Fryderyk Concert Hall Guide
The bronze Chopin Monument in Warsaw's Łazienki Park: the composer seated beneath a sweeping willow-shaped canopy of metal, with green trees behind.

Piano recital · Warsaw Old Town

Chopin, up close in Warsaw's Old Town

4.8 (1,135 verified reviews · GetYourGuide)

A one-hour piano recital on a Steinway in a small neoclassical hall, with a glass of sparkling wine at the interval.

See recital dates ↗ From US$24

Likely to sell out: Chopin on a Steinway in a small hall, with a glass at the interval.

4.8 / 5
from 1,135 traveller reviews
1 hour
a two-part recital
2 November 1830
the day Chopin left Warsaw
17 October 1945
the day his heart returned to Holy Cross Church

The hall and the composer

Why hear Chopin in a small hall

Halina Gruszczyńska — I teach piano in Warsaw and grew up on a staircase where somebody was always practising a nocturne. When friends come to town I send them to a small-hall Chopin recital and to a handful of places he knew; what follows is that advice, written down.

The entrance to Fryderyk Concert Hall: a pale façade with FRYDERYK in gold letters above a wooden door, and a courtyard in front.
The entrance to the hall, seen from the courtyard side

A room the size of a salon

Fryderyk Concert Hall is a small neoclassical hall in Warsaw's Old Town, fitted with plaster stucco and crystal chandeliers in the manner of the 19th century. Chopin gave only about thirty public concerts and preferred salons, so a compact room suits his music better than a large auditorium.

Two parts and a glass at the interval

The recital runs about an hour in two parts. At the interval a glass of sparkling wine or orange juice comes with the ticket, and after the concert guests can meet the pianist.

Chopin's own city

Chopin grew up in Warsaw and left it on 2 November 1830, never to return. His heart came home and rests in a pillar of Holy Cross Church, and the Old Town around the hall was rebuilt after the war and is listed by UNESCO.

The recital, page by page

A recital, set out like a printed programme

A Chopin recital in this hall comes in two parts with an interval between them. Read the evening the way you would read a concert programme, from the doors to the last note.

  1. Doors

    Into the Old Town hall

    The hall is a compact neoclassical room in the Old Town of Warsaw. Your confirmation says where to go, and the calendar lists the start times that are open. Take your seat before the first note.

  2. Part one

    The first half

    A pianist at a Steinway opens the recital. The organiser describes the performers as competition laureates, professors and music-academy graduates. Pieces such as the Revolutionary Étude and the Heroic Polonaise appear in the hall's concerts.

  3. Interval

    A glass in hand

    The ticket includes a glass of sparkling wine or orange juice at the interval. Take it, stretch your legs and come back for part two.

  4. Part two

    The second half

    The second part completes the recital. Chopin's catalogue is made of études, nocturnes, mazurkas, waltzes, ballades and polonaises, and the programme on your date shows which of them are played.

  5. After

    Meet the pianist

    The organiser says guests can meet the performing artist after each concert. A word of thanks is the natural thing to offer.

  6. Outside

    Back into the Old Town

    The streets outside were rebuilt after the Second World War, and UNESCO listed the historic centre in 1980. A slow walk back through the squares is a good way to end the evening.

Pianist and programme depend on the date. The booking page lists what has been announced for each day, and no piece is guaranteed.

The white marble memorial on the pillar in Holy Cross Church where Chopin's heart is kept, with a bust of the composer above a Polish inscription.

Chopin in Warsaw

Chopin's Warsaw in four steps

The composer left clear marks on the city. Four facts place the recital in his story.

  1. Born near the city

    Żelazowa Wola, west of Warsaw, is where Chopin was born in 1810. His family used 1 March as his birthday, and they moved into Warsaw that October.

  2. Raised in Warsaw

    He studied at the Warsaw Lyceum and then at the Warsaw Conservatory under Józef Elsner. From 1827 his family lodged in the south annex of the Krasiński Palace on Krakowskie Przedmieście.

  3. Leaving

    Chopin left Warsaw on 2 November 1830, a few weeks before the November Uprising, and settled in Paris. He never returned to Poland and died in Paris on 17 October 1849.

  4. His heart came home

    His sister Ludwika carried his heart to Poland in 1850. It rests in a pillar of Holy Cross Church on Krakowskie Przedmieście, and it returned to the rebuilt church on 17 October 1945.

Chopin's city in pictures

Chopin's city in pictures

The Chopin Museum, Holy Cross Church and the memorial to his heart, Castle Square at dusk, the manor at Żelazowa Wola, the monument in Łazienki Park and an Old Town church in the evening light.

The white and grey front of the Ostrogski Palace, home of the Chopin Museum, with a red tiled roof and a triangular pediment.
The yellow and cream Baroque façade of Holy Cross Church in Warsaw, with a green copper-roofed tower.
The white marble memorial on the pillar in Holy Cross Church where Chopin's heart is kept, with a bust of the composer above a Polish inscription.
The bronze statue on top of Sigismund's Column in Warsaw, lit by warm evening sun.
The whitewashed manor house at Żelazowa Wola with a shingle roof, framed by tall evergreens.
The bronze Chopin Monument in Łazienki Park, the composer seated under a sweeping canopy, with spring-green trees behind.
A cream-coloured church with a tall bell tower and a viewing terrace, photographed at dusk near Warsaw's Old Town.

