kids play on the playground inside the zoo area, if you grab something to eat, and so on!
Kid friendly places to eat
We all need to eat, and if you look for a kid-friendly place to eat, then the easiest place is, of course, McDonald’s. The kids love it as they get a toy, you love it because you do not have to wait for hours for the food to arrive. We might not be happy about the quality, but if you come with kids then that is a compromise you will often take, just to get the food quickly and to make sure the kids stay happy. There are quite a lot of McDonald’s restaurants in Krakow so you should have no trouble finding one (if you want to find one).
If you want to eat somewhere else then you could visit Galeria Krakowska, the biggest shopping mall in town. It is located only a few hundred meters from the Barbican. There you will find a Pizza Hut restaurant, and you can also buy whatever you want from the fast food stores inside the mall.
Get quickly to your hotel
If you want to please your kids, then it can be very convenient to have a driver waiting for you at the airport. You will then get quickly to your hotel, you will not have to mess around with kids and luggage looking for the right bus, buying the right tickets, and thus, make sure that all your valuables are with you as you arrive in your hotel room (and not left in a bus somewhere or at the airport). You can read more about private airport transfers right here.
Some kids do like using public transportation, so you might consider doing this the opposite way. But, getting quickly to your hotel might, in the end, be something you do, simply because it will ease your job as a parent (or a grandparent).
Enjoy your stay with kids in Krakow!
We hope this list will help you out planning your stay in Krakow. If you have further questions or comments related to visiting Krakow with kids, use the comment field beneath.
