Ethnographic Museum
Ethnographic Museum
4.5
Write a review
About
Located in the Kazimierz district, this 15th-century Town Hall was converted into a Renaissance building in the 16th century, which now houses the Museum of Ethnography.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Admission tickets
from $5.58
All you need to step foot in the door.

Top ways to experience Ethnographic Museum and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Neighborhood: Kazimierz
See what travelers are saying
  • bluesky17532
    3 contributions
    Ignited my love for folk culture
    Colorful, warm-hearted and educational. A relatively big museum that contains a few reproductions of typical rural rooms and a whole lot of interesting exhibits from everyday folk life. The explanatory boards were indeed very useful. I especially liked the fragments of eyewitness testimonies. Some of the boards weren't accompanied by English translations, though.
    Visited July 2019
    Written January 8, 2020
  • Witoldzio
    607 contributions
    Charming
    A very nice place to visit during a bad weather day in Krakow. The collection is located in a 16th century town hall. It has a large collection of items documenting village life, art and customs mainly in the Malopolska region, but also from other regions of Poland and Ukraine. Not too many descriptions in English - I hope the museum is planning to change that.
    Visited March 2023
    Written March 18, 2023
  • patjaniak
    Warsaw, Poland166 contributions
    Peoples history for everyone
    Interesting and low crowded place in Krakow, but worth to see, especially if you are interested in people's history. On first level you have reconstructions of peasents houses of Malopolska Area, it is okay, good to see it not moving from the town, but it is just ok On the second level s much more interesting exhibition about people history, their stuff, and relations. Also very interesting part about Jews. Last floor is outfits exhibitons - in a very traditional way (just manekins covered by glass)
    Visited October 2021
    Written July 6, 2022
  • Vacationer8256
    7 contributions
    Glad we visitied the Ethnographic Museum
    In May 2006, my sister and I visitied Krakow because we were intrigued by what we had heard and read about the city and because we have ancestral ties to Poland. Even though we were there about a week, there was still not enough time to get around to everything that we had planned to see and explore. I did keep coming across the name Ethnographic Museum and wondered what might be housed there. One day we decided to walk from the north part of town to the Kazimierz section and there we ran across this musuem. However, it was late in the day and soon to close. Next day, our last full day in Krakow, with our curiosity peaked, we purposefully took a tram down to the musuem and discovered a wonderful display of everything Polish. We had no time to linger but certainly would have wanted to spend more time learning about all of the exhibits...the place is rich in information and examples. It certainly did fill in the gap about Poland that my sister and I were not able to actually experience. The displays are colorful and well done and one can easily check out everything in a couple of hours . I did have to pay a hefty fee to photograph inside the museum and the lady ticket takers were not terribly pleasant, but overall I would highly recommend this museum. For the tourist, it's a must see.
    Written June 7, 2006
  • Saranger
    Los Angeles, California9,171 contributions
    Loved this museum!
    I enjoy learning about the folk customs of people around the world. Although I'm not Polish I really enjoyed this museum. Downstairs on both sides of the corridor are rooms depicting traditional life about 100-150 years ago, as well as a school and a flax oil mill. Upstairs are dozens of folk costumes, lots of traditional musical instruments, painted eggs, and rooms with objects and stories from everyday life (there are English language description sheets at the room entrances for translation). There are docents available who speak various languages (Polish, French, a german, English) should you need help. Don't miss this if you love traditional costumes, music or culture. I only wish there was an on-site restaurant with traditional foods and pastries!
    Visited August 2014
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 28, 2014
  • permia
    40,176 contributions
    Excellent description of everyday life
    We were staying close to the marvellous home of this museum. At first view we opined that it was a church but of course it's the beautiful former Town Hall and now the home of this brilliant gallery. It presents a delightful facade and aspect at all times and in different lighting. Every aspect of daily life down the decades is covered with original items, models and descriptions. A decorative bridal chair is shown which was most likely a gift from the fiance to his bride-to-be. Models of thatched cottages and wooden churches are displayed. Sleeping arrangements for parents and children are exhibited, the latter catered for in a decorative little wooden bed suspended from the ceiling. Heating and cooking, as always, were of course keenly important and various stoves and fires with cooking and heating utensils are comprehensively featured. To supply these, harvesting and hunting were central activities. To save the hay and other crops a good selection of scythes, rakes and pitchforks were utilised. Hunting is manifested with a gun and other items. Schooling is covered via a classroom and essentials within it, such as an abacus and wash basins for hygiene. Further for kids is a fine collection of mostly wooden toys. Spinning wool and weaving the resultant threads into cloth and clothes is demonstrated with some fine examples of both. At the end of the working day and at festival times music and entertainments were engaged in. A form of bagpipe and stringed instruments are exemplary. The central role of religion in daily life is well presented, with lovely models of churches and many items with a religious theme.
    Visited April 2017
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 1, 2017
  • 153Bee
    Belgium175 contributions
    Fascinating museum
    My Polish friend took me to this museum on one of my visits to Krakow. I just fell in love with it! I love folk history and I am fascinated by old and disappearing cultures and traditions, so I really enjoyed looking at old photographs and artifacts, costumes, and reproductions of rooms, with absolutely beautiful hand painted furniture. I will definitely go back. I just wish the museum was bigger!
    Visited October 2014
    Traveled with friends
    Written December 4, 2014
  • MSimpson43
    Norwich, United Kingdom132 contributions
    This was a fabulous insight into times past
    This was a great find, we came upon this as we were walking through the sqaure so went in and it was lovely. Lots of school children with their teachers being shown how they once lived. they ask you to leave your hats & coats in the cloakroom which we didn't do as still cold from freezing temperatures outside. We really should have taken them off as by the time we got to the top floor we were roasting. The exhibition is of how people lived in the beginning of the century. Really interesting, lots of wood and fabulous stoves made of ceramics. It seemed that everyone lived and worked in the house, even the animals. The cost to enter the Museum was 5 zloty which is less than a £1 definitely well worth it.
    Visited December 2013
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 20, 2013
  • Europhile_2007
    1 contribution
    Wonderful museum in Krakow
    This is a delightful museum with a well curated collection of items detailing the lives of Polish people, mostly from the south and central areas. The collection includes costumes, jewellery and a detailed story of traditional farming life in the country. When I visited there was a special exhibition of traditional bee hives in the most amazing forms representing life size bears, dogs and even humans. Considering its somewhat low profile on the tourist brochures I found it to be professionally designed and maintained and would recommend it highly to any visitor to this wonderful city. Of special interest is the series of rooms on the ground floor, each showing the living spaces of people in the Polish countryside.
    Written December 9, 2007
  • 52reviewer000
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom20 contributions
    folk museum would be hard to beat !
    I had been looking forward to visiting this folk museum and was not disappointed . Whole rooms set out to represent typical homes from the polish past, colourful displays of costumes, art linked to poetry, farming tools, spinning and weaving equipment and much more. Deightful. But my personal highlight was meeting a quiet yet talented polish lady demonstrating how to make xmas paper decorations.
    Visited December 2019
    Written December 14, 2019
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

