The Most Instagrammable Places in Kraków
Kraków is one of the most beautiful cities in Poland and offers a variety of photo spots. From iconic sightseeing locations such as Rynek Glowny, Kraków’s main square, to Kazimierz, a former Jewish neighborhood, it’s worth capturing it all! As we were visiting in December, we were lucky to visit the Christmas Markets and see the city covered in a layer of snow. In this blog post, we’re sharing the photo spots we stumbled upon during our 4-day stay in Kraków. We share the exact location of each photo spot, so you can easily find them when in Kraków.
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Visiting the Christmas Market in Kraków
Rynek Główny
As mentioned before, Rynek Główny is Kraków’s main square and is located in the heart of the old town. There are multiple sightseeing spots on Rynek Główny, such as the Bazylika Mariacka, or Saint Mary’s Basilica. This church with its two asymmetrical towers is a true eye-catcher on the square. The church dates back to the 14th century and is built in Polish Gothic architectural style. In December, there’s a Christmas tree in front of the Saint Mary’s Basilica, so you can take a festive photo.
Sukiennice
The building of the Sukiennice, or Cloth Hall in English, stands in the heart of the main square and is a historical market building dating back to the 15th century. During Kraków’s golden age in the 15th century, the Sukiennice was a major center of international trade. The market building is surrounded by an arch gallery which is a perfect spot for taking photos. Currently, there are still shops in the stalls inside the building, mostly selling souvenirs for tourists. Don’t forget to take a peek inside once you’re done taking photos.
You can also frame the arches of the gallery of the Cloth Hall around the Saint Mary’s Basilica church, creating an interesting depth of field.
Christmas Market
From the end of November until the new year, there’s a Christmas Market at Rynek Główny. It’s the biggest Christmas Market in Kraków and you can find a large variety of stalls selling different kinds of goods, such as Christmas ornaments, souvenirs, toys, candy and Polish foods. We can highly recommend doing some souvenir shopping here for friends and family as well as trying delicious Polish food, such as pierogi (Polish dumplings), oscypek (grilled sheep’s cheese) and bigos (hunter’s stew). Besides being a fun place to stroll around, the Christmas Market stalls also offer a great backdrop for a photo!
Barbakan
The Barbakan is one of the few remaining defensive barriers that once encircled the royal city of Kraków. The Barbakan is built in Gothic style and dates back to 1498. It was once linked to the nearby city walls. Usually, you can go inside the Barbakan and tour the premises but unfortunately for us, the Barbakan was closed when we were in Kraków. We think it’s a great spot for a photo as it looks a bit like a castle with the Gothic towers.
Planty Park
The old town of Kraków used to be surrounded by city walls. Unfortunately, large parts of the city walls aren’t there anymore. Nowadays, the old town of Kraków is surrounded by a peaceful and beautifully landscaped park called Planty. We actually enjoyed strolling through Planty a lot. It was especially beautiful to see the park covered in a layer of snow. However, we can imagine that it’s a beautiful park in any season. You can find plenty of beautiful spots in Planty to take photos. We found this spot next to the pond across the Barbakan. However, because of the snow you can’t really tell it’s a pond.
Holcer in Kazimierz
Kazimierz is a district in Kraków, just south of the old town. The northeastern part of Kazimierz used to be a Jewish district from 1495 until 1800 and was separated by fences and a stone wall from the rest of Kazimierz. Because of WWII there aren’t many Jewish people living in Kazimierz anymore. Currently, Kazimierz is a trendy district with an urban feel, but you can still find some remnants of the Jewish history, such as synagogues and Jewish restaurants. We think the vintage signs in front of the Holcer bar are a perfect backdrop for a photo.
Sanktuarium Świętego Józefa
Sanktuarium Świętego Józefa, or Saint Joseph’s Church, is located just south of the Wisla River. This huge cathedral is built in the style of Gothic Revival and dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. It’s a 35-minute walk from Rynek Główny to get to this cathedral or 15 minutes from Kazimierz. We think it’s very much worth the pleasant walk as it’s such a beautiful cathedral and a beautiful spot for photos.
Rynek Podgórski
The square in front of the Saint Joseph’s Church is called Rynek Podgórski. We don’t think there usually is anything special about this square, except for the cathedral. However, in December, there are a few light installations and there’s a Christmas tree on the square. We just love taking photos with beautifully decorated Christmas trees as they are a must on your Instagram feed in December. So, if you’re in Kraków in December and you’re making your way to the Saint Joseph’s Church, make sure to take a photo of the Christmas tree and the light installations too!
We hope we’ve inspired you to visit Kraków with these Instagrammable places. Have you been to Kraków or is it still on your travel bucket list? Let us know in the comments below!
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Visiting the Christmas Market in Kraków