Wawel Cathedral | Opening Hours | Wawel Cathedral Timings & Tours

Wawel Cathedral is located on the Wawel Hill in Krakow, Poland. It is a Roman Catholic church and also cathedral of the Archdiocese of Krakow.

The edifice of cathedral was constructed three times. Firstly, is was destroyed in the 11th century. Fire destroyed the second one in the 12th century. Third and current construction stared in the 14th century.

Exterior of the Cathedral

From the beginning, people associated the Wawel Cathedral with the sound of ringing bells. Nowadays, there are two bell towers with nine bells. In the Sigismund Tower you will find 5 larger bells with the most famous Sigismund Bell. In Silver Bells Tower you will find four smaller bells.

There is also the third tower. People know it as the Clock Tower. This is the house of the clock mechanism as well as two gongs. The gongs strike hours and quarters of an hour.

Interior of the Cathedral

Interior of the Wawel Cathedral comprises a nave with aisles, transepts with aisles, a choir with double aisles as well as an apse with ambulatory and radiating chapels.

In the apse you will see the main altar. Bishop Piotr Gembicki founded it in 1650. Giovanii Battista Gisleni created this altar. Later, Marcin Blechowski in the 17th century painted the altar with Crucified Christ.

If you are looking at the main altar you should also look above it. There is a tall canopy made of black marble. It is supported by four pillars. A silver coffin of national patron Stanislaus of Szczepanów is placed underneath that canopy. It is the second coffin. Swedes stole the previous one in 1655.

Inside the Cathedral you will also find the Sigismund Chapel, Royal chapels and crypts as well as the national poets crypt.

The Sigismund Chapel is one of the most notable architectural pieces in Krakow. People often say that this is the purest example of Renaissance architecture outside Italy. It is a square based chapel with golden dome. Inside of it are the tombs of Sigismund I the Old (founder) are well as his children – King Sigismund II Augustus and Anna Jagiellon.

Since the 14th century, the Wawel Cathedral was not only place of Polish kings coronation but also the main burial site for Polish monarchs. For that reason, there are multiple burial chapels as well as crypts there. The crypts are located under the Cathedral. They hold tombs of Polish kings, national heroes and also generals and revolutionaries. For example, there are tombs of Jan III Sobieski, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Władysław Sikorski and Józef Piłsudski.

There is also a crypt of National Poets where are tombs of Adam Mickiewicz and also Juliusz Słowacki.

Wawel Cathedral Sightseeing

During your Wawel Cathedral sightseeing you can see:

Inside of the Wawel Cathedral with many chapels
Wawel Cathedral Museum
Sigismund Belltower
Silver Bells Tower
Clock Tower

Wawel Cathedral Opening Hours

Cathedral opening hours:

April – October

From Monday to Saturday: 9.00 am – 5.00 pm

Sunday: 12.30 pm – 5.00 pm

November – March

From Monday to Saturday: 9.00 am – 4.00 pm

Sunday: 12.30 pm – 4.00 pm

Cathedral Museum is opened at the same time except Sundays. On Sundays museum is CLOSED.

You can buy ticket at the same times, but counters are closing half an hour before the Cathedral.

Wawel Cathedral Tickets

As many cathedrals and churches in Poland, admission to the Krakow Wawel Cathedral is free. If you want to see the Sigismund Bell, Royal Tombs as well as Cathedral Museum tickets are:

Individual tourists

Normal ticket: 14 PLN

Discount ticket: 8 PLN

Group (more than 10 people with certified guide)

Normal ticket: 12 PLN per person

Discount ticket: 7 PLN per person

Audio guide:

There is also an option for audio guided tour around Wawel Cathedral with the Sigismund Belltower which takes 40 minutes, the Royal Tombs (10 minutes) as well as the Cathedral Museum (20 minutes).

Normal ticket: 9 PLN
Discount ticket: 6 PLN
Group: 4 PLN per person

Suggested Wawel Cathedral Tours

If you are in Krakow, Poland and want to visit the Wawel Cathedral you should pick one of our amazing tours! You will not only have amazing guide but also skip the line tickets! Don’t waste your precious time in long queues!

You have different tours to choose from:

Krakow: Wawel Cathedral Guided Tour

Pick this tour if you want to focus only on the Wawel Cathedral. If you want to go inside the Cathedral you need to have guide with special license. Don’t worry, all of our guides have it. For that reason, you will easily go inside.

Your guide will give you a lesson about Wawel as well as Polish kings. He will also answer all of your questions.

This is 1.15 hour tour and it is available from Tuesday to Saturday at 9.00 am. Pick the best day for you and join our amazing tour! The maximum number of people in group is 15 participants.

Krakow: Wawel Castle and Cathedral Private Guided Tour

If you want to see two top attractions in Krakow during one tour this is perfect option for you!

Firstly, you will go to the Wawel Castle. Normally, people are waiting in a few hours long queues to find out that the tickets are sold out. If you pick our tour you will get skip the line ticket and avoid that situation.

Later, your guide will take you to the Wawel Cathedral. He will show you its beautiful interior and also tell you about history of that place.

This is 3 hours tour and it is available from Tuesday to Saturday at 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 1.30 pm and also 2.00 pm. Pick the best day as well as time for you and join our tour! You can book the tour here!

Wawel Cathedral – History, Opening Hrs & Tickets