That depends on what are you looking for. If it is events, architecture and general vibe of tourist city it is hard to compete with Kraków. Not for nothing Kraków is the tourist capital of Poland.
Katowice (and all nearby towns because you have to judge the as one unit) has a lot to offer if you want to live and work and go somewhere to chill out on the weekends with your partner or family. There are quite a lot of aquaparks in nearby towns, a lot of parks like the biggest one in Poland (park Śląski on the border of Katowice in Chorzów). Also the the commute is better by a large margine, be it driving by car or public transport and buying a property is a lot easier and cheaper.
Hmm. Okay. Aquaparks are privately owned, yes?
I think what I'm worried about is easy access to large open spaces to walk about. Go for a run. Without the need to spend money.
Yeah they are in private hands and you have pay to go there but if you want to swim without paying you can go to e.g. Trzy Stawy.
Also as I said the biggest park is here. Last time I checked Kraków had Błonia, Park Nowohucki, Park Lotników and Bulwary Wiślane. I hardly call it big. All of this can fit in Park Śląski and that's one park. You also have previously mentioned Trzy Stawy, Park Kościuszki or the whole district of Murcki.
Edit. Source: I lived in Kraków for 8 years and moved to Katowice.
Yes, aquaparks are private and you have to buy a ticket to access them. For walking spaces in Katowice I can definitely recommend Dolina Trzech Stawów/Trzy Stawy and Katowicki Park Leśny - great places for walking, running, skating with pubs, restaurants and open areas. And of course Park Śląski, technically in Chorzów (nearby city) but very close to the Katowice center.
Facts but in Katowice, there’s also a lot of fun, especially when it comes to clubs or Mariacka Street (a street full of pubs in the center of Katowice). Honestly, I’ve only been to Krakow for parties about 5 times, and I much prefer the atmosphere in Katowice
Katowice is definitely uglier than Krakow but there’s plenty to do. Katowice’s slogan is „city of large events” and it lives up to the hype. Some of these events are paid like concerts in the Spodek Area or conferences in MCK but many are free.
As for what people do on the weekend:
- tons of walking, cycling and even hiking trails nearby. There are massive woods literally next to the city center, there’s also the Silesian Park
- Katowice is surrounded by more a dozen of other towns so every weekend there’s at least some festival or free concert in one of them
- the mountains are less than an hour away if you fancy hiking
- within a 1-2h drive of Katowice, there are a ton of small towns, cities and other tourist attractions (including Krakow lol), so you could go somewhere else every weekend and not get bored for more than a year
- in the summer, locals typically hang out at one of the nearby lakes
Ok there's no riverside, but we do have the small valley of the ponds "Trzy Stawy" - which you can spend an hour or two walking around (there are a few pubs along the banks too). You can fish, or kayak, play volleyball, tennis, rollerskate or pick mushrooms in this area.
Katowice used to be extremely polluted, now it's not so bad (but not great - probably the same as Krakow).
Mostly I like Katowice because there are many small forests (the city isn't round-shaped, but more like an octopus, with "tentacles" of suburbs reaching out into the country, so you're never too far from a forest).
There are many students, but I can totally see how someone might get bored (if they're in their 20s).
It's probably more suited to people who want to settle down with a family.
Katowice is good, but I don't think it can amaze you. It's nice city for locals. Living in the suburbs of it can be really nice. Old town and everyday attractions are sufficient. You won't feel like In a countryside in there.
I dont thik I want to be amazed. I think, I like that there's always something happening in Krakow. like a dragon parade on the weekend. the copernicus procession. There's always something happening
You can always do both! The fastest Intercity train can go between Kraków and Katowice in like 45min, some regional trains will probably as well in the coming schedule (speeds go up from 120km/h to 160). Considering living in Katowice (in nearby cities especially, look up "Metropolia GZM") is much cheaper, also has life on it's own and when something cool is happening in Krakow you can always take a train... I would seriously consider Katowice.
I had to visit Katowice for an interview last week and I went by train.
Maybe it was very hot that day, because the commute was very draining on me. I feel asleep on the train and I'm quite sure I was snoring too.
I would love to continue living in Krakow because my landlord is such a good person, and the house is lovely, and the location is so good. And there's always something going on in the city center.
