Wawel Royal Castle
Wawel Royal Castle
4.5
Historic Sites • Historic Walking Areas • Castles
Read more
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Serving as a royal residence and the site where the country's rulers governed Poland for five centuries (1038-1596), this castle is a symbol of the independent Polish state and today contains a priceless collection of 16th-century Flemish tapestries, considered to be one of the largest in the world.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view










What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Stare Miasto
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
1,960 within 5 kms
Attractions
480 within 10 kms
See what other travellers are saying
- Jane2806Livingston, United Kingdom226 contributionsFairytale castleThe castle is just how I imagine a fairytale castle should look like, so pretty. We walked around the castle on our first day, then visited again the next during our walking tour. I would recommend visiting with a guide as we saw and learnt much more about the castle on our second visit, rather than just using a guide book. The reason I haven’t given the castle a 5star review was that you need to buy individual tickets to enter different parts of the castle interiors, which mean queuing for tickets, then waiting for your allocated time slot. Not ideal if your time is limited. Even though we didn’t get to see any of the interiors, just taking a walk around the castle was worth the visitVisited July 2022Written 25 July 2022
- pawel_hbgSopot, Poland9,993 contributionsPoland's national and cultural symbolWawel is a limestone hill in the centre of Krakow upon the Vistula River with a complex of impressive historical monuments of unique historical, artistic values and is Poland's national and cultural symbol. It is huge castle with many things to visit inside. You can visit Royal Private Apartments for 25 PLN adult ticket, Crown Treasury and Armoury for also 25 PLN. Moreover Royal Gardens for 5 PLN, Sandomierska Tower for 5 PLN, Dragon's Den for 7 PLN. Furthermore separately for 12 PLN The Royal Sigismund Bell with Royal Crypts, Cathedral Museum and Wawel Cathedral. Complicated? Even more if you cannot buy tickets online, on the place you need to stand in 2 different queues. It is complete lack of organisation. All complex is a must in Krakow, it is amazing but it can make you tired because of that.Visited June 2020Travelled as a coupleWritten 16 June 2020
- Lisonholmes3 contributionsMust-see in KrakowThe Wawel royal castle is a must-see if you are in Krakow. Not only it is a piece of art architecturally speaking. It is also a great witness of the time. Indeed, built between the 13th and 14th century, the castle has known many inhabitants through the centuries. When wondering around the castle one can learn the many legends regarding the building itself or its foundation. Hence the presence of the statue of a dragon spitting fire down Wawel hill. Nowadays one can visit the splendid rooms of the castle which has pretty much become an art museum. The castle overlooking the Vistula river, offers a great sunset at dusk.Visited December 2019Written 5 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
10,577 reviews
Excellent
5,396
Very good
3,610
Average
1,201
Poor
251
Terrible
119
PiotrKal
24 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
In general it takes about 3 days to see all the exhibitions and it is quite expensive, there are some handy hacks. I have seen 6 exhibitions (5h trip) for as little as little as 5 euro altogether (children <7 are always free except for the Cathedral. To go to the hill itself and have a walk around is free. On Monday ~9 AM you can pick up free tickets (30m queue) for 3 exhibitions and cheap tickets for further 3. This is not even 30% of it but a good start. It is always worth it to buy Cathedral tickets, in the morning is better because there is no queue. Other exhibitions are breath- taking and you can buy tickets online but it will cost ya to see it all.
Written 13 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt N
Hunstanton, UK33 contributions
Apr 2023 • Family
Loved it. Well worth the visit if you enjoy a bit of central European medieval architecture. We walked around independently with just a guide book, the views of the city were amazing, and there was plenty to look at and explore in wonder.
Written 7 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helentonetti
6 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
I highly recommend the 2 hour guided tour max 14
people. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and shared information broadly and widely. An interesting beautiful city with a stunning castle. Very memorable.
people. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and shared information broadly and widely. An interesting beautiful city with a stunning castle. Very memorable.
Written 3 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eric_weber
Leipzig, Germany82 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
A very impressive monument. I've seen a lot cities and castles etc , but this one is deeply impressive in size and style. very well renovated and maintained. strongly recommend
Written 2 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard M
Hampstead Norreys, UK793 contributions
Jul 2023
The castle is in a stunning location and has a lot of places you can visit. We went into the State rooms and Private Royal Apprartments that were full of the artefacts and furniture. The rooms are gloriously decorated and a must see. We went to the gardens and up the tower as well. A lovely place with some incredible views over the city.
Written 30 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter T
Tamworth, UK363 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We had a lovely 2-3 hour tour of the whole castle. Our guide was extremely knowledgable and we got the whole highlights as a result. If you wanted to self tour and see everything then the castle is a full day.
Written 30 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jassi S
2 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
Amazing views, beautiful castle with lots to see. Wasn't very busy and staff were friendly and spoke English
Written 29 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
veronicag1990
Elverum, Norway62 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
Really nice experience with audioguiding from GetYourGuide - and the possibility to walk and listen on our own.
Magnificent area, a lot of history. Nice with toilet included in the ticket.
Bought entrance to the royal private rooms, that was a disappointment, the same with the dragons den.
Magnificent area, a lot of history. Nice with toilet included in the ticket.
Bought entrance to the royal private rooms, that was a disappointment, the same with the dragons den.
