Museums in Gdańsk: which to visit, tickets and how much time to plan

Museums in Gdańsk number more than a dozen, but three or four are enough for a weekend. This guide covers ten places worth visiting, with ticket prices valid in autumn 2026, free admission days and the time you need to set aside for each. At the end you will find a plan for one, two and three days and a list of what is closed for renovation in autumn 2026. We read all prices and opening hours from the museums’ websites on 6 October 2026. Check them again before you go, because museums change them during the season.

Which museum to choose: the cheat sheet

If you have time for one museum, choose the Museum of the Second World War. If you have time for two, add the European Solidarity Centre, as they stand about 10 minutes’ walk apart. The third place is up to you: the Amber Museum for anyone who wants something typically Gdańsk, the Crane and Ołowianka for lovers of the port, Hevelianum and the Museum of Illusions for families with children. A standard ticket costs from 23 zł (the Crane, Ołowianka) to 49 zł (the Museum of Illusions). Details are in the table below and in the descriptions of each museum.

The visiting times for the ECS, the Museum of Gdańsk and the National Maritime Museum come from information published by those museums. In the other cases they are our estimate based on the size of the exhibition.

Museum of the Second World War: the largest and most visited

The distinctive leaning building of red concrete on Bartoszewskiego Square, about 10 minutes’ walk from Długi Targ. The main exhibition is the largest in this list, so plan half a day for it. The audio guide costs 12 zł. The ticket also covers the children’s exhibition.

Only part of the ticket pool is sold online; the rest you buy on site. In autumn 2026 the museum is renovating parts of the main exhibition in stages, one or two rooms at a time, from mid-October to early December. The rest of the exhibition remains open, and the current schedule is on the museum’s website. The museum is closed on 1 November and on 24–26 and 31 December. The Westerplatte branch (an archaeological exhibition in the former power station, 15 zł) is open from October from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–16:00. Construction work is under way on the peninsula and access by car along Sucharskiego Street is closed.

European Solidarity Centre: two hours on August 1980

The rust-coloured building on Solidarity Square, next to the historic Gate No. 2 of the Gdańsk Shipyard. The permanent exhibition fills seven halls, and the museum says visitors spend two hours in it on average. The audio guide is included in the ticket price. From the roof terrace you can see the shipyard grounds; the terrace is open in good weather.

Online tickets have hourly entry limits, so at the weekend buy them in the morning or the day before. Mind the days of the week: the Museum of the Second World War is closed on Monday, the ECS on Tuesday. If you want to see both, the easiest way is Wednesday to Sunday, or split them between Monday (ECS) and Tuesday (Museum of the Second World War, free of charge).

Museum of Gdańsk: Amber, Town Hall, Artus Court and Uphagen’s House

One institution runs several branches in the very centre, each with its own ticket. They all follow the same rule: free admission on Monday, closed on Tuesday. Reduced tickets are for pupils, students and pensioners, and the family ticket covers up to eight people, including one or two adults with children up to 18.

The Amber Museum in the Great Mill: two floors of amber, from lumps with trapped insects to contemporary jewellery. The museum gives a visiting time of about two hours and admits no more than 100 people at a time, so in high season and on free Mondays it is worth buying a timed ticket online.

The Main Town Hall at Długa 46/47: the Great Council Hall with painted ceilings and an exhibition on the history of the city, audio guide 10 zł, visiting time at least 45 minutes. The viewing tower is currently closed for renovation, so for a panorama of the city go to Gradowa Hill or St Mary’s Basilica. Artus Court on Długi Targ, the former seat of the merchant brotherhoods with a huge Renaissance tiled stove, and Uphagen’s House at Długa 12, a reconstructed 18th-century merchant’s house, take about half an hour each. There is no booking for Artus Court; you buy the ticket on site.

New in autumn 2026: the Polish Post Museum on Obrońców Poczty Polskiej Square reopened on 6 October after a rebuild, with a new exhibition and spaces that were previously inaccessible. The prices and hours in the table come from the museum’s price list from before the reopening, so check them before your visit. The exhibition tells the story of the defence of the post office on 1 September 1939 and may be hard for younger children.

National Maritime Museum: the Crane, Ołowianka and the Sołdek

Three places on both sides of the Motława, linked by a museum ferry in season. The Crane at Szeroka 67/68 is the largest medieval port crane in Europe and a symbol of the city; the visit takes about an hour. The Granaries on Ołowianka house the main exhibition on the history of shipping and the port (about two hours), and the Sołdek moored alongside, the first ship built in Poland after the war, can be explored from the engine room to the bridge.

Two things to check before you go: until 31 October the Sołdek has a shortened route without the superstructure (renovation), and in November the ship closes at 16:00. The interactive hall in the Maritime Culture Centre is closed for modernisation until 18 October 2026.

