Museum of Warsaw

Covering the entire top end of the Old Town Market Square, the Museum of Warsaw tells the story of the city through an innovative use of everyday objects, as well as a huge collection of artworks.

The Museum Of Warsaw

Spread over five floors and 11 townhouses, the Museum of Warsaw is a huge collection of diverse and often surprising artefacts, displayed in an engaging and imaginative way. You’ll learn about the events of this historic and often turbulent city, often through everyday objects. The buildings themselves are beautiful and possibly worth the entry alone. Plus, you’ll get an excellent view of the Old Town from the observation point.

What To See In The Museum Of Warsaw

Museum of Warsaw Heritage Interpretation Centre

The main building of the Museum of Warsaw fully occupies 11 historic town houses along one side of the Old Town’s Market Square. However, the museum has a number of other locations, including the Heritage Interpretation Centre – in ul. Brzozowa (behind Market Square), the Barbican – a few minute’s walk away, and the Museum of Pharmacy – in nearby Piwna. All are worth a visit.

The main collection has a number of permanent and temporary exhibitions, including the core, 21-room Things of Warsaw, which tells the story through themed items, such as the Room of Warsaw Views and Room of Relics. The collections of objects can be seen on the Museum of Warsaw website.

The museum also has a cinema showing documentaries, and international art house films at certain times. Also see the Museum of Warsaw website for details.

This is an innovative ane engrossing museum.

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How To Visit The Museum Of Warsaw

Museum of Warsaw entrance

Note: The following details are for the main Museum of Warsaw building. See the official website for times and prices of the other branches of the museum.

The main museum is easy enough to find. Simply head to the Market Square in the heart of the Old Town, where the building occupies a whole quater of the beautiful town houses. The entrance is at building no. 42, on the corner of Nowomiejska.

Tickets can be bought online via the Museum of Warsaw website, although I found I got a fatal error when I tried to use the English option. It may be better to buy them on the door.

Museum of Warsaw address: Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42, Warsaw 00-272 Poland

Museum times are as follows:

Permanent Exhibition

• Tue, Wed, Fri 9am-5pm
• Thu 9am-7pm
• Sat / Sun 11am-6pm

Temporary Exhibitions

• Tue, Wed, Fri 11am-7pm
• Thu 11am-8pm
• Sat / Sun 11am-6pm

Entry tickets for both core and temporary exhibition cost 35zł (concessions 25zł) or 25zł (concessions 18zł) for just the core exhibition. The ticket also includes entry to the Praga Museum of Warsaw, if used within 7 days. A ticket for just the temporary exhibition costs 20zł (concession 15zł).

Admission to the permanent exhibition is free on Thursdays.

Group and family tickets are also available. See the Museum of Warsaw website for details.

There is a free tour in English at 2pm each day, given by the curator of the core exhibition. Meet in front of the Syrena Cinema.

Old and New Town Districts: Meticulously reconstructed after WWII, Warsaw’s historical Old Town contains many of the city’s key landmarks, including the must-see Royal Castle, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The New Town is quieter and home to excellent boutique hotels, such as the Mamaison Le Regina. The district is full of great restaurants, but try traditional U Barssa on the Market Square, if you can’t decide.

Tips For Visiting The Museum of Warsaw

Museum of Warsaw cafe

• Tickets are given an allocated time slot, so make sure you arrive in good time.
• Expect to spend 3 hours in this beautiful and fascinating museum.
• You can pick up a free audioguide when you first enter the museum. There is also free audioguide available online, which you can use with your phone.
• The museum is a comfortable experience – generally not too crowded, with plenty of places to sit along the way. The only downside is that it can get hot, so wear something you can remove and easily carry with you!
• There is a cloakroom where you can leave coats, luggage, and umbrellas.
• Photography and filming is allowed in the museum, although use of a flash is prohibited.
• There are toilets located on the ground floor, the first floor, and in the basement.
• This is a good museum for older children and several parts of the museum are aimed at younger visitors. Paper and pencils are supplied for drawing items on display and Rynek 30 Gallery is a venue for young artists.
• Despite the unique townhouse location, the Museum of Warsaw aims for the widest possible accessibility, with various kinds of guides for the visually-impaired, tablets with a sign language tour (Polish only), a separate wheelchair and pushchair entrance and accessible toilets, as well as nearby disabled parking spaces. There is also information aimed at intellectually-impaired visitors and visitors with autism spectrum disorder, and designated quiet hours. See the Museum of Warsaw website for details.
• The museum cafe is open Tue-Sun 11am-8pm, selling hot and cold drinks, Warsaw specialities, and vegetarian options.
• The museum has a bookstore with publications connected to the collection, as well as gifts.
• Don’t miss the observation point with commanding views of the Old Town and other parts of the city!

Where Is This Place Located?

Find this location on the Warsaw Visit Google map:

• Open the Warsaw Visit map
• Click on a marker and it will give you the name of the landmark, with a brief description and links for more information and directions. You can pan, scroll, and zoom around the map, or use the + or – buttons in the bottom left of the map to zoom in and out
• You will see the list of places on the left hand side, sorted by category. Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want
• Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
• Each category is on a different layer, which can be switched on and off. So you can just see the Hotel or Restaurant pins, for example
• If you are using the map on your phone, open the map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location

Map pins are color coded:

• YELLOW: Warsaw Sightseeing
• BLUE: Warsaw Hotels
• RED: Warsaw Places To Eat – Michelin restaurants are DARK RED
• ORANGE: Warsaw Nightlife
• PURPLE: Shopping In Warsaw
• GREEN: Warsaw Transportation