Visit Tarnow, Poland – a Perfect Day Trip from Krakow

Located just a short train ride away from Krakow, Tarnow is one of the most overlooked cities in Poland that definitely deserves your attention. It was founded in the 14th century, and you can clearly see the city’s long history in its diverse attractions and all the great things to do in Tarnów.

Fortunately, all the best sites are not too far apart, so you can easily visit Tarnow as one of the day trips from Krakow. But if you decide to stay there overnight, especially in the warmer months, you can enjoy the vibrant atmosphere and lively center. 

Despite its perfect location between Krakow and Rzeszow, I was only twice in Tarnow. But each time, I was impressed by the charming center, interesting and diverse sights, and the city’s overall laid-back atmosphere.

I’m not the only one who appreciated the place. A few years ago, CNN Travel named Tarnow one of the 15 most beautiful smaller cities in Europe, thanks to its rich multicultural heritage, historic architecture, and intimate atmosphere.

If you would like to escape the crowds in Krakow but still enjoy a great Polish city, plan a trip to Tarnow. I put together this guide to the best things to do in Tarnów, along with practical information, so you can discover this underrated city and have a good time there!

Where is Tarnow, Poland

Tarnow, a city of around 100,000 inhabitants, is located in southern Poland. Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is 370 km north of Tarnow; other nearby cities are Krakow (80 km west) and Rzeszow (85 km east).

How to get to Tarnow

Tarnow is very well connected by train with Krakow, with at least one departure every hour, and the travel time is 45 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes (depending on which train you take). There are also frequent trains to Rzeszow (40 minutes), and a few daily connections to other Polish cities, such as Warsaw, Przemysl, Katowice, Wroclaw, or Lublin. You can check the train connections here.

How to get around Tarnow

The Old Town in Tarnow is very compact and you can easily walk everywhere. There are a few interesting places, as well as the train station, a bit further away but still within walking distance, a maximum of twenty minutes’ walk from the Main Square.

Where to stay in Tarnow

If you decide to stay overnight in Tarnow, there are some fine accommodation options to choose from. Here are the recommended ones:

• Aparthotel Zakątna B&B (9.4/10)
• Hotel Gal (9.0/10)
• Hotel Tarnovia (8.5/10)
• and more!

What to see in Tarnow

When you arrive in Tarnów by train, don’t rush to explore the city; take a moment to look at the train station, one of the most beautiful in Poland. It was built between 1906 and 1910 in the typical style of the Habsburg Empire (which Tarnów was part of at that time). From the outside, it looks more like a palace, and you will find all the fine art-nouveau details on the facade as well as inside.

From the train station, it’s an easy, 20-minute walk along the main street – Krakowska – to the Old Town. This part of the city is a true testament to its long history, with buildings that represent various architectural styles.

The main Market Square is the reason why Tarnow is often called “a Renaissance gem”. The town hall and some of the townhouses surrounding the place are simply beautiful, built in the Renaissance style, with some of them dating back to the 16th century. The Market Square is a really charming place, well-kept and picturesque, and that’s where you should start your Tarnow sightseeing.

While there, you can visit the town hall inside (some of the rooms are really stunning) as well as climb the 30-meter tower for the view of the Old Town and beyond. 

The Cathedral, located just a few steps from the Market Square, dominates the area with its monumental 72-meter-high tower. It was originally built in the 14th century. While it doesn’t look special from the outside, it’s worth stepping inside, as you will find some unique artifacts there.

The most impressive ones are the Renaissance and Baroque tombstones, the largest ones in Europe – they are located next to the altar. Be sure to take your time when visiting the Cathedral to see all the interesting works of art there.

Next to the Cathedral, you can stop at the Diocesan Museum, the oldest institution of that kind in Poland, founded in 1888. You can see the Gothic sacral art, often made of wood, that was transformed here from numerous old churches across the region, including the altar from the UNESCO-listed church in Lipnica Murowana. 

Once you are done visiting the Market Square, it’s worth wandering around the Old Town a bit. It’s a lovely area, reminding me of many other underrated cities from the former Habsburg Empire.

