Note: The whole center will be closed until mid-October for renovations. The Planetarium will reopen in 2025 

A rare example of European Union funding being used in a genuinely visionary way, the CSC is many things, including the very best science centre in Europe, one of Warsaw’s top tourist attractions, and - in the words of Poland’s then Education Minister shortly before the opening - an attempt to restate the case for science and research in what can still be an intensely and deeply religious country. In that sense, giving the centre the name of the man who did so much to end the church’s monopoly of education in the first place is little short of a masterstroke.



Arriving at the main doors of the stunning glass and steel building you will be met by the centre’s very own Robothespian - an interactive humanoid robot that visitors can prompt to make a number of sounds and movements (get him to sing the Sound of Music). Once inside, not only will you learn an awful lot, but you’ll have a blast exploring the museum’s numerous thematic areas spread over two floors, among them: 'Bzzz!' (aimed at kids under 5 years old), 'The Future is Today' (for young adults, opened November 5th, 2021) and the remaining section has combined previous exhibitions into an 'Experiment Zone'. 



As with any science centre, each area demonstrates a range of phenomenon by way of experiments, button pressing, quizzes and in some cases physical exertion. There’s a genuine flying carpet, you can pilot a spaceship, take a picture of your own eye (and then try to recognise it among the others photographed that day) or - and this was our favourite - try to outdo animals at their own game by out-hanging an orangutan or beating a hippo in a race at the arena. There are also four interactive labs dealing with chemistry, biology, physics and robotics that offer supervised experiments for kids over 9 (available only in Polish, Sat-Sun, included in ticket price). In addition to all that, there’s the Planetarium of the Copernicus Science Centre, which immerses visitors in 20 million stars, and also screens films about natural science (imagine yourself diving into a volcano) and the origins of life on earth (separate ticket required, admission 2D: 28/20zł).

It’s easy to declare that the CSC is well-worth a few hours of your time and will impress you with its design and range of experiments. Factor in the main floor cafeteria, cafe, and the packed Science Store (potentially the best spot for children’s gifts in Warsaw), and it’s a one-stop day of fun. From April until the end of October, the rooftop garden is open for visitiors to enjoy.




Estimated Visiting Time: 3-4hrs.

Getting to Copernicus Science Centre