While Kraków cannot be considered a shoppers' paradise in the traditional sense, its artsy reputation makes it a great place to pick up antiques, artwork and jewellery. Areas of note include the galleries lining Kazimerz's ulica Józefa, and the open air market on Plac Nowy. For typical Cracovian souvenirs head to the Cloth Hall in the centre of the main square: find all manner of glasswork, lace, amber, wood carvings, local sweets and stuffed dragons. For the generic western experience you can hit one of the shopping malls we list, however throughout this section we've made a concentrated effort to focus not on recognised, international brands and franchises, but unique, home-grown businesses; so we encourage you to put your money where their mouth is.
Follow the links for our features on:
The Best Souvenirs from Kraków
The Best Polish Design Shops in Kraków
Poland's Sunday Shopping Ban
Shops have traditionally had more limited hours on weekends, but since 2018 government regulations have increasingly restricted Sunday trading in Poland to the point that there are now only 7 Sundays in the entire year when shops are allowed to be open. There are some exemptions from the ban, namely pharmacies, gas stations, kiosks, bakeries, open-air markets, Żabka convenience stores (most of which close at 23:00) and souvenir shops (oh thank god). Note that the Sunday hours we list for venues are the hours they keep only on those Sundays when trade is allowed.