10 Best Nightlife in Krakow, Poland

The mysterious Alchemia is a great bar in the plac Nowy area. Coffee and beer rule the drinks menu, but you can sometimes get decent wines by the glass. In winter, try to get the table by the fireplace; in summer, when Alchemia spills out onto the pavement, try to grab a seat outside—but be prepared for fierce competition.

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.

If you want a Parisian atmosphere to go along with your drinks, then this is your place. A lazy café during the day, it becomes a frantic bar at night. Choose between great coffee, beer, freshly squeezed orange juice, cocktails, and excellent homemade cakes.

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.

A good, old-fashioned bar in Kazimierz, Singer was the first one to open here in the early 1990s. It was named after the famous brand of sewing machines, which are recycled here into coffee tables and candleholders.

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.