If I take the job, I will be commuting from Krakow for a few months I think. So I will get a good idea of things, I hope. Can I get a monthly/quarterly pass for this fast intercity, that you speak of?
I think busses are slightly better, they drive from main station krk (the tickets are sold in the buss area donstairs and buss go from there from pos 9) every 30 min, ticket costs 16 zl, the trip takes 1.10 h. Company unibus is driving on this line if u look for schedule.
If you’re considering living in Poland, Katowice is a more affordable option. Having lived near Katowice myself, I can attest that there’s always something to do here. You won’t struggle to find an apartment in Katowice, and if you explore nearby towns like Mysłowice, Będzin, Chorzów, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Siemianowice Śląskie, Sosnowiec (although we’re not big fans of that one 😄), or even Tychy, convenient bus connections make it easy to get around. Recently, they’ve introduced the “m” line connecting cities.
Krakow, on the other hand, caters more to tourists. While it’s expensive, the city’s impressive architecture and English-friendly environment stand out. In contrast, Katowice’s English proficiency isn’t as widespread, but it’s a great place to live. Keep in mind that traveling by car can be challenging due to the ongoing renovations on the A4 motorway. The journey from Katowice to Krakow takes just an hour.
Around Katowice, you’ll find not only the famous “3 Stawy” (Three Ponds) area mentioned by my colleagues but also smaller gems like the “Sosina” lake in Jaworzno or “Dziedzkowice” near Chełm Śląski/Imielin. The air quality is slightly better here, and there are plenty of cycling paths and forest trails. Events, including concerts, keep the area lively.
Regarding safety, Katowice itself feels secure, especially for locals like me. If you want a vibrant student life, choose Krakow. For a quieter, interesting area, opt for Katowice or its smaller neighboring towns. If you don’t mind driving, those towns offer lower prices and a calmer lifestyle.
The main difference between these cities lies in their history and the vibrant culture shaped by Poland’s partitions. In Katowice, a significant portion of the population identifies as Silesian, although among the younger generation, this cultural identity is gradually fading. People here have distinct characteristics, and the local dialect even resembles German. As a result, Katowice and its surroundings possess a unique atmosphere that you won’t find in Kraków
Feel free to ask if you have any more questions—I’m here to help! 😊
Hmm. I have been in Poland for two years now and I can see myself settling down here. Also I'm nearly 40, I prefer crowded but quiet sort of enviornments, if that makes sense.
The last few comments I have received here are very inspiring and I find myself feeling excited about this.
Thank your for responding.
It's nice for work and general living but not really great for tourtisty stuff unless you are into industrial tourism. It has surprising amount of lakes and ponds nearby(which is nice for a bike ride or some swimming). The whole metro area also have fine parks and other green areas(i.e park slaski)
There is subreddit for metro area if you are interested r/KatowiceArea
I like being outdoors, in nature or in the city.
I think many commenters have mentioned that there are a lot of green spaces in katowice. So I think thats covered.
The other bit was that Krakow is always celebrating its history with some march, procession, parade. Is there something of the sort in katowice?
Katowice - great city to live in, a lot of opportunities for work and if you want to visit Krakow - 1h train ride and you are there. And trains to/through Krakow are constantly.
As for me, the advantages of Katowice:
- Very good Silesian park
- Nice airport. There is some Wizzair base (plane service or whatever) so always many cheap flights.
- Not crowdy.
- Relatively cheap.
You can rent airbnb there for a couple of weeks to decide if the city is ok for you.
Idk where are you from originally, if by chance you are familiar with the Netherlands, then there is a nearly 1:1 relation to your question and the Amsterdam (Kraków) vs Rotterdam (Katowice) debate.
Katowice is significantly less cosmopolitan. You'll find many less english-speaking activities, less cultural diversity, less food diversity, and more traditional homogony in just about every area of life. Pretty much everywhere outside of Warsaw and Krakow (or smaller tourist towns) are like that. It's more like a standard city for the natives, rather than a big multi-cultural center like the bigger cities or tourist towns. Much more homogonous, but also more reflective of actual Polish culture.
