A rather cute historical city, Tarnów is a good day trip from Kraków. You won’t find any tourists, and the city houses about 100,000 people.
What to expect in Tarnów
Tarnów, a charming city in southeastern Poland, is known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and vibrant cultural scene. The historic Old Town boasts stunning buildings, cobblestone streets, and a lively market square.
Today, Tarnów’s main industry is chemical manufacturing. The city is home to Grupa Azoty, one of the largest chemical companies in Poland, producing fertilizers, plastics, and other essential chemical products.
So what to do and see in Tarnów as a day trip?
Rynek (Town Square)
The Tarnów Rynek, recently restored, is a great place to sit down for lunch, and the center of the city.
Tarnów Jewish quarter
Before World War II, Tarnów had a significant Jewish population, making up about 45% of the city’s residents. The Jewish community thrived with synagogues, schools, and cultural institutions, contributing richly to the city’s diversity and economic life.
St Martin Parish
My favorite visit overall was the St Martin Parish, about 3km South of the Tarnow, and next to the Castle ruins. In my view, a visit to St Martin Parish is worth a day trip to Tarnów on its own.
The picture above speaks for itself, but the wooden construction is just unique and truly a gem of medieval architecture.
The easiest way to reach it is to get a Bolt scooter all the way south, and then walk a bit.
WW2 Memorial
The WW2 Memorial next to the cemetery is not far from the Rynek, and is quite impressive. The cemetery itself is a good visit too, including the tomb of Jan Szczepanik, a celebrated Polish inventor.
Specialty Coffee in Tarnów
Tarnów is not a specialty coffee mecca, let me tell you. However, you’ll find at least one nice cafe where you can buy decent beans and sit with your laptop.
Sofa
Just behind the Rynek, Sofa cafe is your better choice at this time. While not exactly a specialty coffee shop, it is a comfortable cafe that uses decent beans (from Roastains roasters in Kraków).
I mean, you would not go on a day trip to Tarnów for the coffee culture. Yet this is a nice place to hang out after a day of sightseeing.
There’s +35 Mbps internet, and electrical plugs, but it’s fairly expensive! As of May 2024, an espresso is 10PLN, cappuccino 14PLN, and flat white 16PLN.
Interestingly, they seem to use a Comandante grinder for filter brews.
Agifa
Tarnów has a coffee roaster, Agifa. However, this is nothing like Square Mile or La Cabra.
This means that you can always find freshly roasted coffee in Tarnów.
How to get there?
I’d recommend getting to Tarnów by train with PKP, but you can also take the bus, for example, Flixbus.
Once in town, Bolt has scooters all over the city, so that’s the best way to move around. Get yourself a daily or weekly pass and discover Tarnów without limits.
What Next?
Consider visiting Rzeszów on your way to the Ukrainian border, but quite frankly it is not a nice as Tarnów.
Krakow is the most interesting city near Tarnów. Also, I’d recommend visiting Lviv, although it is not the best time given the ongoing war.
