Kraków is a stunning city. The buildings and architecture alone make it worth a trip – and anyone with even a passing interest in history will have plenty to get stuck into. This is a place where towering castles and sprawling squares rub shoulders with trendy bars and traditional restaurants; where convention is deeply respected but contemporary influences are welcomed. There’s a reason it’s Poland’s most-visited city – it has a huge amount to offer.

With so much to see and do, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together this must-experience guide to the city for anyone who loves food and drink. From time-honoured dishes that are still enjoyed to this day right through to exciting new projects and culinary experiences you cannot find anywhere else in the world, this is the ultimate foodie guide to Kraków – Poland’s most beautiful city.

If you want a true taste of Kraków, eat an obwarzanek (pronounced ob-vah-zhah-nek). This pretty plaited bread is similar to a bagel but with a chewier crumb and crisper crust. Sprinkled with poppy seeds or sesame seeds and plenty of salt, it’s an EU-protected delicacy that’s sold in bakeries and from small stalls all over the city. There’s even a museum dedicated to preserving its history and production, which has lots of hands-on opportunities for kids and adults alike.

Want to eat where the locals eat? Head to this traditional restaurant and enjoy hearty Polish classics in historic surroundings. This restaurant feels like stepping back in time, with beef tartare, herring, stews and dumplings always on the menu. The must-order, however, is the maczanka krakowska – the city’s famous pork sandwich soaked in caraway and onion gravy.

A restaurant has done well if it lasts a year. Restauracja Wierzynek has been around for 650. Overlooking Krakow’s Main Square (Rynek Główny), it’s like eating inside a museum, with works of art adorning every wall and little snippets of Polish history everywhere you look. That alone would make it worth visiting, but there’s a real focus on ensuring the quality of the food on offer is at its absolute best. Dishes are classical with a focus on Polish dishes and flavours – think slow-cooked veal with truffle, cheesecake made with farmhouse Polish cottage cheese and cured trout with pickles.

Bakeries are an important part of daily life across Europe, and the same goes for Kraków. They can be found throughout the city, but Piekarnia Binkowskich is one of the most historic and traditional ones still operating. Family-owned since 1948, it’s now run by brothers Tomasz and Michał Binkowska, with a focus on simple breads, cakes and pastries. The Kraków-style rye bread is a true taste of the city’s history.

Kiełbasa (sausages) are a cornerstone of Polish cuisine. And for the best kiełbasa in the country, you need to head to Hala Targowa, in the outskirts of Kraków’s Old Town, and look out for an old blue van. It’ll have two men stood outside slowly grilling sausages over coals, and most likely a queue forming in front of them. This van has been in the same spot since 1991, serving little more than a sausage in a warm bread roll with some mustard. It’s one of those simple food experiences which you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Polish wine is on the rise. Leading the charge are vineyards like Winnica Novi, which has only been operating since 2018 but is already one of the country’s most respected producers. Focusing on bright, light white wines with lots of minerality and zesty acidity, the bottles are a brilliant example of the local terroir and are sold in the country’s finest restaurants. You’ll rarely find them outside of Poland, so snap one up if you see one – or even better, visit the vineyard itself just half an hour north of the city.

The tradition of infusing and flavouring spirits such as vodka and fruit brandies is still alive and well in Poland, and Szambelan – a shop in Kraków’s Old Town – is the place to see it in action. Like walking into an alchemist’s lab, it has teardrop-shaped bottles full of homemade infusions ranging from the familiar (cherry; vanilla) to the unusual (horseradish and lemon; wormwood). You can fill bottles with whatever and however much you like and they’ll label and wrap them for you – the perfect souvenir.

One of the most visited attractions in Poland, this historic mine is genuinely breathtaking. An important factor in developing Kraków into what it is today, a tour of the mines is less about the industrial side of things and more about the beautiful sculptures and carvings made by miners over the centuries. What looks like rock is, in fact, salt – give the walls a lick if you don’t believe us! – and there are chambers now set aside for artisans who are experimenting with ageing cheeses and curing meats in the cool environment.

The city’s Old Town is where the majority of tourists head to, but Kazimierz – the traditional Jewish Quarter just a 15-minute walk away – is where you’ll find a trendier, somewhat more hipster vibe. The Plac Nowy (New Square) has a daily market and traditional street food scene where you can enjoy a zapiekanki – a toasted baguette topped with a variety of ingredients (not too dissimilar to a pizza). Amongst the bars and restaurants are buildings steeped in history, including synagogues, monuments and museums, so you can spend your time switching between tradition and modernity.

Every great city has a great food market, and Stary Kleparz is Kraków’s culinary hub. Always busy, it’s the perfect place to kickstart any culinary tour of the city, with incredible local cheeses sitting alongside all sorts of pickles and ferments, fresh produce, cured meats and baked goods. It’s also a great place to grab a drink – trendy Polish wine bars and coffee shops line the outskirts, with casual, communal seating.

Most visitors to Kraków rarely leave the city limits, but one place that is absolutely worth venturing out to is the magnificent Ojców National Park (just half an hour north of the city). Breathtaking scenery and a landscape that feels as if you’re in the mountains (when you’re actually in a valley), this is Polish countryside at its best. At the heart of it lies Pstrąg Ojcowski, a trout farm which has become the jewel of the park’s crown. Established in 1935, the farm fell into disrepair over the years, until Magda Węgiel and her daughter Agnieszka took it on in 2014 and brought it back to life. It’s a beautiful story, but the real reason to visit is to enjoy the freshly smoked brown trout, prepared right in front of you. Served simply with some pickles, dumplings and a glass of beer or wine, it’s a joy to eat while taking in the stunning surroundings.