2 Best Bars in Krakow, Poland

Forum Przestrzenie

Glamorous in the 1980s, abandoned in the early 2000s, the disused Forum Hotel on the bank of Wisła River today enjoys its second life. The place is full of surprises. A hip bar in the former reception area serves drinks as well as coffee and lunch during the day. There is often live music, sometimes a single DJ, and sometimes a whole army of musicians, when the venue is taken over by one contemporary music festival or another. "Przestrzenie" means "spaces," and the vast spaces of Forum include designer funiture and clothes shops, offices of start-up companies, and more. In the summer season, the area outside turns into one large riverside-beach picnic.

Harris Piano Jazz Bar

Stare Miasto

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.