[Seasonal attraction – shows take place in the winter season.] Are you feeling the magic of Christmas already? Have you listened to ‘Last Christmas’? If so, now is the time for a trip to the Wilanów Palace in Warsaw. The Royal Garden of Light is waiting for you there. It’s a unique outdoor exhibition that will last until February 26th. In addition, only on weekends, after dark, fabulous mappings are displayed on the facade of the palace.
Are you looking for an idea to spend your free time? Check out our section: Best things to do in Warsaw!
Royal Garden of Light in Wilanów
The Royal Garden of Light is an exhibition hosted in Warsaw’s Wilanów for the eleventh time. This is proof enough that it is very popular. 🙂 Every time it surprises with something new. At the entrance you are greeted by a 75-meter musical tunnel. Walking through it to the sounds of classical music, you can feel like real kings and queens.
Right behind the entrance you will see a photo frame in the shape of the sun and the moon at the same time. Be sure to take a picture there. It will be more atmospheric at night. We did it during the day so you can see us better. 🙂
A moment later you will see another surprise – the Raffaello Rose Garden. Wiolczi says that it is the most fabulous attraction here.
Walking along the luminous sculptures, you can feel like a child again. The roses are really huge! To show you the panache of designers, for comparison, we placed the fascinated Wiolczi next to the flowers.
Behind the Rose Garden is the upper terrace, which looks like an astronomy studio this year. If you believe in the stars, we predict that you will spend quite a lot of time here. And it’s time measured by a unique sundial.
On the lower terrace there is the Musical Garden of Dreams. Its focal point is the epic fountain pictured below. During light and music shows, elements of the garden are illuminated rhythmically. Everything is perfectly synchronized and despite the fact that you can hear the classics from the speakers (Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi or Bach), you want to dance.
The icing on the cake and an absolute surprise for us was the labyrinth with mythological characters. Once again we felt very small here. Among the ancient heroes there are, among others: the winged Pegasus, Poseidon armed with a trident, the brave Heracles and the thunderous Zeus. Oh gods!
The glowing figures were made with amazing craftsmanship and precision. Take a look at Zeus below and you’ll see how someone must have worked hard on him. All characters are woven from finely formed “cables”. We don’t know who made it all, but we admire their patience and artistry at the same time.
Generally speaking, most of the attractions are so cool that we saw the entire exhibition twice. And from the planned 45 minutes for sightseeing, it turned into 1.5 hours. And if not for the low temperature, we would probably spend even more time there.
Royal Garden of Light – mapping
For those who do not fully know what mapping is: to prepare the mapping you need a skill to make an animation, a projector and a place where you will display this animation. When you combine all these elements, you can, for example, show the guests of the Royal Garden of Lights a great video projected on the facade of the Wilanów Palace. This is what happens here on weekends after dark.
This year we watched “The Fairy Tale of the King’s Otter”. What event in the life of King Jan III Sobieski inspired the creators of mapping to create this animation? You can read about it below.
The show is great! And since the “immobile” elements of the building become “living” participants in the projection, the better it is to watch. The only downside of mapping is its length – it lasts only 15 minutes, and you would like to watch this magical animation much longer.
Royal Garden of Light & mapping – tickets
- Monday-Thursday: normal ticket – PLN 20, reduced ticket – PLN 10.
- Friday-Sunday and 11/11, 06/12, 25-30/12, 01/01, 06/01, 14/02: normal ticket – PLN 40, reduced ticket – PLN 20. The price of the weekend/holiday ticket includes entry to the mapping show.
You can buy tickets: on-line (bilety.wilanow-palac.pl), in vending machines in front of the entrance (card payment only) and at the ticket office (cash payment possible).
Royal Garden of Light – how to get?
- The easiest way to reach the Royal Garden of Lights in Wilanów is by car. The nearest car parks: along Cendrowski street; at 31 Stanisława Kostka Potockiego street (open daily); at 6A Stanisława Kostka Potockiego street.
- You can also get here by public transport. Take the bus to the Wilanów stop, from where it is closest to the palace. Unfortunately, no trams or metro reach this district of Warsaw.
Royal Garden of Light and mapping – tips
- We would like to reassure those who are not indifferent to the fate of our planet. How much electricity does the Royal Garden of Light use? Well, the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów declares that it uses only energy-saving LEDs, and the entire exhibition consumes only 0.63% of the building’s total demand for electricity during a given month. You can find a statement on this on their official websit
- We mentioned above about the mapping, whose heroine was the royal otter. And do any of you even know where this idea came from? If not, we’ll tell you… When people keep dogs or cats at home, King Jan III Sobieski dreamed of an otter. And not just any! It was a celebrity otter that belonged to Jan Chrysostom Pasek (well-known Polish writer). The animal was an inseparable companion of its owner & friend. Supposedly, this capable beast was able to catch fish and even acted as a watchman and alarm clock. Pasek loved her very much, but when the king wished that he wanted his otter in his court, it was impossible to refuse him. The animal transported to the palace, however, did not settle down there and quickly fled to Wilanów Fields, leaving both the ruler and the former owner in sorrow.
- Do you want to have a commemorative super-photo from this attraction? Don’t be afraid to approach other visitors and ask if they will make it for you. Certainly no one will refuse you, but the effects can be extremely divergent, which can be seen in the pictures below. Needless to say, both photos have different authors? 🙂
Królewski Ogród Światła i mapping – czy warto?
- Patrix – 10/10. The fairy tales displayed at the palace are a great thing. There are few opportunities to see something like this, so every time it’s impressive. Just after mapping play ‘All I want for Christmas’, take a walk around the Royal Garden of Light and the Christmas atmosphere is ready!
- Wiolczix – 10/10. For me, the Royal Garden of Light already has a permanent place in the calendar and is a must-have pre-Christmas tradition. Every year it seems to me that it couldn’t be more beautiful… And every year the creators surprise me with something! In this edition, the rose garden with XXL flowers is the most wonderful. But the mythological characters also made an amazing impression on me. Thera are also lots of interactive attractions that arouse interest in both younger and older guests. Regardless of age, it’s fun to spin a huge globe or play tag with an otter. The mapping show is so magical and captivates children as well as adults. All of this in a truly royal setting… Nothing more nothing less.
Royal Garden of Light – frequently asked questions
How long does it take to visit the Garden of Light in Wilanów?
Visiting the Royal Garden of Light in Wilanów lasts 1-2 hours. If you also want to watch the mapping displayed on weekends, it is worth booking an additional 15 minutes.
How much does a ticket to the Garden of Lights in Warsaw cost?
The ticket price to the Royal Garden of Light in Wilanów depends on the day of the week. From Monday to Thursday, a regular ticket costs PLN 20, and a reduced ticket – PLN 10. On Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, a regular ticket costs PLN 40, and a reduced ticket – PLN 20 (the price includes mapping shows on the palace wall).
What to see in Wilanów district?
The biggest attraction of Warsaw’s Wilanów district is certainly the Palace of King Jan III Sobieski, in whose gardens you can visit the Royal Garden of Light in winter. Additionally, in the area there is the Kabacki Forest, the Powsin Culture Park, the Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Vistula beach.
How much time does it take to visit the palace in Wilanów?
Spend about 2 hours visiting the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów and its gardens.
