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Westerplatte museum: hours, tickets and what to see

The quick version

The Westerplatte museum, a branch of the Museum of the Second World War, opens its archaeology exhibition Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 16:00, and is free on Tuesdays.

Museum essentials

  • Exhibition 10:00 to 16:00, closed Mondays2
  • Visitor Centre daily 9:00 to 16:003
  • Guardhouse No. 1: PLN 8, closed in winter30

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The Westerplatte museum belongs to Gdansk's war museum and is still taking shape around the battlefield. Here is what is open, when, what it costs, and how it links to the main museum.

Editorial team, westerplattecruise.click · Updated November 9, 2026 · 6 min reading time

In brief

  • Who runs itThe Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk.1
  • Exhibition hoursTuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 16:00; closed Mondays.2
  • Visitor CentreOpen every day of the week, 9:00 to 16:00.3
  • Free dayTuesday, with free tickets from the exhibition desk.4
  • Also on siteGuardhouse No. 1, run by the Museum of Gdansk.5

A museum still being built around a battlefield

The Westerplatte museum is an outpost of Gdansk's Museum of the Second World War, spread across the peninsula itself rather than housed in a single building.1 Its stated mission is to keep the battlefield authentic and look after the place where the war began, and the open-air design lets visitors see the remains where they stand.6,7

Work is phased, and parts of the exhibition open step by step.8 The plans are large: an open-air museum of approximately 26 hectares, a main pavilion placed underground in a second phase planned from the second half of 2026, and the rebuilding of several depot buildings, including the stationmaster's building and six warehouses.9,10,11

For a visitor today that has a double meaning. There is already plenty to see, from the Visitor Centre to the archaeology exhibition, the cemetery and the open grounds. And the site is a building site in places: construction began in February 2026, parts are fenced off and a stretch of Sucharskiego Street near the Visitor Centre is closed.12

Hours at a glance

When each place is open

PlaceOpenClosedEntry
Archaeology exhibitionTue to Sun, 10:00 to 16:00MondaysFree on Tuesdays
Visitor CentreDaily, 9:00 to 16:00None listedFree to enter
Guardhouse No. 1Warmer monthsWinter seasonPLN 8 normal
Main museum in townTue 10:00 to 16:00, Wed to Sun to 18:00MondaysPLN 33 normal

Hours and prices as published by both museums.2,4,3,29,30,31,24

What is open now

The archaeology exhibition, titled "Memory buried beneath the surface", fills the former power station of the Polish Military Transit Depot.17 Its story runs from the 17th century up to the first years of the war, with a close look at daily routine in the depot.18 It also tells a less familiar story: after the fighting, the site became a place where German forces committed crimes against Polish civilians.19

The exhibition is built on what the archaeologists found. Research began in 2016, and the dig recovered over 60,000 artefacts, more than 22,000 of them of significant exhibition and historical value.13,20 Visitors can also see a reconstructed section of the depot's fifth guardhouse, part of the defences built between 1933 and 1936.21

The Visitor Centre at the entrance to the peninsula is the other new building, with an information desk, a souvenir shop, a restaurant, viewing terraces and restrooms.22,23 The exhibition and the Visitor Centre were officially opened on Monday, 28 April 2025.16 Outside, the museum has laid out a new cemetery for the Polish soldiers, opened in 2022.15

Main museum prices

What the museum in town charges

  • Normal ticket33
  • Reduced ticket23
  • Family ticket72
  • Audio guide12

Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, main exhibition prices in zloty; free on Tuesdays.24,25,26,27,28

Westerplatte opening hours

Westerplatte opening hours differ by building, so check the one you need. The archaeology exhibition in the old power station shuts on Mondays and otherwise runs from 10:00 until 16:00.2 The museum lets the last visitors in 45 minutes before closing, so aim to be at the door well ahead of that.33 Give yourself time for the walk from the bus stop or the boat landing as well.

The Visitor Centre keeps longer, simpler hours: every day from 9:00 to 16:00.3 The exhibition closes over Christmas and on New Year's Eve: in 2026 it is shut on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December.29 The open grounds, the cemetery and the monument have no ticket desk, but the buses and the boat set their own limits on your day.

Guardhouse No. 1 follows the Museum of Gdansk's calendar, not the war museum's, and is closed during the winter season.30 If the guardhouse matters to you, visit in the warmer months. In town, the main Museum of the Second World War is closed on Mondays, open from 10:00 to 16:00 on Tuesdays and from 10:00 to 18:00 Wednesday to Sunday.31

Your visit

Which museum stop comes first

Order the day by what you most want to understand.

