Wawel Castle questions

I didn't explore the castle grounds beyond the free entry areas though I did visit the cathedral. I had visited St. Mary's Basilica a few days prior and while personally I would say the interior of St. Mary's was more striking, Wawel Cathedral was certainly still worth seeing in my opinion. Several points of interest inside including the tomb of King Kazimierz. One thing to keep in mind is photography is allowed in St. Mary's Basilica but not Wawel Cathedral with a few exceptions such as the bell tower.

Hopefully others can provide some insight about the castle grounds.

We spent the day at Wawel last June. We move slowly, and spent a good 5 or 6 hours there, seeing everything. It was busy, but not swamped with people. The cathedral is worth it, but as another members said, there are no photos allowed, which I found curious. We asked why, but no one could explain that. Considering his place in Polish history, the tomb of King Kazmierz (Casius IV) was the highlight of the Cathedral, I think. There are a couple of nice places to stop for a drink or dessert on the grounds. We didn't take tours of the cathedral or the castle, preferring just to wander around at our own speed and we were satisfied with that. I can see where the tour would help you narrow your visit down to the 'must-sees' and if you're short on time, I think that would be a good way to go if you have no problems keeping up with a group and can hear well enough with some commotion around the group of 20 or so. The complex is a pretty big place to cover in a couple of hours. Sorry to say it, but to me, the gardens were a disappointment. First of all, it's a steep walk down. Having my husband in a wheelchair, all I can say is thank god we ran into a group of Irish footballers who delighted in picking up the chair and carrying him back up the hill. It was quite the sight. The trip down the hill and back up were the highlights there. The gardens were small, dull, and not particularly well laid-out or planted. For me, it wasn't worth the walk down and up again. But I'd definitely still go to Wawel; just skip the Royal Garden.

Thanks! I’m also wondering how crowded the castle gets, even with limited entry- is it best to visit first thing in the morning? We’d like to schedule a golf cart tour of all 3 districts the same day (old town, kazimierz, podgorze). In some ways it would be easier to schedule the tour in the AM because the timing would be more predictable (1.5-2 hrs depending on option) and we could schedule a hotel pickup. Then get lunch after tour and get castle tickets for afternoon. Whereas if we went to the castle first of feel a bit uncertain over when to schedule the golf cart tour. Not sure which order is best.

I must say the Wawel Castle website is note very helpful. I'm so lost trying to figure out what to see and which day to go.
Some exhibitions only open few days, different start time, and the fact you need to get a ticket for each section.
I'll be there in September and trying to decide the must-sees for me and what total cost might end up looking like. I was originally planning to visit on a Monday but I think some rooms are closed.

The Rick Steves guidebook for Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk devotes 10 pages to the Wawel sites, and will give you sense of each separate location. Unless things have changed, most sites there will be closed on Mondays.

(sorry for typo on my post - writing from a small phone screen and didn't catch it in time for edits).

Thanks for pointing me to the guidebook. I'll see if I can find a newish edition. The website says castle is open on Mondays, but some rooms/exhibitions are closed. I believe there is also free ticket for few rooms that day.

Another recent travel book to Poland is: Poland at Your Pace: A Guide for Mature Travelers. On Amazon

Markcw - thanks for the suggestion. I picked up the RS Travel guide book at my local library and it is indeed great to help me plan!