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A self-guided walking tour of the Jewish Quarter in Krakow

Kazimierz and former ghetto walk

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Answer in brief

A self-guided walking tour of the Jewish Quarter in Krakow runs from the Old Town to Szeroka Street, then over the footbridge to the former ghetto in Podgorze.

Route essentials

  • 20 minute walk from the centre1
  • At least 4 hours for Kazimierz2
  • Working synagogues shut on Saturday4

Find out about 32 stops

Kazimierz and Podgórze, place by place

Select a route, then tap a marker or stop to see its note and open Google Maps.

Map from the Main Market Square past Wawel and the Vistula boulevards to the Father Bernatek Footbridge

  1. Laid out with the city charter of 1257; the usual start of a walk to Kazimierz.

    Google Maps

  2. The limestone hill above the Vistula, Krakow's ancient seat of power.

    Google Maps

  3. Riverside paths for walking and cycling at the foot of Wawel.

    Google Maps

  4. Built in 2010 between Kazimierz and Podgórze, lit from beneath at night.

    Google Maps

Map source: © OpenStreetMap contributors

A route on foot from the Old Town through Kazimierz to the former ghetto in Podgorze, with the doors that open on which days, the Saturday closures, and when a guide is worth it instead.

Editorial team, krakowjewishquartertour.click · Updated November 9, 2026 · 7 min of reading

Key facts

  • Getting thereThe quarter lies a 20 minute walk from the city centre.1
  • Time neededAt least 4 hours for Kazimierz alone.2
  • Heart of itSzeroka Street, where the Old and Remuh synagogues still operate.3
  • SaturdaySynagogues run by the community shut on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.4
  • Across the riverThe Father Bernatek footbridge leads to Podgorze.5

Why walk Kazimierz on your own, and when not to

A self-guided walking tour of the Jewish Quarter in Krakow lets you go at your own speed, stay as long as you like at the cemetery or a memorial, and step inside the synagogues and museums that interest you. The quarter is compact and the streets are easy to follow.

What you lose is the story that connects the places. Many buildings in Kazimierz look ordinary until someone tells you what they were, and in Podgorze the ghetto has almost vanished into a normal city district. If this is your first visit and you have a single morning, the guided walk sold on this site covers both banks in 2.5 hours from €17.

A good compromise is to do both: take the guided walk early in your stay, then come back on your own with this route to see the interiors and the places you want more time with. The rest of this page gives a route, the opening days that shape it, and the practical details for a day on foot. Read it once before you set out, then keep the map open on your phone: the stops are close together, and the order matters more than the distances.

Stop by stop

The main stops on a self-guided route

StopWhat it isClosedEntry
Old SynagogueMuseum of Jewish history21Some holidays22PLN 22, free Monday23,24
RemuhWorking synagogue and cemetery25Saturdays, holidays26PLN 15 / 25 donation27
TempelReform synagogue7Saturdays, holidays4PLN 15 / 20 donation28
Eagle PharmacyMuseum in the ghetto10Monday, Tuesday19PLN 22, free Wednesday29,30
Schindler's FactoryMuseum of the occupation31First Tuesday monthly20PLN 60, free Monday32,33

Hours and fees per the museum and the official city site; holidays change them.18,4

How far is Kazimierz from the Old Town in Krakow?

How far is Kazimierz from the Old Town in Krakow? Not far: the Galicia Jewish Museum, in the heart of the quarter, describes itself as a short taxi ride or a 20 minute walk from the city centre.1 The walk from the Main Market Square to Szeroka Street is an easy one on level streets, and it takes you past the foot of Wawel on the way. In practice the Old Town and Kazimierz feel like neighbouring parts of the same walk rather than separate trips, which is why it is easy to combine them in a single day.

The most attractive way in is along the river. The Polish Tourism Organisation suggests walking or cycling along the Vistula from Wawel toward Kazimierz.13 That route passes beneath the castle hill and enters the quarter from the west, through the Catholic part of Kazimierz around Wolnica Square, before you reach the old Jewish streets to the east.

If walking is hard, trams make the trip short. From the city centre, lines 3, 9, 19, 24 and 50 stop at Miodowa, close to the museum and Szeroka Street.14 Validate your ticket as soon as you board, because inspectors fine passengers with an invalid or unvalidated ticket.15 Taxis are another option for the return in the evening; use an official one, marked with the company name and telephone number and showing a rate card in the window.16

Plan by closing time

When the doors on the route close on a winter weekday

  • Tempel16:00
  • Remuh cemetery16:00
  • Old Synagogue17:00
  • Eagle Pharmacy17:00
  • Schindler's Factory20:00

Closing times per the city museum and the community that runs the synagogues; synagogues close at 18:00 in summer, so check the venue before you go.4,17,18,19,20

