Wawel Royal Castle

4.73278 Votes Currently Open
  • Address: Wawel Royal Castle, Wawel 5, Krakow, Poland
    Map
  • Timings: 09:30 am - 04:00 pm Details
  • Phone: +48-124225155
  • Tags: Art And Culture, Castle, Family And Kids, Architecture , Archaeological Site , Arts And Crafts
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A conspiracy theorist will no doubt wonder if there is something supernatural that attracts humans to Wawel. Archaeologists have shown the first human settlements on Wawel hill to be more than 50,000 years old. Now, there are other such sites scattered across the world, but Wawel is in the minority to have a castle built on it and become a centre of power. During medieval times, from the 11th to the 16th centuries AD the Wawel Castle was the Polish royalty’s seat of power. It was the site of all coronations and all royal funerals. The long history and the large size of the castle means it had enough time and space to change. There are renovations and additions from each era, medieval, gothic and renaissance. The Castle today, in addition to being an architectural beauty, houses one of Poland’s premier art museums, with an important collection of Italian Renaissance paintings. Of significant note are the Wawel treasures, over a hundred historical and cultural artefacts that were kept at Wawel, looted by German forces and then restored to their original owners. One of them is Coronation Sword of Poland, Szczerbiec, was used to crown Polish monarchs for five centuries and is around 800 years old. The other, more important artefact is a copy of the Guttenberg Bible, one of the first works printed in movable type back in 1455, a landmark in human invention, something that led to cheaply produced books and the spread of knowledge that we take for granted now.

Wawel Royal Castle Travel Tips

  • It is an extremely large castle with many different exhibitions- the State Rooms, the Royal Private Apartments, the Crown Treasure and Armoury, collection of Oriental Art, the Dragon’s Den, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine” and many more. Each of them has their own ticket prices and opening and closing hours, all of which can be found at their website.
  • On certain days for certain exhibits there is free admission. Read the website to find out where on which days. Arrive early because the free tickets are limited in number and are usually gone by noon.
  • Check the website and call ahead to see if you can see all the exhibitions you want to see without wasting too much time. Proper planning is required as there are many things to see at Wawel Castle.
  • Each exhibition needs separate tickets, and if you are a budget traveller (money or time-wise), read up and trim the fat. Don’t visit the exhibits you find unnecessary.
  • Since it is a major tourist attraction there is almost always a massive crowd. Get there early and buy your tickets in advance.
  • Luggage is not allowed inside, backpacks, bags, strollers and umbrellas included and must be checked into their luggage room.
  • There are many restaurants in the old town and two cafes on Wawel hill.

Wawel Royal Castle Hours

  • December 24, December 25 and from November 1 until March 31 all exhibitions are closed on Mondays. 
  • Closed on the first Monday of every month.
  • The Wawel Hill is accessible to visitors daily since April through September from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm and since October through March from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm.

How to Reach Wawel Royal Castle

  • The buses numbered 124, 152, 304, 424, 502 and the trams numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 24 and 52 can be taken here. The stop is the Main Market Square. Wawel Castle is only a ten minute walk from there.

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  • Wawel Royal Castle Address: Wawel Royal Castle, Wawel 5, Krakow, Poland
  • Wawel Royal Castle Contact Number: +48-124225155
  • Wawel Royal Castle Timing: 09:30 am - 04:00 pm
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  • 65.53% of people who visit Krakow include Wawel Royal Castle in their plan

  • 62.5% of people start their Wawel Royal Castle visit around 09 AM - 10 AM

  • People usually take around 1 Hr to see Wawel Royal Castle

Monday, Friday and Sunday

92.59% of people prefer to travel by car while visiting Wawel Royal Castle

People normally club together St. Andrew's Church and Ogrodzieniec Castle while planning their visit to Wawel Royal Castle.

* The facts given above are based on traveler data on TripHobo and might vary from the actual figures

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