Guide to thrive in Krakow
Tips on Living and Working for Expats
Are you a Kraków expat building a new life in? Are you a digital nomad passing through? Whatever your situation, we think Kraków, a medieval city thriving with young innovative talent, is the perfect place to do business or build something new.
To help you find your feet, we at Yolk – a coworking space and social hub for English speakers, put together a guide for you.
Welcome to Poland
A great place to start is the PDF Guide 'Welcome to Poland' made by the Kraków municipal government. It features handy information on how to navigate the bureaucratic world here.
YOLK RECOMMENDS
Kraków is a great place for bars, restaurants and cafes - sometimes the choice can be too much. So let us point you in the right direction. Calling Kraków home for many years it's fair to say we have some idea for where you can go. Check out the map below with some suggestions.
Where do we go?
Lunch at Kolanko No.6 in Kazimierz is a firm favourite with our members and staff alike. Check out their daily lunch option for great taste and great value.
Online Resources
There are many great sources of information about life in Kraków from websites, podcasts and Facebook groups; which are a great place to connect with other foreigners in Kraków.
Facebook Groups
CoWorking in Kraków
A group run by Yolk about coworking experiences in Krakow.
Krakow Expats
“We are a forum for networking, support and a source of information for all Krakow expatriates or people thinking about moving to this awesome city.”
Foreigners in Kraków
“The group is for foreigners/expats who are here for longer or shorter period of time and polish guys and gals which like to hang around with internationals“
Collaborate Krakow
“We hope that it will be your new window for Krakow’s social life and volunteering opportunities. This community is dedicated to networking and connecting foreigners living in Krakow. Feel free to post your ideas, share new projects, questions, searchings and activities!”
KRKxCC
“Expat Road & Gravel Cycling Club. Not exclusive to Expats.”
#omgkrk
“Building a world-class innovation ecosystem in Krakow together.
This group is a source of information about tech and startup community in Krakow. Be active, tell us about any events, ideas and yourself. That’s the first step to improve communication between us and to make our “#omgkrk” community more efficient and friendly.”
Krakow Photography & Video Group
“A photography & film making group, open to anyone expat or local.”
Expat Social Networking Krakow
“Regular expat events in Krakow”
Krakow Startup Jobs
“Startup job openings in Krakow.”
Professionals in Krakow
“Krakow, home of the Dragon! Professionals in Krakow has been going since 2009 and offers an alternative scene on the Krakow meetup scene. Mirroring the activities of the larger Professionals in Warsaw group we aim to give you at least one meeting a Month and sometimes more.
Websites
Good Time Monty
Our friends at Good Time Monty have created one of the hottest guides to Krakow out there. Highly recommended and definitely worth a follow on any social platform you can find them for their insights and ideas for Krakow.
Krakow Expat Directory
Kraków Expats Directory is a listing of businesses, services, resources, tips, general information and things to do in Kraków, specifically for members of the International Expat community.
Local Life
A great resource for all the things happening in Krakow including bars, restaurants and other cultural events.
Culture.pl
Interested in finding out more about Poland’s art, film, literature and music scenes? This is the place to start.
Prze Krój
A great source of interesting Polish journalism with an English dedicated site and many articles translated.
News Sources
Notes from Poland
NFP is a great source of information and articles if you are interested in understanding the news from Poland. They also produce an insightful podcast.
Krakow Post
Krakow Post used to be a printed newspaper/magazine that provided local news in English. These days it is only online, but still a great source to stay in up to date.
Polskie Radio
As well as occasional English language broadcasts, they also provide a webpage and articles in English.
Podcasts
Krakcast
For a funny and insightful look at Polish and Cracovian news, there is really only one option… The Krakcast.
Good Time Monty
For those interested in Slow Travel. What is Slow Travel? In the words of Monty himself: "Slow travel is a travel philosophy that prioritizes quality over quantity. It’s about savoring the journey, not just checking things off a list in a rush to the finish line"
Events & Meetups
Once you have read all you can and listened to as many podcasts about what is happening in Kraków, it's time to get out there and meet some people. Events & Meetups in Kraków are a great way to make friends with people in a similar situation as well as locals who enjoy the company of foreigners. Win Win. Yolk is a great place to start with plenty of events to help the international community network. What is more we also host many other events, some of which are listed below.
TEDxKazimierz
The globally renowned TED talks have a particularly active local event and community around it. Monthly meetings to network and share ideas are one of the best ways to meet new people in Kraków.
OpenCoffee KRK
OpenCoffee is a fortnightly meeting at 8am where people go to meet and share. There is a 2min opportunity to speak about what you are working on, what you might need or what you can offer others in the Startup community.
Internations
Although this is a subscription service for expats around the world, there is a free option to sign up to. They also host regular events in Krakow which you can pay to go to individually.
Kraków Standup Comedy
An English language comedy event every Sunday’s in Kraków. As well as various gigs and special events, they also hold an open mic event – try your luck!
TEDxKazimierz
This event is not only about listening to inspirational talks, it is also about meeting other people who might be in a similar situation to you.
Join our newsletter
Our commitment to the Yolk community goes further than booking out meeting rooms. For example, once a month we collect all the interesting internet content our members have found and send out the Hatchlinks Newsletter.