Wawel Royal Castle
Krakow, Poland
Krakow
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Poland
Wawel Royal Castle – the pride and the most significant landmark of the Polish city of Krakow. Wawel Castle, built on the high bank of the Vistula river, conveniently placed behind its walls the Cathedral, Royal Castle and the whole system of various fortifications of the castle.
Once the Wawel Castle was the centre of spiritual and political power – there were lived several generations of Polish kings. Then Krakow has become a "hostage" of the Union between Lithuania and Poland and began to lose its power and authority, being on the outskirts of the new state. When the castle caught fire, the king didn't want him to recover and just moved to Warsaw. Now the castle regularly held numerous exhibitions, and the flow of tourists to the Wawel Castle from year to year is steadily increasing.
Stone-paved road lead to the main gate of the castle. On the left wall from the gate you can see the names of people and companies who donated restoration of the Wawel Castle. At the entrance stands a monument to Tadeusz Kosciuszko, and if you go a little further, you will see the Cathedral, over the doors of which hang the bones of a mammoth. According to legend, they bring prosperity to the place. Near the Cathedral is the Cathedral Museum. In the former Royal court often exhibitions are organized, and in the castle you can stroll through the wards of kings, and visit armoury and even treasury.
There is the Dragon Cave in Wawel Castle. What secrets it holds you will have to learn on your own.
And if you're lucky enough to visit the Wawel Castle into a holiday, then you will hear the ringing of the biggest bell in Poland.
The Wawel Castle is a castle residency located in central Krakow, Poland. Built at the behest of King Casimir III the Great, it consists of a number of structures situated around the Italian-styled main courtyard. The castle, being one of the largest in Poland, represents nearly all European architectural styles of medieval, renaissance and baroque periods. The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in the country. In 1978 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Krakow.
For centuries the residence of the kings of Poland and the symbol of Polish statehood, the Castle is now one of the country's premier art museums. Established in 1930, the museum encompasses ten curatorial departments responsible for collections of paintings, including an important collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, prints, sculpture, textiles, among them the Sigismund II Augustus tapestry collection, goldsmith's work, arms and armor, ceramics, Meissen porcelain, and period furniture. The museum's holdings in oriental art include the largest collection of Ottoman tents in Europe. With seven specialized conservation studios, the museum is also an important center for the conservation of works of art.
Map
User reviews
Hugo
Climb the hill where the castle is free and from there you can see the cathedral, the courtyard of the Palace and good view of the river and south of the city. But what is really impressive is a visit to the Lady of the Armino of Leonardo da Vinci. This was well explained (in English and in Polish) and even though it may be a little expensive for a single work, it is well worth.
Alonso
Really nice area to visit in Krakow. The castle is really big and it is close to the river. Very amazing view. I was there few times and it is even more beautiful in summer. I really recommend everyone to go there.
Lukas
Well worth a visit. Before that, definitely make a reservation to avoid long queue and, if necessary, empty-handed. Best 2 days of schedule.
Max
Historic castle in Krakow. The view is really good.
Javier
Beautiful castle historic of Krakow, famous for its story of the dragon Wavel.
Aurelie
Very beautiful castle / cathedral. Krakow is a beautiful city that is worth the detour.
Eric
A visit imperative, but it is necessary to arrive early to avoid a queue of almost 2 hours
Agnes
Great Garden Plant. To buy unfortunately very long queue for the Tickets. And then only directly in front of the cashier, whether the Tickets for the leadership you are liked is still available. I recommend to set the time on the time and buy Tickets online.
Alberto
The grounds of the castle is.very nice, you can see for free the.garden and the.inner courtyard of the.castle. Buy ticket to see the.box the women's.armino, cave of the dragon and apartments and royal apartments. These last are very much restored, and everything looks very new. Are fine, but it is not Versailles, or was about, but were settled by the king or head of state until I see the.the capital of Poland.
The cave is small, but the entrance is cheap, it's okay.
La cueva es pequena, pero la entrada es barata, esta bien.
Alessandro
Magnificent castle on the river Wisla. To visit the castle and all exibitions it can take almost the whole day.But you have to be lucky to get the tickets for some exibitions as some of them are sold within a certain number of visitors.
Ivo
Nice place to visit and to know a bit more of the history of Poland. The guided visit to the private rooms is a bit stressing. Depending on the tour guide it can be a pain in the ass.
Little time and to much to see. The local guides speak good English but sometimes is impossible to understand because every second counts
Try to avoid the cathedral. To many people and nothing new
Blanca
Beautiful place! If you visit Krakow, this is a castle that should be visited. The shop has very nice souvenirs and gifts. It has a beautiful and large central court, beautiful rooms and the area where the sword collection is presented is worth seeing. The employees are polite and helpful.
Marco
The Wawel Castel Is beautiful!
It is full of legends like the dragon's legend and the legend about one of the head on the throne room.
I buy a complete tour, the price is good for the service that you receive.
