The Czapski Palace is an intimate, often overlooked branch of the National Museum in Kraków that combines a numismatic collection, a garden lapidarium and the modern Józef Czapski Pavilion. For visitors looking for a short, rewarding contact with art and history, it’s an excellent starting point for a half‑day.
A visit here offers nice variety: you can see coins and prints, explore an exhibition devoted to Józef Czapski, then rest in the museum café or in the historic garden among sculptures.
Start: Czapski Palace, ul. Piłsudskiego 12. Enter the garden first — the Lapidarium is a great free spot to warm up and take photos.
30–60 minutes: permanent displays in the Palace — coins, medals and prints. 45–60 minutes: Józef Czapski Pavilion — biographical exhibition and paintings (if open).
Coffee break (20–40 minutes): the pavilion café has a good reputation and is a convenient place to rest briefly.
Second part of the walk (1–1.5 hours): stroll through the Planty toward Collegium Maius and the Main Market Square, passing Szczepańska Street and parts of Floriańska and the area around St. Mary’s Church. The route is flat, attractive and packed with landmarks — perfect for walking.
Enter the Czapski Palace and see the numismatic rooms and drawings. Don’t skip the garden lapidarium — you’ll often find fragments of stonework and curious pieces of Kraków’s history there.
After the Palace, take a short walk to the Józef Czapski Pavilion — the roof terrace and the reading room are pleasant places to pause and gather your thoughts before continuing.
From the square by the Palace walk through the Planty toward Collegium Maius (stop/route: Uniwersytet/Jagielloński) — along the way you’ll pass a statue of the Madonna and parts of the university buildings; it’s all within a 10–20 minute walk.
Next, explore the Main Market Square and its surroundings: cross the square, admire the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) and St. Mary’s Church, then turn onto Szczepańska Street or Floriańska to return toward the Palace area or finish the walk at one of the nearby dining hubs.
The National Museum branch at the Czapskis has regular opening hours and is closed on Mondays — it’s a good idea to check current hours before you go, as they can change with seasons and temporary exhibitions.
Tuesday can sometimes be a free‑entry day for permanent displays — a great opportunity, but expect more visitors on such days.
Ticket prices for the branch are moderate; if you want a guided tour inside the museum, paid guided visits are offered (rates differ for Polish and foreign‑language groups). Booking a guided tour or reserving places for special events may be required by phone or email.
The Czapski Palace is on Piłsudskiego Street, close to the Planty and the Old Town center. The nearest tram stop is Uniwersytet/Jagielloński; trams and buses connect this area with many parts of the city.
Walking from the Main Railway Station takes about 25–35 minutes — a pleasant option if you prefer to arrive on foot, with a route that goes through representative streets and the Market Square.
The route proposed in this article is entirely walkable; for a half‑day plan you don’t need public transport within the city center.
On site: the café in the Józef Czapski Pavilion is a convenient spot for a break after the exhibition — try a coffee and a slice of cake before continuing your walk.
If you want a sit‑down meal near the Market Square, consider well‑known places: Wierzynek (on the Market Square) for a historic, formal option, Pod Baranem for classic Polish cuisine, or cozy cafés such as Cafe Camelot and Charlotte on Plac Szczepański.
For modern cuisine or bistro options, the areas around Floriańska and Szczepańska offer several well‑rated spots — check current reviews before you visit, as the dining scene changes quickly.
Bring comfortable shoes — parts of the route are cobbled and a half‑day walk is much more enjoyable without blisters.
Check in advance which exhibitions in the Czapski Pavilion are open; sometimes restorations or temporary shows mean parts of the pavilion are closed.
If you join a museum‑organized tour or event, reservations may be required and the venue might use tour‑guide systems — it’s handy to have your own headphones with a minijack plug, although the museum may provide equipment.
Trying to see “everything” in one hour — the Czapski Palace and the Pavilion deserve a relaxed pace; it’s better to focus on selected rooms than to rush through the entire museum.
Not checking opening hours and closing days — the museum is often closed on Mondays, and hours may change on holidays or during special exhibitions.
Leaving paid temporary exhibitions to the last minute — if you want to see a specific temporary show, buy a ticket in advance or arrive early to avoid lines.
The history of the Czapski family and the museum collection is full of twists — in the historic garden you can see fragments of former sculptures and stonework that tell Kraków’s past in an unusual way.
The Józef Czapski Pavilion often hosts events that combine art and library resources; the pavilion’s reading room can be a quiet meeting place in the middle of the city.
How much time should I allow? Plan 1.5–2 hours for the Palace and Pavilion; the whole half‑day walk with breaks and walking time is about 3–4 hours.
Is the garden free to enter? The historic garden and the lapidarium at the Czapski Palace are generally open free of charge until dusk.
Do I need to book a guided tour? Not always, but if you prefer a museum guide it’s worth booking — the museum offers guided tours in Polish and in foreign languages for a fee.
If you liked this plan, share it with friends or on social media — short, well‑planned walks often become the best memories of Kraków.
If you want to explore the Czapski Palace and its surroundings with someone who knows the city and tells stories with passion, consider booking a private guided tour with Małgorzata Kasprowicz — she tailors the pace and content of the visit to your expectations.
