The 7 best parks and green spaces in Kraków

You’re almost certainly in Kraków for the pretty cobbled streets and photogenic palaces on every corner, but this is also one of Europe’s greenest cities – only Vilnius in Lithuania has more green space.

Kraków’s parks are part of the picture, but better still are its truly wild spaces; the meadows, forests and nature reserves found at the end of a short tram ride from the center. Whether you want to hike through a river valley to a 1000-year-old monastery, climb pagan mounds, or explore a sci-fi-inspired garden, it’s likely Kraków has a park that’s perfect for you.

Planty Park surrounds the Old Town

You’ll probably pass through this thin strip of green that circles the Old Town a dozen times. It was planted by the occupying Austrians in the 1800s, who filled in the medieval moat and assembled fountains, gazebos and streetlights in the image of Vienna. 

You can stroll the whole Planty circuit in under an hour, with the landmark Wawel Castle helpfully positioned at the southern end. Or, just use it as the locals do as an easy respite from the crowds of the Old Town. Even in tourist season, you’ll always find a free bench under the shade of a chestnut tree to enjoy an ice cream.

Hike the trails through Las Wolski and Bielańsko-Tyniecki

Just a few minutes by tram west of town the cobbles give way to an expansive nature reserve set along the valley of the Vistula River. There are playgrounds, museums and the city zoo at its fringes, but it’s worth making a day of it because the deeper you go the wilder it becomes. None of the well-signposted hiking trails take more than a few hours, and you’re never really far from the next restaurant, but the trails through woodland, riverfront and limestone cliffs feel relaxingly remote.

It’s a two-hour hike to the small village of Bielany, past slopes filled with grapes, where you can try locally grown Pinot Gris at the Srebrna Góra vineyard. In summer, catch the Kraków water tram for a pretty cruise along the river to the 1000-year-old Tyniec Abbey perched on the cliffs. You can enjoy excellent Polish cooking here while talking to the chatty Benedictine monks.

Błonia Meadow is…