4.5
185 reviews
Excellent
102
Very good
65
Average
16
Poor
2
Terrible
0

Vacationer8256
dallas7 contributions
In May 2006, my sister and I visitied Krakow because we were intrigued by what we had heard and read about the city and because we have ancestral ties to Poland.
Even though we were there about a week, there was still not enough time to get around to everything that we had planned to see and explore. I did keep coming across the name Ethnographic Museum and wondered what might be housed there. One day we decided to walk from the north part of town to the Kazimierz section and there we ran across this musuem. However, it was late in the day and soon to close. Next day, our last full day in Krakow, with our curiosity peaked, we purposefully took a tram down to the musuem and discovered a wonderful display of everything Polish. We had no time to linger but certainly would have wanted to spend more time learning about all of the exhibits...the place is rich in information and examples. It certainly did fill in the gap about Poland that my sister and I were not able to actually experience. The displays are colorful and well done and one can easily check out everything in a couple of hours . I did have to pay a hefty fee to photograph inside the museum and the lady ticket takers were not terribly pleasant, but overall I would highly recommend this museum. For the tourist, it's a must see.
Written June 8, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Saranger
Los Angeles, CA9,171 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
I enjoy learning about the folk customs of people around the world. Although I'm not Polish I really enjoyed this museum. Downstairs on both sides of the corridor are rooms depicting traditional life about 100-150 years ago, as well as a school and a flax oil mill. Upstairs are dozens of folk costumes, lots of traditional musical instruments, painted eggs, and rooms with objects and stories from everyday life (there are English language description sheets at the room entrances for translation).

There are docents available who speak various languages (Polish, French, a german, English) should you need help.

Don't miss this if you love traditional costumes, music or culture. I only wish there was an on-site restaurant with traditional foods and pastries!
Written August 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

permia
Ireland40,176 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
We were staying close to the marvellous home of this museum. At first view we opined that it was a church but of course it's the beautiful former Town Hall and now the home of this brilliant gallery. It presents a delightful facade and aspect at all times and in different lighting.

