This is an open-jaw route: book your flight into Wrocław and out of Kraków (or the other way round). Both airports have direct flights to much of Europe, so this is usually easy to arrange.
Days 1–2 — Wrocław
Follow our Wrocław weekend: the Market Square and its bronze dwarfs, Ostrów Tumski at dusk when the lamplighter does his round, the Racławice Panorama and Centennial Hall.
Day 3 — the train
Intercity trains between Wrocław Główny and Kraków Główny take around three hours. Take a morning train and you are in Kraków for lunch. Both stations are a short walk from the old towns.
Buy tickets on the PKP Intercity site or app; the cheapest fares go first.
Days 3–5 — Kraków
Follow our three slow days in Kraków: Kazimierz in the evening, Podgórze and Schindler's Factory, then a half day in Nowa Huta.
Why this order
Wrocław is the gentler of the two and makes a good landing. Kraków has more to fill extra days with if you stay longer — and the airport train makes the departure easy.
Variations
- Seven days: add a night in the Tatra town of Zakopane — about two hours from Kraków by bus, longer in weekend traffic — or a day at the Wieliczka salt mine.
- Winter: both cities work in December, when the market squares hold Christmas markets.