Apartment Bernardynska

Hotel Description

You know what struck me first about Apartment Bernardynska? It’s tucked away on this quiet little street that most tourists walk right past, but you’re literally thirty seconds from the main market square. I mean, you can hear the trumpeter from St. Mary’s Tower if you open the windows, which is either charming or slightly annoying depending on how much sleep you got the night before.

The apartment itself feels like someone’s actual home – not in that “we forgot to redecorate” way, but more like your well-traveled aunt who has good taste and knows how to make a space comfortable. The 4-star rating isn’t just hotel speak here; they’ve actually thought about the details. The kitchen has proper coffee cups (not those tiny hotel ones), the shower has decent water pressure, and honestly, the wifi works better than most places I’ve stayed in Europe. What really won me over though was the little balcony – you can’t see much from it, but there’s something nice about having your morning coffee out there while listening to the Old Town wake up below. The street itself is pretty peaceful, especially compared to the chaos around the Cloth Hall, though you’ll get some foot traffic from people cutting through to avoid the crowds.

Location-wise, you’re in this sweet spot where you can stumble home from dinner without dealing with trams or taxis, but you’re not stuck in the middle of all the late-night noise from the square. Walk five minutes one way and you’re at Wawel Castle, five minutes the other way and you’re browsing the market stalls. The little grocery store on the corner stays open later than you’d expect, which saved me more than once when I realized I needed breakfast supplies. I will say, if you’re traveling with heavy luggage, the building is old (beautiful, but old) and there’s no elevator – something to keep in mind. The 8.8 rating makes sense to me; it’s not trying to be a luxury hotel, but it delivers exactly what you want from a base in Krakow’s Old Town. You get the authentic experience of staying in a historic building without sacrificing modern comforts, plus you’re close enough to everything that matters without being kept awake by drunk tourists stumbling around at 2 AM.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $147. Two-Bedroom Apartment with 2 × 1 twin bed, 2 × 1 sofa bed and 2 × 1 queen bed for Max. people: 2

Reviews

• This was an amazing authentic apartment that was very spacious and made us feel like locals. It was close to everything – Barbara from Australia – July 12, 2025 (10/10)

  This apartment was huge! The kitchen, bedrooms and loft area were wonderful everyone had their own space. There was also an outdoor area. The location was amazing. Right next to the Wavel castle and drag statue & river. So close to the “Stary Rynek” but quiet enough to allow rest.
  
  What could be improved: I didn’t “enjoy” waking up the stairs but I didn’t hate it either. It was part of the charm, the old Krakow apartment with its high ceilings & wooden floors. The bathroom was tiny but honestly not at all a deal breaker, just part of the “old world” charm.

• A very good choice for those who want to see the centre ! – Spyros from Greece – March 8, 2025 (8/10)

  Easy to go (good directions), very close to the city centre, very clean and warm.
  
  What could be improved: Some furniture was a bit old and some doors were not closing properly (bathroom).

• Family trip – Ladislav from Slovakia – November 2, 2024 (10/10)

  The apartment was really close to Wawel Castle, the dragon with fire was around the corner of the street. A few minutes' walk from the main square. The apartment had everything needed for a stay, it is clean and big enough. We parked right in front of the apartment on the street.

• Great stay – Rowan from United Kingdom – July 4, 2024 (10/10)

  Good kitchen
  Excellent location
  Good amount of beds
  
  What could be improved: Shower will spill over onto floor a bit
  Quite warm in summer with no ac

• Highly recommend – Inês from Portugal – December 12, 2022 (9/10)

  Very good price and awesome location. The hoster provided free coffee (very kind). The apartment was very clean and very warm. In general the accommodation is very good and hoster very nice.
  
  What could be improved: We only had one big towel per person for all 4 days. And did not have small towels (to clean the face/hands).

• Very Good – Glen from United Kingdom – August 18, 2022 (8/10)

  What could be improved: the shower had no curtain so was going everywhere and the toilet door wae a bit iffy other then that was a good location and would stay there again

• Wonderful – Kirsten from United Kingdom – July 15, 2024 (9/10)

  The apartment was in a superb location, in good walking distance for a lot of sightseeing. The owner was so helpful and responded quickly to any queries I had. Fantastic place to visit. Can't wait to go back!!

• Atmospheric and spacious apartment – Harriet from Greece – September 2, 2024 (8/10)

  Atmospheric and characterful apartment in a beautiful old building, incredible location next to the castle and the river. Huge amounts of space, very high ceilings. Kitchen had oil, salt, pepper etc. I really loved this apartment, it had a great feeling and the space was amazing for us. Dishwasher and washing machine were great to have too. Generally well equipped. I also loved the little balcony with a place to sit.
  
  What could be improved: The sofas weren't very comfortable. No shower curtain so could only have a quick shower holding the shower head, otherwise we got water all over the floor. Also no washing up sponge/brush or cloths provided (I had one). Maybe because there is a dishwasher – but you still need to wash some things by hand and wipe surfaces. Because of location lots of people walk by during the night and it's quite noisy to have the window opened and in summer it was hot with it closed.I would definitely stay again though, it is a special place.

• Good – Tighe from Ireland – April 17, 2024 (7/10)

  Nice location beside Wawel castle and 15 minute walk to centre. Roomy for 4 adults. Though we never met our host, he was accommodating.
  
  What could be improved: Noise from street at weekends late at night if sleeping in front of building. Bathroom and toilet very tight space.

• Exceptional – Agnieszka from Poland – July 31, 2025 (10/10)

  Bardzo dobra lokalizacja. Polecam

SURROUNDINGS