Stary Kleparz Market in Krakow: food stalls and hours

At Stary Kleparz Market in Krakow, stalls on a small, partly roofed square sell fruit and dairy, meat and cured meats, fish and seafood, herbs, flowers, spices and bread. The market lies on Rynek Kleparski, just beyond Planty Park, by Basztowa Street. The market trades all year round, and shoppers are welcome from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays only some stalls and cafés open.

• Address: Rynek Kleparski, Krakow.
• Opening hours: the square opens at 6:00 from Monday to Saturday and at 8:00 on Sunday (as listed in October 2026).
• Getting there: the market is about 200 m in a straight line from the Krakow Barbican.

Stary Kleparz food market: what the stalls sell

There are dozens of stalls on the square, including fish and seafood stalls with live crayfish. The traders' company Spółka Kupiecka Stary Kleparz looks after the market. The company says that more than 200 businesses trade here and that a fourth generation of traders now works at the market. Cafés serve coffee, drinks and small snacks.

Small farmers and small organic farms sell their own produce at the market. You can buy Polish cheeses, cured meats, meat, bread, confectionery, fish, and groats and flour sold by weight, which are rarely found in shops today. There are also Greek, Spanish, Lithuanian and Italian products and Polish wines.

Besides traditional Polish food, vegetables, fruit and flowers, the market has clothing and household goods.

From the town of Florencja to today's market

Kleparz began as a centre of worship and settlement that developed around relics of St Florian brought to the site. The independent town of Kleparz lay to the north of Krakow's walls, near the Church of St Florian.

In 1366 King Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir the Great) issued the foundation charter of the new town under Magdeburg Law. The town was named Florencja (Florence), after St Florian, and the name Kleparz appears in sources from the end of the 14th century. Its market square covered today's Stary Kleparz, plac Matejki and the nearby streets. This market square was probably almost square in plan, and its size was comparable to that of the Main Market Square.

Market privileges brought weekly grain and food markets, and the square became one of the main trading centres of the area. The traders' company writes that Kleparz lay on trade roads, including a route from Florian Gate through Prądnik and Miechów to Toruń. According to the company, grain and cattle were the main goods, and Kleparz was known for its horse fairs.

Over the centuries the square also hosted political and ceremonial events. It saw royal entries and city fires. According to the same company, the route later named the Royal Road (Droga Królewska) began at the collegiate church of St Florian in Kleparz, and Polish kings travelled along it to Wawel.

During the partitions of Poland and the political changes, Kleparz lost its status as a separate town. It was formally joined to Krakow at the end of the 18th century. In the 19th century the old square was divided: the western, trading part became today's Stary Kleparz, and the eastern part, with a representative role, later became plac Matejki. Trade has continued in this western part of the old trading area to the present.

The City of Krakow says that Stary Kleparz is considered the oldest market in Krakow that has operated without a break. The traders' company that runs it writes that people have traded here for more than 600 years.

In the 20th century people bought chleb prądnicki (Prądnik bread) here, which the City of Krakow calls the most famous Polish bread. In March 2011 chleb prądnicki was entered on the EU list of products with Protected Geographical Indication.

The traders' company recalls that in the post-war years, and especially in the difficult period after 1980, Kleparz offered goods that were unavailable elsewhere, such as baby formula and exotic fruit from abroad. Before 1992 the market was managed by Państwowa Agencja Handlowa, a state trading agency.

On 1 September 1992 the board of the traders' company signed a lease of the market square with the Krakow city board. The traders then modernised the market at their own expense.

When Stary Kleparz Market is open

From Monday to Friday the square is open from 6:00 to 18:00 (hours as listed in October 2026). On Saturday it closes at 16:00. On Sunday the square is open from 8:00 to 15:00, but only selected stalls and selected cafés trade.

These are the hours of the square, not of each stall. There are cash machines at the market. Hours can change; check the current details on the website of the Stary Kleparz traders' company before your visit.

Near Stary Kleparz: the Grunwald Monument and Florian Gate

Distances below are measured in a straight line. The Grunwald Monument stands about 150 m from the market. The Krakow Barbican is about 200 m away. Florian Gate and the Piarist Church are each about 300 m away.

Stary Kleparz Market: questions visitors ask

What time does Stary Kleparz Market close?

At 18:00 from Monday to Friday, at 16:00 on Saturday and at 15:00 on Sunday. On Sunday only part of the market is trading.

Is Stary Kleparz a farmers' market?

Partly. Small farmers and small organic farms sell their own produce there, and other stalls sell fish, cured meats, flowers and bread.

Where is Stary Kleparz Market in Krakow?

On Rynek Kleparski by Basztowa Street, about 150 m in a straight line from the Grunwald Monument.

Is Stary Kleparz the oldest market in Krakow?

The City of Krakow says that Stary Kleparz is considered the oldest market in Krakow that has operated without a break. Its square goes back to the town of Kleparz, which received its foundation charter in 1366.

Photo: Zygmunt Put, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.