Must to see is the "Lady with an Ermine" of Leonardo da Vinci.
Cons: Not good organisation at the ticket office. The wait is very long.
juhana
Castle area and the garden is beautiful. Nice to walk around. It's great you can buy tickets individually to each exhibition you want to see, but don't need to get them all. If you are not in to history, just walk around, visit the Cathedral and get a ticket to the dragons cave for your exit.
Oscar
It is interesting to see this castle where you can also see the cathedral of Krakow. Free of charge, you can access the courtyard of the castle and a large part of the cathedral.
In the door of the cathedral this the bones of the famous dragon of Krakow (legend course)
En la puerta de la catedral esta los huesos del famoso dragon de Cracovia (leyenda claro)
David
I am sure this will be beautiful but waiting in hot sun for over one hour is no fun. This reduces your time for visiting some parts of the castle so you have to pick carefully. Go VERY early if you want to avoid looong lines. Also you can buy a ticket for another day in the reservation office.
Cyril
A beautiful and well placed in the city. With a beautiful legend about a dragon discovering. Brief krakow is a beautiful city to discover. Cracow is a beautiful city to discover.
Sanka
Brilliant place. Very well kept and the state rooms are really beautiful. Garden and surrounding was very beautiful. Ticketing system was a bit confusing as you have to buy events individually rather than one ticket. All was good.
Hermes
A place full of stories, with an inspiring architecture and landscapes that evoke from coronations in the middle ages to the experiences of the wars of the first half of the TWENTIETH century. Many saints have passed through here, a lot of stories locked up in the walls. A magical place. Recomendadisimo.
Maciej
A lot of exhibitions. I recommend the tour of the building and gardens of the Castle."
A Lot of exhibitions. I highly recommend the guide tour the Wawel Buildings and Gardens"
Minus for not having interactive audio guides
A Lot of exhibitions. I highly recommend guide tour " Wawel Buildings and Gardens"
Minus for not having interactive audio guides
Bernhard
To visit the most Interesting in the course of a Free walking Tour through the city
Jacek
A place where the history very well
Markus
Impressive from the Outside but from the Inside, worth a visit
Rudolf
What is offered here is quite interesting, but it can be through the great masses of tourists according to enjoyed.
Generally outrageous it is that you are not allowed to take pictures in the buildings. Allegedly out of fear of crime! In fact, you want to sell the images!
Generell unverschämt ist es, dass man in den Gebäuden nicht fotografieren darf. Angeblich aus Angst vor Kriminalität! Tatsächlich wollen sie aber nur die Bilder verkaufen!
Marek
Beautiful old castle that is still in good condition after all these years. The entrance to the square is free but to enter the room you have to pay.
Beautiful castle that still stands to this day after many centuries. It's free to enter the castle courtyard but to access the interior areas you must pay.
Beautiful castle that still stands to this day after many centuries. It's free to enter the castle courtyard but to access the interior areas you must pay.
cautillo
beautiful castle very well keeps
Mohd
Rodrigo
The castle of Krakow with a chapel inside. Beautiful building with a lot of architecture styles. Worth visiting it.
Nita
Free to enter the castle and Cathedral grounds. You pay for the exhibitions seperatley so you can choose how much you want to do and entry fees were good value. Very impressive castle with some very old artefacts. Highly recommend a visit to the State rooms, the Armoury and the Lost Wawel exhibitions.
Diogo
This place is epic, and the story about it is very interesting. I recommend you to visit and enjoy this place.
genia
Too many tourists. It is best to see to the outside.
Niklas
Really beutiful castle packad with wonderful items. The audio-guide is a must if you are interested in Polish history.
Veronica
Not so much as castle as large buildings at the top of a hill. Nice to have a walk around but buying tickets to indoor areas is rediculously difficult. 1st ticket sales area you come to is just for Cathedral, just oppersite. We were haressed and l mean haressed by a tour guide who wanted to hire him. He followed us for 5 mins around the castle. After getting rid of him finally, we thougth we would look at the Armory exhibition, so walked over there. Told we couldnt buy tickets there, dispite a reception desk and two staff. Given no directions to where to buy our tickets just to be told over there. We walked back over to gift shop and ask to buy tickets, just to be told on sale a 5 min walk away. After asking to buy tickets, we were given 3 lots of prices for different rooms and buy 3 and get one for a zloty. We gave up and just bought one lot of tickets. We seen the armory exhibition 2/10 and thought l am not spending any more time here and left. We paid 3 hours on the car park but left after 50 mins. Need to sort this out its not communist rule anymore with everything in triplicate and all over the place. Get organised!!!!
Jürgen
You must have seen. Just great
Jeremy
A beautiful place, which closes early unfortunately! Has 17: 30 we were asked to leave the premises... but the ride's worth it, and the restoration is of high quality!
Hugo
Really incredible to visit! A feast for the eyes, if you go to Krakow, do not hesitate to go and see this wonder.