The route through the old Jewish town

Start at Wolnica Square, once the market square of the town of Kazimierz, beside the Church of Corpus Christi; King Casimir the Great founded the town in the 14th century.35,6 Walk east along Jozefa Street, where the High Synagogue stands; like the Izaak Synagogue on its side street, it is shut for the time being, so you see it from the pavement.36,37 The Kupa Synagogue nearby is currently closed to visitors.38

Plac Nowy, the square with the round market hall at the centre of the quarter, comes next; it is known for its flea market.39 From there, walk to Szeroka Street, the elongated square at the heart of the old Jewish town, where 4 synagogues once stood and the Old and Remuh synagogues still operate.3

The Old Synagogue at 24 Szeroka Street holds the Museum of Krakow's exhibition on the history and culture of the Jews of Krakow.21 Its hours are 10:00 to 15:00 on Monday and 9:00 to 17:00 from Tuesday to Sunday, and Monday entry is free.18,24 Further up the square, the Remuh synagogue and its cemetery, with burials going back to 1551, are closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.40,26

Shape your walk

Which version of the walk suits you

Choose what matters to you and the matching route appears.

  • If I have a free morning and want the essentials

    The Kazimierz loop

    Szeroka Street holds the Old and Remuh synagogues.3

  • If I want the history of the ghetto too

    Both banks on foot

    The footbridge leads from Kazimierz to Podgorze.5

  • If I am visiting on a Saturday

    Streets and museums

    The working synagogues close on Saturday.4

  • If I want to save on entry fees

    A Monday walk

    The Old Synagogue and the factory are free on Monday.24,33

  • If I would rather be told the story

    The guided walk

    A guide for both banks, 2.5 hours, from €17.

Pick a version

Short loop, both banks, or with the museums

Shortest

The Kazimierz loop

Old Jewish town only

  • CoversSzeroka, Plac Nowy
  • Best daySunday to Friday
  • PaceUnhurried
See the map

Fullest walk

Both banks on foot

Kazimierz and Podgorze

  • CrossesFootbridge
  • IncludesGhetto square, wall
  • PaceSteady
See the map

Most inside

The museum day

Interiors first

  • IncludesOld Synagogue, factory
  • Best dayNot the first Tuesday
  • BookFactory slot ahead
See the map

From Szeroka Street to the river

From the northern end of Szeroka Street, walk to Miodowa Street and the Tempel Synagogue, a reform synagogue.7 Like the community's other synagogues it opens 10:00 to 18:00 in summer and 10:00 to 16:00 in winter, never on Saturdays, and entry is by a donation of PLN 15 / 20.4,28 Nearby on Dajwor Street is the Galicia Jewish Museum, which is worth an hour if you want photographs and context before crossing the river.1

Further along Miodowa Street, at number 55, the New Jewish Cemetery covers nearly 19 hectares with 10,000 gravestones.101 It is a quiet detour of its own and well worth an extra hour if you have it. The oldest gravestone there dates from 1809, and some of the most prominent Jews of Krakow from that time onward are buried in it, including the painter Maurycy Gottlieb.101 Men are usually asked to cover their heads in Jewish cemeteries, so carry a hat or cap.

To cross into Podgorze, head south through the quarter to the Vistula and the Father Bernatek footbridge, built in 2010 to link Kazimierz and Podgorze.5 The 145-metre bridge carries balancing sculptures by Jerzy Kedzior and is lit from below at night.8 Pause in the middle: the view back over Kazimierz shows how close the ghetto was to the homes its people were taken from.

The route

A day on foot through both districts

  1. Start

    Wolnica Square

    The old market square of the royal town of Kazimierz.6

  2. Next

    Szeroka Street

    The Old and Remuh synagogues still operate here.3

  3. Then

    Tempel and Miodowa

    A reform synagogue, closed on Saturday.7,4

  4. Crossing

    The footbridge

    The 145-metre Father Bernatek footbridge to Podgorze.8

  5. Podgorze

    The ghetto square

    The memorial of chairs and the Eagle Pharmacy.9,10

  6. Finish

    Schindler's Factory

    The museum on Lipowa Street, by timed ticket.11,12

Into Podgorze and the former ghetto

On the far bank, head for Bohaterow Getta Square, once Zgody Square, with its memorial of empty chairs.9 People were assembled here for the deportations, and the chairs stand for the household things abandoned when the ghetto was emptied.9 At number 18 on the square, the Eagle Pharmacy is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 17:00, and is free on Wednesday.10,19,30

What remains of the ghetto wall can be seen in 2 sections, the first on Lwowska Street and the second behind a school at 60/62 Limanowskiego Street.102 The fragment at 29 Lwowska Street is the easier to find and is named by the Polish Tourism Organisation.103 Stand there for a moment and look at the arches, which were shaped to resemble tombstones.104

End the walk at Schindler's Factory on Lipowa Street, where the Museum of Krakow's exhibition on the occupation needs a timed ticket and a few hours of its own.11,31 If the factory does not fit into the same day, the page on Schindler's Factory explains how to book it. Entry closes 1.5 hours before the museum does, and the same ticket covers the Eagle Pharmacy for 7 days.105,106

Video

Walking the old Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz

Walking Channel on YouTube · Tap play to load the video; not before.

