Best hotels in Krakow: eight places to stay, from the Old Town to Kazimierz

A renaissance townhouse off the square

Hotel Stary sits on Szczepańska, a few steps from the north-west corner of the square, in a townhouse with a renaissance facade and vaulted cellars below. The rooftop terrace looks across the red roofs to the towers of St Mary's, and it is the kind of place where a pre-dinner drink turns into a second one.

Rooms are generous for the Old Town, with stone, wood and heavy fabrics rather than anything trendy, and the spa down in the cellars is a good answer to a rainy afternoon. It is ideal for a first visit and couples who want the square close without hearing it. Light sleepers should ask for a room away from the street on weekends.

The quiet street up to Wawel

Kanonicza is the one street in the Old Town that stays quiet on a Saturday night. It runs from the square towards Wawel, lined with old canons' houses, and Hotel Copernicus occupies one of them, with painted ceilings, a small courtyard and a roof terrace that faces the castle.

This is the pick for a romantic weekend. There are not many rooms, the service is personal and you are a short climb from Wawel in one direction and the square in the other. Families with young children may find the rooms and the atmosphere a little too hushed.

An old coaching inn on the royal route

Pod Różą means under the rose, and the hotel sits on Floriańska, the main street between the city gate and the square, which kings once used on their way to coronation. It is one of the oldest hotels in Krakow, and at its heart is a covered courtyard that works as a breakfast room and a refuge from the crowds outside.

You stay here for the address and the sense of history rather than modern polish. Rooms facing the courtyard are the calmer choice, because Floriańska is busy from morning to late evening. It is right for travellers who want to step out of the door and be in the middle of everything.

The smart choice by the Planty

PURO stands on Ogrodowa, just outside the Planty on the north side, between the main station and the Old Town. It is a young Polish design brand, with bright rooms, good coffee in the lobby and beds that take sleep seriously, and you reach the square in about ten minutes through the park.

For the price, it is one of the best-value stays in the city. You give up the medieval atmosphere of the Old Town, but you gain quiet nights, easy access from the airport train and a hotel that feels current rather than preserved. A sound choice for a first trip on a budget.

The river and the castle across the road

Sheraton Grand sits on the riverbank directly below Wawel. From the rooms facing the water you see the Vistula and its bridges, and from the rooftop bar, open in the warmer months, the castle feels close enough to touch. It is a big international hotel, and it behaves like one: reliable, well run and generous with space.

It is a strong pick for travellers who want space and predictability, and families who appreciate larger rooms and a pool. You lose some of the character of the older houses, but the walk along the river into the Old Town takes about ten minutes and is one of the nicest in the city.

A rooftop pool and Kazimierz over the bridge

Qubus is on the south bank in Podgórze, next to the Bernatka footbridge, which takes you over to Kazimierz in a few minutes. The hotel is modern and roomy, and the pool on the top floor, with glass walls looking out over the river and the old town beyond, is its party piece.

It is our pick for families: the rooms are practical, the pool keeps children happy after a day of sightseeing and Podgórze is calmer than Kazimierz at night. Couples looking for old-world charm will find it too functional, but the view from the water is hard to argue with.

A rooftop over the old synagogues

Rubinstein faces Szeroka, the long, wide square at the centre of Kazimierz, with the Old Synagogue at one end and the Remuh Synagogue and its cemetery nearby. The hotel occupies a restored townhouse, and its roof terrace gives you a view over the quarter's rooftops that few visitors see.

Stay here if you want Kazimierz at its best: early mornings on an empty Szeroka and evenings that end a few doors from your bed. Bear in mind that the quarter is lively at weekends, so ask for a room at the back if you want to sleep before midnight.

Between two neighbourhoods

Metropolitan sits on Berka Joselewicza, a small street that links Kazimierz with the edge of the Old Town. It is a small hotel with muted colours, a lot of dark wood and a breakfast that regulars mention more than the rooms. You can walk to Wawel in ten minutes and to Plac Nowy in five.

It appeals to couples and design-minded travellers who want to be close to Kazimierz without being in the middle of its weekend noise. It has fewer facilities than the bigger hotels, so look elsewhere if a pool or a spa matters to you.