State Rooms

The main exhibition of Wawel Castle's interiors, the spectacular State Rooms include several rooms on the ground floor - all of which have retained their magnificent Renaissance-era wooden ceilings - and the guest apartments on the second floor (third floor according to our American friends). These are the rooms where the royals once entertained, held court, conducted sessions of the Senate, and hosted guests. Full of luscious oil paintings, intricate 16th-century Flemish tapestries, and some truly extraordinary wallcoverings, highlights include the Senator's Hall - the largest room in the castle, which hosted the first royal wedding back in 1518, and the eerie Envoys' Room - complete with 30 wooden heads on the coffered ceiling (originally there were 194!) and an original throne that really brings the majesty of Poland’s past to life. Absolutely worth visiting, give yourself at least 40mins to take in all the extravagance.