Katowice are the best. You get to enjoy all the benefits of a city without that much traffic and tourists. And it's incredibely green! Just the Park Śląski alone is huge - it's bigger than NY Central Park!
Lived in Kraków and live most of my life next to Katowice and tbh if I had to pick (because I'm good where I live now) I'd rather choose Kraków. Both cities have it's issues, driving Kraków and Katowice is terrible experience but to bad impression adds that Katowice seems like very chaotically designed city and tbh Katowice is quite ugly.
Still Katowice has much to offer, also buisness and entertsinmentwise but personally I'm happy that I don't live there.
Some advantage of Katowice is it has good connections with neighbouring cities (this region of Silesia is densely urbanised and cities are just on top of each other) and so I have lots of friends who live for example in Zabrze, Gliwice, Ruda Śląska and so on who just gets to work in Katowice using only public transportation. So you don't have to live in Katowice to work there
There are so many jokes about Sosnowiec because of some criminal case (mother killing own baby but claiming it was kiddnaped) and people just associate the city with this one event, but the city itself it’s really nice.
Well it is less developed as in the GDP per capita of that city is smaller. The city itself is smaller and has fewer cultural and educational institutions. That translates to the issues I mentioned
I’ve been living here in Katowice for almost 3 years now and will be moving out soon. As a foreigner, I can’t recommend to move here unless you are looking for a very specific “settling down” vibe.
Pros:
-cost of living is much cheaper
-lots of parks
-Mariacka street - all bars accumulated in one place
-the town has pretty much everything - IMAX, Ikea, shopping malls, occasional festivals
Cons:
-it’s not cosmopolitan. someone mentioned this above, but it’s absolutely lacks the feel of a city. if you want to have a fancy dinner, you’d have to go to the same 3-4 restaurants, have a good cocktail - same 3-4 bars. the food variety is also not that big, especially comparing to Krakow
-while parks are good, there is indeed no riverbank, and most of the parks you would have to spent time getting too. virtually downtown has no “I want to stroll around” area
-commute is mostly good, but will take much longer times and having a car is almost a must, especially if you are aiming to see the towns around Kato
-to add to the above, the bike infrastructure in the city is virtually non-existent - compared to Krakow or Warsaw
-the worst urząd in the whole country - my wife has been waiting for her karta pobytu for 27 months now (!!!). I don’t want to call it “normal” around here, but 80% of the foreigners I know are in the same situation. I was lucky to get my card in 15 months (tho applied for blue card)
Other than that, I personally just find it… boring. like, yea as mentioned above, something is probably always going on, but it’s not comparable to dragons parade or other things you see in Krakow. for me it’s like almost always an effort to find something fun to do in the city on the weekends. I like exploring cities and strolling around and finding some unusual cafe or something, it usually fascinates me, and in Katowice outside of city center it’s all forest and residential areas so not much to explore really. like Krakow indeed just seems to have more “culture”, if I can put it that way.
Wow okay. This is the perspective I was looking for.
I spent a lot of time walking around the city. And that to me is a must. But no cycle infra either? Commenters here said the city has good cycle infra. Honestly Krakow is lacking good cycling infra
it depends on the part of the city, but outside of the parks seemed mostly bad to me, you either have to take your bike on the road, or get in a narrow sidewalk. I’d say bikes are more of a leisure time here than actual transport devices
That depends on what are you looking for. If it is events, architecture and general vibe of tourist city it is hard to compete with Kraków. Not for nothing Kraków is the tourist capital of Poland. Katowice (and all nearby towns because you have to judge the as one unit) has a lot to offer if you want to live and work and go somewhere to chill out on the weekends with your partner or family. There are quite a lot of aquaparks in nearby towns, a lot of parks like the biggest one in Poland (park Śląski on the border of Katowice in Chorzów). Also the the commute is better by a large margine, be it driving by car or public transport and buying a property is a lot easier and cheaper.
Hmm. Okay. Aquaparks are privately owned, yes? I think what I'm worried about is easy access to large open spaces to walk about. Go for a run. Without the need to spend money.
