Cheap flights from Johannesburg to Krakow

March is the cheapest month on this route and the one to aim for if your dates are flexible. Fares are listed for September, October, November, December, January, February, March, June and July, so you can weigh those months against each other. December and January are the South African summer holidays, and June and July are the European summer break, so both periods push fares up. Krakow is still cool and quiet in March, which is part of why it costs less. Midweek departures usually beat a Friday or Sunday, and the same applies to the return leg. Book well ahead for the December and June peaks; for March, a shorter lead time is often enough.

No airline flies Johannesburg to Krakow nonstop, so every option here is a connecting itinerary, and the carriers in the mix are all full-service rather than low-cost. Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian and Brussels Airlines route you through their hubs in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium, while KLM Royal Dutch Airlines connects through Amsterdam and British Airways through London. Emirates and Etihad Airways take the longer way round via the Gulf, which adds hours but sometimes brings a keener fare. Air Mauritius and South African Airlink turn up on some combinations too. Since none of these is a low-cost carrier, compare what each fare actually includes.

Your flight lands at Balice, the airport that serves Krakow, and it sits a short ride from the city centre rather than far out in the countryside. Because the route is connecting, you will usually touch down once or twice before Krakow, so look at the total journey time when you compare fares, not only the price. On arrival, a train and a bus link the terminal with the centre, and taxis and ride-hailing cars wait outside the arrivals hall; the train is the simplest choice if you are staying near the old town. Check which terminal your connection uses, since a tight change in a large hub is the usual reason a Krakow itinerary goes wrong.

Currency

PLZ (zł)

Power sockets

Type C, E · 230 V

Language

Polish

Emergency number

112, 986, 997

Driving side

right

Calling code

+48

Internet domain

.pl

EU / Schengen

EU member, Schengen area

Population of Krakow

804 k (2023)

Time zone

UTC+01 (Europe/Warsaw)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check whether your itinerary is one ticket or two, since separate bookings leave a missed connection with you.
• Confirm the baggage allowance on every leg, because the fare alone rarely tells you what you can carry.
• Check passport and visa rules for Poland and for any country you transit through on the way.
• Compare total journey time as well as fare, because every option between these two cities connects.
• Weigh the months with listed fares against each other, starting with March if your dates can move.
• Decide whether a Gulf stop or a European hub suits you better, since the connection shapes the trip.