The area around Szeroka, Izaaka, Miodowa, and Józefa streets tells the story of Polish Jews through architecture and tradition.
Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel)34

Pack and plan

For a day on foot in Jewish Krakow

Plan3

  • Avoid Saturday for the working synagogues4
  • Allow at least 4 hours for Kazimierz2
  • Book a factory slot online if you want it100

Carry3

  • Small notes for a PLN 15 / 25 synagogue donation27
  • Comfortable shoes for the cobbles
  • Water, and a layer for the river wind

Respect3

  • Dress modestly for synagogues and cemeteries
  • Keep voices low at the memorials
  • Validate any tram ticket as you board15

Which doors open on which days

The weekly rhythm matters more here than in most districts. The working synagogues shut for the Sabbath on Saturdays and for Jewish holidays.4 A Saturday walk is therefore a day for the streets, the squares and the museums. On Fridays the community's synagogues also close earlier, because Shabbat begins, so start early if Friday is your only day.107

Monday is the free day at both the Old Synagogue and Schindler's Factory, and Wednesday at the Eagle Pharmacy.24,33,30 The pharmacy is closed on Monday and Tuesday, so a Monday walk sees it only from the outside.19 Schindler's Factory opens until 20:00 from Tuesday to Sunday, the latest of the stops on this route.20

Sunday or a day from Wednesday to Friday works best, when the museums and the working synagogues on the route all open. Check holiday hours before you go: the Museum of Krakow closes all its branches on 1 November, and Jewish holidays close the working synagogues.108,26 In summer, the first Saturday of July brings the closing concert of the Jewish Culture Festival to Szeroka Street, a joyful evening but not the day for a quiet walk.109

When a guide is worth it instead

A guide earns the fee where the walls do not tell the story. The ghetto in Podgorze is the clearest case: 320 tenement houses once made up the ghetto, and almost nothing marks them today besides the memorials and the surviving wall.110,102 Our walk takes 2.5 hours over both districts, and its listing marks it as suitable for wheelchairs.

For the ghetto alone, there is a guided walk of 1 hour from €15, or the museum-led Former Ghetto walk of 2 hours.111 On your own, use the map on this page as a walking tour map of the Jewish Quarter in Krakow, and read the ghetto page before you cross the river. Knowing where the wall ran and where people were gathered turns a quiet district of ordinary streets into a place you can actually read.

Whatever you choose, give the walk time. The Polish Tourism Organisation suggests at least 4 hours for Kazimierz, and Podgorze deserves a calm hour more.2 Wear comfortable shoes for the cobbles, carry water, and keep your voice low at the memorials and in the cemeteries. If you see people praying at a synagogue or a grave, give them space, and save your photographs for the streets and the exteriors. Kazimierz is a living Jewish place as well as a historic one, and the best visitors behave as guests.

FAQ

The short answers to your questions.

How long does it take to walk to Kazimierz?
About 20 minutes.

From the city centre to the museum in Kazimierz is a 20 minute walk, by the museum's own reckoning.1

Which tram goes to Kazimierz?
Lines 3, 9, 19, 24 and 50.

They run from the city centre to the Miodowa stop, close to Szeroka Street.14

Are the synagogues open on Saturday?
The working ones are not.

Community-run synagogues shut on Saturdays; museums and streets stay open.4

How long should I allow for the walk?
At least 4 hours.

Poland's tourism organisation recommends 4 hours or more for Kazimierz.2

How do I get from Kazimierz to the ghetto?
Over the footbridge.

The Father Bernatek footbridge links Kazimierz and Podgorze across the Vistula.5

Can I go inside the Izaak Synagogue?
Not at present.

For now it is shut, so you can only see the building from the street.37

Is the route suitable for wheelchairs?
Partly.

The cobbles are rough in places, though the guided walk is marked wheelchair accessible.

Sources

  1. Galicia Jewish Museum (galiciajewishmuseum.org) · Practical information ↩
  2. Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Krakow city break ↩
  3. Krakow Festival Office, official city tourism portal (krakow.travel) · Szeroka Street ↩
  4. Jewish Religious Community of Krakow · Synagogues ↩
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  93. Krakow Travel (City of Krakow, Krakow Festival Office) · Plaszow Nazi German Concentration Camp
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  96. Krakow Travel (City of Krakow, Krakow Festival Office) · Wawel Hill
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  105. Museum of Krakow (muzeumkrakowa.pl) · Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory ↩
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Also worth reading

More to read before you walk

GuideJewish Quarter tours in Krakow: free, paid and what they costGuideWalking, golf cart or segway: Jewish Quarter tours comparedGuideThe Krakow Ghetto in Podgorze: what a guided visit showsGuideSchindler's Factory museum: tickets, timing and the real story

Before you go

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Keep a place on the walk through Kazimierz and the former ghetto now and pay nothing yet; cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.

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