Our pick
The tipsy food walk
Food first, shots along the way
- Length2.5 to 3 hours
- DrinksLiqueur and shots
- FoodPierogi, bigos, herring
Hands-on checklist
A food and vodka tour in Krakow: vodka, nalewka and shots
Tipsy Polish food walk with pierogi and shots
★ 4.8 · 684 user reviews
Preparation · 9 items
Before, during and after the shots
Work through the list and tick items. Progress is saved on this device.
0 / 9 ready
All set. Only the start time and your group size are left to choose.
Hold a seatThinking of a food and vodka tour in Krakow? Here is what Polish vodka is by law, what nalewka and cherry liqueur taste like, and how to drink them the sensible way.
Editorial team, krakowfoodtour.click · Updated November 9, 2026 · Takes 7 min
The essentials
- On our walkCherry liqueur first, then Polish shots between the plates.
- Polish VodkaA protected name: Polish grain or potatoes, made in Poland.1
- NalewkaFruit and honey liqueurs whose recipes change from town to town.2
- The lawUnder 18s may not be served or sold alcohol.3
- Pace yourselfThe regional portal says to savour local drinks unhurriedly and in small quantities.4
What the tipsy walk pours
A food and vodka tour in Krakow is first a food tour. Our walk puts Polish classics on the table, from dumplings and stew to herring and pork spread on bread, and pours cherry liqueur and shots as it goes. The drinks come with the food, not instead of it, which is the right order for a long afternoon.
Cherry liqueur is the gentle start. Sweet, dark and fruity, it eases a group into the evening before anything stronger arrives. The shots that follow vary with the bar and the season, so treat the list as a tasting rather than a fixed menu, and ask the guide what each glass is before you drink it. Knowing the name lets you find the same bottle in a shop later, if one of them becomes a favorite.
The listing runs 2.5 to 3 hours, which gives the drinks time to spread out between plates. Reviewers rate the guides 4.9, and many of the newest reviews mention the cherry liqueur and the flavored vodkas by name. Reviewers describe fellow guests who were there to laugh, not to get drunk, and that is the right spirit.
Know your glass
Polish spirits and liqueurs you may meet
| Drink | Made from | Strength | Where from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polish Vodka | Polish grain or potatoes1 | Spirit | Poland |
| Plum spirit | Plums9 | 70%9 | Lacko |
| Juniper nalewka | Juniper berries10 | Around 55%10 | Lacko area |
| Rowan liqueur | Rowan berries11 | Lower alcohol12 | Lanckorona, Izdebnik |
| Honey mead | Honeydew honey, spices13 | Sweet | Ciezkowice |
| Bison grass vodka | Bison grass extract14 | Spirit | North Podlasie |
Strengths only where the regional portal gives them; check the bottle or ask the bar for the rest.9
What makes a vodka Polish Vodka
Polish Vodka is a protected name, not just a description. The Polish Vodka Museum explains the rules: the spirit must be made from Polish grain, from wheat, rye, triticale, barley or oats, or from Polish potatoes, and every stage of production apart from bottling has to happen in Poland.1 Only spirits that meet those conditions may carry the name.
The museum marks Polish Vodka Day on January 13, when the name joined the list of protected geographical indications alongside French cognac and Scotch whisky.6 It also notes that Poland is the largest vodka producer in the European Union and the fourth in the world.7 The museum itself is in Warsaw, in the old Koneser factory where Luksusowa and Wyborowa were once made.8
For a taster on a food walk, the useful part is simple. A grain vodka and a potato vodka can taste noticeably different, so ask which you are drinking and compare them side by side. A label saying Polska Wodka tells you the raw material and the production stayed in the country.1 Taste each one at room pace, not in a rush, and notice how the grain changes the finish.
Time with a glass
Krakow vodka experiences by length in hours
- Hidden bar tasting1.5
- Vodka with tapas2.5
- Vodka and courses2.5
- Tipsy food walk3
- Private tasting4
Longest stated duration of each listing; the tipsy walk starts at 2.5 hours, the private tasting at 2.
