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Free museums in Kraków — which day is admission free?

Tuesday is the best day for free museums in Kraków. On Tuesdays the permanent exhibitions in all branches of the National Museum are free, including the Cloth Hall gallery and the Czartoryski Museum. So are the Rynek Underground, Krzysztofory Palace, Manggha and the Ethnographic Museum. On Mondays you can visit Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory, the Old Synagogue and selected exhibitions at Wawel Castle free of charge. Cricoteka is free on Wednesdays, the MOCAK Collection on Thursdays and the Home Army Museum on Sundays. Free entry tickets are usually issued at the ticket office on the day of your visit, and numbers are limited. Information as of late October 2026.

Free museums in Kraków, day by day

Day Free admission
Monday Schindler’s Factory, Old Synagogue, Town Hall Tower, selected exhibitions at Wawel Royal Castle, Archaeological Museum branch in Branice
Tuesday National Museum (permanent exhibitions in all branches), Rynek Underground, Krzysztofory Palace, Rydlówka, Archaeological Museum, Ethnographic Museum, Manggha, Museum of Engineering and Technology, Polish Aviation Museum, MuFo Museum of Photography
Wednesday Cricoteka, Tadeusz Kantor Gallery-Studio, Collegium Maius (afternoon), Eagle Pharmacy, Pomorska Street, Underground Nowa Huta
Thursday MOCAK (MOCAK Collection), Podgórze Museum
Sunday Home Army Museum, Scouting Museum
Every day Wawel Hill and the castle courtyards, Amber Museum, NBP Kraków Economic Centre (Monday to Friday)

Monday: Schindler’s Factory, the Old Synagogue and Wawel

  • Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory (Lipowa 4, Zabłocie). On Mondays the museum has shorter hours, 10:00 to 15:00. Free tickets are only available at the ticket office on the day, with no advance booking and a limited number, so it is worth arriving at opening time. The factory is closed on the first Tuesday of each month.
  • Old Synagogue (Szeroka 24, Kazimierz), a branch of the Museum of Kraków, open 10:00–15:00 on Mondays.
  • Town Hall Tower in the Main Market Square, open 11:00–16:00 on Mondays.
  • Wawel Royal Castle. On Mondays from 10:00 to 16:00 the ticket offices hand out free passes to selected exhibitions, up to five per person. The selection depends on the month: in October and December 2026 it is the State Rooms with the Turkish Tents and the Crown Treasury.
  • Archaeological Museum, Nowa Huta-Branice branch, open Monday to Friday, 10:00–14:00.

Note that most Kraków museums are closed on Mondays, including all branches of the National Museum, the Archaeological Museum on Senacka Street, the Ethnographic Museum, Manggha and MOCAK.

Tuesday: the most free museums

On Tuesdays the National Museum in Kraków opens the permanent exhibitions in all its Kraków branches free of charge. Pick up a free pass at the ticket office; temporary exhibitions remain paid. The highlights for visitors are:

  • Czartoryski Museum (Pijarska 15), home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine”. Free tickets are only issued at the museum’s ticket office, on the day of the visit and for a set time slot.
  • Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art in the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice, Main Market Square 3).
  • Main Building (al. 3 Maja 1), Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace (Kanonicza 17), Jan Matejko House and Szołayski House, plus the Józef Mehoffer House, the Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum, the Arsenal and the Wyspiański museum.

Also free on Tuesdays:

  • Rynek Underground (Main Market Square 1), the route beneath the square. On Tuesdays it opens for shorter hours, 10:00 to 15:00. There is no booking for the free day: passes are only available at the ticket office on the day.
  • Krzysztofory Palace (Main Market Square 35), with the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Kraków. Passes are also issued at the Visitor Service Centre in the same building.
  • Rydlówka in Bronowice, the manor house linked to Wyspiański’s play “The Wedding”.
  • Archaeological Museum (Senacka 3), with the permanent exhibition on the prehistory and Middle Ages of Lesser Poland.
  • Ethnographic Museum (Plac Wolnica 1, Kazimierz), with its permanent exhibition in the former Kazimierz town hall.
  • Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology (Konopnickiej 26), across the Vistula from Wawel.
  • Museum of Engineering and Technology (św. Wawrzyńca 15, Kazimierz), with the permanent exhibition “Miasto. Technoczułość” (City. Techno-sensitivity). Places are limited, so you can collect a free pass in advance at the ticket office or online.
  • Polish Aviation Museum (al. Jana Pawła II 39). The free day is usually Tuesday, but the museum occasionally moves it, so check the notice on its website.
  • MuFo Museum of Photography (Rakowicka 22A), where the main exhibition is free.

From May to mid-October, a seasonal exhibition in the crypt of St Adalbert’s Church on the Main Market Square is also free on Tuesdays.

