Kraków Nightlife 101: The Best Bars, Clubs & Nightlife Districts
Summary: Kraków Nightlife in One Paragraph
Krakow’s nightlife is awesome because of: unique and quirky bars, cheap beer, great vodka, lots of fun people, being a beautiful walkable city and having some very cool areas to enjoy a drink in. The two main nightlife districts are the Old Town with the biggest bars and the more bohemian Jewish district Kazimierz with quirky little bars and cafes. Kraków is relatively really safe but apply common sense, don’t end up in the drunk tank, don’t argue with bouncers and don’t go into gentlemens clubs. If you’d love a great experience then joining our award winning Kraków Vodka Tour can be a great way to find your feet in the city.
Read on to find out more about Kraków nightlife and the best bars, pubs & clubs in the city:
Q: How do you get the best info on Kraków nightlife?
A: Ask a team of Kraków’s professional vodka tasting guides!
We’ve been taking people out drinking in Kraków’s nightlife scene for years. In that time we’ve met thousands of incredible people from all over the World, visited every bar, pub and club in the city and had a hell of a time doing it….
We’ve been asked just about every question you can imagine and given thousands of hints, tips and recommendations. To help you have an awesome night out in Kraków we’ve packaged that knowledge into a handy guide below:
Why is Kraków’s Nightlife so much fun?
Unique and quirky bars, cheap beer, great vodka, lots of fun people, a beautiful walkable city and some very cool areas to enjoy a drink in. The Eastern European vibes of Kraków mean it’s not like being on any old night out back home either!
The nightlife is very lively thanks to a combination of being a city of around 800,000 people (including A LOT of students) and having most of the nightlife condensed around a couple of excellent drinking districts with hundreds of great bars. The Poles are big drinkers and combined with the students and tourists it means there’s always something happening.
We also like that the nightlife feels less pretentious or commercial than business focussed cities like Warsaw and it’s easy to stumble from one great venue straight into another. As mentioned, and this one is always a popular point, the price of beer is also very low compared to a lot of places in Europe so it can be a cheap night out!
What are the main nightlife areas in Kraków?
The two main nightlife districts are the very beautiful Old Town (blue on the map we made below) and the more bohemian Jewish District Kazimierz (purple). It’s an easy 10-15 minute walk between the two.
Kraków Old Town Nightlife
Besides being beautiful the Old Town has, by our count, as many watering holes as there are pigeons (which is to say, at a certain point, we gave up counting) and includes most of the biggest bars and clubs.
Locals tend to view the bars facing onto the main square as being tourist traps but it’s actually nice to grab a beer on the square when you first arrive and enjoy the view. After one or two though there’s much more to be found in the side-streets and alleyways heading off the square.
Kazimierz Nightlife
Kazimierz is very different, with the little alleyways and squares being packed full of small but very cool and quirky cafes and bars. It’s often quoted by travel bloggers as being one of the all round best city districts in Europe and it’s certainly our favourite bar area. Mostly the nightlife is focused on or near Plac Nowy square but there are awesome little bars dotted all over the district.
Other Nightlife Areas
During summer you’ve also got the lovely river area which is a great place to enjoy a beer or cocktail. Walking from the castle eastwards along the river you’ll also see Forum (a very cool abandoned Soviet hotel now packed with bars, cafes and restaurants), plus the districts of Stare Podgrorze and Zabłocie.
Forum is especially worth checking out in summer but I’d stick to the Old Town and Kazi unless you’re here for more than a long weekend.
The Best Bars & Pubs in Kraków
Kraków’s Best Craft Beer Pubs
House of Beer (The Old Town)
House of Beer is still arguably the best craft beer spot in the city. It’s very cosy, especially in winter, and a great place to sit around a table and chat with friends over a local ale. They have a big selection of beers on tap both upstairs and downstairs as well as over 100 bottled varities. You can get everything from local Cracovian beers to brews from the far side of the World. The bar food is also top notch. The only downside we can think of is limited outdoor seating in summer.
If you’re interested in craft beer the below article is a must-read:
Kraków’s Best Cocktail Bars
The Artist Cocktail Bar (The Old Town)
A new entry in Kraków’s nightlife scene is The Artist cocktail bar and it does a great job of hitting those classy cocktail vibes. When talking about the Old Town we usually also mention the superb Mercy Brown cocktail bar but it’s a little out of the wayand our guests sometimes struggle to find it.
