Sleepy by day, wild at night! Party seven days a week in the numerous discopubs that dot the streets of the historic center. Erasmus students and beautiful girls. Rivers of Vodka and Piwa. Krakow nightlife is simply great. Let's see the best places to have fun and why not, go hunting for a beautiful babe!
Krakow nightlife
Krakow is tailor-made for those who want everything immediately, in fact everything you need will be found comfortably in the few kilometers of alleys that make up the historic center and that surround the large main square ( “Rynek Głowny” ).
If you have not yet booked travel and accommodation for this fantastic city then I recommend you read my tips on where to stay , so you don't spend a lot and you will be directly within walking distance of the best places.
First of all, to prepare for a self-respecting evening on Polish soil, you need to fill up on alcohol! Beer and vodka are the local specialties, a must !! the beer is fucking cheap and the vodka is top quality.
Personally I always recommend a pre-evening at the Carpe Diem II ( świętego Marka 21 ) : the place is a classic Krakow pub, it is located underground in a sort of cellar with stone walls and several rooms. The best time is around 6pm when the atmosphere is relaxed, girls abound (you often meet groups of four or five girls) and it's easy to strike up a conversation with someone. Beer is cheap (8 zloty = 2 euros for a mug of beer!). After 11.00 pm the place turns into a disco with rock-metal music, with the constant presence of groups of drunk and brawling Poles at the entrance.
Before going to the disco it is useful to buy Vodka in the small shops open 24h ( Delikatesy 24h ) that line the streets of the center. This is the only way you can really save on drinking! In fact, the drinks at the disco cost from 20zloty upwards (1euro = 4zloty approximately), certainly not so cheap. In the 24h shops you will save a lot and you can choose a wide variety of different types of vodka ... there is one for every taste!
My advice is to buy one or two large bottles to drink in the apartment or hostel, and a pocket size (flask type) to take with you to the club (the ones in the shape of a flask are easy to hide in your pocket and you will help to make an addition to your cocktails always a little watered down!) A piece of advice: let yourself wrap the bottle with a sheet of paper (very common practice, in fact the cashiers always have them at hand). Personally, nothing has ever happened to me, but they say that it is forbidden to go around with bottles of alcohol in hand as well as drinking vodka on the street. So when in doubt it is better not to take risks.
There are truly an infinity of different types, from fruity to pure vodkas, you are spoiled for choice. It's like entering the wine department of an Italian supermarket. The Żubrówka is a must: here they use it accompanied by with apple juice but in my opinion naked and raw is better. Or the equally good Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka .
A well-stocked minimarket at 40 Szpitalna ulica a few meters away from Coco Klub . Or another slightly lower priced one just outside the gardens in Westerplatte 6 .
These are the ones I have tested but you can find one at almost every corner. Avoid the shops in the square which are usually more expensive.
Now that you are loaded up, it's time to dive into Krakow's nightlife! All the clubs, both pubs and discos, are open from the early evening hours but keep in mind that they won't be crowded before 11pm. However, you can already enter a couple of clubs to get an idea and have your arm stamped, so you will avoid the queues later.
Admission is very cheap, if not free, everywhere. You will rarely spend more than 20zloty (5euro) for an entrance: usually the prices are around 10zloty entrance and 2zloty the wardrobe (with the possibility of depositing more clothes at a time) in the most fashionable clubs.
Krakow nightclubs:
- A must is the Frantic Club (ul. Szewska 5) , Krakow's evergreen nightclub, open from Wednesday to Saturday. It is probably the most popular disco bar by local young people and especially by tourists, with numerous three dance halls and different musical genres ranging from pop, commercial, house, soul, R'n'B and much more depending on the evening. Always full and with a lot of movement in terms of local fauna.
- Near the Frantic there are Gorączka (Ul. Szewska, 7) and the Base Club (ul. Św. Anny 6) both excellent especially on Fridays and Saturdays.
- The Klub Cień (św. Jana 15) club very popular and quite combed, so come with a shirt or at least not dressed as a bum. Average age from 25 years upwards. It has two rooms and is open from Wednesday to Saturday. It is not very big so it is almost always crowded. In summer there is a terrace where you can dance outdoors. Chic place.
- Also noteworthy is the Coco Club (Szpitalna 38) open from Wednesday to Saturday. Excellent on Wednesdays and Thursdays on the occasion of Erasmus evenings.
- Prozak (pl. Dominikański 6) is located about a hundred meters from the main square by taking Ulica Grodzka, the street that leads up to the castle. This club is great for midweek evenings (it is open every day), especially on Sundays and Mondays.
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Club Fusion (Ul. Florianska 15) one of the most famous in the city with large rooms and a selection of music from DJ sets to soul and reggae.
- In Ulica Florianska we also find the Klub Pauza (Ul. Florianska 18) open every evening. It deserves a tour.
- Boom'Bar'Rush (Ul. Golebia 6) . Hip hop, r'n'b, reggae, soul, drum'n'bass music. It is a very trendy club, decorated in a modern style, with white sofas and lounge. Open every day.
- Shakers (Ul. Szewska 5) and Boogie Cafe Bar (Ul. Szpitalna 9) , local lounge-bar style
- Afera Klub (Sławkowska 13)
Where to drink:
- Pub Indigo (ul.Floriańska 26) : classic Krakow-style underground pub
- Carpe Diem II (świętego Marka 21) : The ideal stop for a beer. from 22.00 rock and metal music
- Propaganda (Miodowa 20) : Retro-propaganda club. as its name suggests it is a pub with a communist atmosphere, full of old memorabilia and decorative objects belonging to the bygone era. The place is open late and here you can find beers at really cheap prices
- Alchemia (Estery 5) : Located in the old Jewish district of Kazimierz, it is a pub furnished to reproduce the rooms of a Jewish house
- Baraka (Plac Nowy) the liveliest and noisiest pubs in Kazimierz. If you want to breathe some Cuban air, don't miss La Habana (Miodowa 22) . Trendy club with Cuban and Latin American music. They also serve a special beer (seeing is believing)
- Harris Piano Jazz Bar (Rynek Główny 28) Don't miss it if you are a fan of jazz music. It is located in the main square.