Czartoryski Museum and Lady with an Ermine: visitor guide
Krakow: Czartoryski Museum entry ticket (Lady with an Ermine)
Can you see Lady with an Ermine without booking in advance?
In theory yes, but in practice the Czartoryski Museum sells out on summer mornings within an hour of opening. Book online at least 48 hours ahead from April through October. Winter visits are much easier to walk into. The painting is on permanent display and closed only during occasional conservation work.
Why this matters: one of the world’s greatest paintings in a small Kraków museum
In the gallery of the Princes Czartoryski Museum in Kraków hangs Dama z gronostajem — Lady with an Ermine — painted by Leonardo da Vinci around 1489–1490. It is one of only four surviving paintings by Leonardo in the world, and arguably the most accessible of the four. The Mona Lisa is half-obscured behind bulletproof glass in a crowd of hundreds. The Lady with an Ermine hangs at eye level, on a wall in a room you can walk into with no more than a modest queue.
That sentence, when you think about it, is extraordinary. A Leonardo. In Kraków.
The painting arrived in Poland in 1800, acquired by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski as part of his family’s policy of building a Polish national collection. It survived two world wars, Nazi theft (it spent much of the occupation in Hans Frank’s residence at Wawel Castle), Soviet occupation, and communist expropriation before being restituted to the Czartoryski Foundation in 2016 and returned to the museum, which reopened after extensive renovation in 2019.
About the painting
The subject is Cecilia Gallerani, a young woman from Milan who was the mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan — the same Ludovico who employed Leonardo. She is shown with a white ermine (or possibly a stoat in winter coat) held against her arm.
What makes the painting so remarkable is its modernity. Leonardo abandons the profile convention that dominated Italian portraiture before him and shows Cecilia in three-quarter view, turning towards an unseen presence. Her eyes look slightly to her left, giving the impression that someone has just entered the room. The ermine echoes her turn. The psychological presence — the sense of a mind at work behind the eyes — anticipates portraiture that would not become standard for another century.
Leonardo painted it in tempera on walnut panel. The dimensions are modest: 54 by 39 centimetres. Standing in front of it, the scale surprises; it is intimate rather than monumental.
The rest of the Czartoryski collection
The museum at ul. Świętego Jana 19 contains far more than the Leonardo. The Czartoryski family assembled one of Poland’s most significant private collections across the 18th and 19th centuries, and while political upheavals scattered parts of it, what remains is impressive.
Rembrandt’s Landscape with the Good Samaritan (1638): this large-format oil is a masterpiece of the Dutch Golden Age. It hangs in the same permanent collection as the Leonardo and receives a fraction of the attention, which means you can spend as long as you like in front of it.
Ancient artefacts: the ground floor houses an extensive collection of Greek, Etruscan and Roman objects — ceramics, sculpture, armour — assembled when such collecting was fashionable among European aristocracy. The quality is high.
Decorative arts and armaments: the upper floors contain medieval and Renaissance armour, weapons, tapestries and furniture. The collection reflects both the family’s military history and its role as patrons of Polish culture.
Polish historical memorabilia: items connected to Polish national history, including objects from the Battle of Vienna (1683), where the Polish king Jan III Sobieski led the relief force.
A typical visit — Leonardo plus the Rembrandt, a sweep through the ancient collection, and one floor of armaments — takes 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Tickets and booking
Standard adult entry is 30 PLN (≈ €7.15). Reduced (student, senior) is 20 PLN (≈ €4.75). Children under 7 enter free. The first Sunday of each month is free for all.
Timed-entry tickets are purchased at czartoryski.mnk.pl (the National Museum in Kraków system — the Czartoryski is a branch). You can also buy at the museum’s ticket desk on the day, but expect waits of 30–60 minutes in peak season.
The most stress-free option is a skip-the-line entry ticket for the Czartoryski Museum, which lets you bypass the queue and go straight to the Leonardo. For those who want to understand the art in depth, a guided art tour of the Da Vinci and Czartoryski collection provides expert context that the wall panels alone cannot supply.
Opening hours and seasonal considerations
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00). Closed Mondays. Hours extend to 20:00 on Thursdays from June through August.
Key closure: the museum closes for one week each year in January for maintenance. Check czartoryski.mnk.pl before visiting in mid-January.
Leonardo conservation loans: the painting has left Kraków on two occasions for conservation or exhibition elsewhere. These absences are announced well in advance. At time of writing (May 2026) it is on permanent display. If you are travelling specifically to see the painting, check the museum’s news section within a week of your visit.
Getting there
The museum is at ul. Świętego Jana 19, a 5-minute walk north of the Rynek Główny. From the main square, walk past the front of St. Mary’s Basilica (the two-towered brick Gothic church at the northeast corner of the square) and continue north up ul. Floriańska, then turn left on ul. Świętego Jana. The museum entrance is on the right.
From the main train station (Kraków Główny), the walk through the Planty (the ring of parkland surrounding the Old Town) takes about 12 minutes.
Visiting with children
The Leonardo is engaging for older children (8+) who can appreciate the explanation of why a five-century-old painting is still considered remarkable. Younger children tend to find the ancient artefacts — particularly the armour and weaponry — more immediately gripping. The Rembrandt and the decorative arts collections hold reasonable child interest.
A family visit of 90 minutes is realistic. There is no dedicated children’s programme, but the museum is not prohibitively text-heavy.
Combining with other Old Town museums
The Czartoryski is a natural companion to the Rynek Underground Museum — the two together, starting underground at 10:00 and moving to the Czartoryski from 12:00, fill a very satisfying morning. Both are within the pedestrianised Old Town.
For a full day of Kraków museums, add the Sukiennice Gallery (part of the National Museum in Kraków, directly on the Rynek) in the afternoon. The Archdiocesan Museum on ul. Kanonicza near Wawel is another compact but excellent stop.
Museum enthusiasts planning multiple visits should compare whether the Kraków Museum Pass offers value — the Czartoryski is one of the National Museum branches included.
Frequently asked questions about visiting the Czartoryski Museum
Is Lady with an Ermine worth a dedicated trip to Kraków?
Honestly, yes — if you have any interest in Renaissance painting. The combination of the painting’s importance, its intimate scale, and the relative accessibility compared to the Louvre or the Uffizi makes this one of European culture tourism’s genuinely underrated experiences. The museum surrounding it is also excellent, making the visit worthwhile even beyond the single painting.
Can you take photographs of Lady with an Ermine?
Photography without flash is permitted throughout the museum, including in front of the Leonardo. You are allowed to take your time; there is no rule requiring you to move on after a set period.
How long should I plan for the whole museum?
90 minutes is comfortable for the highlights (Leonardo, Rembrandt, ancient collection, one floor of armaments). Allow 2–2.5 hours if you want to read the panels and explore the decorative arts floors more carefully.
Is there a café or restaurant in the museum?
Yes — the ground floor has a café. It is functional rather than destination-worthy, but useful for a coffee break between floors.
What is the difference between the Czartoryski Museum and the National Museum in Kraków?
The Czartoryski Museum is technically a branch of the National Museum in Kraków (Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie — MNK), which manages five buildings across the city. The main building of the National Museum is on Al. 3 Maja; the Czartoryski is the branch containing the greatest internationally recognised masterpieces.
Has the painting ever been outside Poland?
It left Poland twice in the 20th century under exceptional circumstances — most notably during WWII occupation — and twice in the 21st century for conservation. It has otherwise been on continuous display in Kraków since its acquisition in 1800. The Polish state is understandably cautious about future loans.
Top experiences
Bookable activities with verified prices and instant confirmation on GetYourGuide.