  • If I want the whole story of the war

    Start at the main museum

    Visit Gdansk recommends beginning a journey through wartime history there.32

  • If I want to stand where it happened

    Go to the peninsula

    The open-air museum shows the remains in their original landscape.7

  • If I am on a budget

    Go on a Tuesday

    Both the main museum and the archaeology exhibition are free that day.28,4

  • If I travel in winter

    Skip the guardhouse

    Guardhouse No. 1 closes in the winter season; the exhibition stays open.30,2

  • If I have only an hour or so

    See it from the galleon

    The round trip circles the peninsula in 80 minutes without landing.

Where to go

The museum sites compared

On the peninsula

Power station

Archaeology exhibition

  • Run byWar museum
  • ClosedMondays
  • FreeTuesdays
Plan the day

Seasonal

Guardhouse No. 1

Defence post museum

  • Run byMuseum of Gdansk
  • ClosedWinter season
  • EntryPLN 8 normal
Plan the day

In town

Main museum

Centre of Gdansk

  • ExhibitionUnderground
  • Audio guide14 languages
  • FreeTuesdays
Plan the day

Tickets, free days and reductions

Tickets for the exhibition are sold in 2 separate pools, one online through the museum's ticket shop and one at the information points and ticket desks on site.34 Places are limited: you can only buy a ticket while free places remain, and the number of people inside at once is capped for safety.35,36 The desks take zloty, Visa and MasterCard cards and BLIK.37

Tuesday is the free day. Entry is then by a zero-price ticket issued only at the exhibition's own desk, on the day.4 Children up to 7 years of age always go in free, and reduced tickets cover groups such as pupils and students up to 26, seniors aged 65 and over, and visitors who arrive by bicycle.38,39,40,41

Guardhouse No. 1 has its own price: PLN 8 normal and PLN 5 reduced.30 Parking at the Visitor Centre is paid as well.42 The museum publishes the current exhibition prices on its own ticket pages; check them there rather than relying on an old figure, as the site is changing quickly. Bring a document for any reduction you claim: the desks ask for proof of age, study or status.

How the museum grew

From excavation to open-air museum

  1. First dig

    Archaeology begins

    Systematic research at Westerplatte started in 2016.13

  2. Autumn finds

    Nine soldiers found

    Seven identified; all nine buried in the new cemetery.14

  3. New cemetery

    Soldiers' cemetery opens

    The new resting place for the defenders dates from 2022.15

  4. Spring opening

    Exhibition and centre

    Officially opened on Monday, 28 April 2025.16

  5. Next phase

    Underground pavilion

    Planned from the second half of 2026.10

Guardhouse No. 1: the separate museum on site

Guardhouse No. 1 is run by the Museum of Gdansk, not by the war museum, and the Museum of Gdansk describes it as the only museum at Westerplatte, with interiors open to the public since 1974.5,43 Inside are mementoes of the Military Transit Depot and its defenders.44 It is small, and a visit takes far less time than the exhibition, but it is the one building where you stand inside a post that fought.

It is one of six guardhouses built in the 1930s, and it escaped demolition in 1967 when engineers shifted it to where it stands now.45 Throughout the fighting it was a key point of the Polish defence.46 Its address is Sucharskiego 70, a short walk from the Visitor Centre.30 Look at the walls as you approach: the building stands as a witness to the September fighting rather than as a reconstruction.

Plan it as a separate stop with its own ticket and its own season. On a summer day you can combine it easily with the exhibition in the power station; in winter, when it is closed, the exhibition and the grounds still give a full visit.30 Visit Gdansk lists it among the places in the city linked to the Second World War.47

Video

Westerplatte and the war museum in Gdansk

Lucky Dippers on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.

The open-air nature of the museum will allow visitors to discover relics of the past in their original landscape.
Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl)7

The main museum in town, and how to combine them

The Museum of the Second World War stands on Wladyslaw Bartoszewski Square in the centre, close to the Polish Post Office building and the shipyard.48 Its main exhibition lies some 14 metres underground and tells, among much else, the story of the defenders of Westerplatte and the Polish Post Office.49 Visit Gdansk recommends it as the place to begin.32

A normal ticket costs PLN 33 and a reduced one PLN 23, and admission is free on Tuesdays.24,25,28 The museum recommends an audio guide for individual visits; it costs PLN 12 and comes in 14 languages.50,27,51 Only part of the tickets are sold online, the rest at the desks.52 On busy days the desks can have queues, so booking a time slot ahead is the calmer choice.

The two are easy to join up. Bus 106 links them directly, with its terminus right by the war museum.53 A good day begins with the main exhibition in the morning and continues on the peninsula in the afternoon, before the power station closes. Or start on the water with the galleon, which passes the peninsula without landing, and visit the museums the next day.

