The main exhibition of Wawel Castle's interiors, the spectacular State Rooms are the rooms on the ground floor where the royals once entertained, held court, conducted sessions of the Senate, and hosted guests. Full of luscious oil paintings, intricate 16th-century Flemish tapestries, and some truly extraordinary wallcoverings, highlights include the Senator's Hall - the largest room in the castle, which hosted the first royal wedding back in 1518, and the eerie Envoys' Room - complete with 30 wooden heads on the coffered ceiling (originally there were 194!) and an original throne that really brings the majesty of Poland’s past to life. Absolutely worth visiting.

Visiting the Wawel State Rooms

Note that, though formerly its own ticket exhibit, the Wawel State Rooms are now part of the 'Castle I' ticket package that also includes the collection of East Asian porcelain (formerly 'Art of the Orient'). Tickets are timed and in high demand. We recommend you purchase your tickets online in advance, otherwise you may find there is no ticket availability during your visit. [We get no commission from this, we are just letting you know you need to plan your visit in advance, otherwise you won't be able to see the State Rooms.] Tickets are made available exactly 7 days ahead of the day of the visit. Also note that though Monday is free, a timed ticket is still required.

Average visiting time: 45mins.