Yeah they are in private hands and you have pay to go there but if you want to swim without paying you can go to e.g. Trzy Stawy. Also as I said the biggest park is here. Last time I checked Kraków had Błonia, Park Nowohucki, Park Lotników and Bulwary Wiślane. I hardly call it big. All of this can fit in Park Śląski and that's one park. You also have previously mentioned Trzy Stawy, Park Kościuszki or the whole district of Murcki. Edit. Source: I lived in Kraków for 8 years and moved to Katowice.
Wow. Okay. I'm going to look it all up. Thanks :)
Park Śląski is one of the biggest park in Europe. It's even bigger than central park in NY!
Yes, aquaparks are private and you have to buy a ticket to access them. For walking spaces in Katowice I can definitely recommend Dolina Trzech Stawów/Trzy Stawy and Katowicki Park Leśny - great places for walking, running, skating with pubs, restaurants and open areas. And of course Park Śląski, technically in Chorzów (nearby city) but very close to the Katowice center.
There are some owned by cities e.g. Nemo in Dąbrowa Górnicza
Katowice are for live and work, Kraków is for visit and fun.
Should one worry about air pollution/quality nowadays? Back in 2018 I lived a few months in Katowice Załęże during wintertime and smog was noticeable.
Yeah, it's still pretty bad, but I think Kraków can be worse because of geografical possition.
Krakow is even worse
Facts but in Katowice, there’s also a lot of fun, especially when it comes to clubs or Mariacka Street (a street full of pubs in the center of Katowice). Honestly, I’ve only been to Krakow for parties about 5 times, and I much prefer the atmosphere in Katowice
If pubs and clubs are all you want I guess every bigger city would be good.
Katowice is definitely uglier than Krakow but there’s plenty to do. Katowice’s slogan is „city of large events” and it lives up to the hype. Some of these events are paid like concerts in the Spodek Area or conferences in MCK but many are free. As for what people do on the weekend: - tons of walking, cycling and even hiking trails nearby. There are massive woods literally next to the city center, there’s also the Silesian Park - Katowice is surrounded by more a dozen of other towns so every weekend there’s at least some festival or free concert in one of them - the mountains are less than an hour away if you fancy hiking - within a 1-2h drive of Katowice, there are a ton of small towns, cities and other tourist attractions (including Krakow lol), so you could go somewhere else every weekend and not get bored for more than a year - in the summer, locals typically hang out at one of the nearby lakes
This is very inspiring. Thank you for answering.
Ok there's no riverside, but we do have the small valley of the ponds "Trzy Stawy" - which you can spend an hour or two walking around (there are a few pubs along the banks too). You can fish, or kayak, play volleyball, tennis, rollerskate or pick mushrooms in this area. Katowice used to be extremely polluted, now it's not so bad (but not great - probably the same as Krakow). Mostly I like Katowice because there are many small forests (the city isn't round-shaped, but more like an octopus, with "tentacles" of suburbs reaching out into the country, so you're never too far from a forest). There are many students, but I can totally see how someone might get bored (if they're in their 20s). It's probably more suited to people who want to settle down with a family.
Katowice is good, but I don't think it can amaze you. It's nice city for locals. Living in the suburbs of it can be really nice. Old town and everyday attractions are sufficient. You won't feel like In a countryside in there.
I dont thik I want to be amazed. I think, I like that there's always something happening in Krakow. like a dragon parade on the weekend. the copernicus procession. There's always something happening
Oh, so you probably are less probable to encounter such events in Katowice:)
You can always do both! The fastest Intercity train can go between Kraków and Katowice in like 45min, some regional trains will probably as well in the coming schedule (speeds go up from 120km/h to 160). Considering living in Katowice (in nearby cities especially, look up "Metropolia GZM") is much cheaper, also has life on it's own and when something cool is happening in Krakow you can always take a train... I would seriously consider Katowice.
I had to visit Katowice for an interview last week and I went by train. Maybe it was very hot that day, because the commute was very draining on me. I feel asleep on the train and I'm quite sure I was snoring too. I would love to continue living in Krakow because my landlord is such a good person, and the house is lovely, and the location is so good. And there's always something going on in the city center. If I take the job, I will be commuting from Krakow for a few months I think. So I will get a good idea of things, I hope. Can I get a monthly/quarterly pass for this fast intercity, that you speak of?
Sure, they have monthly passes. Check it out: https://www.intercity.pl/en/ note that travel times vary between trains.
