5 Best Jewish Quarter Tours in Krakow

Among the things you must do and see in Krakow, you should include a visit to the Jewish quarter. This site, also known as the Krakow Jewish Ghetto, was one of the five large neighbourhoods created by the Nazis during the occupation of Poland in World War II. Today, many sites remain as evidence of one of the greatest stories and crimes in human history.

To explore this neighbourhood, you can choose between walking, cycling or Segway tours. Each tour covers specific attractions and museums. You can choose the one that best suits your time and preferences. Although most are historical tours, some, such as the gastronomic tour, show you another side of this famous neighbourhood.

Krakow's fascinating Jewish quarter is a must-see if you are on holiday in this city. I recommend choosing this tour as it will allow you to discover several attractions in a single day.

During the tour, your guide will tell you the history behind all the sites you visit. The tour lasts approximately 3 hours and costs €50 on average.

After meeting your tour guide and group in Krakow, you will walk to the Jewish quarter, Kazimierz. The walk takes about 20 minutes, depending on the meeting point. Once you arrive in the neighbourhood, you will realise how two cultures, Polish and Jewish, can coexist in the same place.

If you only have two days to explore Krakow, this is the ideal tour for you. When you arrive in Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter, you will pass by Schindler's factory, the site that saved more than 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust.

Other sites you will pass by include Ghetto Heroes Square and the Eagle Pharmacy Museum. This pharmacy often goes unnoticed on visits to the neighbourhood. However, it played an important role in Jewish history as it served as a meeting place and refuge for receiving medicine and food.

The owner of the pharmacy was Polish and refused to leave his home when the Nazis designated the area as the Jewish ghetto. On the tour, you will learn more about this story.

Interesting details

• Price: around £45.
• Duration: approximately 3 hours.
• Transportation: on foot.

If you are interested in food tours in Krakow, I invite you to take a tour like this one to the Kazimierz district. The tour is on foot so you can visit up to 5 restaurants.

The tour lasts around 3 hours so you can take your time tasting all the dishes. The ticket price of around £60 includes food samples at each restaurant.

The Kazimierz district is one of the oldest in Krakow, so its culture and history are evident not only in its historical sites but also in its food. While you taste the food, your guide will tell you the stories behind many of the dishes. They are usually a mixture of Polish and Jewish culture.

The tour guide will tell you which area of the restaurants to go to for a sample of the food. In total , you will try 15 dishes. In addition to the food, you can sample craft beer and local vodka. Other beverages such as water and soft drinks are available if you prefer.

I invite you to take advantage of this tour not only to eat, but also to meet people with similar interests. Food is always a good excuse to strike up a conversation.

In addition to the restaurants you visit, your guide will recommend cafés, bars, and other restaurants. You can add these to your list of the best restaurants in Krakow.

Details of interest

• Price: around £60
• Duration: approximately 3.5 hours.
• Means of transport: on foot

If you don't want to miss any of the Jewish quarter's tourist attractions, I recommend taking this walking tour. At each stop, you'll have enough time to go inside and explore while listening to your guide's stories. The tour lasts approximately 4 hours or more and costs an average of £60.

The first stop is Oskar Schindler's Factory. In this former enamel factory, you will see exhibitions showing what life was like in Krakow during World War II. You can enter for as long as the guide allows and then continue the tour.

The next stop is Ghetto Heroes Square. Here you can admire the monument to the heroes of the ghetto and listen to the historical facts told by the guide.

You will then head to the Father Bernatek Footbridge over the Vistula River, which connects the Kazimierz district with the Podgorze district. Here you will see many tourists hanging padlocks as a symbol of a promise.

The tour also usually stops at the Remuh, Stara, Izaak, Highen and Tempel synagogues.

It also stops at the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, which commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, and at the New Jewish Cemetery.

You will also pass by the old ghetto walls, Szeroka Street, the statue of Jan Karski and the New Square.

Mrs. Dresner's courtyard and staircase is a location eagerly awaited by many visitors, as it appears in Steven Spielberg's film "Schindler's List", so film buffs always stop to take photos.