William Rabbit & Co (Kazimierz)
For cocktails in Kazi our hands down favourite is William Rabbit and Co. William Rabbit is another of the city’s speak-easy venues and has an Alice in Wonderland theme. Whilst centrally located it can be a little tricky to find, it’s very rewarding if you can though. If you’re looking for exceptional cocktails and a great atmosphere, this is the place to go.
For a more generalised bar in Kazimierz that doesn’t specialise in mixology but can still make a banging cocktail, Kraina Szeptów is a great shout.
Karaoke & Cocktails!
IVY Cocktail Bar (The Old Town)
For those seeking a vibrant yet cozy spot in the heart of Krakow, IVY BAR is a must-visit. Just steps from the Main Square, this cocktail bar impresses with an excellent selection of classic and signature cocktails, as well as the best karaoke nights in town!
Whether you’re sipping on a perfectly crafted drink or belting out your favorite hits, the atmosphere here is both welcoming and unforgettable. For a true local experience with a touch of fun, IVY BAR is where you want to be! Tip: Check out their special Poison Ivy Cocktail.
Polish Vodka Bars!
We actually have a whole article dedicated to why Kraków’s vodka bars are awesome that you should totally check out:
Cheap and Fun Bars in Kraków
Kicking things into gear: We’d highly recommend checking out the city’s 4/8 bars, named as the prices used to be only 4zl for drinks and 8zl for food. Unfortunately inflation has struck and prices have gone up but they’re still cheap as chips, and are known for being great socialising places before nights out (and after nights out as they hardly ever close).
Bania Luka
Bania Luka is tricky to describe. First impressions are not always great. You pass a large and angry looking bouncer, into a brightly lit bar, with equally angry looking barmaids. It’s often packed with noisy people bumping past you.
Get your order in though and you find the drinks are ridiculously cheap. You get chatting to the person who bumped past you and find they’re a friendly local student or backpacker from the other side of the World. The food that looked quite questionable when you walked in surprisingly turns out to be really tasty. Before long you’re on a rampage with new friends and have barely spent a penny.
It’s basically a spiritual home of many young party people, a great socialising spot and cheap night out. We love it.
Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa
One of our stops on our vodka tour! Communist era themed Pijalnia is very similar to Bania Luka although it arguably edges it out in terms of vodka quality. Again a great meeting place before nights out and during nights out and after nights out. They have excellent hot drunk snacks including toasties and a Polish soup called Żurek.
Great Bars for a Night Out in Kazimierz
If looking for a night out in Kazimierz, go bar hopping on Plac Nowy. The entire square is full of great bars and you can stumble from one place to another having a great time and making new friends. We’ve put some of our favourites below:
Entropia
Entropia is a great socialising spot, typically playing electro music, on the corner of Plac Nowy. The bartenders are friendly and can mix a great drink. It’s definitely worth checking out their unique home-made flavoured vodka shots.
Alchemia
One of the oldest and coolest bars in Kazimierz. Alchemia is almost symbolic of the district. Quirky, a cafe during the day, candelit in the evening and with some wild parties in the basement at night. They even do one of the best breakfast menues in the entire city.
Propaganda
Competing with Alchemia for the oldest bar in Kazimierz. Punk vibes, grafiti and communist memorabilia all over the walls mean that it’s not everyones cup of tea but we love it. Cheap drinks and a dartboard near the front door suggest caution when first entering the venue (especially if it’s us playing darts).
The Best Nightclubs and Places to Dance in Kraków
Places to dance in Krakow Old Town
A lot of the Old Town’s bigger bars and nightclubs are situated in old brick basements. It’s quite easy to walk past the the little doorways at street level without ever knowing they’re there. Generally you can split things between bars that also have dancefloors (e.g Alternatywy and the Legends) or larger clubs/nightclubs.
Alternatywy & Legends
Very popular with students on account of typically being cheaper than the fullblown nightclubs, Alt and Legends are two different bars that we’ve grouped together for being in the same category. Both often have karaoke during the week while Alt will have 80’s tunes on weekends whereas the Legends is more rock focussed. Both however end up playing a big mix of music.
La Bodega Del Ron
La Bodega is arguably one of the the best all-round clubs in the city and located in a nice brick basement a few metres from the main square. There’s multiple bars and dancefloors and they usually have somethign for everyone.
The Best Alternative Club: Jazz Rock Cafe
Oh boy, where to start with this one. Jazz Rock Cafe sits below the already slightly satanic Antycafe. A small doorway leads you down to the devils basement where pretty much every type of rock and metal is welcome. It’s both a big bar and a place to dance, basically the perfect club to head to after checking out Kraków’s bars if you want something alternative but techno music isn’t your thing.
