The Princes Czartoryski Museum grew from the collection begun by Princess Izabela Czartoryska at the end of the eighteenth century, one of the first museums in Poland. Today it is a branch of the National Museum in Kraków, housed in a palace and former monastery near the Florian Gate, and it reopened in December 2019 after a long renovation. The star is Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine, a portrait of a young woman holding a white stoat, one of only a handful of female portraits by Leonardo, shown in its own room. Nearby hangs Rembrandt's Landscape with the Good Samaritan. More than twenty galleries over two floors hold sculpture, decorative arts, arms and armour, and keepsakes collected by the family as relics of Polish history.
Tickets are numbered and timed, so buy online for a specific slot, especially at weekends. The ticket covers the palace, the monastery and the Gallery of Ancient Art, and also gives access to permanent exhibitions at other National Museum branches for three months, though not the Sukiennice gallery or the Main Building. Permanent exhibitions are free on Tuesdays. Large bags and suitcases cannot be left in the cloakroom; only small backpacks are accepted.
How to visit well: go straight to the Lady with an Ermine first, while the room is quiet, then work back through the rest. An hour and a half is enough for most people.
Who it suits: art lovers above all, and anyone who wants to see a Leonardo without the crowds of the Louvre. It sits a few minutes from the Main Market Square, so it slots easily into an Old Town day.
What to expect
The experience
A palace museum with timed entry, centred on Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine.
Best time
The first slot of the day or a weekday afternoon.
How long
About an hour to an hour and a half.
Tips
Buy a timed ticket online, travel light, and use the ticket for other National Museum branches within three months.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Seeing a Leonardo masterpiece up close.
- Families
- A short, focused visit works for older children.
- Couples
- An unhurried hour with a Leonardo, then a drink on the square.
- Pair with
- The Main Market Square and the Cloth Hall gallery.
- Time needed
- An hour or so.
Good questions
Where is the Lady with an Ermine?+
At the Princes Czartoryski Museum, a branch of the National Museum in Kraków, near the Florian Gate in the Old Town.
Do I need to book the Czartoryski Museum?+
Yes, tickets are numbered and timed for a specific date and hour, so buy online in advance.
Is the Czartoryski Museum free on any day?+
Permanent exhibitions at the National Museum branches are free on Tuesdays.
Can I bring a bag?+
Only small backpacks are accepted; suitcases and large bags cannot be left in the cloakroom.
What else is in the collection?+
Rembrandt's Landscape with the Good Samaritan, ancient art, decorative arts, arms and armour, and historic Polish keepsakes.