Chopin evenings compared

Three Chopin evenings in Warsaw

OptionWhat you getWho it suits
Recital at Fryderyk Concert HallAbout one hour in two parts, in a small neoclassical hall in the Old Town, with sparkling wine or orange juice at the interval and a chance to meet the pianist.Visitors who want a Chopin-only hour in a salon-style room.
Candlelight concert at Fryderyk Concert HallAbout 60 minutes in the same hall lit by candles, with Chopin alongside Mozart, Bellini, Puccini and Gounod and a glass at the interval. Not suitable for children under 10.Listeners who want a wider programme than Chopin alone and a candlelit room.
Chopin recital at the Chopin SalonAbout one hour in a pre-war-style living room opposite the National Museum, for no more than 42 guests, with a glass of white wine and a sweet surprise. Standard and VIP seats.Visitors who prefer the smallest audience and a choice of VIP seating.

Check dates and seats for the recital ↗

Chopin evenings in Warsaw

Book a Chopin evening in Warsaw

The first card leads to the recital at Fryderyk Concert Hall. The other two are Chopin evenings elsewhere in Warsaw, for comparison, and a rail further down shows more things to book in the city.

Recital at Fryderyk Concert Hall

4.8 · 1,135 reviews · From US$24

About one hour in two parts, in a small neoclassical hall in the Old Town, with sparkling wine or orange juice at the interval and a chance to meet the pianist.

Check dates ↗

Candlelight concert at Fryderyk Concert Hall

4.8 · 159 reviews · From US$33

About 60 minutes in the same hall lit by candles, with Chopin alongside Mozart, Bellini, Puccini and Gounod and a glass at the interval. Not suitable for children under 10.

Check dates ↗

Chopin recital at the Chopin Salon

4.8 · 1,808 reviews · From US$23

About one hour in a pre-war-style living room opposite the National Museum, for no more than 42 guests, with a glass of white wine and a sweet surprise. Standard and VIP seats.

Check dates ↗

Pick a date at Fryderyk Concert Hall

This calendar is the booking site's own, with its dates, start times, languages and fares.

More to book in Warsaw

More to book in Warsaw ↗

Practicalities

Before you go

Finding the hall
The hall is in Warsaw's Old Town, in a 19th-century tenement house on Podwale, as a Polish ticketing site describes it. Your confirmation names the exact address and the entrance to use.
Start time
The booking calendar shows the start times that are open for each date. Your confirmation repeats the time for the date you chose, and that is the one to follow.
Length
The recital takes about one hour, in two parts with an interval. A start time that leaves room for dinner afterwards makes the evening easy.
Access
The booking page marks the recital as wheelchair accessible. Look there for step-free routes and seating details before your trip.
Children
The recital page lists no age limit, while the candlelight option in the same hall is marked unsuitable for children under 10. Check the note on the option you choose.
Dress and manners
The dress code is open, and a smart-casual outfit suits a small hall. Silence your phone, skip flash photography and applaud once a piece has finished.

Guides to the hall, the composer and the city

Guides to the hall, the composer and the city

Which ticket, and how to book

Fryderyk Concert Hall tickets

How to book a Chopin recital at Fryderyk Concert Hall in Warsaw: what the ticket includes, which date to choose and how it stacks up against other Chopin evenings.

Read this guide → The city around the recital

Chopin in Warsaw: what to see

Where Chopin lived, studied and is remembered in Warsaw: the Old Town, Holy Cross Church and his heart, the Chopin Museum and the Łazienki monument.

Read this guide →

FAQ

Questions before you book

How long is the Chopin recital?

Around an hour, split into two parts with a pause between. Each date's start time sits in the booking calendar.

What is included in the ticket?

A seat at the recital and a glass of sparkling wine or orange juice during the interval.

Which pieces will be played?

That depends on the pianist and the date. Pieces such as the Revolutionary Étude and the Heroic Polonaise appear in the hall's concerts, but no fixed pieces are promised.

Where is the hall?

In Warsaw's Old Town. A Polish ticketing site gives the address as Podwale 15, and your confirmation shows the entrance.

Can I come in a wheelchair?

The booking page marks the recital as wheelchair accessible, and it is the place to check step-free routes before you travel.

Can I take photographs?

Keep to the hall's rules on your booking page. The candlelight option lists flash photography as not allowed, so avoid flash at any recital.

Can I meet the pianist?

The organiser says guests can meet the performing artist after each concert.

Can I cancel?

Yes. A booking made on GetYourGuide can be cancelled free of charge until a day before the recital, and you may pay afterwards.

Where is Chopin's heart?

In a pillar of Holy Cross Church on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw. The church is a short way from the Old Town.

A one-hour Chopin piano recital in a small hall in Warsaw's Old Town, free to cancel up to 24 hours ahead.

Reserve a recital seat ↗

Prices shown are US dollars per adult; the booking page converts them to your own currency.

See recital datesCancel free to 24 h before · pay later