The main pedestrian street here is Walowa Street, where the former city walls once stood (you can still find some remnants as you walk along). This is where you will find numerous beautiful, often Art Nouveau buildings that still impress today. There are also monuments dedicated to important people, including Polish poets and Józef Bem – the 19th-century general born in Tarnów and a national hero of Poland and Hungary. 

While most of Tarnow attractions are within the Old Town, it takes only a short walk away to find even more interesting places. The Old Cemetery was established at the end of the 18th century, and you can see some impressive old graves and chapels there.

It’s such a peaceful place to wander and to witness the city’s long history. It’s also very similar to old cemeteries in Krakow or Lviv. Across the street from the cemetery’s gate, you can visit the beautiful wooden church from the 15th century. 

Before World War 2, half of the population of Tarnow was Jewish, and you can find numerous remnants of their community all over the city. Near the Old Town, there is Bimah, the only part of the Old Synagogue in Tarnów that survived to this day (the Nazis destroyed the building during the war).

A bit further away, you can see the mikvah (the bath), although the beautiful yet neglected building in the Moorish style serves different purposes today. On June 14th, 1940, the first ever transport of prisoners to Auschwitz departed from Tarnow, in front of the mikvah building.

Tarnow also has one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Poland, with around 6,000 tombstones. It’s possible to visit the cemetery, but you need to get the key from the tourist information office in Market Square (about 1 km away). But even without stepping inside the premises, you can clearly see the tombstones from the outside. 

Tarnow has some nice museums (that I’ve already mentioned above), but my favorite one was the Ethnographic Museum. It’s the only place in Poland where you can learn more about the Roma people, as there’s a large exhibition dedicated to their culture and heritage. Besides the typical artifacts, you can also see a few beautifully decorated wagons, typical of Roma culture.

Not far from the Ethnographic Museum, you can also visit the Sándor Petőfi Square with the beautiful Szekler Gate at its entrance. This is where you can see strong ties between Tarnow and Hungary, both connected by Jozef Bem. Sándor Petőfi was a Hungarian poet who fought in Józef Bem’s army in Transylvania, and Szeklers are the Hungarian minority group living mostly in Romania. 

Tarnow has another unique attraction that might interest some visitors (it definitely did for me). In the city and the surrounding region, you can find many ceramic mosaics from the 1960s and 1970s. They are often hidden inside the buildings, but you can see some impressive ones outside, too.

The most popular ones are on the facade of the Hotel Tarnovia and on the house at 16 Chopina Street. You can find the list of all the ceramic mosaics in Tarnow and the region here (unfortunately, it’s in Polish). 

Once you are done with Tarnow sightseeing, you can relax in a beautiful Strzelecki Park. This green oasis is such a peaceful place, but another reason to visit it is the Mausoleum of Jozef Bem.

At the end of his life, he converted to the Islamic religion; hence, it was forbidden to bury his remains in the Old Cemetery. The city found another way to commemorate its greatest citizen: in the middle of a small pond, a mausoleum was built, with the sarcophagus atop six columns. There are inscriptions in Polish, Hungarian, and Arabic to show the crucial role that Jozef Bem played for many nations.

Where to go next

Most likely, you will visit Tarnow on a day trip from Krakow. But there are some other places not far from Tarnow that you can see while you are there.

Some of them (like the UNESCO-listed Salt Mine in Bochnia, vibrant Rzeszow, or the beautiful Lancut Castle) are reachable by train. Still, you need a car to get to the painted village of Zalipie or the wooden churches that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Further reading

I published many articles about Poland that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:

• 37 Amazing Things to Do in Krakow, Poland
• 20 Great Places to Visit As Day Trips from Warsaw, Poland
• Visiting Auschwitz – How to Plan the Auschwitz Tour
• 17 Amazing Things to Do in Lublin, Poland
• The Complete Guide to Visiting Slownski National Park, Poland
• Visit Grudziadz – One of the Hidden Gems of Poland
• 19 Amazing Things to Do in Gdansk, Poland
• Visit Sandomierz, Poland – One of the Prettiest Towns in the Country
• Visiting Malbork Castle, Poland – the Largest Castle in the World
• 25 Amazing Things to do in Wroclaw, Poland
• and many more!

If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations). You can also join my Facebook group about traveling in Central Europe and ask your questions there.

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