TRIBE Krakow Old Town Review: Is This Krakow’s Coolest New Lifestyle Hotel?

Imagine checking into a hotel and being told Ryan Gosling is waiting in your room… yeah, that actually happened (sort of) when we stayed at TRIBE Krakow Old Town.

As travellers in our mid-thirties, who value stylish city breaks with thoughtful amenities and creature comforts, we spent four nights at this brand-new, design-led hotel on the edge of the Old Town — and it quickly became one of our favourite city stays in Europe.

Now, you’re probably wondering why… and if this four-star hotel is actually worth booking.

I’m spilling all the details from our stay: the vibe, location, our room, and breakfast (spoiler: it beats a lot of other hotel breakfasts we’ve tried!).

I’ll also cover dinner at their Asian-inspired restaurant, wellness facilities, and pretty much everything that makes TRIBE the kind of hotel that ticks all the boxes for modern travellers like us.

Location

TRIBE Krakow Old Town is conveniently located right on the edge of the Old Town, and just a 10-minute walk from Krakow Glowny, the main railway station and shopping mall.

If you’re arriving via Krakow Balice Airport, you can hop on the SKA1 train and reach Krakow Main Station in under 20 minutes. A single fare costs 20 Polish Złoty (~ £4) at the time of writing.

Alternatively, you can grab a Bolt ride to the hotel, although travel time will depend on traffic. Our ride took 38 minutes and cost 58.51 zloty (~ £12).

It also turned out to be the perfect base for our Auschwitz day trip, as one of the main pick-up points was literally right opposite the hotel at the Kiss & Ride stop at Pawia 18A.

First Impressions & Check-In Experience

As soon as you step inside TRIBE Krakow Old Town, it’s clear that the founders of TRIBE Hotels are design lovers.

TRIBE hotels are described as “affordable luxury defined by the lifestyles of modern travellers“, and the “TRIBE DNA” is reflected throughout the space: from bold colours and artwork by local Polish artists, to stylish communal areas, and thoughtfully designed rooms.

We checked in late afternoon, and I found it refreshingly personable (especially compared to the usual polite but slightly characterless hotel check-ins).

The receptionist told us that we had been selected as their “guest of the day” (I suspect every guest has the honour) and joked that Ryan Gosling was waiting in our room.

I couldn’t help but laugh. There’s no way she knew I once spent an embarrassing amount of time obsessing over the pool scene in Crazy, Stupid, Love. 😅

Not going to lie, I was slightly bummed to find only a welcome message and a snack instead of Ryan (my partner would disagree). But the snack actually came in handy later during our day trip to Auschwitz.

The Room & Amenities

Our TRIBE ESSENTIAL Queen Room was located on the sixth floor with a view over the inner courtyard, and felt surprisingly spacious for a city hotel room.

The bed was extremely comfortable, and together with the blackout curtains and soundproof walls, it gave us a five-star hotel sleep experience.

Despite being so close to the main train station, we never really heard a thing.

The room features a small workspace and an open wardrobe with a clothes rack, where two stylish, grey bathrobes and slippers are waiting for you if you plan to head down to the sauna.

The bathroom is simple but stylish, featuring a rain shower and a hair dryer that actually dries my hair properly. Hotel hair dryers are usually disappointing, but this one had enough power!

One thing I loved about the bathroom was the luxurious Kevin Murphy products, which smelled like gin and tonic to me. I’m not convinced that’s the actual scent, but that’s the association my brain made!

There’s also a clothes steamer instead of the usual bulky ironing board, which is great for a quick wardrobe refresh (although Naz initially told me it was a hair straightener 🤣).

Something that really stood out to me in this hotel room was the water filter — something I’d never seen in a hotel room before, and such a thoughtful sustainability touch!

Other amenities included:

• Nespresso coffee machine
• Selection of teas (I loved the vanilla rose one)
• Mini fridge
• Safe
• 55” TV with Chromecast (which we unfortunately never got working, but didn’t mind too much since there’s rarely time to watch TV during a city break anyway).

Everything was spotlessly clean, but one small downside was that occasionally, we could smell cigarette smoke in the room. Since the windows were closed, our only guess was that it somehow travelled through the air-conditioning system…

Gym & Sauna

While we live a pretty healthy lifestyle at home, we also looove to indulge when travelling (and the hearty Polish cuisine doesn’t exactly help with moderation).

So naturally, one of our personal non-negotiables when booking a city break hotel is a gym (the sauna was obviously a very welcome bonus).

Both the gym and sauna are open 24/7 at TRIBE and feature:

• State-of-the-art Technogym equipment
• Lockers and a changing room
• Showers and a toilet
• Water station (although reusable cups would be a nice sustainability upgrade)
• Large and small towels for gym and sauna use

The gym itself is quite compact, but there was always enough space for three to four people to work out at the same time (unless everyone happens to need the same equipment).

The mirrored walls also help make the space feel bigger and are great for checking your exercise form.

