Kraków is a university town that sets the tone for a vibrant nightlife that has been further enhanced by the advent of the tourist bar circuit. But don’t let that put you off, there are plenty of easy-to-find, under-the-radar drinking spots in this city, where you can enjoy a variety of vodkas or a thriving craft beer scene. In fact, it’s claimed that there are more bars per capita here than anywhere else in Europe. Don’t miss the jazz bars, which became popular in Poland in the Twenties and Thirties but were banned by the communists after World War II as ‘alien to the working class’. However, they were allowed back in 1956.
For more inspiration about Krakow, check out our guides to the best hotels, restaurants and things to do.
Sky Bar
The Sky Bar, located on the 6th floor of the Hotel Stary, offers great views over the Cloth Hall on the main market square and St. Mary’s Basilica. It’s also great for cocktails and mocktails – try the grapefruit daiquiri. Snacks are also available, from healthy homemade pickles like chard, radish and cucumber to breaded shrimp with chips and mayonnaise. In the middle of the city’s bustling bar scene, this is the place to enjoy a drink in peace and with a view.
To contact: stary.hotel.com.pl
Price: ££
Enter: Walk-ins are welcome
Harris Piano Jazz Bar
An absolute pillar of Kraków’s jazz scene, Harris Piano Jazz Bar has been drawing crowds since its arrival in 1997 with its jam sessions. Most days of the week are dedicated to something different: blues and rock ’n’ roll on Fridays, classical jazz on Sundays, and jam sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Some big names have passed through the doors of this dimly lit basement beneath the cobblestones of the Main Market Square, so sit back, order a beer, and enjoy.
To contact: 00 48 12 421 5741; harris.krakow.pl
Price: £
Enter: Reservation recommended
Mercy Brown Bar
This secret bar-turned-bar (the entrance is hidden) is said to be the best cocktail bar in the city. When you find the door to the Smakołyki restaurant, you enter a scene of ‘roaring twenties’ elegance with velvet armchairs, gold curtains, soft candlelight, chandeliers and ruffled lampshades, and electro swing music. The staff make their own tinctures, there’s a range of liqueurs and craft drinks, and cocktails range from Bubblekiwi (Polish vodka, ginger, kiwi and sparkling wine) to Teatime (gin, jasmine tea syrup and elderflower liqueur). There’s live jazz on Sundays.
To contact: 00 48 531 706 692; Facebook page
Price: ££
Enter: Smart clothing is recommended; reservations are required.
Bunkier Cafe
This café is attached to the Polish contemporary art gallery Bunkier Sztuki and opens onto a lovely garden in the leafy Planty surrounding the Old Town. Beer is their thing and they serve unpasteurised draught beer and tank beer here – fresh, chilled and very tasty. The food is nice and simple – salads, burgers, cakes but their coffee is known as some of the best in town. It has a nice, relaxed atmosphere – the kind of place you’d stop in for an evening drink and stay until closing time at 1am.
To contact: 00 48 12 431 05 85; sheltercafe.pl
Opening hours: Every day, from 9am to 1pm
Price: £
Enter: No reservation required
Alchemy
One of Kraków’s most evocative bars: its old photographs, dim candlelight and antique furniture transport you straight back to the Kazimierz (old Jewish Quarter) of yore. Its cellar hosts some of the city’s best concerts and is a staple of the annual jazz and klezmer festivals. If hunger strikes, head next door to Alchemia od Kuchnia, where service comes with a smile and, surrounded by exposed brick walls, you can munch on falafel and other street food gems before heading back to the music scene.
To contact: 00 48 12 421 22 00; simya.com.pl
Price: £
Enter: No reservation required
Old City of Krakow by DeSilva
This former tram depot from 1913, right in the centre of Kazimierz, is now a UNESCO heritage site, with its rare timber-framed ‘Prussian wall’ filled with bricks. Opened in 2012, it has been completely renovated and now houses the city’s largest beer hall, a microbrewery, a restaurant and a garden. Flat-screen TVs broadcast sports. Many of the beers are innovative, from light lagers with lemon blossom honey to pear wheat beers and pressed apple juice lagers. The restaurant serves modern Polish cuisine, with an emphasis on fish.
To contact: Ulica Św. Wawrzyńca 12; starazajezdniakrakow.pl
Price: £
Enter: No reservation required
Wódka Cafe Bar
If you’re looking to delve into the world of Polish vodka, this tiny bar is the place for you. They have over 100 different flavours, from chocolate to chilli, earl grey to blackthorn. Order a sample of six on a board and see how it goes. It’s inevitably popular with tourists who love vodka shot culture, which means the cosy two-storey interior can get crowded – but go early and get the tasting menu if you can, or relax and pace yourself with a long drink prepared by the mixologists behind the bar.
To contact: 00 48 12 4223214; Facebook page
Price: £
Enter: We are open to participation without an appointment.
Hedwig’s Bar, Stradom House
Hedwig’s Bar is a defunct chapel inside the recently opened Stradom House, an Autograph Collection hotel with beautiful frescoes on its 14th-century walls and a magnificent chandelier hanging from the domed ceiling. It serves cocktails (try the Lady with an Ermine, named after Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the same name and not to be missed at the Czartoryski Museum) and music with a live DJ to a lively, elegant crowd. There are also light bites, from beef tartare with garlic toast to mini octopus burgers.
To contact: stradomhouse.com/hedwigs
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Piec Art Acoustic Jazz Club
This jazz club opened in 1999 and has since managed to remain at the forefront of Kraków’s respected jazz scene, attracting some of the jazz world’s biggest acts to its stage. Live concerts are held most nights in the vaulted brick cellars, drawing a crowd of artists. The cocktail bar menu covers all the classic drinks of the cocktail trade, with plenty of Cuba Libre when Latin jazz takes over, and other specialities such as the ‘Bartender fantasy’, a heady fusion of malibu and vodka.
To contact: 00 48 12 429 6425; cakecart.pl
Opening hours: Every day, 07.30-02.00
Enter: We are open to participation without an appointment.
Sled and Fryer
Those looking for a late night bite to eat can’t do better than head here for the absolute twin pillars of Polish cuisine: vodka and herring. Pickled herring is served in as many different ways as vodka has, and one easily slips into the other. Having opened the first vodka and herring bar with Ambasador Śledzia, the group is so popular that they now have three branches in the city, but this one on pretty Stolarska Street wins the culinary praise.
Address: Ulica Stolarska 5, Krakow, Poland
To contact: 00 48 662 5694 60
Opening hours: Every day, 12:00-04:00; Friday-Saturday, 12:00-06:00
Price: £
Enter: We are open to participation without an appointment.
How we choose
Every bar, venue or experience on this curated list has been tried and tested by our visiting destination expert to give you the insider’s perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from relaxed pubs to sophisticated cocktail bars, to suit every type of traveller, and take service, drinks, atmosphere and price into consideration in our recommendations. We regularly update this list to keep up to date with the latest openings and up-to-date recommendations.