The Chopin recital in the Old Town · 60 minutes
A recital on a historic Pleyel piano in a 19th-century salon behind St John's Cathedral, with Polish mead or pressed apple juice at the interval and a chat with the pianist.
Open this concert ↗
Why this room
Why a salon, and why a Pleyel
Chopin chose the small room
After he left Warsaw at twenty and settled in Paris at twenty-one, Chopin gave only about thirty public concerts in the rest of his life. He preferred private salons, and he liked best to play in his own apartment for a few friends. A recital in an intimate room is the setting he picked for his own music.
The piano maker he trusted
Pleyel was founded in 1807 by the composer Ignace Pleyel, and Chopin judged its pianos to be non plus ultra. His first Paris concert, in February 1832, was held in the Pleyel salons, and for years afterwards he gave a single yearly concert at the Salle Pleyel, a hall for three hundred. The salon behind St John's Cathedral has a historic Pleyel of its own.
Close enough to see the hands
The organiser, Time for Chopin, says the closeness of pianist and instrument is what no big hall can give you. Guests describe the same thing: one reviewer sat close enough to feel the pianist's fingers touch the keys. The programme is played by pianists who have won international competitions.
His hometown, and his heart
Chopin was born at Żelazowa Wola, 46 kilometres west of the city, and the family moved to Warsaw within months. When he died in Paris in 1849, his sister carried his heart back to Poland. It is kept in a pillar of Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.
Six movements for one hour
The hour as a programme
Six movements for the evening: the walk in, the room, three of Chopin's forms, and the pause with a glass in hand.
- I
Through the old square
The concert house stands by a small square with an old bell, just behind St John's Cathedral. Go round behind the cathedral from the Old Town Market Square and you reach the small square with the old bell, where the house stands.
- II
Into the salon
A historic townhouse, a 19th-century interior and a historic Pleyel. Seats are not numbered, so venue staff lead you to yours.
- III
Nocturne
Chopin wrote 21 nocturnes between 1827 and 1846. He took a salon form invented by the Irish composer John Field and made it deeper. Slow, singing and quiet, it is the kind of music a small room holds best.
- IV
Polonaise
A Polish dance in triple time with a marching rhythm, which Chopin turned into big, demanding concert music. The A-flat major, Op. 53, dates from 1842 and is known as the Heroic.
- V
The interval
A glass of traditional Polish mead or cold-pressed apple juice, and a chance to talk with the pianist before the second half.
- VI
Étude
Chopin's studies, Op. 10 (published 1833) and Op. 25 (1837), turned technical exercises into concert pieces. Few of the nicknames, the Revolutionary included, are his own; he rarely named a work beyond its form and number.
The forms above are listening notes on Chopin's music, not a printed running order.
The room, the instrument and the streets between the cathedral and the Market Square.
Inside the salon
A townhouse, a piano and a glass at the interval
What the room offers, taken from the organiser's own description of the evening.
A historic Pleyel
The recital is played on a historic Pleyel piano, from the make that Chopin considered ideal for his music.
A 19th-century interior
The organiser points to the excellent acoustics of the period interior, which lets the finer details of the sound carry across a small room.
Mead or apple juice
At the interval you choose between a glass of traditional Polish honey wine and cold-pressed apple juice, and the pianist is there to chat.
Unnumbered seats
Venue staff lead you to your seats. There is no special dress code, and the concert is listed as wheelchair accessible.
Choosing a concert
Three Chopin concerts, three rooms
| Concert | What the booking page lists | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| The Chopin recital in the Old Town · 60 minutes | A recital on a historic Pleyel piano in a 19th-century salon behind St John's Cathedral, with Polish mead or pressed apple juice at the interval and a chat with the pianist. | Parties who want the instrument Chopin favoured in a small room. Wheelchair accessible; seats are not numbered. |
| Chopin concert with a glass of champagne · 60 minutes | A separate organiser's two-part recital in a neoclassical concert hall with plaster stucco walls and crystal mirrors. Champagne, orange juice or water at the break, the host's stories of Chopin's life, and time with the pianist after the second half. | An evening where a toast belongs. The host presents in English; arrive 15 minutes early and exchange your voucher at the ticket counter. |
| Live Chopin piano concert · 55 minutes | A concert on a Kawai grand piano in the first-floor hall of the Museum of the Warsaw Archdiocese, in the Dean's Palace beside St John's Archcathedral, with paintings on show around the hall. | The shortest of the three. Dates fill, so the booking page flags it as likely to sell out. |
Want champagne at the break? See the separate Chopin concert in a neoclassical hall that serves it ↗
Three Chopin hours to choose from
The Chopin concerts we would compare
The salon recital this page is about, and the two other Chopin concerts in the Old Town that we would put beside it. Each one opens its own GetYourGuide page.
