Nowa Huta: The Planned City and Its People
Private Tour Guide in Krakow - Margaret Kasprowicz
In 1949, plans began for a new city beside a vast steelworks east of Kraków. Its designers imagined a modern industrial centre and a workers' community that would stand in contrast to old Kraków. Nowa Huta's broad avenues, housing estates and public squares tell that story, but so do the lives of the people who made the district their home.
We can begin at Central Square (Plac Centralny im. Ronalda Reagana) and look at how the streets and estates were laid out. The route may take in the early Wanda and Willowe estates, the so-called Swedish and French blocks, the Nowa Huta Cultural Centre (Nowohuckie Centrum Kultury), and Rose Avenue (Aleja Róż), where a Lenin monument once stood. We can also discuss the Stylowa restaurant and the still-active Ludowy Theatre as places of social and cultural life.
The district's history is more complicated than its founding plan. At the Nowa Huta Cross (Krzyż Nowohucki) and Lord's Ark Church (Arka Pana), we will talk about residents' struggle for a place of worship and the wider story of civic opposition. Depending on our route, we may also visit the historic Cistercian Abbey in Mogiła (klasztor Cystersów) and see the steelworks area from publicly accessible locations. I will connect the architecture and politics to everyday choices faced by local residents.
Highlights
A typical visit lasts about 3 hours. Part of the route is on foot and part is by public transport or coach. We agree the transport and its cost before booking. An air-raid shelter exhibition, if it is open and reserved, adds about an hour. The operating steelworks is not part of the visit. Guiding prices are on the price list.
Last updated: 22 September 2026.
| Hours | Cost |
| 2 | $ 145 |
| 3 | $ 185 |
| 4 | $ 224 |
| Each additional | $ 40 |
Wireless headset system $5 /person
I was born in Krakow, and exploring the history and secrets of Krakow is my passion,
and the opportunity to reveal them to others brings me immense joy!
I travel a lot myself and love sightseeing and discovering new places.
That's why I know that a good guide is one who approaches their work with passion,
likes people, and can teach children something new in a simple way,
while surprising adults with a funny anecdote.
Tours of the Royal Route, Wawel Castle, or Kazimierz can be fascinating!
In 2013, I obtained my license as a Krakow city guide.
I have already guided over 22,000 tourists.
Kraków city tourist guide qualification issued in 2013 by the Marshal of the Małopolska Voivodeship.
No. PM/37/13 · Marshal of the Małopolska Voivodeship · 2013
Certified Tour Leader, certificate no. PW/28/XI/2018 issued by Gaudeamus Travel Agency.
No. PW/28/XI/2018 · Gaudeamus Travel Agency · 2018
The credentials were issued under her maiden name, Małgorzata Sikora.
An excellent tour of the Jewish Quarter and market square. Our guide was an expert in Polish history and answered our questions beautifully. We highly recommend this tour.
Information packed tour. It is great to have such a knowledgeable guide who can provide insights and more details to help us understand a bit of the history of this beautiful city.
Fabulous tour! Margaret is knowledgeable, thorough, and a lovely person to stroll through Krakow with. She really made the history beneath our feet come alive in a meaningful and interesting way. Highly recommend!
Margaret was a wonderful guide. She was both knowledgeable and personable. We saw many of the historical sites in Krakow. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone who needs a guide. I learned a lot from her.
We loved the Jewish Quarter tour with Margaret. She is very knowledgeable and did a fantastic job educating us on the history of Krakow and the Quarter. She also provides us with some great recommendations for restaurants and cafes. I would highly recommend this tour.
Margaret was wonderful. She was knowledgeable, accommodating, and spoke near perfect English. She personalized the tour and was able to take advantage of last minute changes to optimize our experience. All three of us enjoyed this tour very much!
Margaret was charming, informative, and solicitous of our questions and reactions without being overly pedantic or condescending. She was gracious in respecting my attempts to speak in her native language. She left us with the feeling that there was so much more to see, and we know we would have enjoyed spending the time with her.
This tour required a significant amount of walking, but each stop provided important background for the Schindler Factory Tour. The Schindler Factory Museum is large and crowded. A guide guarantees that you will see the most important collections, photos, and historical artifacts. Margaret is an excellent tour guide. The pace was good.
This important historical quarter of Krakow is compact and loaded with interesting sites plus fun eating locations. Beware however the streets are often cobblestone and walking can be difficult. Our guide Margaret was excellent providing historical background as well as interesting tidbits. She was flexible with the schedule allowing us a rest period when needed. I highly recommend both her and the tour.
