Please sign in to post.

Attending mass & visiting St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow

Posted by (SF Bay Area) on

I'll be in Krakow in early September arriving on Saturday evening. I would like to attend mass at St. Mary’s Basilica on Sunday, time TBD depending on my jet lag. I also want to spend some time "visiting" the church, walking around and taking some pictures.

Is it possible to stay after mass to "tour" the church or do I need to leave and re-enter with a ticket? I'm not trying to evade cost, just thinking logistically about it. The website is confusing when it says "St. Mary’s Basilica is opened to individual visitors and tourist groups every day when no Mass is being conducted. Half of the church is open to tourists." Can I access this other half after mass but from within the church?

I'm happy to get a ticket before mass to access the tourist section after mass, if that is a requirement.

Posted by
12 posts

My family and I were in Krakow last summer over a weekend and we visited St. Mary's this way...we entered for a quick view from the main doors to see the inside of the church on a Saturday before exploring the rest of Krakow's historic center and visiting other churches. Then, on Sunday, we celebrated Sunday mass at St. Mary's at one of the early morning masses. My family and I sat in the front half of the church near the altar. You can even sit on the wooden side pews. Even though we did not understand the language, it was a beautiful mass made even more special since we had time to view the altar and panels, statues, Stations of the Cross, etc. from our pew, reflect and pray. After mass was over, we were able to approach closer to the altar to snap photos and view it before the next mass began. We actually had a small but decent amount of time to linger. Even as people filed in for the next mass, we quietly and reverently walked around the inside of the church to view things a bit closer. Of course, we did our quick "touring" respectfully, quietly and quickly. General visiting of the church on Sundays is after 2 pm but it's from the back of the church unless you have a ticket to go up closer. You can purchase the ticket outside at the ticket booth. We never bought a ticket. There's so many churches to see in Krakow and we were more than satisfied and happy to see St. Mary's by attending mass. If you do want more time to view and study the inside though, a ticket might be worthwhile. I don't know if this will give you a tour guide as well.

Posted by
423 posts

Iwannatravel - This is so helpful, thank you very much. I have attended mass in different countries/languages. The structure of the mass is the same, so I am able to follow along. And there is something special about being in a new country and celebrating mass in their native language.
I just read on another website the main altar is open on specific times, so I may return on Monday or Tuesday with a ticket. But will linger a little bit longer after the mass on Sunday.

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.