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The long arcaded Cloth Hall in the middle of Kraków's Main Market Square under a blue sky, with a church tower at the left edge

Where to stay in Kraków

Photographed in 2020. Photo: Zygmunt Put, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Kraków

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About Kraków

Since 1 January 2026 a clean transport zone covers about 60 per cent of Kraków, and a foreign-registered car must be entered in its system even when it meets the standard. The Old Town and the streets around Plac Nowy in Kazimierz are restricted traffic zones, so the areas differ in how close a car can get.

Poland. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Kraków Airport (KRK) at Balice, several kilometres west of the city centre according to the tourism board and about 11 km from the Main Market Square (straight line); the train to Kraków Główny takes about 20 minutes, with buses 252 and 208 and night bus 902. Source
Visitor levy
None in 2026. Kraków collected the opłata miejscowa from 2004 to 2015, then abolished it. Source
Clean transport zone
Since 1 January 2026, about 60% of the city: petrol cars from Euro 4 or built 2005 or later, diesels from Euro 6 or 2014. Foreign-registered cars must be entered in the SCT system. Source
Clean zone and the courts
A court ruling of 14 January 2026 struck out the zone's rules on residents' registration; it is not final and the voivode has appealed, so the zone applies. Source
Paid street parking
Subzone A every day 09:00 to 22:00, PLN 9 / 10 / 11 for the first three hours; B and C Monday to Saturday, from PLN 8 and PLN 7. Unpaid: PLN 400, or PLN 200 within 7 days. Source
Restricted traffic zones
The Old Town inside the first ring road and around Wawel, and Kazimierz around Plac Nowy: residents with permits, garage access, deliveries at set times, taxis. Source
A4 motorway toll
Katowice to Kraków: PLN 18 for a car at each of the Mysłowice and Balice toll plazas, from 1 April 2026. Source
Short-term rental rules
A bill that would give every short-let flat an ID number for its listings passed committee on 17 September 2026 and awaits its second reading in the Sejm. Not law yet. Source
Registration
Foreigners staying in Poland up to 30 days are exempt. Beyond that, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens register by the 30th day at the address, other nationals by the fourth day. Source
Short stays for non-EU visitors
90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. Source
Currency
Polish złoty (PLN). Source
Emergency numbers
112; police 997, ambulance 999 Source

Areas of Kraków

The Cloth Hall and the Adam Mickiewicz monument on Kraków's Main Market Square, with café umbrellas along the arcades
Photo: Igor123121, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Old Town (Stare Miasto)

The medieval city around the Main Market Square, staked out with the charter of 1257 and once the largest square of medieval Europe, with the Cloth Hall, St Mary's and the Town Hall Tower; UNESCO listed the centre in 1978. It suits a first visit on foot.

Kraków airport
about 11 km
Main Market Square
under 1 km

Car and parking

The whole area inside the first ring road and around Wawel is a restricted traffic zone, open to residents with an A1 permit, garage access, deliveries at set times and taxis. Whether hotel guests may drive in was not verified.

Szeroka Street in Kazimierz, a wide cobbled street with tall trees, a weeping willow and historic houses, with cars parked along one side
Photographed in 2020. Photo: Zygmunt Put, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kazimierz

The town Casimir the Great founded south of Wawel in the 14th century, for centuries a Christian and Jewish town around Szeroka Street and its synagogues, and since 1989 a district of galleries, restaurants, pubs, small hotels, B&Bs and hostels, with the flea market on Plac Nowy. It suits evenings out.

Kraków airport
about 12 km
Main Market Square
about 1 km

Car and parking

The streets around Plac Nowy form a restricted traffic zone. Sector A13 of the paid zone, around ulica Dietla, charges subzone A rates: PLN 9 for the first hour, every day from 09:00 to 22:00.

Podgórski Market Square in Kraków's Podgórze district seen from its southern end, with a patterned pavement, a pedestrian crossing, trees and townhouses around the square
Photo: Zygmunt Put, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Podgórze and Zabłocie

The right bank of the Vistula: an Austrian town from 1784 and part of Kraków since 1915, with its own market square and the Krakus Mound, and in Zabłocie Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory at ulica Lipowa 4, now a branch of the Museum of Kraków. It suits a stay across the river from the centre.

Kraków airport
about 12 km
Main Market Square
about 2 km

Car and parking

From 10 August 2026 subzone C of the paid zone covers the Podgórze Cemetery area, at PLN 7 for the first hour, Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 22:00. The subzone covering Rynek Podgórski itself was not confirmed.

Aerial view of Central Square in Nowa Huta, a green lawn framed by symmetrical apartment blocks and avenues fanning out to the north
Photographed in 2020. Photo: Piotr Tomaszewski-Guillon / dronographyapplied.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nowa Huta

The model city built from the 1950s east of Kraków beside the steelworks, on the land of the village of Mogiła, with Central Square, the Wanda Mound and the Cistercian abbey of Mogiła. It suits travellers interested in post-war architecture and a longer stay away from the centre.

Kraków airport
about 18 km
Main Market Square
about 7 km

Car and parking

Paid street parking was not found for Nowa Huta. The city's P+R car parks at tram terminals sell a ticket that covers one person's rides in the first city ticket zone until the end of the parking day.

Guides

Questions

Does a foreign rental car need to be registered for the Kraków clean transport zone?

Yes. A car registered abroad must be entered in the SCT system by its user even when it meets the standard, with a copy of the registration document, the make, model, year and emission standard.

Does Kraków charge a tourist tax?

No. Kraków collected the opłata miejscowa from 2004 to 2015 and then abolished it; no visitor levy applies in 2026.

Can a car drive into Kraków Old Town?

Only with a reason the rules allow. The whole area inside the first ring road and around Wawel is a restricted traffic zone, open to residents with an A1 permit, access to private garages, deliveries at set times and taxis.

How much is street parking in central Kraków?

In subzone A, PLN 9 for the first hour, PLN 10 for the second and PLN 11 for the third, every day from 09:00 to 22:00. Subzones B and C cost less and are free on Sundays.