Niche Music Clubs & Special Mentions
For a wide spread of electro (and also some hip-hop) Prozac is popular. For Latino there’s Teatr Cubano or the little more classy Mojitos. If you’d like to make a big effort to dress up and enjoy a venue with a more selective door policy then Frantic and Shine are classics.
Where to dance in Kazimierz?
The Jewish District isn’t really about clubing but there are some cool smaller places to dance. Definitel our favourite though is Singer:
Singer
Don’t let it’s daytime facade of a low-key, calm cafe fool you. Singer is like that quiet, modest girl in school that no one suspects anything about, who then becomes the rockstar of the graduation party. That one who, after too many gin and tonics, starts jumping on stage and belting out Bon Jovi verses.
Totter in during the wee hours of the morning (after 1 is probably best), and behold a sight straight from a Dali painting: Punters dancing on old, wooden tables to gyspy jazz songs. Mingle with gaggles of people sitting around the sewing machines outside and you’re likely to be treated to some Krakow legends.
Piekny Pies
Meaning “Beautiful Dog” in Polish, Piekny Pies is one of the legendary names in Kraków nightlife. While the original Piękny Pies was more mixed, the new location has focused heavily on the electro scene. It’s typically chilled during the week with just the garden and quieter upstairs bar open. At weekends downstairs dancefloors are open and the party typically continues past sunrise.
The best late night food in Kraków
Late Night Food in the Old Town
The 24h Pierogarnia (Polish dumpling restaurant) on Sławkowska is a classic stopping off point for Kraków partygoers. Some toasties from Pijalnia are never a bad shout either to keep you going. If you’re here while the Christmas Market is on then that’s obviously the place to go! Ambassador Śledzia is another late night 4/8 bar and has some excellent bar food and snacks (like potato and bacon pie) to go with cheap beer and vodka. In the Old Town you will also have all the standard fast food chains like McDonalds and KFC that stay open late.
Late Night Food in Kazimierz
To soak up the shots, check out the traditional Polish fast food known as ‘Zapiekanka’ on Plac Nowy or grab a burger from around the corner at Beef Burger Bar (the best burger in the city, although that topic causes big arguments).
Is Kraków Safe at Night? Anything to be Aware of?
Yes, but also yes. Kraków is typically thought of as a really safe city by any European standard, but COMMON SENSE HUGELY APPLIES. Besides applying common sense, these are the main things you need to know that might be a wee bit different to back home:
Avoid the Drunk Tank
Don’t get wasted and pass out on a park bench on your way home, because you’ll end up in the drunk tank. The drunk tank is in the middle of nowhere and the street address humorously translates to ‘No.1 Entertainment Street’.
Despite not being available on booking.com it has the nickname ‘the most expensive hotel in Kraków’, on account of the fine you get for the pleasure of staying. Think a jail cell under medical supervision, shared with hobos and the check-out time is when you blow clean on a breathalyser. Avoid.
Don’t Get Fined for Drinking on the Street
Remember that drinking on the street can get you fined by the police. It’s not a big fine but it’s a hugely annoying bureaucracy to deal with while you could be having loads of fun instead. The same applies to jaywalking which can also cop you a fine.
Men – Don’t Argue with Bouncers
This is not typically a problem for girls but it’s something guys need to be aware of. Bouncers are a lot more heavy handed in Poland than back home.
They can sometimes be unfair about not letting you in, or kicking you out, for no reason. Shrug it off, there are so many great venues to go instead. Arguing is not worth getting a slap or being pepper sprayed (and pepper spray comes in OH MY GOD IS THAT A WATERING CAN sized containers over here).
The one upside, if you stay on the right side of them, is that everyone is less inclined to get in fights and you see less trouble on nights out than in a lot of other cities.
Do Not Go in Strip Clubs
Ignore the strip club promoters and do not go into strip clubs. You will get spiked, ripped off and your account emptied. This is extremely common. Make sure your friends know about this.
If you heed those warnings and apply the same common sense you would when drinking in any foreign city then you’ll have an awesome time in Kraków.
What is TripAdvisor’s #1 Rated Nightlife Experience in Kraków?
Ok ok a little bit of shameless self-promotion!
As of January 2024 our Kraków Vodka Tour & Tasting Experience is currently the #1 Thing to Do in Krakow for both the Nightlife and Food & Drink categories as voted by TripAdvisor reviewers.
It’s our mission to make your evening in Kraków special with a unique, tipsy, tasty fun experience crafted around Poland’s unique National Spirit and Kraków’s atmospheric vodka bars.
You can find out more at www.tastevodka.pl
