History Museums in Krakow

THE 10 BEST Krakow History Museums

History Museums in Krakow

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What travelers are saying

  • Mateusz R
    5 contributions
    GREAT EXPERIENCE. WELL WORTH TO VISIT. We went there with teens and everyone were happy with our visit. Lots of Krakow history there and some interesting facts.
    Written August 6, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Geir V
    Bodo, Norway35 contributions
    Now this is culture. If you played all the classics like space invaders, bombjack, 1942, donkey kong or the later ones line super mario kart2 heres where you'll find them again. Spend a day being a kid again and play the all. I guaratee you will find one of your favs. Love you Krakow arcade museum!!!
    Written August 12, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • susangHK2015
    Hong Kong, China39 contributions
    This is a fabulous museum. It's a timed entry, and then you can go through at your own pace. It's not huge, but it's fascinating. Don't miss the tiny globe from 1510 with the first representation of the Americas. The actual globe is in the Copernicus room, in the glass cabinet, and there is also a model that is much bigger and easier to see.
    Written July 3, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Witoldzio
    Manhattan, KS607 contributions
    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.
    Written March 19, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Ann_CatherineNorway
    Oslo, Norway351 contributions
    Fairly intersection museum. Many objects and good explanations. Giftshop and close to many restaurants in the area. Tells the stories about the synagoge as well as Jewish religion.
    Written June 27, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • milkasim
    New York City, NY261 contributions
    Nice way to learn about Krakow!. I went with my kids and the movie definitely got their attention. My daughter said that we should have seen the movie before starting to explore the city. The first day we came to Krakow.
    Written July 31, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Richard M
    Hampstead Norreys, UK793 contributions
    The start of the museum is some information on how the city was back in the 12th / 13th century which was interesting enough. There were a number of interactive exhibitions that were more aimed at children. We were not wowed by this but when we moved on we got to the remains of the old cloth hall we enjoyed it more. It was great to see the walls of the original building from hundred of years ago. Overall it was worth the cost and worth visiting.
    Written July 30, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Neil K
    Liverpool, UK616,525 contributions
    One of the most beautiful streets in Krakow is Kanonicza ,one of the most striking buildings along this pretty street is Bishop Erazm Ciolek Palace home to the Krakow National Museum.
    It's a stunning looking building ,an early 14th century building,it's considered behind Wawel Castle the most beautiful building in Krakow ,the facade is amazing ,so photogenic ,interior is superb ,never visited the museum on this trip to Krakow but I have on previous holidays to this beautiful city ,it's a great building to check out if you're in the area and easy to locate along Ulica Kanonicza .
    Written August 18, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Barbara S
    Krakow, Poland1,734 contributions
    It's a beatiful building, right in the centre of Cracow. Good to visit from history and art perspective.
    Written August 8, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • NataÅ¡a A
    Belgrade, Serbia185 contributions
    Even Egyptian section is worth seeing, and some pottery was interesting too - we came there to see very rare ancient idol. Since those idols were usually made of wood they didn't survive through the time. This one is made of limestone and was discovered in river bed where it was hidden probably from 10th century when Kiev Russia accepted Christianity. Some say it is Slavic god "Svevid" (the one who see everything) others think it might be different deity. Every side of it is different, an piece is exhibited in a manner one can walk around and see all sides. I was impressed.
    Museum it self is rather small but lovely, approached through beautiful garden.
    Fees are low, and it is time and money well spent.
    Written February 16, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Chooster68
    New York11 contributions
    I appreciate Art Nouveau and since admission was included with my National Museum ticket I decided to pay a visit. There are numerous sketches and paintings on display as well as period furniture and personal photos. It is apparent that the curators went through some effort to make the house look like it did when Mehoffer lived in it and yet the space allows his work to be showcased. It is a great glimpse into the late 19th/early 20th century and definitely worth an hour or two of your time.
    Written October 1, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • RoryMorty
    Giessen, Germany319 contributions
    I rather enjoyed this small gallery, which had a fair entrance fee, and a small but valuable collection of European art, which included a Rembrandt, to Brueghel's, as well as a Canova bust, amongst other great pieces.
    Written August 31, 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • s0mersetb0y
    Somerset, UK836 contributions
    Good and interesting museum with a bunker below….also free entrance to another museum 15 mins walk away but I got to what appeared to be the building but didn’t enter as saw no mention of a museum there
    The lady on the ticket desk was helpful and pleasant
    Written November 26, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Blanche&DaveMcColl
    Dundee, UK482 contributions
    We were lucky enough to visit for free as it was a Wednesday, don't know if it would be worth paying for at full price though.
    We were surprised by how well preserved everything was.
    The rooms were all well looked after and there was information on each one in English as well as other languages, it is a good insight as to how well off and influential families lived.
    We really enjoyed our short visit here.
    Written July 12, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • 545medva
    Budapest, Hungary3,972 contributions
    The former palace now houses different exhibitions. We had a very interesting Krakow 1900 exhibition with a lot of atrifacts, painting, statues. It was really amazing.
    Written June 18, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Krakow






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Has anyone done both tours before?
Do you think the former is worth doing?

I have done the tour with a guide - so i guess techncially i have gone on the "General tour 3.5h" or something similar, but i am only at Auschwitz 1 for 1.5h, and then we rushed to Auschwitz 2-Birkenau for 1h. i recently went on a organized tour from Krakow bc i couldnt secure guided tour ticket at the last minute from the website. but i think my guide may a person in training (?) cos he was guiding us with an Auschwitz educator standing beside him all the time. I still couldnt figure out whether he is a new guide in training within Auschwitz, or he needs to be chaperoned bc he is a guide hired from the 'outside' (ie not someone hired by the Aushcwitz site). I am inclined to believe it is the latter, but not sure, so would appreciate anyone with better insights. So this means there could be 2 diff guides - one is a tour agency guide from the outside, and another is a Auschwitz educator guide?
Answer: for future readers - I did the 6 hour tour and it is a better pace,smaller group and you visit a few more places in the camps. Our guide was very good. Worthwhile if you have more than a passing interest in the history. We were at Auschwitz for 3 hours and birkenau for 2.25 hours. Crowds were smaller that day so we didn’t have to stop to wait for other groups. I then returned to Auschwitz around 4pm to walk through on my own and to visit some of the country specific exhibits - Hungary’s exhibit is especially good. In order to return to camp 1, I purchased free tickets ahead of time since you have to renter the queue.

Tour vs self guided - 100% go on a tour. The guides paint a more complete picture than you will get from a guidebook. You can arrive early if you want to see birkenau before it gets crowded and walk on your own. No ticket is required to visit birkenau.

Auschwitz vs birkenau - you want to see both. Auschwitz is more intact and has almost all of the exhibits. The exhibits of luggage,eyeglasses, shoes, and human hair is overwhelming. Birkenau is 25x the size of Auschwitz camp 1. Many buildings were destroyed but you can get a better feel for the scale of the genocide. Even with most buildings destroyed you get a chill realizing how people were sorted and put to death. Many times within hours of arrival.

Krakow ghetto - to round out your experience walk through the ghetto and Jewish quarter. Visit the synagogues. Realize the size of the Jewish community that thrived in this area and then 90% of them were killed.

Last - learn about the history that led up to the holocaust. Hitler did not rise up in a vacuum. There were 20 years of anti-semitism that occurred before the death camps. The nazis were very good at isolating Jews, cutting them off from day to day community and business involvement and then eventually shipped them off to forced labor and death. Awareness of that history will help prevent this from ever happening again.
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