Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa
Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa translates to 'Vodka and Beer Drinking Hall,' and that's exactly what you get. This chain of bare-bones bars has locations across Poland, and the Florianska branch is the most visited in Krakow. The concept is simple: stand at the bar or at tall tables, order vodka shots for 5 PLN or beers for 7 PLN, and drink. There are no cocktails, no craft beers, no food menu, and no seats. The walls are tiled white like a communist-era canteen, the lighting is fluorescent, and the efficiency is industrial. You order, you pay, you drink, you leave. What makes it work is the price point and the atmosphere that emerges when a small room full of strangers is drinking cheap vodka together.
What to Expect
A standing-only vodka bar with rock-bottom prices and zero pretension. Fluorescent lights, tiled walls, and shots poured fast. The crowd is a cross-section of everyone in Krakow: tourists, students, locals, stag parties, and solo travelers. It's democratic in the truest sense.
Chaotic, social, and stripped to the essentials. A standing bar that works because it doesn't try to be anything else.
None, or whatever the staff's phone is playing.
Nonexistent. Literally anything.
Pre-gaming before a night out. The cheapest drinks in the Old Town by a significant margin.
Cash preferred. Cards accepted at some locations.
Price Range
Vodka shots 5-8 PLN, beer 7-12 PLN
Vodka shots ≈ EUR 1.15-1.85 / USD 1.25-2; beer ≈ EUR 1.60-2.80 / USD 1.75-3
Hours
Daily from noon to midnight, later on weekends
Insider Tip
Try the flavored vodkas. They rotate, and some are excellent. This is a pre-game spot, not a destination. Two or three shots here before heading to a club saves significant money. The queues on Friday and Saturday evenings can extend out the door.
Full Review
The Florianska branch occupies a narrow ground-floor space with tiled walls, harsh lighting, and no seating. A bar runs along one wall with bartenders pouring shots at assembly-line speed. Tall tables line the opposite wall. That's it. The entire design philosophy is: get alcohol into people as cheaply and quickly as possible.
The vodka selection includes standard Wyborowa and flavored varieties (lemon, cherry, honey, bison grass) at 5-8 PLN per shot. Beer is draft Polish lager at 7-12 PLN per half-liter. Nothing else. No wine, no cocktails, no food. The simplicity is the point.
On weekend evenings, the queue extends out the door and down Florianska. Inside, the room is packed to standing room only. Stag parties in matching T-shirts rub shoulders with Polish university students, middle-aged couples, and solo backpackers. The shared experience of standing in a tiled room drinking cheap vodka creates a bizarre social leveling effect.
Pijalnia works best as a first stop. Two or three shots here, possibly with a group of strangers you've just met in the queue, and then on to wherever the night takes you. Spending an entire evening here is possible but inadvisable. The fluorescent lighting becomes existential after an hour.
The Neighborhood
Florianska is Krakow's main tourist pedestrian street, running from the Rynek to the Barbican gate. The Pijalnia sits among souvenir shops, restaurants, and other bars. The street is packed every evening. Szpitalna's clubs are a two-minute walk east.
Getting There
Walk from the Rynek in one minute north on Florianska. From Krakow Glowny station, enter through the Barbican and Florianska gate; the bar is a three-minute walk south.
Address
ul. Florianska 20
Other Venues in Stare Miasto
Szpitalna 1
Multi-floor nightclub on ul. Szpitalna considered one of Krakow's best electronic music venues. Three rooms play different genres from techno to house to hip-hop across weekends.
Frantic
Large mainstream nightclub in the Old Town drawing a mixed tourist and local crowd. Commercial dance music, themed nights, and a spacious dance floor that fills on weekends.
Prozak 2.0
Underground club in a vaulted cellar beneath the Old Town. Dark, atmospheric space with electronic music ranging from techno to drum and bass. Popular with a younger, alternative crowd.
Shine Club
Upscale club near the Rynek with a VIP area, bottle service, and commercial music. Dress code enforced. Attracts a slightly older crowd willing to spend more.
Bania Luka
Multi-level bar and club in a cellar space near the Rynek. Known for cheap drinks, a young crowd, and a cavernous layout that includes several connected rooms.