Written 24 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
edward w
ilkley17 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
Difficult for wheel chair users tget to the castle complex as it is accessed via a steep hill nor does the ticket office have a level surface. Having pushed the wheel chair up the hill was told that there were no concessions for wheelchair users despite a notice daying that there were. Within the castle access is reasonably good with lifts to the state and private apartments. The art collection is poorly anotated and indeed many displays have no explanation at all and where it does exist is not readable from a wheelchair. The Generally, was left with the impression that disabled visitors are not really welcome with little attempt made to meet their needs
Written 23 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KTP310
Reading, UK891 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
As it was such a sunny day I didn’t buy tickets to go inside but just enjoyed wandering around the grounds and hearing the history from an audio guide (a separate tour of Krakow I had purchased). I particularly enjoyed the shady corner I found with deckchairs for a welcome rest!
Written 15 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francesco DG
Sicily, Italy126 contributions
Ciao a tutti, il 26 luglio mi piacerebbe iniziare la visita di Cracovia con questo castello, sul sito ci sono i diversi biglietti per le diverse aree e mi sono un po' incartato per la scelta degli orari! Ogni posto ha un orario o devo prendere i biglietti tutti per la stessa ora? Avete consigli anche di diversa natura? Grazie, Francesco
04nico77
Rome, Italy827 contributions
Ciao devi prendere Orari diversi per le varie visite
Emma P
Spennymoor, UK71 contributions
Is the castle and cathedral free? Bit confused as some posts seem to say it's free and others say it's a charge?
Renee A
10 contributions
All of the above. When we were there we couldnt have gone in as it was the first day of closures due to covid. We enjoyed walking the grounds and the views of Krakow.
Shannon
Dublin, Ireland20 contributions
Hi there
My boyfriend and I have krakow booked for next week 18-22 March. We are supposed to be travelling from Dublin.
We are not sure whether to continue with the trip, or cancel it due to corona virus. Are most tourist places still open? I’m aware museums are starting to close etc. Just wondering if it will be worth it for us to go as we wanted to visit Auschwitz etc.
We were planning to fly out of Warsaw and get the train from krakow to Warsaw.
If anyone could provide us with some information that would be great
Douglas S
Greensboro, NC16 contributions
Poland has shutdown all museums etc.
Elsa
Elba Island, Italy1 contribution
Ciao skafuzzina vorrei sapere a che ora si può fare la visita al castello co l'audioguida in italiano. e vero che la domenica l'ingresso è gratis?
ReviewsItaly
italy2,532 contributions
Gratis
Al lunedi mattino, aperte solo alcune parti
Biglietti ad esaurimento.
Non so se anche in estate, però....
Απο που μπορω να κλεισω εισητηρια ον λαιν? Γινεται βασικα?
JOHN V
ATHENS4 contributions
Καλημέρα, on line το κάστρο δεν δίνει εισιτήρια, αλλά μπορείτε να κλείσετε μέσω του tripadvisor
yvonneguthrie24
London, UK19 contributions
Is it a steep walk up to the castle? Difficult?
Louise G
Cornwall, UK122 contributions
It’s not a steep walk, there is different entrances to the castle both have an incline but not steep, a gentle stroll should be sufficient to reach the castle grounds.
Anka
Nowa Deba, Poland
W jakiej cenie jest dostępna przechowalnia bagażu? Czy można zostawić dużą walizkę?
Sylwia T
Słupsk, Slupsk, Poland51 contributions
Niekoniecznie jest to przechowalnia bagażu. Zostawia się tam plecaki torebki takie większe z którymi wejście mogłoby grozić uszkodzeniem eksponatów. Nie widziałam tam dużych walizek raczej plecaki, większe torebki, płaszcze parasole. Przechowalnia była bezpłatna.
Roberta H
Fowler, IL9 contributions
Are there wheelchairs you can borrow for elderly visitors? Not sure my mom will make it all the way around the site...
PierreBMalta
San Gwann, Malta476 contributions
No I do not think so. But if you arrive with a well chair there is a lot to see even if not everywhere is accessible.
Ria J
Dubai, United Arab Emirates3 contributions
Hi can I do self guided tour in the castle.?i see only guided tours online? Where can I buy the tickets to enter the castle premises.? Thanks for the reply.
dave20144
Essex, United Kingdom40 contributions
There can be queues, but then everyone stops at the first booth they see at the top of the hill on the way in - there are others which should be quieter.
Recently viewed
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingWawel Royal Castle, Krakow
Frequently Asked Questions about Wawel Royal Castle
- Wawel Royal Castle is open:
- Sun - Sun 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Tue - Sat 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- We recommend booking Wawel Royal Castle tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 165 Wawel Royal Castle tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Wawel Royal Castle:
- (0.05 km) Gold Queen Apartment
- (0.19 km) Pod Wawelem Hotel
- (0.28 km) Hotel Wawel Queen
- (0.27 km) Hotel Copernicus
- (0.30 km) Balthazar Design Hotel
- Restaurants near Wawel Royal Castle:
- (0.14 km) Restauracja Trattoria Wawel
- (0.12 km) Restaurant at Wawel Royal Castle
- (0.11 km) Pod Smocza Jama Restauracja
- (0.23 km) Pod Nosem
- (0.10 km) Kawiarnia Słodki Wawel
- Attractions near Wawel Royal Castle:
- (0.00 km) Wawel Cathedral
- (0.00 km) Pomnik Tadeusza Kościuszki
- (0.02 km) Statue of John Paul II
- (0.05 km) Czakram Wawelski
- (0.10 km) Krakow Archery

















































































































