Tip #1: Learn to love pierogi.
Polish cuisine is built on pork, but pierogi save you. Ruskie (potato and cheese), mushroom, spinach, and sauerkraut fillings are all pork-free. Handmade at milk bars (bar mleczny) for practically nothing. A full plate with sour cream and fried onions costs 15 to 25 PLN (3.50 to 6 euros). This is your daily staple.
Tip #2: Find the kebab shops near the Old Town.
Halal restaurants in Krakow number in the single digits, and most are kebab shops. Beirut Shawarma Kebab and Falafel near the Main Square does reliable Lebanese shawarma and falafel with halal meat. Halal Baraka in the Old Town does Turkish-style doner and chicken shish. A kebab costs 20 to 30 PLN (4 to 7 euros).
Tip #3: Use the vegetarian strategy.
Milk bars serve subsidised Polish comfort food and the vegetarian options are always safe. Barszcz (beetroot soup) is vegetarian and served everywhere. Placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes) with sour cream are filling and cheap. Zapiekanka (open-faced baguette with mushrooms and cheese) is Krakow street food from the stalls at Plac Nowy in Kazimierz. The vegetarian versions cost about 12 PLN.
Tip #4: Visit Al Medina in Kazimierz.
In the former Jewish quarter (now the bohemian arts district), Al Medina on ulica Szeroka serves mixed grills, falafel, and Middle Eastern salads with halal meat. This is a proper sit-down meal in an atmospheric setting rather than a quick kebab. Kazimierz also has the city's best concentration of vegan restaurants.
Tip #5: Book Auschwitz weeks in advance.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is 70 km west. Timed entry tickets sell out. Book online well ahead. Regular buses depart from the main bus station and take about 1.5 hours for 15 to 20 PLN. A guided tour from Krakow (which includes transport and context) is the better option. Allow a full day.
Tip #6: Pray at the Islamic Centre or Al-Mabarrat Mosque.
Islamic Centre Krakow, built in 2011, holds daily prayers and Jumu'ah. The community is small but welcoming. Al-Mabarrat Mosque in Podgorze, opened in 2017, is a proper purpose-built facility with a larger congregation. It is across the river near Schindler's Factory, so factor in travel time. For daily prayers, your accommodation is the most realistic option. Carry a travel prayer mat.
Tip #7: Ask "Czy jest wieprzowina?"
This means "Is there pork?" in Polish. Write it on your phone. At milk bars, the staff are older and English is less reliable, so pointing at dishes and asking directly keeps you safe. Younger Krakowians in the tourist areas speak good English.
Tip #8: Enjoy the cheapest prices in the EU.
Krakow is one of Europe's best-value major cities. A milk bar meal costs 15 to 25 PLN. A restaurant dinner is 30 to 60 PLN. An Uber across the city runs 15 to 30 PLN. Your food budget here is half of what it would be in Paris or Amsterdam. Uber and Bolt are remarkably cheap; use them freely.
Tip #9: Stand in the Main Square at dusk.
The Rynek Glowny is the largest medieval square in Europe. Every hour, a trumpeter plays from St. Mary's tower. The sound just stops mid-phrase because the original trumpeter was shot through the throat by a Tatar arrow. A tradition born from violence, preserved for 700 years. Come at different times of day; the square changes character completely.
Tip #10: Go underground at Wieliczka.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine, 15 km south, has chambers and chapels carved entirely from rock salt, chandeliers made of salt crystals, and an underground lake. The Chapel of St. Kinga, carved from salt 100 metres below ground, is one of the most extraordinary spaces in Europe. UNESCO World Heritage.
Krakow's halal score is low but the city is not. The medieval square, the salt mine, and Auschwitz make the food planning worthwhile.