Nalewka, cherry liqueur and bison grass vodka
Nalewka is the home-made side of Polish drinking. The Malopolska regional portal describes fruit and honey from the Beskid mountains turning into many local nalewkas, with recipes that change from one town to the next.2 The Polish Vodka Museum even runs a workshop on making traditional home liqueurs from vodka.15
Malopolska has some famous examples. The plum spirit from Lacko is particularly strong, at 70%, and now sits on the list of regional products.9 A juniper nalewka from the same area runs at around 55%.10 For something gentler, the regional portal suggests jarzebiak, an amber, slightly tart liqueur made from rowan berries in Lanckorona and Izdebnik.12,11
Bison grass vodka is the other Polish classic you may meet. Its full protected name is herbal vodka from the North Podlasie Lowland aromatised with an extract of bison grass, a spirit drink name on the protected register of the United Kingdom.14 Zubrowka is one brand of the style you may see on a bar shelf, and a single glass is enough to know whether the grassy, almost vanilla note is for you.
Choose your glass
Which vodka evening suits you
Tell us what kind of night you are after and the matching format appears.
If I want dinner with a few rounds
The tipsy food walk
Pierogi, bigos and zapiekanka with a cherry liqueur and shots.
If I want to understand vodka properly
The vodka tasting with tapas
It runs 2.5 hours with a guide speaking English.
If I like secret bars
The hidden bar tasting
A tasting of 1.5 hours in a bar on Szewska street.
If I prefer to go at my own pace
The vodka factory museum
An audio-guided ticket with a tasting, from €24.
If We want our own guide
A private vodka tasting
It runs 2 to 4 hours, from €137, with your group only.
Ways to taste
A food walk, a tasting or a museum glass
Vodka focus
The vodka tasting
Vodka first, tapas alongside
- Length2.5 hours
- FoodTapas
- GuideEnglish
Self-guided
The museum glass
At your own pace
- WhereFabryczna City
- GuideAudio guide
- EntryAny time it is open
How to drink shots the Polish way, and safely
The toast you will hear is na zdrowie, to your health. The Polish Vodka Museum runs a whole workshop on the history of toasts, which tells you how much the ritual matters.16 Wait for the toast, look your companions in the eye, and drink together rather than ahead of the group. If you would rather sip than knock a glass back, nobody at a tasting will mind; the toast is about the company, not the speed.
Food is part of the ritual too. Even the Krakow culinary tour programme that the national tourism office suggests pairs Polish vodkas with local appetizers, and on the tipsy walk the glasses come with herring, sour pickles and bread with smalec.17 Eat between the glasses; that is what the bread and pickles are there for. A shot on an empty stomach is the fastest way to end an evening early.
The safety rules are short. Drink water between stops, stop when you have had enough, and never let anyone talk you into a glass you do not want. Sip rather than gulp, the regional tourism portal advises, and think about how each spirit was made.4 A good guide will never mind if you skip a round, and a glass of water is always an acceptable toast.
Price the evening
Compare the vodka evenings for your group
Enter your party size to total up each vodka evening.
Review 4 options
Compare the vodka evenings for your group
Enter your party size to total up each vodka evening.
- Tipsy food walk2.5 to 3 hours · starting at, per person €33
≈
View - Vodka with tapas2.5 hours · starting at, per person €72
≈
View - Hidden bar tasting1.5 hours · starting at, per person €42
≈
View - Vodka museum ticketOwn pace · starting at, per person €21
≈
View
From-prices on GetYourGuide, shown at the ECB reference rate. Your exact price is confirmed during booking.
A sensible evening
How to pace a tasting walk
Before you go
Eat a light meal
Arrive with an appetite, but not on an empty stomach.
At the start
A gentle first glass
The walk includes a cherry liqueur among its drinks.
Between stops
Water and food
Eat the bread and pickles that come with each round.
On the street
Finish inside
Drinking in public places is prohibited.5
Afterwards
A safe way home
Plan the ride before the first toast.
The drinking law in Poland
Polish law draws a clear line at 18. Selling or offering alcohol to anyone younger is strictly forbidden, and licensed bars and restaurants may not let minors drink either, according to the Polish Tourism Organisation.3,18 Expect to show ID if you look young, and note that some tours set their own minimum age of 18.
Drinking in the street is the rule worth knowing before you set out. Drinking alcohol in public is against the law unless you are inside a licensed spot, whether a bar, a restaurant or an open-air cafe garden.5 A bottle carried from one bar to the next, or a can on a bench by the river, is exactly what the rule covers, so finish your drink inside.
