Best Jewish Quarter Tours in Krakow

Among the things to do and see in Krakow you must include a visit to the Jewish quarter. This site also known as the Jewish ghetto of Krakow was one of the five large neighborhoods created by the Nazis during the occupation of Poland in World War II. Today many points remain that serve as evidence of one of the greatest stories and crimes in the history of mankind.

For your tour of this neighborhood you can choose from walking, bicycle or Segway tours. Each one covers certain attractions and museums. You can choose the one that best suits your time and preferences. Although most of them are historical tours, some, like the gastronomic tour, show you another side of the famous neighborhood.

The fascinating Jewish quarter of Krakow is a must if you are on vacation in this city. I recommend you to choose this tour as it will allow you to discover several attractions in one day.

During the tour your guide will tell you the history behind all the sites you visit. The total duration of the tour is about 3 hours and the average cost of the tour is 50 €.

After meeting your tour guide and your group in Krakow, you will walk to the Jewish quarter, the Kazimierz. The walk is approximately 20 minutes, depending on the meeting point. Once you reach the quarter you will realize how two cultures, Polish and Jewish, can live together in one place.

If you have only two days to explore Krakow, this is the ideal tour for you. When you arrive in Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter, you will pass by Schindler's factory, the site that saved over 1200 Jews from the Holocaust.

Other sites you will pass by are the Ghetto Heroes Square and the Eagle's Pharmacy Museum. This pharmacy often goes unnoticed on visits to the neighborhood. However, it played an important role in Jewish history as it served as a meeting place and shelter to receive medicine and food.

The owner of the pharmacy was Polish and refused to leave his home when the Nazis designated the space as the Jewish ghetto. On the tour you will learn more about this history.

Details of interest

• Price: about 50 €.
• Duration: about 3 hours.
• Means of transport: on foot.
• Advantages of this option: you will be able to take a quick tour of the Jewish Quarter and see the most famous sites from the outside.
• Disadvantages of this option: with this tour you will probably be left wanting to see more, since the tour is only done from the outside. However, the guide will do his best to make sure you learn all the details of each historical site.

If you are interested in gastronomic tours in Krakow, I invite you to take such a tour to the Kazimierz district. The tour is on foot so you can visit up to 5 restaurants.

During the tour you will spend 3 hours or so so that you can calmly taste all the dishes. Your entrance fee of around 70 € includes the food samples you receive in each restaurant.

The Kazimierz district is one of the oldest in Krakow, so its culture and history is present not only in the historical sites but also in its food. While you taste the food, your guide will tell you the history behind many of these dishes. They are usually a mixture of Polish and Jewish culture.

The tour guide will tell you which area of the restaurants you should go to for a sample of the food. In total there are 15 dishes that you will taste. In addition to the food, you can sample the local craft beer and vodka. Other beverages such as water and soft drinks are available in case you prefer them.

I invite you to take advantage of this tour not only to eat, but to meet people with the same interests as you. Food is always a good excuse for conversation.

In addition to the restaurants you visit, your guide will recommend cafes, bars and other restaurants. These you can add to your list of best restaurants in Krakow.

Details of interest

• Price: about 70 €.
• Duration: about 3 hours and a half.
• Means of transport: on foot
• Advantages of this option: with this type of tour you will get to know another side of the Jewish Quarter and not only its history and most popular sites.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you have various food intolerances or allergies you should be very cautious with this tour.

If you don't want to miss any of the sights of the Jewish Quarter, I recommend this walking tour. At each stop you will have enough time to enter and walk around the site, while listening to the stories your guide will tell you. The tour lasts approximately 4 hours or more and has an average price of 70 €.

The first stop is the Oskar Schindler Factory. In this former enamel factory you will see exhibits showing what life was like in Krakow during World War II. You can enter for as long as the tour guide says and then continue the tour.

The next stop is the Ghetto Heroes Square. Here you can admire the monument to the ghetto heroes and listen to the historical facts told by the guide.

Then you will head to the Father Bernatek Footbridge over the Vistula River, which connects the Kazimierz district with the Podgorze district. Here you will see that many tourists hang padlocks as a symbol of a promise.

The tour also usually stops at the Remuh Synagogue, Stara, Izaak, Highen and Tempel.

It also stops at the Galician Jewish Museum in Krakow commemorating the victims of the Holocaust and at the New Jewish Cemetery.

You will also pass the old ghetto walls, Szeroka Street, the statue of Jan Karski and the New Square.

Mrs. Dresner's courtyard and stairs is an expected location for many visitors as this site is featured in Steven Spielberg's movie "Schindler's List", so movie buffs always stop to take pictures.

Details of interest

• Price: about 80 €.
• Duration: about 4 hours.
• Means of transport: on foot
• Advantages of this option: it is one of the most complete tours as it allows you to visit the most interesting places, not just pass by them.
• Disadvantages of this option: it is a tour that requires a lot of energy to keep you walking for hours. I recommend you to have breakfast before leaving, bring bottles of water and snacks for the road. Remember that inside the museums and synagogues you should not eat food.

