Krakow Hop-On Hop-Off Buses

As a tourist destination, the city of Krakow is characterised by a beauty and charm that is impossible to replicate. As one of the two most important cities in Poland, it is one of the most visited destinations in Europe.

For that reason, there are a lot of interesting things to see, do and enjoy, so any trip to Krakow requires careful planning to make the most of your stay in Krakow.

The sightseeing bus option is a simple and, above all, quick way to get caught up in the Krakow magic and move between the most important sights of Krakow's Old Town.

Like other major cities in Europe and the world, pretty little Kraków has its own version of the classic hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus.

It's a great alternative for travellers who are in town for a short period of time, 3 days in Krakow or less, and want to get to know the city in a quick but very comprehensive tour.

How does City Sightseeing Krakow work?

The Krakow Hop-on-Hop-off sightseeing bus has a pre-designed route consisting of 8 stops at the main sights of Krakow's Old Town. Travellers purchase a special pass valid for one or several days.

This pass allows you to get on and off the bus as many times as you want as long as your pass is valid. You can visit all the attractions that are of interest to you, getting off directly at the nearby stops and getting back on the bus when you want to continue your tour.

Another interesting way to use Krakow's Hop-on-Hop-off service is to do the full non-stop route to get a quick overview of the whole place. The choice is all yours! and will largely depend on the specifics of your trip.

For example, doing the full non-stop route can be interesting during the winter in Krakow when temperatures are too cold to explore the city streets on foot.

However, if you are travelling to Krakow during the summer, getting off the bus and exploring some areas on foot is the best way to enjoy the city.

The bus includes audio guides in 10 different languages, including Spanish, English and French. The audio guides provide the traveller with information about the city and the attractions you will see along the way.

Timetable and duration of the tour

• Timetable: The Krakow Hop-on-Hop-off sightseeing bus service operates every day of the year from 10am in the morning until 4.20pm in the afternoon.
• Duration of the tour: The complete self-guided tour without stops takes a total of 90 minutes.

Routes and stops on the tour.

In the city of Krakow the Hop-on-Hop-off offers a single line tour known as the Red Line which stops at the following highlights of the city.

• Stop 1: The Royal Wawel Castle in the Old Town
• Stop 2: In the vicinity of the Blonia Meadows, the National Museum and the Krakow Stadium.
• Stop 3: The Kościuszko Mound.
• Stop 4: The Conference Centre.
• Stop 5: Ghetto Heroes' Square.
• Stop 6: In the vicinity of the Schindler Factory and the Museum of Modern Art
• Stop 7: In the Jewish Quarter of Krakow
• Stop 8: In the Kazimierz area; Here you can see the Museum of Engineering, the 7 Synagogues of Kazimierz and the Wolnica Square.

Kraków Hop-on-Hop-off Fares

The price table for the Krakow Hop-On-Hop-Off follows the following parameters.

• 24-hour ticket: Approximately 45 Euro adult ticket and 40 Euro children's ticket for children from 3 to 15 years old. This pass is valid for 24 hours from activation. This special ticket includes an additional electric trolley ride around Krakow.
• 72-hour ticket: Approximately €22 adult ticket and €20 children's ticket for children from 3 to 15 years old. This pass is valid for 72 hours from activation and does not include any additional travel, only the bus.
• Babies travel free: If you are travelling to Krakow with small children you should know that babies do not need to pay a ticket to access the Krakow Hop-on-Hop-off. However, they must sit on their parents' laps throughout the tour.

The Wow Krakow sightseeing bus is another alternative to consider on your trip to the city. This service is offered by a local company with a similar operation to the Hop-on-Hop-off and in two main formats: day tour and night tour.

Day Bus

The Wow Krakow Sightseeing Bus daytime tour allows you to see the city's main attractions at your own pace in a tour designed to allow you to hop on and off as many times as you like. The tour includes an audio guide in 6 languages: Polish, English, German, Italian, French and Spanish

The Wow Krakow route! It includes a total of 12 stops near numerous points of interest in the city centre of Krakow.

