National Museum in Warsaw

The National Museum in Warsaw (Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie) stands at al. Jerozolimskie 3 in the Śródmieście district, and it is the largest art museum in Poland. Its collections stretch from ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman artefacts through medieval art and Old Master paintings to Polish and European art of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Faras Gallery is the museum's best-known highlight: a set of early Christian wall paintings rescued from a cathedral in Nubia, now in Sudan, during a Polish archaeological campaign, and it is displayed as a reconstructed church interior. Polish painting galleries feature works by Jan Matejko, whose huge historical canvases are among the most celebrated pieces in the country, as well as Symbolist and Young Poland artists. The medieval gallery holds altarpieces, sculptures and stained glass from across Poland. A visit typically takes two to three hours, and the building is large enough that many visitors choose two or three galleries rather than trying to see everything. Permanent galleries cost about 30 PLN full and 15 PLN reduced, with combined tickets covering related museum branches, and the museum is closed on Mondays. Admission to the permanent galleries is free on Tuesdays, which brings the heaviest crowds, so weekday mornings and Friday evenings, when the museum stays open until 20:00 with half-price tickets in the late afternoon, are good alternatives. Temporary exhibitions are always ticketed separately. The museum faces Aleje Jerozolimskie, with a tram stop outside and the metro within about ten minutes on foot. A cafe and shop operate on site, and cloakrooms are available for large bags.