National holidays and public holidays

Under Polish law, 13 days a year are public holidays free from work:

January 1 – New Year
January 6 – Epiphanythe
First day of Easter
The second day of Easter
May 1 – national holiday
May 3 – national holiday
The first day of Pentecost (7th Sunday after Easter) Corpus Christi
August 15 – Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1 – All Saints' Day
November 11 – Independence Day
December 25 – the first day of Christmas
December 26 – the second 8day of Christmas

On these days, the vast majority of shops and chemist's are closed. The exception are often small local shops, as well as on duty chemist's and petrol stations.

Museums are subject to similar rules. On New Year's Day (January 1), Easter Sunday, November 1 and December 25 because they will certainly be closed. On the remaining days on the above list, the situation depends on the individual museum. Many sites – including Wawel Castle, the Cathedral, the National Museum, the Historical Museum, the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp – give the days they are closed on their websites. These should be checked when planning your stay in Krakow to avoid unfortunate surprises.