Swimming in Kraków – Your Complete 2025 Guide

Where to Lap-Train, Splash Around and Chill Out

Why Kraków’s pools are suddenly on every itinerary

Health-conscious locals have rediscovered the water, swapping treadmills for swim lanes. That enthusiasm has fuelled a mini-boom: by early 2025 Greater Kraków boasts 20-plus aquatic venues, ranging from small university pools to a revamped mega-Aqua Park. Whether you need an early-morning workout, somewhere to wear out the kids or a spa-style soak after sightseeing, the city has an answer.

This guide covers:

1. Pool map & types
   
2. Top three indoor pools for lap swimmers
   
3. Outdoor bathing spots (summer only)
   
4. Water-parks & hotel mini-parks
   
5. Best pools for children & babies
   
6. Training scene – clubs and free lanes
   
7. Wellness & recovery zones
   
8. 2025 prices & tickets
   
9. Getting there & peak times
   
10. Future builds to 2030
    
11. Quick etiquette & packing checklist
    
12. Which pool is right for you?
    

Pool map & quick typology

Indoor champions – the 2025 podium

AGH (University of Science & Technology)

Where: al. Mickiewicza 30 (10 min walk from Main Square).
Pool: 25 m × 4 lanes, 27.5 °C water, LED pace clocks.
Why go: Impeccably clean, cheap (29 zł ≈ €6.50 / $7 for 60 min), and a slick English-language booking system that releases slots seven days ahead. Perfect for a power session before museum-hopping.

Pedagogical University Pool

The Pedagogical University Pool at 4 Romana Ingardena St. is an intimate, superbly maintained 25 × 12.5 m facility, split into six lanes with a depth ranging from 1.2 m to 1.85 m and water kept at a comfortable 28 °C—perfect for both serious lap swimmers and families with children. It is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with each “pool hour” lasting 45 minutes. A standard ticket costs 27 zł (23 zł reduced), and you can buy a 10-entry pass or use FitProfit and Medicover Sport cards. After your workout, unwind in the sauna or the small mezzanine fitness zone. Located next to Jordan Park and the “Muzeum Narodowe” tram stop, it’s an ideal spot for a quick morning swim before exploring Kraków’s city centre.

KS Korona – on hold

The beloved 1930s Korona pool closed in 2024 after a structural survey. A €9 million rebuild is planned, reopening not before 2027. Locals from Podgórze now migrate to nearby hotels or Aqua Park instead.

Bottom line: Serious swimmers should stick to AGH or Cracovia this season.

Open-air swimming & lakes (June – August)

Bagry Lagoon

A sandy urban beach with lifeguards (10:00-18:00), SUP hire and café barges. Water quality is published weekly by the city’s Sanitary Inspectorate – look for green flags on site.

Przylasek Rusiecki

Eastern Kraków’s answer to a seaside boardwalk: wide promenade, beach-volleyball courts and an evening food-truck lane. No marked lanes, but superb for casual dips.

Note Poland’s climate limits genuine outdoor pools to a three-month window; lakes are the go-to alternative.

Water-parks – thrills beyond the lanes

Kraków Aqua Park (Aquapark Kraków)

Where: ul. Dobrego Pasterza 126 (20 min tram from centre).
New 2025 upgrades: four 14-metre outdoor slides (including twin high-speed “Twin Twister”) and a family raft ride “Kongo”. Inside: an 8-lane 25 m sport pool with electronic timing, giant wave pool, lazy river, and a multi-level pirate ship playground. Saunarium ticket add-on: 12 zł (≈ €2.70 / $3).

Hotel mini-parks

Four- and five-star hotels like Galaxy (Kazimierz) or DoubleTree by Hilton (Dąbie) offer curly slides, toddlers’ splash pads and Finnish saunas. Day passes are limited – book by phone 24 h ahead.

Kid-friendly pools – warm, shallow, fun

Baby lessons “Bobas Swim” start from three months (English-speaking instructors). Pandemic-era limits still apply: max 12 parent-and-baby pairs, so reserve early.

Training in Kraków – clubs & lanes

Local clubs

• KS Korona, TS Wisła Masters, AZS AGH – all Polish Swimming Federation-licensed.
  
• Group fees: 450-550 zł / month (€100-120 / $110-130) for 3-5 coached sessions plus video analysis.
  
• Masters (25+ yrs) gravitate to AGH or Cracovia. Open-water season at Bagry starts June with a 50 m floating lane marked every 10 m – triathletes love it.
  

Booking lanes

Every pool posts a weekly schedule online (look for grafik). To avoid school lessons, book at least 48 h ahead.

Wellness & recovery

• Aqua Park Saunarium – hourly aufguss ceremonies, outdoor 38 °C tub.
  
• Termy Krakowskie Błonia is a brand-new 750 m² sauna and wellness complex built into the south stand of Kraków’s Municipal Stadium (entrance: al. 3 Maja 17, overlooking the Błonia meadow). Inside you’ll find a panoramic dry sauna heated to 85–95 °C, a vast “Arena” cabin that seats around 70 bathers, a gentler bio-sauna at 55–65 °C, and a Turkish hammam for steamy heat therapy. 

Cool-down options range from multi-sensor showers and a “bosmanka” splash bucket to an ice-cold plunge barrel and a salt grotto with mineral aerosol. The water zone adds a 13 × 5 m indoor pool kept at 28 °C (textile-only 12:00–17:00, textile-free 17:00–23:00) plus a four-person Jacuzzi at 38 °C. Admission—55 zł for 1 h, 75 zł for 2 h, 90 zł for 3 h or 105 zł unlimited—includes themed Aufguss rituals led by sauna masters, scrubs, and special evenings such as Ladies’ Night or Film Thursdays. 

Open daily 15:00–23:00, the venue offers free parking along Błonia and easy tram access (lines 6 & 20, stop “Reymana”). Remember: the complex is strictly textile-free outside the daytime pool window, so pack a large towel, pareo, or robe instead of swimwear.

• Hotel spas – limited day tickets; call ahead.
  

Tip: Bring two towels (one to sit on, one to wipe sweat) – it’s expected etiquette.

2025 ticket prices

* Reduced = students ≤26 yrs, children, seniors
** Polish employee benefit cards – ask your employer/hotel if yours is valid.

Approx. exchange: 1 zł = €0.23 = $0.25 (May 2025). Family tickets (2 + 1) shave 10-15 % off.

Access, transport & crowd levels

Essential packing & etiquette checklist

1. Gear: silicone cap, dual pull-kick board, anti-fog goggles, flip-flops, 7 mm padlock.
   
2. Shower first: lifeguards may refuse entry if you look dry – no joke.
   
3. Water quality: larger pools post real-time pH & chlorine stats on-site or online.
   
4. E-tickets: most venues now scan QR codes – save 5 min at reception.
   
5. Lane rules: keep right, overtake mid-lane, a light tap on your foot means let the faster swimmer pass at the wall.
   

Coming soon – pool projects through 2030

City Hall’s “We Swim for Health” programme aims for a pool in every district by 2030.

Which pool should you pick?

Final splash

With affordable prices, easy public transport and a pool for every mood, Kraków in 2025 is Europe’s most underrated aquatic city-break. Pack your goggles alongside that UNESCO Old Town checklist, and dive in. If you stumble upon the next hidden gem, let the community know – this guide grows with your discoveries. Happy swimming!