Toruń New Town

Toruń's UNESCO World Heritage property, inscribed in 1997 under criteria (ii) and (iv), is the Medieval Town of Toruń, and it is made of three elements: the ruins of the Teutonic Castle, the Old Town and the New Town, ringed by defensive walls. This guide covers what the New Town is, what to see there, what it costs and how to fit it into a visit.

What Is The Toruń New Town?

The Toruń New Town is the second of the two medieval town cores that make up the UNESCO-listed Medieval Town of Toruń, centred on its own market square, Rynek Nowomiejski. It stands directly north east of the Old Town, with St James's Church at ul. Swietego Jakuba 22 about 9 minutes on foot from Rynek Staromiejski, and the ruins of the Teutonic Castle sit between the two halves at ul. Przedzamcze 3.

The two halves are distinct areas, not one continuous square. The Old Town, covered in the Old Town area guide, grew around Rynek Staromiejski after the town moved to its present site in 1236, following the town charter of 28 December 1233 under Kulm law. The New Town formed its own quarter with its own market square, and the Teutonic Order built its castle in the gap between them. Walking from one square to the other takes under ten minutes, which is why the New Town works so well as an add-on rather than a separate expedition.

The New Town's character comes from what it holds: a Gothic parish church, an open market square and the most dramatic ruin in the city. For planning purposes, treat it as a half-day loop that starts at Rynek Staromiejski, crosses the castle ruins and ends on Rynek Nowomiejski.

What To See In The Toruń New Town?

The two sights of the Toruń New Town are St James's Church, the Gothic parish church at ul. Swietego Jakuba 22, 0.7 km from Rynek Staromiejski, and the ruins of the Teutonic Castle at ul. Przedzamcze 3, 0.6 km from Rynek Staromiejski, open Monday to Sunday 10:00-18:00 with an adult ticket at 20 zl and a reduced ticket at 12 zl. The square between them, Rynek Nowomiejski, hosts the free Wolny Jarmark Toruński on selected Sundays.

St James's Church (Kosciol sw. Jakuba) is the Gothic parish church of the New Town.

The Teutonic Castle ruins (Zamek Krzyzacki) sit between the Old and New Town at ul. Przedzamcze 3, run by Torunska Agenda Kulturalna. The castle was pulled down by the townspeople in 1454, and what stands today are the ruins of that demolition, preserved as one of the three elements of the UNESCO inscription. The site opens Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, and an adult ticket costs 20 zl, with a reduced ticket at 12 zl. The full story of the site is in the Teutonic Castle ruins guide.

For a guided walk of the medieval streets, the Medieval Town Walking Tour is the option to look at, and it pairs well with an independent hour at the castle ruins.

How Much Do The Toruń New Town Sights Cost?

The only paid sight in the Toruń New Town is the Teutonic Castle ruins, where an adult ticket costs 20 zl and a reduced ticket costs 12 zl. The ruins are open Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. The Wolny Jarmark Toruński on Rynek Nowomiejski is free, and walking the quarter's streets and squares costs nothing.

The castle's price list gives 20 zl for a standard adult ticket and 12 zl reduced, which covers the single paid entry point in the quarter. Everything else the New Town offers is free to walk: the square, the streets around St James's Church and the exterior of the church itself.

The distances involved are short, which is the practical point of the quarter. Everything sits inside a walk of under ten minutes from Rynek Staromiejski.

When Is The Wolny Jarmark Toruński On Rynek Nowomiejski?

The Wolny Jarmark Toruński trades on Rynek Nowomiejski from 10:00 to 15:00 on six Sundays in late 2026: 11 and 25 October, 8 and 22 November, and 6 and 20 December. The market is free to enter, and it is the event that puts the New Town's square at its busiest.

The organiser's schedule gives the full run of dates for the second half of 2026, all Sundays, all finishing at 15:00. If your visit falls on one of them, the New Town loop is best timed for the morning, since the market packs the square and the castle ruins are open until 18:00 for the afternoon instead.

How Does The New Town Fit Into A One Day Toruń Itinerary?

The Toruń New Town fits into a one day visit as a two hour loop: leave Rynek Staromiejski, spend about 7 minutes walking to the Teutonic Castle ruins at ul. Przedzamcze 3, allow time inside the 10:00-18:00 opening hours, then walk on to St James's Church at ul. Swietego Jakuba 22 and finish on Rynek Nowomiejski before returning. On a Wolny Jarmark Sunday, start with the market, which closes at 15:00.

The quarter rewards this ordering because of the closing times. The market ends at 15:00 sharp, the castle runs to 18:00, and the church exterior and the square are viewable at any hour. A morning visitor can do all three; an afternoon visitor should skip the market and do the castle first.

For a full day plan that places the New Town beside the Old Town's sights, the one day in Toruń itinerary lays out the sequence. Timing the visit across the year is covered in the best time to visit Toruń.

Where Is The New Town Relative To The Rest Of Toruń?

The Toruń New Town lies north east of the Old Town, inside the defensive walls of the UNESCO property. Its sights sit 0.6 to 0.7 km from Rynek Staromiejski, about 7 to 9 minutes on foot, and the Vistula riverbank is a short continuation south of the Old Town, where the riverside boulevard and the departure point for river cruises are found.

The walk out of the Old Town to the New Town crosses the castle site first, since the Teutonic Order built between the two quarters. That geography is why the ruins, the church and the square form a natural loop rather than three separate trips.

After the loop, the river is the next stop. The riverside Philadelphia Boulevard runs along the Vistula below the Old Town, and an evening cruise puts the whole medieval skyline, walls included, into one view. The Evening Cruise, 50 Minutes is the related option for this page, and the operator's live listing carries the current schedule: Check availability.

Common Questions About The Toruń New Town

For more of the medieval city, the Toruń Travel Guide covers the Old Town, the castle ruins and every quarter of the UNESCO property in detail.