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As in any big city in the world you have to watch your belongings, as there are pickpockets around.I the few days I was in Krakow I had to pull back my bag from a pickpocket and saw a young man who had his wallet stolen.
We were in a restaurant and I had put my bag on the floor next to me, luckily with only my umbrella in it. This man came in, sat down behind me and started to rummage in his jacket, when I saw my bag moving towards him. I pulled it back, the man got up and left. He hadn't even pretended to order food.
The young man had his wallet stolen in the crowds in Auschwitz. Of course, people are distracted by what they see and hear there, so it's easy for pickpockets.
Be very careful. Leave a Comment
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If you arrive into Krakow by train as we did you will come across a lot of touts at the train station offering accommodation. This is actually illegal.
Also, at the bus station when we were taking a daytrip to Wieliczka there were touts trying to offer transport there, and they can be VERY pushy! We explained that the bus only cost 4zl yet they still tried to get us on a bus charging 70zl!
Overall though Krakow is a very safe place to visit. Leave a Comment
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Maybe it sounds like a truism, but loosing youself in Krakow is really possible and even dangerous.
If you are here for tourist or business purposes you are probably interested to stay in the center. Sometimes it can be mistake, since there are also many places worthy of attention outside the Planty Garden which surrounds the historic center.
Krakow's population is about 750 thousand which makes it the third biggest city in Poland. Although for most foreigners it is probably not so huge, since they are usually experienced with visiting bigger cities, remember: most of inhabitants have normal life, regardless of all the tourist spots. Moreover, outside tourist spots there won't be many sign-posts and people who will speak English or other foreign languages (try to speak rather to the younger of them).
Many piece of quaint and valuable architecture are in other districts, as well as a great number natural, recreational or sports objects such as lakelets, rocks, parks, pools, stadiums etc. They are usually not concentrated in one tight space as those from the down-town are, but spread on all city's territory and its neighborhood. So you would better have precisely route before you start. It is probably not a good idea to wonder by public transport without clear destination. Especially by night, since almost all the nightlife is going on only few points outside center and very limited buses go after 11 PM.
Statistically Krakow is less dangerous than other of the biggest cities in Poland, but otherwise you should be watchful, since everyone can have bad luck. As I suppose the center is more exposed for typical criminality (pickpockets, sharps, frauds...), while in the peripheries you can easier contact with heavy drunkers or gangs of hooligans. If something is going wrong in the former place you probably easier can get a help, since there are more police and more people speak foreign languages there.
But do not panic. Everything should be all right if only you will keep your rationality on. Leave a Comment
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There are many dogs in Krakow, unfortunately also many dog owners who don't clean up after their dogs.While the market square and the streets around it are cleaned every day, the further away you walk from the central area the more you have to watch your step. Leave a Comment
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 by jo104
In Krakow the male & female toilets are often behind one door & more then likely share one sink. Some places a little more space friendly have one toilet with the added bonus of a urinal so I suppose this doubles as a his & hers toilet break.
Most places now display male & female toilets clearly, however we came across a few old style signs and therein lies the danger. Ladies walk into the door marked with an upside down triangle & you'll be entering the little boys room so look for the door marked with a circle for your tinkle.
Please bear in mind that usually a couple of zloty is required to use the toilet, this can be the case in restaurants & bars even, we found this at the maska bar. I did not see one public toilet in my time in Krakow so I couldn't say if there are any. Leave a Comment
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 Street people by leics
Just be aware that, like anywhere else, there are people in Krakow whose lives are pretty miserable. Think ahead about how you want to react. Leave a Comment
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 by Gili_S
At list the tourist areas I visited, the old city the Jewish quarter seems rather safe to me, I did hang around till 4 am. and I never felt uncomfortable, it was peaceful and relax wherever I went to.
I can mention also that the police and private security is present everywhere, which help to keep the order. Leave a Comment
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For some reason, many museums and other tourist attractions in Krakow close at 3PM or 3:30PM. Also, some museums will not let anyone enter less than 30 minutes before closing time. As a result, you need to start your Krakow sightseeing days early. Also, Wawel Castle has limits on how many visitors that it admits inside per day, so you need to buy tickets in advance to see the interiors. Leave a Comment
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 Latte and cheescake by doogienj
If you pay in cash, despite your usual habit of maybe saying Thank You when the waiter picks up your cash for payment. If you say Thank You in Poland, it means - Keep the change! They will NOT come back with change.
And you can tell that they want to initiate a Thank You. So I would just ignore them, let them bring me my change, and then leave the tip. Usually 10%.
If you say Thank You and then ask where your change is, you will most probably be embarrassed and have to argue with a manager. Leave a Comment
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When traveling on the overnight train from Krakow to Prague we had a very unpleasant experience with the conductor. We had pre-purchased reservations for a sleeper car for 5 people and were traveling with eurorail's east pass. When we got to the sleeper car I handed the conductor both the passes and reservations. He quickly pocketed the reservation and said for more money we could have a sleeper car. He then pretended not to understand english when I questioned where our pass had gone.
All in all it cost about $20 extra per person to bribe our way into a sleeper car we already had reservations for! My recommendation is to not hand over any reservations until you are in the car. Leave a Comment
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