Kraków National Museum: free Tuesdays, prices and discounts
Short answer: The permanent exhibitions of the National Museum in Kraków are free on Tuesdays. The Main Building costs 45 zł normal and 35 zł reduced; reduced tickets depend on documents and citizenship.
The National Museum in Kraków (MNK) runs several branches, including the Main Building on al. 3 Maja, the Sukiennice Gallery in the Main Market Square and the Czartoryski Museum. Its official price pages show a free day for permanent exhibitions, a very cheap ticket for young people and a long list of discounts. For a newcomer, the details matter: some discounts are tied to the citizenship of the visitor. This guide is based on the museum's price page and its discount rules, both checked in October 2026. The pages carry no date, so confirm the price at the ticket office or online before you go.
Tuesday is free for permanent exhibitions
The museum says that all permanent exhibitions in its branches can be seen for free every Tuesday. The Czartoryski Museum entry on the same price page repeats it: Tuesday is a day of free admission to the permanent exhibitions. Temporary exhibitions are priced separately, so the free Tuesday applies to the permanent galleries only.
The museum sells tickets for a specific day and hour, at the ticket office and online, and it recommends buying online or booking ahead. If no online tickets are left, some may still be available at the branch's ticket office. Check whether a free Tuesday ticket still needs to be collected or booked, because the museum's page does not say how this works.
Ticket prices in the Main Building
For permanent exhibitions in the Main Building, the price page lists:
- Normal: 45 zł per person
- Reduced: 35 zł
- Family: 90 zł
- Pupils and students: 1 zł per person
Temporary exhibitions cost 35 zł normal, 25 zł reduced and 70 zł family. A combined ticket for two temporary exhibitions costs 50 zł normal, 35 zł reduced and 100 zł family.
Guided tours cost extra, on top of the entrance ticket: 190 zł for a guide in Polish and 270 zł for a guide in a foreign language for the 20th and 21st century gallery, the decorative arts gallery and temporary exhibitions. Audio guides cost 7 zł normal and 5 zł reduced, and are available in Polish, English, Russian, German and French.
Sukiennice and Czartoryski prices
At the branch at Rynek Główny 3, the price page lists a normal ticket at 35 zł, reduced at 25 zł, family at 70 zł, and pupils and students at 1 zł. The Czartoryski Museum lists 65 zł normal, 50 zł reduced, 130 zł family and 1 zł for pupils and students, and children up to 7 years enter free.
Who gets the reduced ticket
This is the part that catches visitors from outside the EU. In the museum's discount rules, reduced tickets are given on presentation of the right documents to:
- Pupils, students and doctoral students who are citizens of EU member states, Switzerland or EFTA states that are party to the EEA agreement
- People over 65, pensioners and people with disabilities (with one carer each) who are citizens of those same states
- Holders of an ISIC card or the Euro 26 card
- Holders of the national Large Family Card and the Kraków Family Card 3+, who get further reductions listed below
The rules list valid documents such as school and student cards, pensioner cards, disability documents, the Karta Polaka, a proof of age, the Large Family Card and the ISIC card. You show the document with an ID card or other proof of identity. For the full list of who counts, read the museum's own page, because the rules are detailed and a few categories are limited to citizens of certain countries.
Other discounts listed by the museum
- Large Family Card and Kraków Family Card 3+: 80 percent off the normal ticket for parents, free entry for children from large families up to 18 and for students up to 25
- Kraków Card: 20 percent off permanent exhibition tickets, whether normal, reduced or family
- Pupils and students up to 26 in the Kultura Dostępna programme: a ticket for 1 zł for all permanent exhibitions
Free admission for people in a set of categories, including journalists, museum staff, war veterans, holders of the free entry card for culture ministry museums and city guides, is listed in section II of the rules.
* Photos: painting of the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) by Aleksander Gryglewski from the National Museum in Warsaw collection (public domain, Wikimedia Commons); St Mary's Basilica seen from the Cloth Hall, 1920s (public domain, Wikimedia Commons). Images are historical and illustrative.
Frequently asked questions
Is the National Museum in Kraków free on Tuesdays?
Yes, according to its price page, the permanent exhibitions in all its branches are free every Tuesday. Temporary exhibitions are not covered.
Can a student from outside the EU get the 1 zł ticket?
The museum's rules tie its reduced ticket for pupils and students to citizenship of EU, Swiss or EFTA/EEA states, and list the ISIC and Euro 26 cards as other qualifying documents. The 1 zł ticket for pupils and students up to 26 is described in the Kultura Dostępna programme. If you are unsure, ask at the ticket office with your student card.
Do I need a ticket on a free Tuesday?
The museum sells tickets for a specific day and hour and recommends booking. The page does not explain how free Tuesday entry works, so check with the branch.