FAQ

Straight answers to common questions.

Who runs the Westerplatte museum?
The Museum of the Second World War.

The Westerplatte museum is its branch; Guardhouse No. 1 on the same site belongs to the Museum of Gdansk.1,5

What are the Westerplatte museum opening hours?
Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 16:00.

The archaeology exhibition is closed on Mondays; the Visitor Centre opens daily from 9:00 to 16:00.2,3

Is the Westerplatte museum free?
On Tuesdays.

Free tickets are issued only at the exhibition desk on the day; under 7s always enter free.4,38

What is the last entry time?
45 minutes before closing.

The museum rules set the last entry to the exhibition 45 minutes before it closes.33

Is Guardhouse No. 1 open in winter?
No.

It closes during the winter season; in season the normal ticket is PLN 8.30

Can I buy tickets on the day?
Yes, while places last.

Tickets are sold online and at the desks in separate pools, as long as free places remain.34,35

Is the museum accessible?
The Visitor Centre is adapted.

The museum says the Visitor Centre was fitted out for disabled visitors.54

How do I get from the main museum to Westerplatte?
Bus 106.

The 106 runs from its terminus by the war museum out to the peninsula.53

Sources

  1. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · About the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  2. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Opening hours of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  3. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Opening hours of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  4. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Regulamin Muzeum Westerplatte (visitor rules, Polish) ↩
  5. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Westerplatte's Visitor Centre: a new landmark ↩
  6. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · About the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  7. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Mission of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  8. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Opening hours of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  9. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Mission of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  10. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Visitor Centre at Westerplatte and the new archaeology exhibition opened ↩
  11. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Visitor Centre at Westerplatte and the new archaeology exhibition opened ↩
  12. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Westerplatte: how to get here ↩
  13. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Archaeological research at Westerplatte ↩
  14. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Mission of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  15. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Mission of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  16. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Visitor Centre at Westerplatte and the new archaeology exhibition opened ↩
  17. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Visitor Centre at Westerplatte and the new archaeology exhibition opened ↩
  18. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Visitor Centre at Westerplatte and the new archaeology exhibition opened ↩
  19. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Visitor Centre at Westerplatte and the new archaeology exhibition opened ↩
  20. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Mission of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  21. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Work goes on at Westerplatte: power plant exhibition ↩
  22. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Visitor Centre at Westerplatte ↩
  23. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Westerplatte's Visitor Centre: a new landmark ↩
  24. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: tickets and prices ↩
  25. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: tickets and prices ↩
  26. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: tickets and prices ↩
  27. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: tickets and prices ↩
  28. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: tickets and prices ↩
  29. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Opening hours of the Westerplatte Museum ↩
  30. Museum of Gdansk (muzeumgdansk.pl) · Museum of Gdansk branches: hours and prices ↩
  31. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: opening hours ↩
  32. Visit Gdansk, Gdansk Tourist Organisation · Places associated with the Second World War ↩
  33. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Regulamin Muzeum Westerplatte (visitor rules, Polish) ↩
  34. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Regulamin Muzeum Westerplatte (visitor rules, Polish) ↩
  35. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Regulamin Muzeum Westerplatte (visitor rules, Polish) ↩
  36. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Regulamin Muzeum Westerplatte (visitor rules, Polish) ↩
  37. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Regulamin Muzeum Westerplatte (visitor rules, Polish) ↩
  38. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Westerplatte: tickets and prices ↩
  39. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Westerplatte: tickets and prices ↩
  40. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Westerplatte: tickets and prices ↩
  41. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Westerplatte: tickets and prices ↩
  42. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Regulamin Muzeum Westerplatte (visitor rules, Polish) ↩
  43. Museum of Gdansk (muzeumgdansk.pl) · Museum of Gdansk branches: hours and prices ↩
  44. Museum of Gdansk (muzeumgdansk.pl) · Wartownia nr 1 na Westerplatte (Guardhouse No. 1, Polish) ↩
  45. Museum of Gdansk (muzeumgdansk.pl) · Wartownia nr 1 na Westerplatte (Guardhouse No. 1, Polish) ↩
  46. Museum of Gdansk (muzeumgdansk.pl) · Wartownia nr 1 na Westerplatte (Guardhouse No. 1, Polish) ↩
  47. Visit Gdansk, Gdansk Tourist Organisation · Places associated with the Second World War ↩
  48. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: opening hours ↩
  49. Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Gdansk and Tricity ↩
  50. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: tickets and prices ↩
  51. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: tickets and prices ↩
  52. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Museum of the Second World War: tickets and prices ↩
  53. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Westerplatte: how to get here ↩
  54. Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (muzeum1939.pl) · Visitor Centre at Westerplatte ↩

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