Poland is full of incredible towns and cities which warrant a visit, with Warsaw and Krakow at the top of the list. However, if you only have time to visit one city break in Poland, and you’re trying to decide between Warsaw or Krakow, which one should you pick? To help you decide, this blog compares the options based on a recent double city break to both cities.
In summary, when choosing between a visit to Warsaw or Krakow, the headline is that you can’t really go wrong with either city. Both offer a slice of Polish life, full of history, world-class museums, UNESCO World Heritage sites, green spaces, positions on the Vistula River, hearty Polish food and reasonable prices. However there are differences, so the following blog aims to highlight these to help you choose your next Polish destination.
| Compare | Warsaw | Krakow |
|---|---|---|
| Capital status | Yes, current capital | Yes, former capital |
| Royal residences | Royal Castle and Wilanow Palace | Wawel Castle and Cathedral |
| UNESCO | Reconstructed Old Town |
|
| Central green spaces |
|
|
| WWII museums |
|
|
| Soviet era and Cold War |
|
Trabant tour to Nova Huta (Avenue of Roses) |
| Art museums | National Museum in Warsaw |
|
| Contemporary art museums |
|
|
| Other museums |
|
|
| Fun food venues |
|
MURAL Food Park |
| Crowds | Not so bad | Extremely busy |
| Other | Vistula river beaches | — |
This table is not exhaustive, just a top-line summary to help you decide between Warsaw and Krakow.
Krakow was the first capital of Poland and has the most impressive Royal Castle to show for it – Wawal Castle, built in the 11th century. Wawel Castle was the base for Polish Kings and Queens for centuries until King Sigismund III Vasa (with a Swedish father) moved the capital to Warsaw in 1596. Wawel Cathedral, on the castle site, is where the Polish Kings and Queens were coronated.
Today, Poland does not have a royal family, and Warsaw is now Poland’s capital city. The Royal Castle in Warsaw is much more modest that Wawel Castle and had to be rebuilt after being destroyed in World War II bombings. Warsaw also has Wilanow Palace, a Royal Summer palace and Poland’s version of Versailles, which is much more impressive than its Old Town royal palace.
My conclusion – Krakow just wins this category for me as Wawel Castle and Cathedral are spectacular (and I enjoyed the Dragon legend).
The Old Town of Krakow with many Medieval buildings managed to escape too much damage during WWII, so the buildings you see here today are the original ones, as they existed back in the day.
Warsaw, on the other hand, was largely decimated by the WWII bombings. Its historic Old Town had to be painstakingly recreated using paintings and personal recollections for reference. What has been rebuilt is rather incredible – the phoenix rising from the rubble.
My conclusion – whilst original is usually best (Krakow’s Old Town), in many ways it is equally as impressive to have reconstructed an Old Town as well as has been done in Warsaw. This scenario depends on which way you look at it.
It’s worth mentioning that if you prefer newer architecture, then Warsaw offers more scope here with repurposed industrial and Soviet era buildings throughout the city, and modern office blocks in the business area of Wola. We had a meal at the Nowa Wola restaurant and the views at night from the first floor windows were straight out of Bladerunner!
The historic centres of both Krakow and Warsaw both have UNESCO World Heritage status – Krakow for its wonderfully preserved medieval Old Town, Wawel Hill, Historic Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz, and Warsaw for its incredible reconstruction of the Old Town including its Royal Castle, Old Town Market Square, Barbican and St John’s Cathedral.
However, Krakow also has UNESCO World Heritage status for the Wieliczka Salt Mines and the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site.
My conclusion – Krakow has more UNESCO recognised sties.
Krakow has Planty Park, an 8km long tree-lined promenade encircling the historic Old Town and built on the site of the old medieval walls. It also offers the Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University, Poland’s oldest botanical garden opened in 1783 with 9 hectares of historic trees, ponds and modern palm houses. For the best views of the city, head to the Krakus Mound in the Podgorze district to watch the sunset.
Warsaw on the other hand has the extensive Royal Parks – Lazienki Park and Wilanow Park. Lazienki Park is a picturesque park including many sights such as the: Palace on the Isle, White Pavilion, and Chopin Monument. You could spend hours wandering around here as an escape from the city. It also has Saxon Garden (Ogrod Saski), the city’s first public park with 250-year-old trees, which neighbours the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider with daily Changing of the Guard ceremonies. However, my favourite is the quirky University of Warsaw Library Roof Garden.
My conclusion – Both of these Polish cities have plenty of green spaces in the city (apparently 60% of Krakow and 40% of Warsaw are green), with Krakow claims to be one of Europe’s greenest cities. However, my winner was Warsaw for its Royal Parks and gardens.
