Museums in Kraków: The Best Museums and How to Visit

Kraków has more museums than almost any other Polish city — from a Leonardo da Vinci painting and the great canvases of Polish Romanticism to a factory that became a memorial, a market buried under the main square, and Japanese art on the far bank of the Vistula. This guide picks out the museums worth planning a day around and how to approach them. For the wider picture, see our Kraków travel guide and things to do in Kraków.

The National Museum

The National Museum in Kraków (MNK) is spread across several branches. Its single most famous work is Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine, shown at the Princes Czartoryski Museum near the Old Town — one of very few Leonardo paintings on public display anywhere. In the Cloth Hall on the Main Market Square, the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art hangs the monumental history paintings of Jan Matejko and the landscapes of his contemporaries. The Main Building holds Polish art from the 20th and 21st centuries and the national collection of decorative arts. Check current hours and tickets on the National Museum site.

The Museum of Kraków

The Museum of Kraków (Muzeum Krakowa) tells the city’s own story across a string of memorable sites. Beneath the Main Market Square, the Rynek Underground walks you through the excavated medieval market. Across the river, Schindler’s Factory is a powerful exhibition on Kraków under Nazi occupation — covered in our Schindler’s Factory guide. Other branches include the Old Synagogue in Kazimierz, the Town Hall Tower and the Eagle Pharmacy in Podgórze. Book timed tickets ahead via the Museum of Kraków, as the most popular branches sell out.

Modern and contemporary art

For art after 1945, MOCAK — the Museum of Contemporary Art, next to Schindler’s Factory in Podgórze — shows Polish and international work in a striking modern building. The Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology, on the river across from Wawel, grew out of a remarkable private collection of Japanese prints and crafts. Both make a good counterpoint to the city’s Gothic and Renaissance heart.

Jewish heritage

Two museums anchor the city’s Jewish memory. The Galicia Jewish Museum in Kazimierz tells the story of Jewish life across the region through contemporary photography, while the Old Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in Poland, houses a museum of Jewish history and tradition. See our Kazimierz guide for the wider quarter.

Underground and unusual

Not every great “museum” near Kraków is a gallery. The Rynek Underground and, just outside the city, the UNESCO-listed Wieliczka Salt Mine — see our Wieliczka guide — are experiences as much as exhibitions, and both are ideal for a rainy day or for travelling with children.

Practical tips

• Book ahead. Schindler’s Factory, Rynek Underground and the Czartoryski museum often sell out; buy timed tickets online before you arrive.
• Free days. Many Kraków museums offer one free-entry day each week; check the museum’s site, as the day varies and free tickets still need to be reserved.
• Combined tickets. The National Museum and the Museum of Kraków each sell passes covering several branches — worth it if you plan more than one or two.
• Plan your day. Group museums by area — Old Town, Kazimierz, Podgórze — and see our 2–3 day itinerary to fit them around the sights.

Frequently asked questions