Chopin concert with a glass of champagne · 60 minutes
A separate organiser's two-part recital in a neoclassical concert hall with plaster stucco walls and crystal mirrors. Champagne, orange juice or water at the break, the host's stories of Chopin's life, and time with the pianist after the second half.
Open this concert ↗Live Chopin piano concert · 55 minutes
A concert on a Kawai grand piano in the first-floor hall of the Museum of the Warsaw Archdiocese, in the Dean's Palace beside St John's Archcathedral, with paintings on show around the hall.
Open this concert ↗More Warsaw evenings on GetYourGuide
Before you set out
Before you walk to the salon
Finding the house
The concerts take place in a historic townhouse by a small square with an old bell, just behind St John's Cathedral. It is an easy walk from the castle square and from the Old Town Market Square.
Your start time
Start times appear when you check availability for a date, and the mobile ticket you get straight after booking repeats the time. Nothing needs printing.
Where you sit
Seats are not numbered. Venue staff lead you to your seats, so arrive as one party and let them place you.
What to wear
There is no special dress code. In summer, a few guests mention that the room can feel warm, so something light helps.
Access
The concert is listed as wheelchair accessible. If anyone in your party has particular access needs, message the organiser through your GetYourGuide booking before the day.
Dinner either side
An hour of music fits before a late table or after a day of sightseeing, and the Old Town has plenty of restaurants close by to book for either slot.
Notes before the recital
Notes before the recital
the hour in order
A Chopin recital in the Old Town, from the square to the last note
How an hour in the salon is laid out, from choosing a date to the walk home.
Read this note → the instrumentWhy Chopin wanted a Pleyel
The French piano maker behind the instrument in the salon, and what Chopin thought of it.
Read this note → the composer's cityChopin's Warsaw: the years before Paris
Where Chopin grew up, studied and wrote his first music before he left at twenty.
Read this note → a listening guideChopin's forms: what to listen for in an hour of his music
A short field guide to the shapes Chopin's piano music takes, with the numbers that identify them.
Read this note → three concerts comparedThree Chopin concerts in the Old Town, side by side
How the salon recital, the champagne concert and the Dean's Palace concert differ, from each one's own booking page.
Read this note → groups and occasionsPlanning a Chopin evening for a family, an anniversary or a group
Practical notes for the person organising the evening for everyone else.
Read this note →FAQ
Questions before you book the recital
How long is the recital, and when does it start?
The recital lasts one hour. GetYourGuide shows the available start times when you pick a date, and your mobile ticket repeats the time for the day.
What does the ticket include?
A recital of Chopin's music, a glass of traditional Polish mead or cold-pressed apple juice at the interval, and the chance to chat with the pianist while you drink it.
Which pianist and which pieces will we hear?
You hear Chopin's piano music, played by one of the organiser's pianists, who are winners of international competitions. The pianist and the pieces depend on the day, so we cannot promise either. Our listening guide covers the forms you are most likely to meet.
Are the seats numbered?
No. Seats are not numbered and venue staff lead you to your places, so arrive together as a party.
Where is the salon, exactly?
In a historic townhouse beside a small square with an old bell, just behind St John's Cathedral in the Old Town. It is an easy walk from the Old Town Market Square and the castle square.
Is there a dress code, and is it step-free?
There is no special dress code. The concert is listed as wheelchair accessible; for particular access needs, message the organiser through your booking before the day.
Can we cancel, and when do we pay?
You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the concert. With reserve now and pay later you hold your seats today and pay nothing at booking.
How does this differ from the champagne concert and the Dean's Palace concert?
They are separate concerts from separate organisers in different rooms. The champagne concert is in a neoclassical hall and lists champagne at the break; the Dean's Palace concert lasts 55 minutes on a Kawai grand. This recital is the Pleyel salon with mead or apple juice at the interval.
An hour of Chopin on a historic Pleyel piano, in a salon just behind St John's Cathedral.
Reserve seats for the Chopin recital ↗The fare shown is the lowest per-person price for a date; the total for your whole party appears on GetYourGuide before you commit.