To use the (nude) sauna, you need to inform reception 20-30 minutes in advance so they can switch it on.

On our first attempt, we told the staff, went for our workout, and later realised they had forgotten to turn it on, meaning we had to extend our workout by another 30 minutes.

Unlucky for me. Naz loved it.

The sauna comfortably fits four to six people, although the only downside is the lack of a proper relaxation area afterwards. There’s just one functional infrared deckchair.

TRIBE Table & Cocktail Bar

Feeling refreshed and hungry after our post-travel-day workout (and knowing we had a week of traditional Polish cuisine ahead of us), we decided to stay in that evening and try the hotel’s Asian-inspired restaurant, TRIBE Table.

And what a great decision!

Service was amazing, the food and cocktails were delicious, and the space itself is so beautifully designed (the interior was actually inspired by the TV series Twin Peaks).

Since it was a Monday evening, the restaurant unfortunately lacked a bit of atmosphere because only a few tables were occupied. But judging by the stunning design, I can imagine it must feel buzzing when fully booked!

As hotel guests, we were welcomed with a complimentary glass of bubbly (always a promising start, hehe!).

When we’re not travelling, we love visiting London speakeasies, so our cocktail expectations were fairly high. Luckily, their signature cocktails delivered.

We ordered one Sappari cocktail each, made with bourbon, ginger-honey-oolong tea syrup, lemon, egg white, and peated perfume. They were beautifully presented to resemble a fried egg and tasted sweet and sour with spicy hints.

A complimentary popcorn starter arrived with three different dipping sauces: orange, sesame, and Szechuan. As weird as popcorn with sauce sounds, the sesame one was dangerously addictive!

Since we’re terrible at choosing just one dish, we ordered eight small bites to share:

• Edamame with chilli flakes
• Sunomono salad with wakame seaweed, cucumber, and sesame
• Salmon tartare with mango, cucumber, sugar snap peas and wasabi mayo
• Shrimp tempura with mango heatwave sauce
• Deep-fried chicken in an orange glaze
• Pork belly with a honey-garlic glaze
• Pulled pork bao with carrot and white cabbage
• Beef tataki in sesame sauce

For dessert, we couldn’t resist trying their fried mango ice cream with lychee salad and mint. Yum!

Yes, it was a lot of deep-fried, spicy food with sweet sauces, but everything was so flavourful, and I firmly believe holidays are made for indulgence (my endometriosis would strongly disagree, but it was worth it).

Breakfast and Grab & Go Station

The next morning, we woke up energised and headed downstairs again, where the restaurant had transformed into a breakfast buffet with one of the biggest selections I’ve seen on our recent city breaks.

We usually skip boring and overpriced hotel breakfasts, but in this case, I’d say the £16 breakfast at TRIBE Krakow Old Town was actually worth it (and if you like to sleep in, no problem — it’s waiting for you until noon).

We only tried it once during our stay, but I would definitely recommend doing the same.

From chia pudding and fresh fruit to healthy and tasty salads, warm dishes, mochi and other sweet pastries, the selection was impressive, and they really thought of everything.

Their 24/7 Grab & Go station in the reception area is a lifesaver, especially when your Auschwitz tour pick-up time unexpectedly moves from 8 AM to 6 AM (which is known to happen a lot and yes, it happened to us, too.)

The station offers a fridge with a huge selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, ready-to-eat meals, and tasty snacks that keep you energised throughout the day.

Social Hub: Work-Friendly Spaces & Coffee Bar

The communal social hub is perfect if you are a business traveller or digital nomad looking to get some work done on the go.

With an integrated coffee bar and dedicated co-working tables with outlets, TRIBE Krakow Old Town manages to create a space that feels quiet enough for work and meetings, while still lively enough to enjoy a coffee and a pastry.

I genuinely regret not bringing my laptop on this trip, as the space felt so inspiring and I was itching to write a Krakow travel itinerary straight away!

We ordered two small flat whites from the coffee bar, but somehow ended up being served (and charged) two large ones (22 zloty each, which is ~£4.50).

Taste-wise, the coffee was… okaaay.

I know, I’m such a coffee snob! 🙈

TRIBE Krakow Old Town Hotel: Your Perfect Base For a Krakow City Break

I can confidently say I’ve finally found a city hotel that makes me want to spend more time there, not just use it as a place to crash after a long day of sightseeing (I’ve shared our full 3-day Krakow itinerary too, if you want a more relaxed city break!).

As travellers in our mid-thirties, we’ve come to really value that balance between style, comfort, and practicality on a city break, and TRIBE Krakow Old Town delivers on all fronts.

From the cosy, design-led rooms and luxurious Kevin Murphy bathroom products to the fab breakfast, creative cocktails, and sharing plates at their Asian-inspired restaurant, plus the 24/7 gym and sauna, everything about this urban hotel is designed to make your stay as effortless and enjoyable as possible.

So, would I recommend TRIBE Krakow Old Town to a friend or stay here again myself?

Absolutely.