The most famous are: the Krakow Philharmonic, Wawel Castle, the National Museum, the Kościuszko Mound, the Church of the Norbertine Sisters (considered one of the 10 must-see churches in Krakow), the Grunwaldzki Bridge and many others.

• Duration of the tour: The whole route without stops takes about 90 minutes to complete.
• Timetable: The tour usually starts at 10:30 am and ends around 2 pm;
• Price: A 1-day or 24-hour Wow Krakow pass is available from €20 per traveller.

Night bus

Wow Krakow! offers visitors a night tour of the city, an activity rated as one of the best things to do in Krakow at night.

This tour is offered seasonally so depending on when you travel to the city the night tour may or may not be available.

During the tour you are likely to see the most important sights of the city, including a visit to the famous Krakus Mound for panoramic views of the city.

Also included is a guide who accompanies the group throughout the tour and refreshments at a local restaurant in the centre of Krakow, usually around the Main Market Square.

• Duration of the tour: The entire tour takes about 3 hours to complete.
• Timetable: The bus is usually available from Wednesday to Saturday. The tour starts at the Galaxy Hotel in Krakow at 20:00. However, I recommend confirming this information with the company before the tour.
• Price: You will have to pay an average of €20 per passenger.

No matter which city you visit, tour buses have many advantages for tourists, starting with the fact that they include stops close to the main attractions, which makes it very easy to get to them.

However, my favourite aspect is probably the possibility to enjoy more of the city in urban centres where the metro is the means of transport of the masses. The tour bus allows us to move between destinations and actually walk the streets, not just pass under them.

The main drawback of tour buses is, in most cases, the lack of organisation on the part of the traveller. If you don't plan your itinerary carefully you may end up paying for a service you don't use much. For this reason I recommend travellers set aside at least one day to explore the attractions of the Old Town.

There are many tips for travelling to Krakow that you should take into consideration, but when it comes to exploring the city and the tourist bus here are the most important ones.

The 1 or 2 day pass is usually enough

When visiting Krakow, keep in mind that the city has an old town and a small historic centre, with most attractions located very close to each other.

Consequently, you can book 1 or 2 days in Krakow to explore and enjoy the Old Town and then head off to destinations further afield.

Consequently, if you have a well-organised itinerary, a 1-day or 2-day bus pass is usually enough to see everything important.

Buying passes in advance is the best option.

Buying your bus passes before you arrive in the city is one of the best decisions you can make.

This saves you time and ensures you have all the information you need to make the most of your holiday.

Explore beyond Krakow's Old Town

Finally, on a more general travel tip, as attractive as the city of Krakow is, try to explore the main attractions located outside the city but close enough to get there and back in a day trip at most.

Some of my personal favourites are:

• Auschwitz concentration camp, considered one of the most terrifying places during World War II. This concentration camp was the main extermination centre of the Nazi army, today it is a museum and memorial with a moving and impressive exhibition.
• The Wieliczka Salt Mines; an ancient mine where once a large amount of saltpetre was extracted. Today it houses an impressive collection of sculptures carved out of the salt blocks. You can visit the Salt Mines on your own or you can take a tour from Krakow to the Wieliczka Salt Mines.

Krakow is one of the most visited destinations in Poland for its architectural monuments, museums, medieval buildings and one of the oldest markets on the continent.

Although there are many things to see and do around Krakow, sightseeing buses are a great way to see the highlights of the city and familiarise yourself with the historic centre in a relaxing way.

Please note that the tour itinerary will depend largely on the service you choose to book. However, there are a few points that you should not miss: the Royal Wawel Castle, one of the most important sights of the city; the old Kazimierz Courthouse in the heart of the city, the Ethnographic Museum where you can learn about European history and culture, the Schindler factory and many more.