National Museum: no “Last Judgement”, but a ticket for 1 zł

The Department of Early Art at Toruńska 1, in a former Franciscan monastery, about 10 minutes’ walk south of Długi Targ. Its most important work, Hans Memling’s triptych “The Last Judgement”, has been off display since February 2025: its conservation and research are scheduled to last until December 2026. Before you go specially for Memling, check on the museum’s website whether the painting is back. What remains is Gothic painting and sculpture from Pomerania, Gdańsk furniture and silver, and Dutch painting.

The same price list applies in the two branches in Oliwa: the Abbots’ Palace (modern art) and the Ethnography Department. The museum is closed on 1 and 11 November.

For children and rainy days: Hevelianum and the Museum of Illusions

Hevelianum on Gradowa Hill, about 10 minutes uphill from the Main Railway Station, is a science centre in former fortifications. The ticket covers three interactive exhibitions (Around the World, Puzzle, With Energy!); planetarium shows (25 zł) and escape rooms are paid separately. From the terrace in front of the entrance there is a view of the towers of the Main Town, no ticket needed.

The Deja Vu Museum of Illusions at Długie Ogrody 18, about 5 minutes from the Green Gate, is a private attraction with optical illusions and rooms for photos. Children up to 14 enter only with a guardian. A ticket bought online is valid for a full hour; a ticket from the box office lets you enter at any time. An hour is enough.

More places under a roof, including play centres and the Experyment in Gdynia, are described in our article on what to do in Gdańsk when it rains, and you will find an overview of attractions for the youngest in the piece on the best places for kids in Gdańsk.

Free days and the Tourist Card: when they pay off

Three institutions have a fixed day of free admission, each a different one. Coming for three days from Monday to Wednesday, you can see seven museums and pay only for the ECS, that is 40 zł. The downside: free days are the busiest, and some temporary exhibitions may be excluded.

The Tourist Card of the Gdańsk Tourist Organisation makes sense at the weekend, when there are no free days. The Explorer package includes, among others, the Amber Museum, the Town Hall, the Granaries with the Sołdek, Hevelianum and the National Museum branches in Oliwa. The Explorer Premium package adds the Museum of the Second World War, the ECS, Artus Court, Uphagen’s House, the Crane, the Wisłoujście Fortress and the Department of Early Art. The card does not include the Museum of Illusions or the Polish Post Museum.

An example for two days for one adult: Museum of the Second World War 33 zł, ECS 40 zł, Amber 37 zł, Town Hall 26 zł, the Crane 23 zł and the Granaries 23 zł come to 182 zł, while the Premium card for 48 hours costs 110 zł. With four museums in two days the difference fades, so work out your own plan before you buy the card.

A plan for one, two and three days

The basic plan works from Wednesday to Sunday, when all the museums on the list are open. We give a separate version starting on Monday, built around the free days.

One day. In the morning the Museum of the Second World War (go in right after opening, before it gets crowded), lunch in the Old Town, in the afternoon the Crane and the Granaries on Ołowianka. All within 15 minutes on foot.

Two days. The first day as above. On the second day the ECS in the morning, then a walk through the Young City to the Main Town, and in the afternoon the Amber Museum with the Town Hall. If you are travelling with children, choose Hevelianum instead of the Town Hall.

Three days. Leave the third day for Oliwa (the cathedral, the park and the Abbots’ Palace) or for Westerplatte with the Wisłoujście Fortress, and before you leave drop into the Museum of Illusions, which is open until 20:00 at weekends.

Version starting on Monday. Monday: the Amber Museum, the Town Hall and Artus Court free of charge, the ECS in the afternoon (40 zł). Tuesday: the Museum of the Second World War in the morning (ticket from the box office, free until 16:00), the National Museum in the afternoon (free). Wednesday: Hevelianum in the morning (paid) or a walk around the Main Town, from 13:00 the Crane and the Granaries on Ołowianka free of charge.

It is most convenient to stay in the very centre, because every museum on this list except Oliwa and Westerplatte is within a quarter of an hour on foot. Our apartments in the centre of Gdańsk are in the Old Town, on Granary Island and on the Motława, that is between the Museum of the Second World War and Ołowianka. If you are flying in, see how to get from the airport to the centre: the PKM train takes you to Śródmieście in half an hour.

What is closed in autumn 2026

Check this list before you make your plan. Memling’s “Last Judgement” is off display at the National Museum (conservation planned until December 2026). The viewing tower of the Main Town Hall is closed for renovation. The Naturalists’ House of the Archaeological Museum at Mariacka 25/26, together with its tower, is closed until further notice. The interactive hall of the Maritime Culture Centre is closed until 18 October, and the Sołdek has a shortened route until 31 October. The Museum of the Second World War is renovating parts of its main exhibition in stages from mid-October to early December; the current dates are on its website. Guardhouse No. 1 at Westerplatte, the Gdańsk Science Museum and the Water Forge in Oliwa close for the winter. The Wisłoujście Fortress is open conditionally; confirm its winter hours by phone. All the public museums on this list are closed on 1 November and 24–26 December.

Frequently asked questions