Wednesday: Kantor, Collegium Maius and Podgórze

  • Cricoteka (Nadwiślańska 2–4, Podgórze), the centre devoted to Tadeusz Kantor, has free admission to its permanent exhibition on Wednesdays.
  • Tadeusz Kantor Gallery-Studio (Sienna 7/5), the artist’s flat and studio just off the Main Market Square, is also free on Wednesdays.
  • Collegium Maius (Jagiellońska 15), the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University. On Wednesdays from 13:30 to 16:00 you can tour the permanent exhibition free of charge on a shortened route. The clock with moving figures in the courtyard plays every day at 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00.
  • Eagle Pharmacy (Apteka pod Orłem, Plac Bohaterów Getta 18, Podgórze), Tadeusz Pankiewicz’s pharmacy in the former ghetto.
  • Pomorska Street, a memorial site in the former Gestapo headquarters, and Underground Nowa Huta, the shelters of the Nowa Huta district. Both are branches of the Museum of Kraków.

Thursday: MOCAK and the Podgórze Museum

  • MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art (Lipowa 4, Zabłocie). On Thursdays the MOCAK Collection on level −1 is free with an entry card from the ticket office, while the other exhibitions are available at the reduced rate. MOCAK is next door to Schindler’s Factory, but it is closed on Mondays, so you cannot see both for free on the same day.
  • Podgórze Museum (Limanowskiego 51), with free admission to the permanent exhibition.

Sunday: the Home Army Museum

  • Home Army Museum (Wita Stwosza 12) has free admission to its exhibitions every Sunday, 10:00–17:00.
  • Scouting Museum and Centre at Fort Jugowice (Forteczna 28), a branch of the Museum of Kraków. Free tickets are available online or at the ticket office while places last.

Free all week

  • Wawel Hill and the castle courtyards are open every day from 6:00 until dusk. Visiting the interior of Wawel Cathedral, with the royal tombs and the Sigismund Bell, requires a ticket sold by the cathedral.
  • NBP Kraków Economic Centre (Basztowa 20) is open Monday to Friday, 8:00–15:00. Admission is free, with no booking needed for individual visitors.
  • Amber Museum (św. Jana 2), a private display, is open every day from 10:00 to 20:00.

Free November at Wawel Castle

Every November, Wawel Royal Castle runs its “Free November” campaign. In 2026 (the 15th edition), from Tuesday to Sunday you can visit the State Rooms with the Turkish Tents and the temporary exhibitions free of charge. These are the show on Queen Anna Jagiellon, “Ecstasies. Bernini at Wawel” (from 6 November) and a display of Johannes Vermeer’s “Woman with a Pearl Necklace” (from 27 November). The Lost Wawel, the Lapidarium and the Inter-wall area are free too. Passes are issued at the ticket offices from 8:45 on the day, or online up to a week in advance. On Mondays in November a different set of exhibitions is open, with passes at the ticket offices only. The Crown Treasury and the Armoury, among others, remain paid, and the castle is closed on 1 November.

Tips for visiting museums for free

  • Arrive at opening time. Free passes are limited, and the ticket office posts a notice once they run out.
  • Usually only permanent exhibitions are free. You need a ticket for temporary exhibitions.
  • One person can usually collect up to five passes. This applies at the Museum of Kraków and at Wawel, so the whole family does not need to queue.
  • Watch out for Mondays and public holidays. Most museums are closed on Mondays, and many branches close on 1 and 11 November and on 24–26 December.
  • Check the museum’s website before you go. Free days and opening hours can change.

Where to stay near the museums

Monday and Tuesday offer the most free admissions, so for a museum trip it is worth planning a stay that covers both days. From Best Western Plus Kraków Old Town (Świętej Gertrudy 6, by the Planty park) it is a 7-minute walk to the Archaeological Museum, 8 minutes to the Cloth Hall and the Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace, and 9 minutes to the Rynek Underground. Hotel Regent (Bożego Ciała 19) is in Kazimierz. From there it is 4 minutes to the Ethnographic Museum, 6 minutes each to the Old Synagogue and the Museum of Engineering and Technology, 12 minutes to Cricoteka and about 23 minutes on foot to Schindler’s Factory and MOCAK (walking times from OpenStreetMap).

Coming without a car? See our tips for a Kraków city break without a car.

Frequently asked questions

Which day are museums free in Kraków?

Tuesday has the most. The permanent exhibitions of the National Museum are free, as are the Rynek Underground, Krzysztofory Palace, the Archaeological Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, Manggha and the Museum of Engineering and Technology. On Mondays Schindler’s Factory, the Old Synagogue and selected exhibitions at Wawel are free. Cricoteka is free on Wednesdays, MOCAK on Thursdays and the Home Army Museum on Sundays.

When is Schindler’s Factory free?

On Mondays, 10:00–15:00. Free tickets are only issued at the ticket office on the day, with no booking, and numbers are limited. The museum is closed on the first Tuesday of each month.

Is Wawel Castle free?

Wawel Hill and the courtyards are open every day without a ticket. Selected castle exhibitions are free on Mondays, and in November, during “Free November”, also from Tuesday to Sunday. Visiting the cathedral interior, the royal tombs and the Sigismund Bell requires a ticket.

When is the Rynek Underground free?

On Tuesdays, 10:00–15:00. Passes are only available at the ticket office on the day; there is no booking for the free day.

Updated in October 2026.