The Royal Castle in Warsaw

What to expect

The Royal Castle in Warsaw is the former residence of Polish kings and seat of the Sejm (parliament), located on the Vistula escarpment at the entrance to the Old Town. Almost completely destroyed during World War II, it was rebuilt between 1971 and 1988 through a nationwide public fundraising effort. Today it is one of Warsaw’s symbols and a natural starting point for exploring the Old Town.

The visit covers the royal chambers from the 17th and 18th centuries, including the Great Hall, Senate Rooms, Royal Apartments, and the Marble Room. The museum collection includes works by Rembrandt, Canaletto, and Bacciarelli.

Allow about 2 hours for the permanent exhibitions. The castle also hosts temporary exhibitions throughout the year.

Tips

• Roof works, July-December 2026. The work is being done in stages. The museum states: “During the works the Castle remains open to visitors. All exhibitions, events and visitor routes will operate as planned.” Safety zones are marked off wherever work is under way. (Source: Castle announcement, checked 2 Sept 2026.)
• The price depends on the route. The Royal Route and the Museum Route are 60 PLN regular and 45 PLN reduced (audio guide included, about 14 and 10.50 EUR); the Castle Route, which combines both, is 95 and 75 PLN; the Palace Route (Palace Under the Tin Roof) is 30 and 20 PLN; the Gold Ticket is 110 and 90 PLN. Anyone aged 7-26 from the EU, EFTA or Switzerland pays 1 PLN (school ticket, no audio guide); children under 7 enter free.
• Free Wednesdays, but not for everything. The museum states: “On Wednesdays admission is free to the Palace Under the Tin Roof and to a special route in the Castle: the Royal Apartments from the Oval Gallery to the Crown Horse Guards Hall, and the Lanckoroński Gallery.” Closed on Wednesdays, in exchange: the Porcelain Gallery, the Wettin Gallery, the Presidential Rooms, the Senate Chamber and the Matejko Rooms. Queues can be long - arrive before 10:00.
• Audio guide is available in 5 languages and included in the ticket price. Worth using.
• Photography is allowed without flash, but no tripods.
• There is a cafe inside the castle with a view over the Vistula river - worth a stop.
• No luggage storage - backpacks must be left in the cloakroom.

Getting there

Public transport: Stare Miasto stop (buses 116, 178, 180, 503) or Ratusz Arsenał metro station (M1 line), about 10 min walk.

By car: Underground parking at pl. Zamkowy or parking on Podwale street. Weekend parking is difficult to find.

By bike: Veturilo bike station on Podwale street, 2 min from the castle.

In the neighbourhood

• Warsaw Archdiocese Museum - ul. Dziekania 1, about 100 m. The Dean’s Palace between the Castle and St John’s Cathedral: more than 20,000 objects of sacred art, among them woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer.
• Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature - Rynek Starego Miasta 20, about 300 m. An exhibition on Adam Mickiewicz with more than 600 objects, including the only surviving manuscript of “Grażyna”.
• Museum of Warsaw - Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42, about 300 m. Eleven tenement houses rebuilt after the destruction of 1944 and more than 7,000 objects in “The Things of Warsaw” exhibition. The Castle shows the court and the state, the Museum of Warsaw the city itself: together they give the full picture of the Old Town.