Krakow is one of Poland’s most historic cities, known for its beautiful Old Town and its rich past. From museums and memorial sites to eerie attractions and quirky themed bars, this guide covers some of the most unusual things to do in Krakow, Poland.
Krakow is a city filled with beautiful Old Town streets, historic castles and a vibrant food scene. But beyond the postcard-perfect streets, the city also has a darker and more unusual side waiting to be explored. You don’t have to look far to discover this darker and more unusual side of the city.
As someone who loves dark tourism and unusual experiences, I found Krakow to be a fascinating place to explore. Some of these sites offer a sobering glimpse into the city’s tragic past, while others lean into the strange, spooky and downright quirky side of travel.
I visited in February thanks to Jet2holidays’ City Breaks to Krakow with Jet2holidays, which made it easy to explore one of Poland’s most historic cities.
In this guide, you’ll find some of the most unusual things to do in Krakow – from visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau and exploring underground medieval relics to stepping inside haunted attractions and themed taverns.
Unusual Things to Do in Krakow for Dark History Lovers
Krakow has no shortage of unusual attractions, especially for travellers interested in dark history and offbeat experiences. From WWII memorials to eerie underground museums and immersive themed bars, there are plenty of unusual things to do in Krakow if you’re willing to explore beyond the typical tourist trail.
Please note: several of the places on this list relate to Krakow’s difficult history, including some deeply moving memorial sites.
Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum
While it’s not an easy experience, visiting Auschwitz is something I believe everyone should do at least once. As one of the most significant WWII memorial sites in Europe, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum preserves the horrific history of the Holocaust – a dark chapter that should never be forgotten.
It’s a sombre yet educational experience and can also be deeply moving and heavy. But it’s important to experience this: to honour the victims, confront the themes of hate and racism, and learn more about this dark time in history.
Some parts of the visit were much heavier than I expected. Because we could only secure afternoon self-guided tickets, we didn’t have time to explore everything.
If you’re planning a day trip to Auschwitz, book your tours or timeslots on the website in advance. Self-guided visits are free, but offer limited time to explore in winter. Both sites are about an hour from Krakow. Once there, a free shuttle bus runs between Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Alternatively, you could book a day tour; while these are more expensive, they’re much more convenient, with hotel pick-ups and guided tours once inside.
Wieliczka Salt Mine
Wieliczka Salt Mine may be one of Krakow’s weirdest but most beautiful attractions, and it’s well worth a visit despite being just outside the city. Dating back to the 13th century, it’s one of the oldest continuously operating salt mines in the world. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it features vast underground chambers, stunning salt-carved sculptures and even a chapel carved from rock salt, offering a fascinating glimpse into centuries of Polish mining history.
There are two routes you can take – the Tourist Route, which we did, and the Miners’ Route, which is more immersive and lets you roleplay as miners. The Tourist Route lasts between 2-3 hours and takes you through historical chambers, underground salt lakes and more. Do note that the tour involves descending around 800 steps (380 of which are right at the start) to reach 135 metres underground. Despite this, the mine is so huge that you only experience about 2% of the entire complex!
The Wieliczka Salt Mine was probably one of my favourite things we did during our trip – it was so unique and fun. I’d love to head back one day and take the Miners’ Route next. It’s certainly one of the most unusual things to do in Krakow and truly beautiful inside, from the giant monuments to the breathtaking St. Kinga’s Chapel located 101 metres below ground.
Many day tours combine Auschwitz in the morning with the Wieliczka Salt Mine in the afternoon, offering a lighter experience after a heavy start to the day. However, like with Auschwitz, I would recommend arranging your own travel. The salt mine is only a 20-minute train ride from Krakow, followed by a short 6-minute walk to the entrance, making it very easy – and cheaper – to visit without a tour.
Polonia Wax Museum
Okay, hear me out with this one. I know a wax museum doesn’t sound that unusual, but when you visit, you’ll see what I mean. Because the wax figures in this museum are bad. Really bad. In fact, they’re so bad that it’s actually kind of hilarious to visit – as long as you take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh with it!
I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit, but if you have some spare time – or the weather turns particularly bad – it’s worth ducking into for about an hour.
Lost Souls Alley
I love a good horror house, so when I discovered Krakow had its very own intense haunted house attraction, I knew I had to go. Sadly, I came down with food poisoning on the day we planned to visit, so I wasn’t able to experience it myself. I was absolutely gutted to miss it though, as I’ve heard amazing things about it!
If you’ve been to a scare attraction in the UK, you’ll roughly know what to expect here – but from what I’ve heard, Lost Souls Alley is more hands-on than your average one. Visitors can expect immersive elements such as crawling through small spaces, being separated from the rest of their group, and even some physical contact from the scare actors – depending on which version you choose. If that’s a bit much for you, you can pop into the themed bar to watch a live feed of others in the attraction and get your horror fix at the same time.