For some people the walking tour through the Jewish Quarter of Krakow can be a bit tiring. However, there are other ways to tour this place without any problems.Using a segway you can tour in about 2 hours, all the tourist and most popular spots in the area. The average cost of these tours is 40 €. On board of this vehicle you can explore the streets full of restaurants and bars, but also the historic side of the Jewish quarter.

First you should start the tour with a small class or training. The guide will explain the operation of the Segway, an ideal transport for people with reduced mobility

After this you will be ready to explore the streets and local markets. You will also pass by the Schindler factory, the Ghetto Heroes Square, the most famous synagogues, the Father Bernatek Footbridge, among other places of interest. Please note that the tour does not include entrance to any museum or factory, you will only pass in front of them. I invite you to be attentive to all the historical facts that the guide will tell you along the way.

Details of interest

• Price: around 40 €.
• Duration: 2 hours more or less.
• Means of transport: segway.
• Advantages of this option: it allows you to cover all the popular sites of the Jewish Quarter on board an easy to handle vehicle.
• Disadvantages of this option: this tour does not allow you to enter the museums and other sites that can be explored from the inside.

If you liked the idea of the segway tour of the Jewish quarter, this bike tour I'm sure you will love. This option is ideal if you are looking for things to do in 1 day in Krakow, as you will not only see the Jewish quarter, but a good part of Krakow. This tour can last 4 hours and only has an average price of 19 €.

Start the tour at the meeting point that your guide has established in advance. There you will be assigned a bike and given instructions. It goes without saying that you must know how to ride a bike to avoid accidents.

Not all companies provide helmets and protectors for elbows and knees. I advise you to take them with you to avoid injuries in case of an accident.

The tour starts in Krakow's Old Town and follows the city's network of bike paths. As you progress you will see the Krakow Market Square and the Royal Wawel Castle. You can visit the Krakow Castle another time, as it is a very popular site and worth seeing. The Market Square also offers several things to do and deserves a special visit.

The route will take you to the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. From your bike you will be able to appreciate the modern part of this area, full of art galleries, restaurants and so on. However, you will also pass by synagogues, cemeteries and museums. The guide will allow you to stop at certain points so that you can better appreciate the scenery and take some pictures.

Details of interest

• Price: about 19 €.
• Duration: 4 hours or less.
• Means of transport: bicycle.
• Advantages of this option: with this tour you can tour part of the city of Krakow before entering the Jewish quarter.
• Disadvantages of this option: like the segway tour, you will not be able to enter anywhere by bike.

Krakow is a city located in southern Poland where about 60,000 Jews lived. When the German army occupied this city, the persecution of the Jews intensified.

One of the measures taken was the creation of a Jewish quarter within Krakow. Today this site is preserved so that you can visit it and never forget these historical facts.

The neighborhood was fenced with barbed wire fences and even stone walls. Although the site is now modernized, you can still see traces of perhaps the darkest episode in Poland's history. The tour guide will tell you in detail what each of the sites you visit is about.

Although you could say that every street, wall and corner of this site has something to tell, there are certain sites that you can not miss. As I mentioned in the rest of the article, you will see museums that house the history of the Jews and their persecution. Many of these sites were once factories where Jews worked.

Other sites such as the Royal Wawel Castle became the residence of the Nazi lawyer Hans Frank, who was appointed Governor General of Poland. As well as this you will find other points of interest.

As you may have noticed, most of the tours are on foot. That's why my main advice is to take ergonomic shoes that allow you to walk freely.

Another important point is your clothing. I also recommend you to wear comfortable clothes that will allow you to move around without problems, although this will depend on the season, because in Krakow it can be quite cold in winter.

If you want to do a bike tour, wear pants that will help you to ride better. Many accidents occur because the person cannot pedal freely due to their clothes or shoes.

On this tour you will be constantly exposed to the sun. If you are traveling to Krakow in summer I suggest you to be more careful. Always apply sunscreen on your skin and bring your water bottle to stay hydrated.

If you visit Krakow in winter you can also do these tours, but always wear coats and clothes that keep your body warm, but still comfortable for you.

Many people often question whether or not it is worth paying for a sightseeing tour or visiting the Jewish quarter on their own. Honestly both ways have their advantages. However, I recommend you to visit this place with a tour guide, because this person knows all the sites and will be able to take you to them faster.

On the other hand, if you go on your own you will most likely have to be constantly using your smart phone checking the directions on Google Maps. This sometimes prevents you from fully concentrating on the new sites in front of you.

In addition, the tours are already planned and have an organized schedule so you can visit all the sites without missing anything. If you go on your own, you may not know exactly how to get around the museums or how much time you should invest in each activity.

If you still want to visit this site on your own, I advise you to plan your day very well by checking distances and ticket prices.