In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski) is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, and closed on Mondays (Zamek Królewski). The two main routes, the Royal Route (state and private royal apartments, about 60 minutes) and the Museum Route (Parliamentary Chambers, Senate Hall and the Lanckoroński Gallery with two Rembrandt paintings, about 90 minutes), cost 60 PLN each (45 PLN reduced) including an audio guide. The combined Castle Route is 95 PLN (75 PLN reduced). Admission is free every Wednesday on a shorter route, with tickets collected at the desk on arrival. Or book a tour: Warsaw: Skip-the-Line Royal Castle Guided Tourad (from 551 PLN, 4.8 stars from 113 reviews) is a guided tour of the Royal Castle with fast-track tickets.
⚠️ Free Wednesday restrictions: On Wednesdays the Porcelain Gallery, the Wettin Gallery, the Presidents’ Rooms and the Parliamentary Chambers are closed. The free route covers only the Royal Apartments, the Lanckoroński Gallery (with the Rembrandts) and the Tin-Roofed Palace. Tickets cannot be booked online: collect one at the ticket office on the day, before your visit (Zamek Królewski).
Tickets, routes and admission prices
Prices below are the castle’s own (Zamek Królewski) and include an audio guide in Polish, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian. Buy in advance on the booking portal (bilety.zamek-krolewski.pl) or at the ticket windows off the main courtyard.
| Route / Exhibition | Adult | Reduced | Ages 8–26 (EU, EFTA, Switzerland) | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Route (Trasa Królewska) | 60 PLN | 45 PLN | 1 PLN | Great Apartment, King’s Apartment, Canaletto Room, Throne Room, Marble Room |
| Museum Route (Trasa Muzeum) | 60 PLN | 45 PLN | 1 PLN | Parliamentary Chambers, Senatorial Hall, Lanckoroński Gallery (Rembrandt rooms), Jan Matejko works |
| Palace Route (Trasa Pałac) | 30 PLN | 20 PLN | 1 PLN | Prince Józef Poniatowski Apartments in the adjacent Tin-Roofed Palace (Pałac Pod Blachą) |
Citizens of the EU, Switzerland and EFTA countries aged 8 to 26 pay 1 PLN with proof of date of birth. Children under 7 enter free. Reduced tickets are for schoolchildren and students, teachers, pensioners, seniors and disabled visitors who are citizens of those countries.
The ticket desk takes cash and cards. The 1 PLN ticket does not include an audio guide; rent one for 10 PLN.
The Senatorial Hall where the Constitution of 3 May 1791 was passed. Photo: Adrian Grycuk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl.
Tours and guided walks
The audio guide is enough to find your way round the rooms. A guide adds the story of how German demolition squads blew up the castle in 1944 and how it was rebuilt between 1971 and 1984 with public donations.
Warsaw: Skip-the-Line Royal Castle Guided Tour
From 551 PLN · 4.8 stars from 113 reviews · 2 to 3 hours · fast-track castle tickets
Warsaw: Skip-the-Line Royal Castle Guided Tourad: a guided tour of the Royal Castle with fast-track tickets, with an option to add a tour of the Old Town highlights.
Royal Castle, Old Town and POLIN Museum, with pick-up
From 499 PLN · 5.0 stars from 3 reviews · 5 hours · Royal Castle, Old Town and POLIN
Royal Castle, Old Town and POLIN Museum, with pick-upad: a small-group guided tour of the Old Town Market Square, Barbican, defence walls, Castle Square, Royal Route, Royal Castle and POLIN Museum, with pick-up.
Warsaw: Royal Route and Old Town Guided Walking Tour
From 61 PLN · 5.0 stars from 5 reviews · 2 hours · Royal Castle and Market Square
Warsaw: Royal Route and Old Town Guided Walking Tourad: a guided walk through the Old Town and along the Royal Route, taking in the Royal Castle and Market Square.
Official ticket or tour
A box-office ticket with the audio guide lets you set your own pace; a tour adds a live guide and fast-track entry.
| Option | Official box office | Tour (GetYourGuide) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Route on your own | 60 PLN with audio guide | None | Self-paced sightseeing |
| Castle Route, Royal and Museum Routes together | 95 PLN with audio guide | None | Seeing every room |
| Guided visit | Not offered | From 551 PLN, fast-track tickets, 2 to 3 hours | Commentary and no ticket queue |
| Old Town walk and castle | Not sold as a bundle | From 499 PLN, with pick-up, 5 hours including POLIN | A short stopover |
Bernardo Bellotto’s 18th-century view of Warsaw from the Royal Castle terrace. Photo: Bernardo Bellotto, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
Room highlights and what to see inside
The Royal Castle was the residence of Polish monarchs from 1596, when King Sigismund III Vasa moved the capital from Kraków to Warsaw. Rooms to look for:
The Canaletto Room
Court painter Bernardo Bellotto (nephew and pupil of the Venetian view painter Canaletto) spent his final 16 years in Warsaw producing detailed vedute (cityscapes). His 22 paintings in this room record the balconies, church façades and market stalls of 1770s Warsaw in architectural detail. After the destruction of Warsaw in the Second World War, architects used Bellotto’s canvases as blueprints to rebuild the Old Town and Krakowskie Przedmieście.
