Kraków Food Tours

In addition to its beauty and history, Kraków is famous for an abundance of restaurants and other places to eat – the Old Town and surrounding areas have plenty to offer the hungry traveller. A guided tour is an excellent way to quickly get to know Kraków’s extensive food culture.

A traditional Polish cuisine, sauerkraut with sausage, here served in a bread – image © Ratoncito Perez / CC0 1.0

Although Kraków is a beautiful and historic place to visit, many people travel there just for the nightlife. The Old Town is crammed with a wide variety of restaurants and bars. As well as traditional Polish and Eastern European food, there are great Jewish restaurants in Kazimierz, and vegans will find a lot of choice in Kraków. But there are cuisines from all parts of the world. Poles also have a sophisticated menu of tasty brews and flavoured vodkas. A tour is a fun introduction to these thriving aspects of the city’s culture.

See our guide to Kraków Drink Tours for more about the city’s bars and pubs.

Traditional Polish Food Tour

Kraków food tours come in all shapes and sizes but the majority are an introduction to traditional Polish cuisine. The stomach is an ideal way to get to known the city and its culture, so these make great events on your second day in town. There are enough variations to match your schedule, budget, and appetite, although one tour operator warns to skip lunch, otherwise you won’t have room for everything, as “the golden rule of Polish hosts is to serve enough food to make a table collapse”.

For example, you might choose a basic 2.5-hour introduction to the varieties of Poland’s pierogi dumpling in a couple of different venues. Add an hour, and a third restaurant, to add a traditional soup and different meats to the menu. You’ll get a tour of the Old Town as part of any food and drink tour. A more extensive option may last the whole evening and include a full tasting session of beers or vodka flavours. These can be private tours for just the group you are travelling with or you can choose an option to meet some new people.

Get Your Guide will give you an overview of the different options available.

Kraków E-Scooter Tour With Food Tasting

A fun alternative to walking food tours are zippier e-scooters with stop-offs for traditional Polish snacks. A 2.5-hour tour covers quite a bit of ground, showing the key sites of the Old Town, from Florian’s Gate to Wawel Castle, as well as Kozimierz and Podgórze on the far site of the Bernatek Bridge. These are particularly good in the summer, when walking is heavy work, and the scooters are nifty enough to navigate the same pedestrian routes with ease.

These tours will typically punctuate the route with different eating experiences, such as Obwarzanek, the typical Kraków street snack sold by vendors across the city. These taste a bit like a large, chewy pretzel flavoured with sesame. You’ll also get to try a kind of smoked sheep’s cheese, called Oscypek. Also, great for hot days, are locally produced ice creams.

You’ll be provided with a helmet and get the chance to try out the scooter before the tour starts. In my experience, all tour guides are really entertaining and fully knowledgeable. They’ll also speak excellent English.

Polish Folk Show With Dinner

Though not a tour, a folk show and dinner is a good introduction to Polish food, while learning something about the culture. Kraków has some historic restaurants – such as the authentic Art Nouveau interior of the Jama Michalika Café in ul. Florianska. Some host music and dance, and other entertainment to accompany a hearty 3-course meal. The cuisine often extends further into Eastern Europe and features a peppery beetroot soup called Barszcz, Pierogi dumplings, and Bigos, which is a kind of meaty stew. Fish is also very popular. Restaurants will offer their own regional variation on national favourites. So, an event like this is a fantastic initiation into the whole menu.

You can also travel outside Kraków for an evening excursion. The restaurant overlooking Lake Kryspinów, for example, organises return transport on a double decker bus from the centre of town. You’ll be greeted with a cherry vodka, followed by a full meal, regional cold and warm buffets, and unlimited drinks for the evening. The entertainment features folk music and dances from the different regions around the country, in full costume. Even the restaurant is built in a traditional log style. There is time to walk around the beautiful lake and the whole experience lasts a little over three hours.