Both Krakow and Warsaw are packed with museums for your hit of history, art and culture. In fact, both cities have more museums than you would ever have time for on a short city break. You may even decide to give the museums a miss if you don’t have a lot of time, preferring instead to spend time outdoors, and participating in experiences which help you get to know the cities outside of the confines of museums.
Warsaw – has some top-quality museums relating to World War II and Jewish Heritage. It also offers good coverage of the Soviet era, if that period of history is of interest to you.
Krakow – Has the Schindler Factory museum and tour, but also the whole of the Podgorze district including the Jewish Ghetto area which is effectively a outdoor museum relating to the World War II period.
Both cities have plenty of museums covering non-World War II history as well. There is a lot of history to cover!
My conclusion – I think Warsaw slightly edges it here.
Depending on your tastes in art, Krakow offers many classical art galleries, whereas Warsaw has these, plus plenty of modern art museums and exhibition spaces.
My conclusion – I prefer modern art, so Warsaw gets my vote here. However, if you prefer classical art then you might prefer Krakow for variety.
Two quick mentions for other museums:
Warsaw – The Polish Vodka Museum which is fantastic and worth a visit. Our tour had an entertaining commentary followed by a tasting experience at the end.
Krakow – Whilst others recommended the Underground Museum to us, beneath the Market Square, my choice would be the Stained-Glass Museum.
My conclusion – Warsaw wins for the Vodka Museum, not just for the vodka, but also for the experience of visiting the repurposed industrial factories and buildings of Koneser in the Praga district.
Krakow was full of cosy restaurants serving traditional Polish food, so finding places to eat formal meals was easy. It also had lots of stalls selling Obwarzanek, a traditional form of twisted bagel, and pirogies (Polish dumplings), both of which were great for lunch on the go.
Warsaw also has the cosy traditional restaurants and pirogies, but we found more modern eateries serving fusion foods and up and coming chefs (such as Zrodlo in the Praga district). Best of all, Warsaw has two food halls in repurposed industrial spaces:
Food Town at the Norblin Factory in the Wola district, and
Elektrownia Powiśle - an old power station near the University of Warsaw library.
These are great for choice and for suiting different tastes in your travel party. It also has fun restaurants and bars on the Vistula Boulevards alongside the river, and in some cases, floating on the river.
My conclusion – Warsaw was my winner here.
Krakow is very busy – not surprising when you consider that it is Poland’s most visited city. The central Market Square, Europe’s largest Medieval square, acts like a magnet for the crowds, and Stag parties. As a result, it can get congested and noisy. It wasn’t my favourite part of the city,, and I preferred finding small cafes and bars down the side streets rather than amongst the crowds in the square.
Warsaw on the other hand didn’t feel quite as busy, maybe because the city is more spread out, and maybe because its visitor numbers are lower.
My conclusion – Warsaw was much quieter and less stressful to explore without crowds.
Krakow gets a special mention here (not on the table) as it is easy to visit some of the other key places of interest in Poland from the city, most notably: the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, and the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
Whilst you can visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial from Warsaw, it is further away and makes for a longer day trip.
My conclusion – Krakow for sights outside of the city.
Krakow is more compact, with a walkable centre. It also has a good tram network. Horse and carriage tours are available around the Old Town from the Market Square, and golf buggy tours are also available.
Warsaw is more spread out and so you might need to use the trams or taxis to visit sites in different areas of the city.
My conclusion – Krakow is easier to explore on a short city break.
I’m sure each city of these two cities would claim to be the ‘Must Visit’ city in Poland, and there’s a degree rivalry between the two cities which has developed over the centuries. However, both are important and worth visiting in their own rights.
Whilst Krakow is arguably the prettiest city, with the biggest visitor numbers and the most buzz around it, Warsaw is exciting as it is revitalising itself, reusing its industrial spaces, and managing to balance the old and the new very well.
Not mentioned above is the fact that both cities sit on the Vistula River (Poland’s longest river), therefore offering boat cruise options and opportunities to walk along riverside promenades and grab a drink overlooking the water.
In terms of the Warsaw or Krakow comparison table, you can see that there’s not much to choose between the two cities. So ultimately, your decision about whether to visit Warsaw or Krakow will depend on the type of activities that you like doing, and who you’re travelling with.
In closing
We really enjoyed our first visit to Poland and experiencing both cities, although our family was split about which city they preferred.
Whilst I preferred Warsaw, others preferred Krakow. Whilst, Krakow looks better, Warsaw is a little bit cooler. Both are steeped in history and have plenty to do on a city break. In many ways they complemented each other.
Either way, you can’t go wrong!
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