The Torture Museum
The Torture Museum offers an unusual and educational look into medieval punishment and execution methods, with over 100 reconstructions of torture instruments and artefacts. Think the London Dungeon without the interactive shows, or a darker version of the wax museum (minus the wax models).
Instead, visitors can interact with many of the devices and take part in some unusual photo opportunities. It’s small – and based in a space themed like a dungeon – but it’s a must-do if you’re into spooky and gory stuff. If I had to choose between the Polonia Wax Museum and the Torture Museum on a rainy day? This would win every time.
Legends and Tales of Old Town Walking Tour
A walking tour is always one of the best ways to find your bearings in a new city, but if you’re into your spooky stuff like me, you’ll likely always choose a ghost walk over any other city tour. The Legends and Tales of Old Town Walking Tour isn’t just a ghost tour though – you’ll also learn about vampires, dragons and other dark legends of Krakow on this after-dark experience.
You’ll also wander through Kraków’s stunning medieval district, filled with beautiful Gothic architecture. It’s definitely one of the most unusual things to do in Krakow at night, but as always, wrap up warm – it can get chilly once the sun goes down.
Rynek Underground Museum
From a medieval-inspired fantasy bar to real medieval artefacts, the Rynek Underground Museum lets you step back in time to see what Kraków was like over 700 years ago. Located beneath the city’s main market square, the museum features reconstructions of a 12th-century workshop, a medieval merchant’s stall, preserved roadways and a range of everyday historical items discovered during archaeological excavations.
The exhibits also include interactive and multimedia displays – including holograms – which help bring the city’s past to life.
Dark tourists will love the cemetery that showcases burial practices of the 11th century – and the vampire graves!
Ghetto Heroes Square
Ghetto Heroes Square is another place that serves as a sad and tragic reminder of the destruction of Kraków’s Jewish community during the Holocaust. Like Auschwitz, it’s definitely ‘worth’ visiting, but from a respectful and impactful point of view rather than something to simply tick off a sightseeing list.
Located in the heart of Kraków’s former Jewish ghetto, the square features dozens of large empty chairs, a powerful memorial created to honour the victims of the Holocaust.
Visit for some quiet reflection and to pay your respects, but do note that it will likely leave you feeling heavy afterwards.
The Wolf Pit Tavern
Krakow is filled with unusual bars, but The Wolf Pit Tavern has to be my favourite. This fantasy-themed restaurant is directly inspired by The Witcher and offers an immersive atmosphere with medieval decor and scenery, along with a themed menu to match. Expect costumed staff, hearty food, whimsical cocktails and even music that gives popular modern songs a Middle Ages twist.
It’s so much fun. You might have to wait a while to get a table (unless you reserve online in advance via their Facebook page), but once inside, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to another world. You can immerse yourself as much or as little as you like. Dressing up is encouraged, and you can even exchange your money for the tavern’s own currency upon arrival, which works out slightly cheaper than paying normally. The cocktail experience is really enjoyable too, and the vast food menu is tasty.
There are a few photo opportunities throughout, plus a shop upstairs where you can purchase The Witcher and Game of Thrones themed memorabilia. It’s a must-do for fans of The Witcher or fantasy lovers in general, though it has also become popular with anyone looking for a unique dining experience.
Oskar Schindler’s Factory
If you visited Auschwitz, I would definitely recommend visiting Oskar Schindler’s Factory too for more context – offering a slightly more hopeful perspective on this dark period of history. Once a factory producing enamelware and metal goods, this was the workplace where Schindler saved more than 1,000 Jews from being sent to concentration camps. It’s who the 1993 film, Schindler’s List, was based on!
Today, the site is home to two museums that explore life in Krakow during the Nazi occupation, featuring historic artefacts – including Schindler’s original desk – alongside immersive recreations of locations around the city during the war.
Oskar Schindler’s Factory pairs well with either Auschwitz-Birkenau or Ghetto Heroes Square if you’re exploring Krakow’s WWII history sites in the same day.
The Eagle Pharmacy
Located just off Ghetto Heroes Square, The Eagle Pharmacy is a former pharmacy owned by Polish pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz. During the war, it became a vital lifeline for Jews living in the Krakow Ghetto, providing medication, food and a place to meet.
The pharmacy also offered practical support to help people survive and evade deportation, including hair dye and sedatives to keep children asleep whilst in hiding. Pankiewicz used the pharmacy to help Jews escape and to smuggle information out of the ghetto. Like Oskar Schindler, he likely helped save thousands of lives through these actions.
Today, much of the museum has been recreated to resemble the pharmacy as it looked during the war, with photographs, artefacts and historic documents on display.
Bonus: Unusual Bars in Krakow
I’m not really much of a foodie when I travel – and I’m not a massive drinker either – but alongside dark tourism attractions, one thing I do like to seek out is quirky bars. Luckily, Krakow is filled with them! If you’re looking for unusual things to do in Krakow at night, you’ve got plenty of choice.