Driving is out of the question after a tasting. Plan your way back to the hotel before the walk begins, by foot, public transport or taxi, and keep the address on your phone. If a member of your group has had too much, ask the guide to help you find a quiet place to stop and a ride home. Keep your phone charged and your hotel address saved, because the Old Town streets look alike after dark.
Video
A vodka tasting tour around Krakow
PLANET KRAKOW on YouTube · The video only starts loading on your tap.
On the other hand, delicious fruit and honey from the Beskids Mountains have for years given rise to a variety of Małopolska nalewkas, the recipes for which are different in practically every town.
Popular bars in Krakow for a drink after the walk
Kazimierz is the classic place to carry on. The zapiekanka from Plac Nowy has fed the city's nightlife for decades, and the square and the streets around it fill with small bars after dark.19 For a vodka bar with a difference, one tasting runs in a hidden bar on Szewska street, close to the Main Square.
Beer has its own scene. The regional portal credits the CK Browar restaurant at the Bagatela Theatre with pioneering on-site brewing in Krakow in the 1990s, and other restaurants brew in the old tram depot on Swietego Wawrzynca Street and at Krakowska and Lubicz streets.20,21 More and more small breweries now supply Krakow bars and restaurants.22
Popular bars in Krakow change with every season, so the best guide is the person who has just walked you through the Old Town. Ask your guide where they would go next, and choose a place that serves food as well as drinks. A plate of pierogi at midnight does more for tomorrow morning than another round.
Vodka tastings compared with the food walk
If vodka is the main reason for your evening, a dedicated tasting may suit you better. Choose between 2.5 hours of vodka and tapas from €81 or a 1.5-hour session in a hidden bar from €47. Another option serves its courses with a vodka tasting over 2.5 hours, starting at €96. Each of these puts the spirit at the center, with food as the companion rather than the main event.
For a museum visit rather than a guided walk, a ticket to the vodka factory museum in the Fabryczna City complex includes a tasting and an audio guide, from €24. A private vodka tasting with a guide of your own runs 2 to 4 hours from €137, and its guides speak several languages. The museum ticket lets you enter at any time during opening hours, which makes it an easy fit for a rainy afternoon.
The tipsy walk sits between those options at €37: less vodka-focused than a tasting, but with far more food and a wider look at the city. If you want both, take the food walk first and add a vodka tasting on another evening, once you know which flavors you liked. Both can be cancelled without charge until 24 hours before, so you can hold them while you decide.
FAQ
Fast answers to common questions.
What drinks are included on the tipsy walk?
A cherry liqueur and shots.
You get a cherry liqueur and a few rounds of Polish shots, spread along the route.
What is the drinking age in Poland?
You must be 18.
In Poland it is 18: no one younger may be sold a drink or offered one.3
Can I drink in the street in Krakow?
No.
Only licensed premises such as bars, restaurants and cafe gardens are exempt from the public drinking ban.5
What is nalewka?
A Polish home-made liqueur.
Local fruit and honey give many nalewkas, and the recipe changes from town to town in Malopolska.2
What makes vodka Polish Vodka?
Polish raw materials and production.
Only Polish cereals or potatoes may be used, and all production short of bottling stays in Poland.1
Is there a dedicated vodka tasting in Krakow?
Yes, several.
Try vodka and tapas over 2.5 hours, or a 1.5-hour hidden-bar session.
Can I skip the alcohol on a food and vodka tour?
Ask the provider first.
Tell the provider when you book, so the guide knows before the first round and can offer you something else.
Sources
- Polish Vodka Museum (muzeumpolskiejwodki.pl) · Polish Vodka Day ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Rules and regulations ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Rules and regulations ↩
- Polish Vodka Museum (muzeumpolskiejwodki.pl) · Polish Vodka Day ↩
- Polish Vodka Museum (muzeumpolskiejwodki.pl) · Polish Vodka Day ↩
- Polish Vodka Museum (muzeumpolskiejwodki.pl) · About the museum ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (gov.uk) · Protected food and drink names: herbal vodka aromatised with an extract of bison grass ↩
- Polish Vodka Museum (muzeumpolskiejwodki.pl) · Tours and tasting ↩
- Polish Vodka Museum (muzeumpolskiejwodki.pl) · Tours and tasting ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (pot.gov.pl) · Krakow: Culinary Tour ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Rules and regulations ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · The cuisine of Malopolska: what delicacies to go after? ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩
- VisitMalopolska, tourist portal of the Malopolska Region · Malopolska: regional beers and liqueurs ↩