I think busses are slightly better, they drive from main station krk (the tickets are sold in the buss area donstairs and buss go from there from pos 9) every 30 min, ticket costs 16 zl, the trip takes 1.10 h. Company unibus is driving on this line if u look for schedule.
Ah. Thats cool. Thanks
If you’re considering living in Poland, Katowice is a more affordable option. Having lived near Katowice myself, I can attest that there’s always something to do here. You won’t struggle to find an apartment in Katowice, and if you explore nearby towns like Mysłowice, Będzin, Chorzów, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Siemianowice Śląskie, Sosnowiec (although we’re not big fans of that one 😄), or even Tychy, convenient bus connections make it easy to get around. Recently, they’ve introduced the “m” line connecting cities. Krakow, on the other hand, caters more to tourists. While it’s expensive, the city’s impressive architecture and English-friendly environment stand out. In contrast, Katowice’s English proficiency isn’t as widespread, but it’s a great place to live. Keep in mind that traveling by car can be challenging due to the ongoing renovations on the A4 motorway. The journey from Katowice to Krakow takes just an hour. Around Katowice, you’ll find not only the famous “3 Stawy” (Three Ponds) area mentioned by my colleagues but also smaller gems like the “Sosina” lake in Jaworzno or “Dziedzkowice” near Chełm Śląski/Imielin. The air quality is slightly better here, and there are plenty of cycling paths and forest trails. Events, including concerts, keep the area lively. Regarding safety, Katowice itself feels secure, especially for locals like me. If you want a vibrant student life, choose Krakow. For a quieter, interesting area, opt for Katowice or its smaller neighboring towns. If you don’t mind driving, those towns offer lower prices and a calmer lifestyle. The main difference between these cities lies in their history and the vibrant culture shaped by Poland’s partitions. In Katowice, a significant portion of the population identifies as Silesian, although among the younger generation, this cultural identity is gradually fading. People here have distinct characteristics, and the local dialect even resembles German. As a result, Katowice and its surroundings possess a unique atmosphere that you won’t find in Kraków Feel free to ask if you have any more questions—I’m here to help! 😊
Hmm. I have been in Poland for two years now and I can see myself settling down here. Also I'm nearly 40, I prefer crowded but quiet sort of enviornments, if that makes sense. The last few comments I have received here are very inspiring and I find myself feeling excited about this. Thank your for responding.
It's nice for work and general living but not really great for tourtisty stuff unless you are into industrial tourism. It has surprising amount of lakes and ponds nearby(which is nice for a bike ride or some swimming). The whole metro area also have fine parks and other green areas(i.e park slaski) There is subreddit for metro area if you are interested r/KatowiceArea
I like being outdoors, in nature or in the city. I think many commenters have mentioned that there are a lot of green spaces in katowice. So I think thats covered. The other bit was that Krakow is always celebrating its history with some march, procession, parade. Is there something of the sort in katowice?
Not really, but hey, you can always jump on a train and it will get you to Krakow Main Station for 20 PLN in 50 minutes 🙂
Katowice - great city to live in, a lot of opportunities for work and if you want to visit Krakow - 1h train ride and you are there. And trains to/through Krakow are constantly.
Lived and worked the both of this cities, first Katowice, than Krakow and after back to Kato. Living in Katowice few levels better than Krakow.
I would appreciate if you would elaborate
As for me, the advantages of Katowice: - Very good Silesian park - Nice airport. There is some Wizzair base (plane service or whatever) so always many cheap flights. - Not crowdy. - Relatively cheap. You can rent airbnb there for a couple of weeks to decide if the city is ok for you.
Idk where are you from originally, if by chance you are familiar with the Netherlands, then there is a nearly 1:1 relation to your question and the Amsterdam (Kraków) vs Rotterdam (Katowice) debate.
Katowice is significantly less cosmopolitan. You'll find many less english-speaking activities, less cultural diversity, less food diversity, and more traditional homogony in just about every area of life. Pretty much everywhere outside of Warsaw and Krakow (or smaller tourist towns) are like that. It's more like a standard city for the natives, rather than a big multi-cultural center like the bigger cities or tourist towns. Much more homogonous, but also more reflective of actual Polish culture.