Interesting details

• Price: around £70
• Duration: approximately 4 hours.
• Transportation: on foot

For some people, walking around Krakow's Jewish quarter can be a little tiring. However, there are other ways to explore this area without any hassle.
On a Segway, you can visit all the most popular tourist attractions in around two hours. The average cost of these tours is £35.
On board this vehicle, you can explore the streets lined with restaurants and bars, as well as the historic side of the Jewish quarter.

The tour begins with a short class or training session. The guide will explain how the Segway works, which is an ideal form of transport for people with reduced mobility.

After this, you will be ready to explore the local streets and markets. You will also pass by Schindler's factory, Heroes of the Ghetto Square, the most famous synagogues, Father Bernatek's Footbridge, among other places of interest.
Please note that the tour does not include admission to any museums or factories, but you will only pass by them. I invite you to pay attention to all the historical information that the guide will share with you along the way.

Details of interest

• Price: around £35.
• Duration: approximately 2 hours.
• Means of transport: Segway.

If you liked the idea of a Segway tour of the Jewish quarter, I'm sure you'll love this bike tour. This option is ideal if you're looking for things to do in Krakow in one day, as you'll not only get to know the Jewish quarter, but also a good part of Krakow. This tour lasts 4 hours and costs an average of £17.

The tour starts at the meeting point agreed in advance with your guide. There you will be assigned a bike and given the necessary instructions. Needless to say, you must know how to ride a bike to avoid accidents.

Not all companies provide helmets and elbow and knee pads. I recommend that you bring your own to avoid injury in the event of an accident.

The tour starts in Krakow's Old Town and follows the city's network of bike lanes. As you ride along, you will see Krakow's Market Square and Wawel Royal Castle. You can visit Krakow Castle on another occasion, as it is a very popular site and well worth seeing.
The Market Square also offers several things to do and is worth a special visit.

The route will take you to Krakow's Jewish quarter. From your bike, you can appreciate the modern part of this area, full of art galleries, restaurants and more. However, you will also pass by synagogues, cemeteries and museums. The guide will allow you to stop at certain points so that you can better appreciate the scenery and take some photographs.

Details of interest

• Price: around £17.
• Duration: 4 hours or less.
• Means of transport: bicycle.

Krakow is a city located in southern Poland where around 60,000 Jews lived. When the German army occupied the city, persecution of Jews intensified.

One of the measures they took was to create a Jewish quarter within Krakow. Today, this site is preserved so that you can visit it and never forget these historical events.

The neighbourhood was surrounded by barbed wire fences and even stone walls. Although the site has now been modernised, you can still see traces of what was perhaps the darkest episode in Polish history. The tour guide will tell you in detail about each of the sites you visit.

Although you could say that every street, wall and corner of this place has a story to tell, there are certain sites that you cannot miss. As mentioned earlier in the article, you will see museums that house the history of the Jews and their persecution. Many of these sites were once factories where Jews worked.

Other sites, such as the Royal Wawel Castle, became the residence of Nazi lawyer Hans Frank, who was appointed Governor General of Poland. You will find other points of interest as well.

As you may have noticed, most tours are done on foot. That's why my main tip is to wear comfortable shoes that allow you to walk freely.

Another important point is what you wear. I also recommend wearing comfortable clothes that allow you to move around easily, although this will depend on the season, as it can get quite cold in Krakow in winter.

If you want to take a bike tour, wear trousers that allow you to ride comfortably. Many accidents happen because people cannot pedal freely due to their clothing or shoes.

On this tour, you will be constantly exposed to the sun. If you are travelling to Krakow in summer, I suggest you take extra care. Always apply sunscreen to your skin and carry a bottle of water to stay hydrated.

If you visit Krakow in winter, you can also take these tours, but always wear coats and clothing that will keep you warm but are still comfortable for you.

Many people often wonder whether it is worth paying for a guided tour or visiting the Jewish quarter on their own. Honestly, both ways have their advantages. However, I recommend visiting this site with a tour guide, because they know all the sites and can take you there more quickly.

On the other hand, if you go on your own, you will most likely have to constantly use your smartphone to check directions on Google Maps. This sometimes prevents you from fully concentrating on the new sites in front of you.

In addition, the tours have already been planned and have an organised schedule so that you can visit all the sites without missing anything. If you go on your own, you may not know exactly how to get around the museums or how much time to spend on each activity.

If you still want to visit this place on your own, I recommend planning your day carefully, checking distances and ticket prices.