Margaret gives a great tour. She knows her subject matter extremely well and does a great job of identifying key historical figures by events that they have been involved in as well as by their names (which are hard to grasp for non-Polish speakers). Margaret's tour is packed with activity but she finds time for the amusing stories and legends as well.
Great tour with Margaret. There was snow forecast so we hired electric golf carts and Margaret was so flexible. With the carts she was able to guide is through the old town, Jewish quarter, and the ghetto. She wear a wealth of information and very flexible and patient with us. Hey English was excellent. We really enjoyed our tour.
Margaret was fantastic! She is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the history of Krakow which made the tour so enjoyable. She took her time with us so we did not feel rushed and she was able to answer all of our questions on the tour. She also made some excellent recommendations for restaurants and cafes, adding to the experience of our stay in Krakow!
Margaret was fantastic! Naturally, she was very knowledgeable about the history of Krakow, it's building and monuments. What made the tour even better, though, was how personable she was. It felt like more of a conversation between friends than just a tour. I would highly recommend Margaret to anyone interested in taking a tour of the Old Town in Krakow!
Margaret was a great guide who easily accommodated to our needs - traveling with a 1 y/o is sometimes challenging. She showed us where the best pączki (Polish donuts) are. And yes, there were soooo good! As for the tour itself, it was were interesting and we learnt something new about Kraków history and culture. Highly recommend!
Tour with Margaret #25971 was amazing. She is very Professional and communicated with our kids very well. Thank you Margaret. Hope to see you in Krakow again and i ll suggest you all people who will come to Krakow. You are the best…
Margaret was informative, interesting, and helpful and we thoroughly enjoyed our Jewish Quarter tour with her.
Margaret was amazing--I'm only sorry she wasn't available for my entire stay in Poland! She worked hard to create a tour that was exactly what I wanted. Though it was a long day, Margaret's energy never waned. Her love for her city was evident and her knowledge of the area was impressive.
Dear Margaret Thank you much for the five very informative hours we spent with you in Krakow. We enjoyed much your professionalism, diplomacy and sensitivity for our early morning caffeine-addiction :)! On account of your interesting historical, geographical and cultural narratives we have now a solid understanding of the local people and country mentality. Thank you.
Margaret is a great guide. We learned a lot about Krakow during our short visit. She has a tremendous knowledge of the city and it's history, and her love for it shows through. She also was able to successfully modify our agenda to meet the needs of our multi-generational party, such as adding more rest breaks, etc. Her English is excellent and we highly recommend her.
We warmly recommend Mrs. Małgorzata’s guiding services. We consider the family walk along the Royal Route + Wawel a great success.
Today’s tour of Kazimierz was pleasant, friendly, and very professional. I recommend it to everyone! 👍 And then coffee at Mleczarnia...
I really recommend Mrs. Małgosia — she tells stories in an interesting way and has great knowledge. Today was my first time sightseeing Kazimierz with her, but it definitely won’t be the last 👍👍👍
I really recommend tours with Mrs. Małgorzata, both for visitors and for locals! Lots of less-obvious curiosities, charming corners of Kraków, and a great deal of the city’s history shared during the walk. I hope to catch many more walks with her :)
I sincerely recommend it. A tour of Kazimierz and the synagogues will be fascinating even for Kraków residents — lots of less-obvious places and stories. Mrs. Małgorzata is a pleasure to listen to; the 2 hours flew by even in bad weather.
On 1 February I had the pleasure of walking around Podgórze with Małgosia and I can honestly recommend it to everyone. Even with a felt temperature of -18 I did not want to cancel. I have lived in Kraków all my life and walked around Podgórze many times, and I knew the history of Ghetto Heroes Square and the ghetto in general — but only on this walk did it really sink in how it actually looked.
To recommend Mrs. Małgorzata’s excellent services I will use the words of my favourite podcaster, Miłosz Szymański: “without boredom, cringe, or fluff.”
Małgorzata Kasprowicz is an absolutely exceptional Kraków guide. This was already another tour with her — this time with friends and family, and earlier we also visited Kraków with her on school trips. Every time she talks about the city’s history in a really interesting, accessible, and passionate way.
A tour tailored to our special request. Like walking with a close friend. I recommend her from the heart.
