Warsaw

Warsaw as a capital city of a Central European country has a lot to offer.

Getting around #

Airports

There are two airports close to Warsaw: Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) and Warsaw Modlin Airport (WMI).

Warsaw Chopin Airport

It is located in Warsaw and there is a direct city bus connection to the center of the city.

Warsaw Modlin Airport

Is is located further from Warsaw, in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki. You can take a train to the center of Warsaw. It departs every 20-30 minutes. More information about the tickets here.

Public transport

The public transport works quite well. There are two metro lines, the trams and buses also work quite well. The tickets are relatively cheap. You can buy them in the ticket machines at the tram/bus stops or metro stations. Afaik, not all the stops have the machines. You can also buy them online through the app.

Google Maps usually work well with the public transport in Warsaw. An alternative is Jak Dojade

• Current ticket prices
• Apps to buy tickets via mobile

Car

If you choose to take a car, parking in the city center may be a bit problematic because there are usually not so many places available. The traffic is also quite heavy, so unless you want to go somewhere outside of Warsaw, it’s not recommended. You need to pay for the parking in the parking machines or in the apps.

• Parking site (only in Polish)
  • About 1 euro / hour
  • The list of apps is available in the link above

Taxis

There is also an option to get a cab. The most common practice is to compare the prices in different apps and get the one that is closer to our needs. One may be cheaper, the other one may be faster. The prices are quite low compared to other European cities.

• Bolt
• Uber
• FreeNow

Bike

Warsaw is quite bike-friendly. There are a lot of bike paths and bike lanes. It is a pretty efficient way of transport. There’s a public short term rental for the bikes called Veturilo. Warsaw is quite safe, but don’t forget to lock your bike.

• Bike map
• Veturilo

On foot

Warsaw is very walkable in the center. Most of the streets in the old town are pedestrian only. In Nowy Świat, it’s pedestrian + public transport only.

Where to eat? #

Middle/High-end restaurants

I don’t have many

• Rosalia — The Polish kitchen with a twist. Food sharing concept.

Lunch restaurants

• Zapiecek — a chain of restaurant traditional Polish kitchen

Bistro/Cafe

Most of the cafes in Warsaw have a really cosy atmosphere but here are some of the recommendations

• Bułkę przez bibułkę
• Charlotte

Food spaces

Many food spots, everyone can choose what they like. The eating tables are common.

• Fabryka Norblina
• Hala Koszyki

Kebab

Surprisingly enough, the kebabs/doners are quite popular in Poland. And sometimes it is the only option if you want to eat late (e.g. common spanish dinner time).

• Tendur

Milk bars (Bar mleczny)

Between the First and the Second World War the idea of subsidised restaurants was highly spread across Europe. Poland was one of the only countries where the milk bars remained also after the Second World War. Because of that it’s often recognized as a symbol of the Communist / Warsaw Pact era. However, some of them still operate, they serve really good polish food (some pierogi, placki ziemniaczane etc.) for a very low price. Definitely a place worth stopping at least once, just for the experience. The food is very good tho, so I really recommend it.

Pretty much any will do, but the last time I was here.

• Mleczarnia Jerozolimska

What to eat? #

A traditional polish meal consists of three dishes: a soup, a main dish, and a dessert.

Soups

• rosół (chicken/turkey broth)
• barszcz biały
• barszcz czerwony
• żurek
• zupa pomidorowa (tomato soup)
• zupa ogórkowa (cucumber soup)
• zupa grzybowa (mushroom soup)

Main dishes

• pierogi (of course!) - both sweet and salty
• gołąbki (cabbage rolls)
• placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes)
• kotlet schabowy (pork cutlet) with boiled potatoes and raw salad or pickled cabbage
• bigos (cabbage with meat)
• mizeria (cucumber salad)
• łazanki - polish pasta with a (you-will-never-guess) cabbage

Sweets and desserts

• pączki - you need to try at least one!
• ice cream - tbh, the best ice cream I've ever eaten was in Poland
• szarlotka (apple pie)

What to visit? #

Sites

Old Town

The oldest part of the city. It has a lot of historic buildings with the Royal Castle, the Sigismund Column, and the Market Square.

Nowy Świat / Krakowskie Przedmieście

This street leads to the old town and contains a lot of historic buildings with a lot of tenements and other significant buildings like European Hotel, University of Warsaw, Copernicus Monument, Bristol Hotel, Presidential Palace, Prus & Mickiewicz Monuments.

Piłsudski Square

It's a square close to the Krakowskie Przedmieście street with a lot of important monuments including: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Piłsudski monument, Monument to the Victims of the Smolensk Tragedy in 2010, etc.

Łazienki Park

A really nice park :)

Pałac Kultury i Nauki (Palace of Culture and Science)

It's a huge building in the new center of Warsaw, close to the main station. You can take an elevator upstairs for a small fee to experience nice views from above.

Museums

National Museum

National Art Gallery - what else do you need?

Museum of Contemporary Art

While it gained a lot of critics because of pretty unusual looks from the outside, it is quite good. The center of Warsaw has a very mixed architecture style, so it actually suits there. I would never do that in Krakow though.

Warsaw Uprising Museum

The Poles value a lot the history of Poland regaining or fighting for the independence. Throughout the visit, you can learn a lot about the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.

Copernicus Science Center

If you're a science fan, this place is for you!