Krakow Jewish Quarter and Ghetto Guided Walking Tour

Explore Krakow's Jewish Quarter and former Ghetto on an English-guided walking tour through key Holocaust-era sites.

Getting started

Meet your expert English-speaking guide at the designated starting point in Krakow and set off on a guided walking tour. Begin by entering the Jewish Quarter, where your guide outlines the route through the Jewish Quarter and Podgorze district. The walk proceeds at a steady, city-street pace, so comfortable footwear is recommended.

What to expect

Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz)

The tour starts in Krakow's historic Jewish Quarter, known as Kazimierz, where Jewish life flourished for centuries. Here you spend time walking its streets and courtyards while your guide introduces the places that shaped the community.

Features

• Your guided walking tour of the Jewish Quarter is led by an expert English-speaking guide who explains how this neighborhood became a center of Jewish religious and cultural life.
• See the Old Synagogue, regarded as one of the most significant Jewish landmarks in Krakow, and learn about its role in the community from outside.
• Visit the Remuh Synagogue and the adjacent Old Jewish Cemetery, observing the historic gravestones and hearing how these sites fit into the story of pre-war and wartime Krakow.
• Interior access to most synagogues is not included, so your guide focuses on the exteriors and surrounding streets to illustrate key themes.

Podgorze district and former Jewish Ghetto of Krakow

You then cross to the Podgorze district, where the Nazis established the Jewish local neighborhood of Krakow during World War II. Time here focuses on the everyday realities and enforced changes that residents faced.

Features

• Walk through the area of the former Jewish local neighborhood of Krakow while your English-speaking guide points out remaining traces of local neighborhood boundaries and wartime buildings.
• Visit Schindler's List film locations in Podgorze and hear how these spots connect to the real events depicted in the movie.
• The guided tour format in this district highlights how the local neighborhood was organized and what daily life looked like for those confined here.

Plac Nowy

Back in the Jewish Quarter, you pause at Plac Nowy, a central square that has long served as a local meeting and trading place. This stop shows another side of the neighborhood's story.

Features

• At Plac Nowy, your guide explains how the square functioned within Jewish Quarter life before the war and how it has changed since.
• The visit to Plac Nowy is included as part of your guided walking tour of the Jewish Quarter and Podgorze district, giving you additional context on community spaces.

Ghetto Pharmacy (Apteka pod Orlem)

In Podgorze, your route brings you to the site of the Ghetto Pharmacy, known as Apteka pod Orlem, which operated within the wartime local neighborhood. The exterior stop helps anchor the historical narrative in a specific address.

Features

• Stand outside the Ghetto Pharmacy while your expert guide describes its significance during the existence of the Jewish local neighborhood of Krakow.
• This visit to the Ghetto Pharmacy is one of several included local neighborhood-related stops that link your walking tour to individual acts and locations from the period.

Monument with the Empty Chairs

The tour continues to the Monument with the Empty Chairs, one of Krakow's most recognizable memorials to local neighborhood victims. The open square setting offers time for reflection.

Features

• At the Monument with the Empty Chairs, your guide explains the symbolism of the scattered seats and how they commemorate those deported from the local neighborhood.
• The Empty Chairs monument stop is included in your route through the former Jewish local neighborhood of Krakow, providing a visual conclusion to the local neighborhood-focused section of the guided tour.