An autumn walk through Kraków along the Royal Route with Mrs. Małgorzata — simply great. I recommend it to everyone. Interesting, calm, with a touch of humour...
The best time spent in Kraków. Sightseeing with Gosia is a journey through time that makes you reflect.
The best guide I have walked around Kraków with — enormous knowledge shared in a really interesting way. Plus lots of anecdotes and curiosities. I recommend her.
I recommend sightseeing with Mrs. Małgosia — we had a tour option for a child. Our daughter was very happy. Thank you.
On the first day we walked the Royal Route to Wawel; on the second day we had the pleasure of hearing a very interesting history of the Kazimierz district.
I recommend Mrs. Małgorzata, a great guide! We visited the Old Town and Kazimierz, the pace was matched to the group, lots of interesting anecdotes and a real gift for storytelling! Next time in Kraków we plan to take another route.
We chose Wawel Hill with the Royal Route, about 4 hours of sightseeing. Mrs. Małgorzata adapted the private tour wonderfully — we even saw more than the route originally covered…
Sightseeing with a guide like Mrs. Małgosia is something I recommend to anyone who wants to learn the history of many corners of Kraków, told in a really interesting way. Enormous knowledge, a wonderful approach, and a lot of experience — I recommend her to everyone.
We are very happy with today’s walk around Kraków along the trail of fairy tales and legends. The kids were thrilled. Mrs. Małgosia’s enormous knowledge of the city’s history made three hours fly by. If we are ever in Kraków again, we will definitely use her services once more.
A very good guide, an interesting walk where we learned a lot of fascinating things. We recommend her.
I went on 2 walks with Mrs. Małgosia, both fantastic — great knowledge and an easy way of sharing it, seasoned with various anecdotes, are her main strengths. I am waiting for more themed walks!
Once again, thank you for the time we spent together walking around Kraków. Enormous knowledge, plenty of curiosities, and a very kind approach to visitors.
I met Mrs. Małgorzata during a class trip to Kraków (3rd year of junior high). She is a wonderful person and a fantastic guide. Her stories are based not only on history and dates (though those appear too, of course), but above all on curiosities and tasty details. Enormous knowledge and a wonderful approach to young people who, tired by the June heat, were not always 100% focused on listening.
On 6–9 June 2019 we were an 18-person group in Kraków. We had the pleasure of having Mrs. Małgosia as our guide. A wonderful person, incredible knowledge. We are hugely impressed. On my own behalf and on behalf of my friends, thank you very much for showing us what is most important to see in Kraków. Warm regards.
Complete professionalism, great service, an individual approach, and a guide who is friendly to people with disabilities. We warmly recommend her and THANK YOU!!!!
Great. You can see that Mrs. Małgorzata is a guide with enormous passion. We are very happy with the tour and with everything she told us. We had a really nice and pleasant time.
I recommend her with full responsibility and conviction. We had the opportunity to work together before, and Mrs. Małgosia's passion for guiding has not faded. The children were delighted with her stories and curiosities from the lives of Kraków's past and present residents. We recommend Mrs. Małgosia as a Kraków guide for everyone, and especially for children, because she reaches her audience in a really nice, accessible, and engaging way.
“Nowa Huta: The Planned City and Its People” lasts 3 hours. The length can be adjusted when you book.
Małgorzata Kasprowicz guides in Polish and English. Prices for both languages are on the price list.
Email kontakt@zwiedzaniekrakowa.com or call +48 501 962 037. Share the date, time, group size, language, and how long you would like to walk. Małgorzata Kasprowicz will reply to confirm the slot and the meeting details.
No. Tickets for interiors - for example St. Mary’s Basilica, Wawel Cathedral, or Schindler’s Factory - are paid separately. The guide can help you buy them and advise which interiors are worth adding.
Yes. Małgorzata Kasprowicz guides families and school groups. The pace and stories are adapted to the children’s age. For younger children the Krakow with Kids legends walk works especially well.
Tours run in most weather. In heavy rain more time can be spent indoors and outdoor stretches shortened. Wear comfortable, weatherproof shoes.
The meeting point is agreed after booking. It is often the Main Market Square by the Adam Mickiewicz monument, or another convenient spot in the centre. A Kazimierz walk can start in Kazimierz itself.
Yes. The Nowa Huta tour usually lasts about 3 hours. Part is on foot. Any public transport or coach is arranged and priced separately. It covers the planned city, the people who live there, and the contrast with the historic centre.
