Outdoor Tour at Wawel Hill

Wawel Hill – Former Buildings and Fortifications
guided outdoor tour
May 1 – September 30, daily (weather permitting)
Saturday, Sunday, Monday – tour available daily at 1 pm
Tuesday, Friday – after an advance reservation at the Reservation Office, tel./fax (+ 48 12) 422 16 97, fax: 422 64 64
tickets (per person): 18 PLN, reduced 10 PLN
maximum group size: 20 people
tour begins in The Lost Wawel exhibition, total time: approx. 1.5 hours
no free admission day
children under age 7 – free

closed from September 1st to April 30st

Sandomierska Tower
open daily – from 28 April to 31 September
April, September: 10am-7pm
May, June: 10am-8pm
May 1-3 and June 7-10: 10am-7pm
July, August: 10am-7pm
admission fee: 4 zl

no day of free admission
tickets are issued at the entrance
children under seven – free admission
For your safety, please watch your step and do not lean over the
Children under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

closed from 1 November to April



The Wawel Hill was once a heavily fortified castle, its outer courtyard crowded with churches and buildings to house the court. Today only the outlines of stone foundations remain.

The tour begins in the Lost Wawel exhibition with the model of the late-18th-century Wawel, when many of the buildings discussed on the tour were still standing. Learn about the history of the Wawel’s fortifications – from banked wood-and-earth fortifications to walls made of brick and stone, towers, and bastions.

The tour continues through the Berrecci Gate to the Arcaded Courtyard where the history of the castle and the locations of various elements of the fortifications will be discussed.

The next stop is the Bathory Courtyard – a small, enchanting courtyard enclosed by the walls of the cathedral on one side and the castle on the other, on the spot where the royal baths once stood. Here the history of the construction of the palace Church of St. Gereon, which now lies beneath the courtyard and the defenses of this part of the hill, will be discussed. Fragments of the earliest fortifications can be seen here.

The tour continues through the exterior courtyard (along the cathedral wall), through the Vasa Gate, to the northern walls, and the Herbowa Gate, where types of fortification structures – bastions and caponiers – are discussed. The caponier affords interesting views of the city.

Improvements made to the fortifications under Ladislaus II Jagiełło (r.1386-1434) (lower gate, elevated walls, antemural) are discussed on the way to the original walls of the lower castle and one of the oldest of Wawel's towers – the Thieves' Tower.
From this part of the fortifications we look out over the Vistula River out onto the south-west of Cracow and the vicinity. Beginning with the Grunwald Bridge and in the distance, the World Center of the Veneration of the Divine Mercy at Łagiewniki, the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology on the opposite bank of the river, to the Dębniki Bridge, and in the distance the Camedolese Monastery in Bielany, and the Kościuszko Mound on Bl. Bronisława Hill.

Passing between the Thieves' Tower and the former Austrian army hospital, we reenter the external courtyard, where the guide will discuss the remnants of the so-called "Wawel Village," which included the cathedral school, the vicars' houses, and the churches of St. George and St. Michael.

Next, we learn how the Austro-Hungarian army changed the architectural landscape of the Wawel – demolishing existing structures and raising new buildings – to adapt it to its new function as barracks. The new buildings included hospitals, one of which still stands today.

The last stop on the tour is the Sandomierska Tower, with magnificent views of Cracow and the surrounding area.
The Tower can also be toured separately – automated ticket machine at the entrance.