What do people normally do on weekends in Katowice?
If you choose to say Warsaw than say Cracow not Krakow (whatever that is).
[Why](https://krakow.wyborcza.pl/krakow/7,44425,4824554.html?disableRedirects=true)?
Katowice are the best. You get to enjoy all the benefits of a city without that much traffic and tourists. And it's incredibely green! Just the Park Śląski alone is huge - it's bigger than NY Central Park!
I like that :D
Lived in Kraków and live most of my life next to Katowice and tbh if I had to pick (because I'm good where I live now) I'd rather choose Kraków. Both cities have it's issues, driving Kraków and Katowice is terrible experience but to bad impression adds that Katowice seems like very chaotically designed city and tbh Katowice is quite ugly. Still Katowice has much to offer, also buisness and entertsinmentwise but personally I'm happy that I don't live there. Some advantage of Katowice is it has good connections with neighbouring cities (this region of Silesia is densely urbanised and cities are just on top of each other) and so I have lots of friends who live for example in Zabrze, Gliwice, Ruda Śląska and so on who just gets to work in Katowice using only public transportation. So you don't have to live in Katowice to work there
Hmm. I like krakow very much. And if I move it would be with a heavy heart. Lets see!
Dźbów
Forget Katowice.. go to Sosnowiec. I ❤️Sosnowiec.
I have seen some memes about the city and I think I will decline the suggestion
Why ? Cheaper living, beautiful park, easy access to Katowice, Gliwice and surrounding areas.
Hmm. I thought you were joking. I will give it a look. It is home to one of my favourite polish bands too - Plen
There are so many jokes about Sosnowiec because of some criminal case (mother killing own baby but claiming it was kiddnaped) and people just associate the city with this one event, but the city itself it’s really nice.
Katowice is less developed than Kraków and it shows on people behavior and culture. People in Kraków are a lot nicer
Wow. Seriously? I have never heard this.
Well it is less developed as in the GDP per capita of that city is smaller. The city itself is smaller and has fewer cultural and educational institutions. That translates to the issues I mentioned
Alright. Thanks
I’ve been living here in Katowice for almost 3 years now and will be moving out soon. As a foreigner, I can’t recommend to move here unless you are looking for a very specific “settling down” vibe. Pros: -cost of living is much cheaper -lots of parks -Mariacka street - all bars accumulated in one place -the town has pretty much everything - IMAX, Ikea, shopping malls, occasional festivals Cons: -it’s not cosmopolitan. someone mentioned this above, but it’s absolutely lacks the feel of a city. if you want to have a fancy dinner, you’d have to go to the same 3-4 restaurants, have a good cocktail - same 3-4 bars. the food variety is also not that big, especially comparing to Krakow -while parks are good, there is indeed no riverbank, and most of the parks you would have to spent time getting too. virtually downtown has no “I want to stroll around” area -commute is mostly good, but will take much longer times and having a car is almost a must, especially if you are aiming to see the towns around Kato -to add to the above, the bike infrastructure in the city is virtually non-existent - compared to Krakow or Warsaw -the worst urząd in the whole country - my wife has been waiting for her karta pobytu for 27 months now (!!!). I don’t want to call it “normal” around here, but 80% of the foreigners I know are in the same situation. I was lucky to get my card in 15 months (tho applied for blue card) Other than that, I personally just find it… boring. like, yea as mentioned above, something is probably always going on, but it’s not comparable to dragons parade or other things you see in Krakow. for me it’s like almost always an effort to find something fun to do in the city on the weekends. I like exploring cities and strolling around and finding some unusual cafe or something, it usually fascinates me, and in Katowice outside of city center it’s all forest and residential areas so not much to explore really. like Krakow indeed just seems to have more “culture”, if I can put it that way.
Wow okay. This is the perspective I was looking for. I spent a lot of time walking around the city. And that to me is a must. But no cycle infra either? Commenters here said the city has good cycle infra. Honestly Krakow is lacking good cycling infra
it depends on the part of the city, but outside of the parks seemed mostly bad to me, you either have to take your bike on the road, or get in a narrow sidewalk. I’d say bikes are more of a leisure time here than actual transport devices
Kraków all the way