As well as some spots already mentioned in this guide (Lost Souls Alley, the Legends and Tales of Old Town Walking Tour and The Wolf Pit Tavern), there are plenty of other unique bars, cafes and attractions worth visiting after dark.
Magical-themed Bars
The Leaky Cauldron is a must-visit for Harry Potter fans, with twinkling fairy lights, smoky drinks and themed potion-making experiences. It’s more family-friendly and doesn’t serve alcohol.
For something closer to a traditional bar experience, their sister venue, The Ministry of Magic, offers themed cocktails, food and a cosy, immersive atmosphere. It also has a small shop selling Harry Potter memorabilia.
Games-themed Bars
Cosmic Games Pub is a UFO-themed pub offering fun games (beer pong, air hockey etc) and unique photo ops alongside its vast drinks menu, plus a neon ball bit! The games are free to play too.
Elsewhere, Cybermachina Game Pub has board games and consoles in a more retro-themed atmosphere, as well as quirky cocktails and drinks. Another cosmic bar, Cosmic Minigolf Pub, swaps drinking games for neon mini golf!
Unique Bars in Krakow
Some other interesting bars worth checking out include the speakeasy-themed Mercy Brown Cocktails Jazz & Burlesque, the romantic jazz bar Piano Rouge and Pergamin 2.0 Lounge & Skybar for stunning views across Wawel Castle.
Practical Tips for Dark Tourists Visiting Krakow
Whether you’re visiting to explore dark tourism sites, wander the historic streets or simply enjoy the city’s bars and nightlife, Krakow really does have something for everyone. I found the locals incredibly friendly, and although parts of the Old Town were quite busy with tourists (especially on Friday and Saturday nights), the city still felt authentic for the most part.
It’s also surprisingly affordable. Taxis and public transport cost very little, though most of the city centre is so compact that you can easily explore it on foot. In fact, Krakow is one of those places that’s best enjoyed simply by wandering around without much of a plan. The architecture is beautiful, and there’s history around almost every corner.
We visited in February and experienced heavy snowfall during our trip. It was so beautiful that one evening after dinner, we decided to skip public transport and walk back to the hotel just to enjoy it. I’ll always remember how it felt like stepping into a winter wonderland as we walked through Planty Park, which surrounds Krakow’s Old Town. It was quite romantic too, and lots of people were out enjoying the snow!
It was manageable because we’d expected cold weather and packed accordingly, but it’s worth keeping this in mind if you’re visiting Krakow during the winter months.
On the other hand, despite it being the new year, we found that many places were still decorated for Christmas. I loved seeing the decorations still up and twinkling fairy lights everywhere – it felt really festive. It definitely made me want to return one day for Krakow’s Christmas markets.
Where to Stay in Krakow
We stayed at Santi Hotel, a beautiful historic building located right in the heart of Krakow’s Old Town. I absolutely loved staying here. The 13th-century building still has many preserved historical features, while the rooms are cosy and comfortable and the breakfast buffet was delicious.
The location was perfect too. It sits right next door to a lovely boutique bar (and a McDonald’s just beside that!), with tram stops directly across the road. Our room even overlooked the stunning Holy Trinity Church. From the hotel, it’s only about a five-minute walk to the main square in the Old Town, with plenty of quirky bars and attractions along the way. For our first visit to Krakow, it was the ideal base.
Getting to Krakow
We enjoyed our long weekend in Krakow, with flights from Birmingham Airport. The flight itself was quick and easy, taking just under three hours.
However, we did experience some delays at passport control when arriving and leaving Krakow. At the moment, queues can be quite long depending on flight times, so it’s worth allowing extra time at the airport just in case. We had already heard about the delays beforehand, so we made sure to arrive early for our return flight.
Fortunately, flying home was a little smoother. Although the queue was still long, staff regularly walked along the line to pull out passengers whose boarding time was approaching. That actually happened to us and meant we didn’t miss our flight.
We flew out on Friday evening and returned on Monday evening, which made it the perfect long weekend break. It felt like just enough time for a first visit, though I’m already itching to go back. There’s so much more to explore, and with Jet2 flights to Krakow and city breaks often being so affordable, I can definitely see myself returning soon.
Is Krakow Worth Visiting?
Dark tourists and history lovers will find Krakow absolutely fascinating – the city is filled with rich history, both good and bad. I also found it great for the lighter side of dark tourism, with spooky bars and intense haunted house attractions to balance out the heavier historical sites.
Because everything is so affordable and there are so many quirky bars and restaurants, it’s easy to see why Krakow has become such a popular destination for long weekend trips. You could easily spend days exploring unusual attractions and learning about the city’s complex history, or simply wandering between unique bars and soaking up the atmosphere.
It’s perfect for a long weekend city break, but if you’re particularly interested in history and culture, you may want to stay even longer – especially with so many cheap holidays available to Krakow and Poland.
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Disclosure: I was invited on this press trip by Jet2. As always, all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience.
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