City Defence Walls

What to expect

The City Defence Walls are a seasonal branch of the Museum of Krakow set in what remains of the medieval city fortifications: a roughly 200-metre stretch of wall with St Florian’s Gate (Brama Floriańska) and the three towers adjoining it - the Haberdashers’ Tower, the Joiners’ Tower and the Carpenters’ Tower. Visiting means walking the defensive gallery above ul. Pijarska, moving between the towers with views over the gate that once marked the start of the Royal Route into the city.

Set your expectations accordingly: this is a walk through an open historic structure, not an indoor museum with large exhibitions. The fabric itself is the attraction. The first fortifications here were raised under Duke Leszek the Black in 1279-1288, the full stone circuit followed in the 14th century under Casimir the Great, and the towers were built up in brick in the 15th century. St Florian’s Gate, first recorded in 1307 and 34 metres tall, was the city’s main gate. Almost everything else was demolished in 1810-1814 and the years that followed; this northern stretch survived thanks to the intervention of the architect Feliks Radwański. Together with the nearby Barbakan it belongs to Krakow’s UNESCO World Heritage fabric.

Is it worth it? As a standalone visit it is a modest half hour or so, but the ticket is combined with the Barbakan, and taken together the two make a satisfying medieval-fortifications outing right at the edge of the Old Town.

Visiting in practice

The branch is open seasonally: in 2026 from 10 May to 30 October, Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 to 18:00, closed on Mondays. Outside the season it is closed, so check before planning a winter visit. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing for individual visitors and 60 minutes before closing for groups. A standard ticket costs 22 PLN, reduced 16 PLN, family 44 PLN, and it is a combined ticket: the same ticket admits you to both the Defence Walls and the Barbakan, and you can use it at the second site within 3 days of the date on the ticket. There is no free-admission day at these two sites, and be warned that there is no cloakroom and no toilet, large backpacks over 30 litres and long umbrellas are not allowed in, and once you exit you cannot re-enter. Buy tickets at the ticket desk on the Walls, in the Barbakan, or online at bilety.muzeumkrakowa.pl. A nice free extra: each opening day starts with the Ceremony of Opening the City Gates - after the bugle call from St Mary’s tower at 10:00, a small procession with the bugler walks along Floriańska street through St Florian’s Gate, and the gate is ceremonially opened at 10:20.

Getting there

The entrance is on ul. Pijarska, right next to St Florian’s Gate at the northern edge of the Old Town - a five-minute walk from the Main Market Square straight up Floriańska street. The Barbakan, covered by the same ticket, stands just across the Planty park. Tram and bus stops line ul. Basztowa nearby, including Stary Kleparz and Teatr Słowackiego.

Nearby

The walls pair naturally with the story of the city they protected: on the Main Market Square, Krzysztofory Palace is the Museum of Krakow’s main seat with its exhibition on the city’s history, and beneath the square the Rynek Underground walks you through medieval Krakow at archaeological level. If you want art rather than history afterwards, the Sukiennice Gallery of 19th-century Polish painting is in the Cloth Hall a few steps away.