The Lanckoroński Collection and Rembrandts
On the Museum Route, the Lanckoroński Gallery displays two paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn: The Girl in a Picture Frame (Dziewczyna w ramie obrazu, 1641) and The Scholar at His Writing Desk (Uczony przy pulpicie, 1641). Countess Karolina Lanckorońska donated both oil-on-panel paintings to the Polish nation in 1994.
The Senatorial Hall
On 3 May 1791, the Four-Year Sejm assembled here to adopt the Constitution of 3 May, the first modern written national constitution in Europe and the second in the world after that of the United States. The hall has the restored royal throne under an embroidered canopy bearing the crowned White Eagle.
The Great Assembly Hall
Designed by Domenico Merlini and Jan Chrystian Kamsetzer for royal banquets, court balls and diplomatic receptions. The ceiling carries a reconstructed fresco, the Disentanglement of Chaos by Chronos, framed by gilded stucco and yellow marble columns.
Arkady Kubickiego and the restored lower gardens below the castle escarpment. Photo: Szczebrzeszynski, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
Opening hours and visiting rules
| Facility | Days | Opening Hours | Last Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle exhibitions (Royal, Museum and Castle Routes) | Tuesday – Sunday | 10:00 – 17:00 | 16:00 |
| Tin-Roofed Palace (Pałac Pod Blachą) | Tuesday – Sunday | 10:00 – 17:00 | 16:00 |
| Lower Garden (Ogrody Dolne) | Daily | 10:00 – 22:00 May to August, 10:00 – 20:00 September, 10:00 – 18:00 October to April | Free admission |
| Upper Garden (Ogrody Górne) | Daily | 10:00 – 20:00 May to September, 10:00 – 18:00 October to April | Closed 12 November 2026 to 1 April 2027 |
| Castle and ticket office | Mondays | Closed all day | — |
The gardens can close in bad weather, and on days the castle is closed.
Practical visitor rules
- Luggage: Backpacks, umbrellas, large bags (over 30 × 20 × 10 cm) and winter coats go in the free lockers next to the ticket hall.
- Photography: Allowed in the permanent exhibitions without flash or tripods. Selfie sticks are not allowed.
- Accessibility: Lifts serve all exhibition levels and there are adapted toilets. Manual wheelchairs can be borrowed free at the cloakroom.
Getting there
The Royal Castle occupies Plac Zamkowy 4 at the southern threshold of the Old Town. Its 60-metre clock tower marks the beginning of the historic Royal Route (Trakt Królewski).
- Trams: Routes 4, 13, 20, 23, and 26 stop at Stare Miasto, situated down in the W-Z Tunnel beneath Castle Square. Escalators and a passenger lift connect the tram platforms directly up to the square level beside the castle gates.
- Buses: Lines 116, 178, 180, 222, and 503 stop at Plac Zamkowy along Krakowskie Przedmieście, 100 metres south of the entrance.
- Metro: Take Line M1 to Ratusz Arsenał station, then walk east along Aleja Solidarności for 10 minutes or ride any eastbound tram two stops to Stare Miasto.
- Transit tickets: A 20-minute or 75-minute ticket from the platform machines covers the ride; see public transport in Warsaw for fares and validation.
What to see next
- Warsaw Old Town and Barbican: North from Castle Square along Świętojańska to the Market Square and the brick ramparts.
- Free things to do in Warsaw: Free museum days across the city.
- Łazienki Park and the Palace on the Isle: King Stanisław August Poniatowski’s summer residence and bathhouse, in 76 hectares of parkland.
- Wilanów Palace: The baroque estate of King Jan III Sobieski, known as the Polish Versailles.
- Warsaw in 1 or 2 days: Walking itineraries that start at Castle Square.
- Warsaw travel guide: Sights, neighbourhoods, transport and trip planning.
Common questions
How much are tickets to the Royal Castle in Warsaw?
The Royal Route and the Museum Route cost 60 PLN each for adults (45 PLN reduced), including an audio guide. The Castle Route, combining both permanent routes, costs 95 PLN (75 PLN reduced). People aged 8 to 26 who are citizens of the EU, Switzerland or an EFTA country pay 1 PLN.
When is the Royal Castle free to visit?
Every Wednesday admission is free to the Tin-Roofed Palace and to a special route through the Royal Apartments and the Lanckoroński Gallery. The free tickets are limited, with no guide and no reservations: collect one at the ticket office on the day. The castle also takes part in Darmowy Listopad, with free entry from 3 to 29 November 2026.
Is the Royal Castle closed on Mondays?
Yes. The castle exhibitions and ticket offices are closed on Mondays year-round. From Tuesday to Sunday, opening hours are 10:00 to 17:00, with final entry at 16:00.
Where are the Rembrandt paintings located in the Royal Castle?
Two paintings by Rembrandt, *The Girl in a Picture Frame* and *The Scholar at His Writing Desk*, hang in the Lanckoroński Gallery on the Museum Route, which is also on the free Wednesday route.
How long does a visit to the Royal Castle take?
Allow roughly 60 minutes for the Royal Route, 90 minutes for the Museum Route, or about 150 minutes for the complete Castle Route.
