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Kraków's bars are like mushrooms, with new ones sprouting up every summer (and often going away again just as quickly). The thirst in Kraków never seems to be quenched completely, and the city's nightlife scene grows stronger all the time. Kraków has not yet become a major destination for hard-drinking stag parties (it's certainly not in the same class as Prague and Tallinn), but you may see an occasionally raucous group.
Many of Kraków's pubs are located in medieval cellars, which make perfect wintertime hangouts. In the summer season, terrace cafés are the best place to sip a cold beer. The highest concentration of drinking establishments will be found in and around the Market Square, and in Kazimierz, in and around plac Nowy.
The latest addition to Kraków's scene (launched in 2016), Tytano Dolne M?yny is a "town within a town." The former tobacco factory at Dolnych M?ynów 10 in the Stare Miasto is now dedicated to urban pleasures, housing several bars, restaurants, and clubs sharing one compound—all that only a short walk from the Main Square. Offices for co-working spaces and start-ups are also being developed in the immediate area.
Just like anywhere else in Poland, you are more likely to find good beer or vodka (or vodka-based cocktails) than good wine in an average bar—although the first specialized wine bars have already arrived in Kraków.
Opening hours are very flexible. Few bars close at midnight, and most stay open while there are customers around, often until 3 or 4 am.
This is a good spot for jazz in Old Town, in a cellar of one of the tenement houses around the Rynek. There is music every night, and it is not always jazz despite the name of the place. Sometimes it will be blues or soul or hip-hop. The bar is well-stocked, and the atmosphere warm. Harris closes "whenever the last customer chooses to leave." Some concerts have a cover, but some nights are free.
Loch Camelot is a traditional Polish café that holds regular cabaret performances in its basement. The café is open all day; you could begin with coffee and breakfast at 9 am and end with a glass of mulled wine at midnight. The interior of squeaky wood, filled with pieces of art naïf, is particularly cozy in winter.
The cabaret at Pod Baranami was founded in 1956 by the late Kraków theater legend Piotr Skrzynecki. In addition to cabaret performances, the venue hosts jazz and other concerts, and features a fully-equipped bar.
Stalowe Magnolie is an elegant faux fin-de-siècle music club (smart attire required). The selection of cocktails is impressive, but the prices are steep.
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