Wilanów Palace

What makes it special

In the king's bedroom, Jan III gave audiences from the state bed while his visitors stood. If the king's and queen's rooms are on the day's route, look up: their ceilings are painted with the four seasons. These ceilings, by the court painter Jerzy Eleuter Szymonowicz-Siemiginowski, are among the most valuable Baroque works in Poland.

The two-storey White Hall is the grandest room when it is open, and its ceiling carries Welfare under Saxon Rule by Johann Samuel Mock. Many of the palace's original objects were lost in the war and never recovered, so not every piece in these rooms belonged to the king.

The north wing's rooms still look like the museum that Stanisław Kostka and Aleksandra Potocki opened here in 1805. Its collection includes a Salvator Mundi once attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.

Outside, the main garden entrance runs through a stone pergola whose gate greets you with a line from Horace. Rococo figures by Johann Chrysostom Redler stand along the balustrade of the upper terrace. Beyond the formal garden lies an English-Chinese park.

Visiting

From 9:00, when the ticket desk on the palace forecourt opens, collect your palace ticket there; the card kiosks sell park tickets only. The palace itself opens at 10:00, takes last entry at 15:00 and closes at 16:00, so come early on a busy day.

Your palace ticket also covers the park, so see the rooms first. Leave coats, backpacks and umbrellas in the cloakroom or lockers, and leave pushchairs before the palace entrance.

The gardens stay open until 18:00, which leaves the afternoon for the terraces and the park. Cafes and refreshment stands on site cover a break between the two.

Guided or on your own

Walk the palace and gardens on your own if you want the rooms at your own pace. A guide suits you if royal history and its symbols interest you, but the museum does not arrange outside guides, and an outside guide needs an entry ticket too.

Groups of more than nine enter the palace only with a museum educator or a guide, on a date booked in advance.

Tips

Allow time for the park as well as the palace: the grounds are large and the walking adds up, so comfortable shoes help. Photography is allowed inside and in the park as long as it does not disturb other visitors. In the historic rooms, do not eat or drink, and do not touch the walls or objects.

Bikes and scooters go in the rack by the ticket desk. Buy tickets only from the museum, at the desk or through its online reservation system, since it does not sell through outside operators.