The main building of the National Museum in Kraków is open six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 06:00 PM. Some of the other branches of the National Museum have different opening hours.
The museum is closed on major public holidays, such as New Year’s Day, Easter, and Christmas Eve and Day.
The museum tends to be much busier on weekends, so it is better to plan your visit for weekdays.
On Tuesdays, the museum offers free entry to permanent exhibitions. It is a good option during the low season from November to February when the city is less crowded with tourists.
The museum houses an impressive 20th and 21st-century Polish art collection. This exhibition offers a detailed panorama of the leading art movements in Poland, such as the avant-garde of the 1930s. It showcases paintings and sculptures by famous masters from the past as well as by influential contemporary artists.
Another exhibition space, the Gallery of Decorative Arts, displays fabrics, clothing, furniture, glassware, and musical instruments from the Early Middle Ages to the Art Nouveau period. You can explore, among others, the collection of dresses dating from the early 19th to the early 20th century that gives a complete fashion overview of the whole century.
The third permanent exhibition focuses on arms and uniforms and showcases various military-related objects from the 12th to 20th centuries. Besides the Polish sabers and firearms, you can see Western European armor and Eastern weaponry from the territory of Turkey and Persia.
The main building of the National Museum is located close to the historic center of Kraków at 3 Maja Avenue and is easily accessible by public transportation. To get there by light rail, take line 6 or 20 to Muzeum Narodowe. There is also a bus stop with the same name, served by numerous routes.
General admission to the permanent exhibitions costs 20 PLN (about $4.50). The price is reduced to 12 PLN for ISIC holders, European students, teachers, seniors over 65, disabled persons with their caregivers, and several more categories of visitors. Schoolchildren and students aged 7–26 are entitled to a ticket for only 1 PLN.
Entry is free for children up to 7 years of age, members of ICOM and ICOMOS, holders of the Card of the Pole, journalists, and veterans. Each Tuesday, admission is free for all visitors.