Every aspect of daily life down the decades is covered with original items, models and descriptions. A decorative bridal chair is shown which was most likely a gift from the fiance to his bride-to-be. Models of thatched cottages and wooden churches are displayed. Sleeping arrangements for parents and children are exhibited, the latter catered for in a decorative little wooden bed suspended from the ceiling.

Heating and cooking, as always, were of course keenly important and various stoves and fires with cooking and heating utensils are comprehensively featured.

To supply these, harvesting and hunting were central activities. To save the hay and other crops a good selection of scythes, rakes and pitchforks were utilised. Hunting is manifested with a gun and other items.

Schooling is covered via a classroom and essentials within it, such as an abacus and wash basins for hygiene. Further for kids is a fine collection of mostly wooden toys.

Spinning wool and weaving the resultant threads into cloth and clothes is demonstrated with some fine examples of both.

At the end of the working day and at festival times music and entertainments were engaged in. A form of bagpipe and stringed instruments are exemplary.

The central role of religion in daily life is well presented, with lovely models of churches and many items with a religious theme.
Written June 1, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

153Bee
Belgium175 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
My Polish friend took me to this museum on one of my visits to Krakow. I just fell in love with it! I love folk history and I am fascinated by old and disappearing cultures and traditions, so I really enjoyed looking at old photographs and artifacts, costumes, and reproductions of rooms, with absolutely beautiful hand painted furniture. I will definitely go back. I just wish the museum was bigger!
Written December 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MSimpson43
Norwich, UK132 contributions
Dec 2013 • Couples
This was a great find, we came upon this as we were walking through the sqaure so went in and it was lovely. Lots of school children with their teachers being shown how they once lived. they ask you to leave your hats & coats in the cloakroom which we didn't do as still cold from freezing temperatures outside. We really should have taken them off as by the time we got to the top floor we were roasting. The exhibition is of how people lived in the beginning of the century. Really interesting, lots of wood and fabulous stoves made of ceramics. It seemed that everyone lived and worked in the house, even the animals. The cost to enter the Museum was 5 zloty which is less than a £1 definitely well worth it.
Written December 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Europhile_2007
London1 contribution
This is a delightful museum with a well curated collection of items detailing the lives of Polish people, mostly from the south and central areas. The collection includes costumes, jewellery and a detailed story of traditional farming life in the country. When I visited there was a special exhibition of traditional bee hives in the most amazing forms representing life size bears, dogs and even humans. Considering its somewhat low profile on the tourist brochures I found it to be professionally designed and maintained and would recommend it highly to any visitor to this wonderful city. Of special interest is the series of rooms on the ground floor, each showing the living spaces of people in the Polish countryside.
Written December 9, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

52reviewer000
Edinburgh, UK20 contributions
Dec 2019
I had been looking forward to visiting this folk museum and was not disappointed . Whole rooms set out to represent typical homes from the polish past, colourful displays of costumes, art linked to poetry, farming tools, spinning and weaving equipment and much more. Deightful. But my personal highlight was meeting a quiet yet talented polish lady demonstrating how to make xmas paper decorations.
Written December 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Roos_Pot
Amersfoort, The Netherlands211 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
This museum gives an interesting impression of Polish culture for visiting tourists. Its three floors each have a varied theme. The ground floor has different rooms decorated as historical houses and workshops. The second floor is an exhibition on crafts and Polish traditions. The third flour has a variety of paintings, also more modern ones. Worth a visit.

Room for improvement: there are some separate English translations available, but these are incomplete.
Written March 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Eapage57
Stornoway, UK87 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
This is a really enjoyable little gem about local folk history. Worth spending an hour or two looking at the historical way of life. Good costumes to view too.
Written June 17, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CaB41
Kerava61 contributions
Sep 2013 • Couples
We spent a weekend in Krakow, stayed at the Unicus hotel smack in the centre of Krakow, and visited the square and found books needed for work and browsed the weekend flea market - fun. The Ethnographic Museum was a treat, one is allowed to take photographs, and I brought home possible illustrations for my next publication.
Written October 8, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

…
Showing results 1-10 of 101
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Ethnographic Museum (Krakow) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Ethnographic Museum

Ethnographic Museum admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost $5.70, while a popular guided tour starts around $2.93 per person. See all 6 Ethnographic Museum tickets and tours on Tripadvisor

Ethnographic Museum can be crowded, so we recommend booking e-tickets ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund. See all 6 Ethnographic Museum tickets and tours on Tripadvisor

According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Ethnographic Museum: See all Ethnographic Museum experiences on Tripadvisor


Restaurants near Ethnographic Museum: View all restaurants near Ethnographic Museum on Tripadvisor

Ethnographic Museum Information

Excellent Reviews102
Very Good Reviews65
Ethnographic Museum Photos386