The aim of this study was to identify typical and specific features of land surface temperature (LST) distribution in the city of Krakow and its surroundings with the use of Landsat/ETM+ data. The paper contains a detailed description of the study area and technical properties of the Landsat program and data, as well as a complete methodology of LST retrieval. Retrieved LST records have been standardized in order to ensure comparability between satellite images acquired during different seasons. The method also enables identification of characteristic thermal regions, i.e. areas always colder and always warmer than a zonal mean LST value for Krakow. The research includes spatial analysis of the standardized LST with regard to different land cover types. Basic zonal statistics such as mean standardized LST and percentage share of hot and cold regions within 10 land cover types were calculated. GIS was used for automated data processing and mapping. The results confirmed the most obvious dependence of the LST on different land cover types. Some more factors influencing the LST were recognized on the basis of detailed investigation of the LST pattern in the urban agglomeration of Krakow. The factors are: emission of anthropogenic heat, insolation of the surfaces depending first of all on land relief and shape of buildings, seasonal changes of vegetation and weather conditions at the time of satellite image acquisition.