Krakow
-50%€30median tour
€19middle half of tours€71
- 60% under €50
- #2 cheapest of 50
Europe · 4 cities
Things to Do in Poland
Four Polish destinations in one place: what has to be reserved at Auschwitz, which two day trips define a Krakow visit, and why a guided day here costs a third of what it does in western Europe.
2,882 tours listed by Viator 4 cities we cover Median tour €30–€30 Free cancellation
What it costs
What tours cost in Poland
From our own price index — 2,400 tours across 50 cities, collected August 2026. Medians, not averages: a couple of multi-day packages drag an average into fiction.
Vertical line is the global median, €60. Full table for all 50 cities in the Tour Price Index.
Practical info
Know before you book
The things that change a decision — not a retelling of the guidebook.
Auschwitz-Birkenau has to be reserved, and often guided
Entry is free but requires a booked time slot, released months ahead and taken quickly in summer. During the busiest hours of the day you can only enter with an educator-led tour. Arriving without a reservation in July is how people are turned away from the gate.
The two big day trips go opposite ways
Auschwitz is about ninety minutes west of Krakow; the Wieliczka salt mine is half an hour south-east. Combined tours exist and make a very long and emotionally strange day. Most people are better served doing them on separate days.
Poland is not in the euro
The currency is the złoty, and the exchange booths at the airport and in the main square offer the worst rates in the country. Draw from a bank machine and decline the conversion when the screen offers to charge you in euros.
Warsaw’s old town is a reconstruction, and that is the point
The city was deliberately destroyed in 1944 and the old town rebuilt from paintings and photographs. Knowing that changes what you are looking at entirely, and it is why the Warsaw Rising Museum matters more than the postcard square.
All Saints’ Day is extraordinary
On the 1st of November cemeteries across the country are filled with candles after dark — hundreds of thousands of them. It is also a national holiday with everything closed and the trains full.
Winter is cold, cheap and genuinely good
Krakow’s Christmas market runs through December in one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, and the city is at its most atmospheric under snow. Pack for minus five and the rest takes care of itself.
When to visit
Poland through the seasons
What is open, how busy it gets, and when to book ahead.
Spring
Apr–May
- Best for
- Krakow before the crowds, the Tatras thawing, long light evenings returning.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- May has two public holidays at the start of the month and the country takes the week.
Summer
Jun–Aug
- Best for
- The Baltic coast, the lakes, the mountains and every tour at full frequency.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Book Auschwitz slots weeks ahead — this is when they are hardest to get.
Autumn
Sep–Oct
- Best for
- Colour in the Tatras, comfortable city walking, prices falling away.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- September is the best value month of the year here by a clear margin.
Winter
Nov–Mar
- Best for
- Christmas markets, snow in Zakopane, cities at their cheapest and quietest.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- It gets properly cold — minus ten is a normal January day in Krakow.
Frequently asked
Poland: common questions
How many days do you need in Poland?
Four days for Krakow with Auschwitz and Wieliczka on separate days. Add two for Warsaw, which is a very different city and worth the contrast, and the train between them takes about two and a half hours.
What does a tour in Poland cost?
Krakow sits at a median of €30 in our index of 50 cities, against a global median of €60 — the second-cheapest city in the entire study. A private guide for a full day here costs less than a group walking tour does in several western European capitals.
Do I need to book Auschwitz in advance?
Yes, always. Entry is free but capped and reserved, slots open months ahead, and in the busiest part of the day admission is only with an educator-led tour. Book it before you book anything else in Krakow, then plan the rest around the slot you got.
When is the best time to visit?
May, June and September. July and August are warm and busy; December is cold and beautiful if the market is what you want. January and February are for people who do not mind minus ten in exchange for having the city to themselves.
Are tours run in English?
Widely and well, in both Krakow and Warsaw, and the guiding at the historic sites is licensed and serious. Poland is one of the places where paying a little more for a private guide costs very little in absolute terms.