Warsaw Travel Guide

Warsaw is a pleasant city to explore. The fabulous Stare Miasto (Old Town) is instantly rewarding and two of the city's parks are absolute must-see destinations. Most of the main sights can be covered in two or three days.

The city is split in two by the The Wisla (also known as the Vistula). The eastern side of the river is known as Praga. Most of the destinations of interest to tourists and visitors are on the western side, in the Centrum or downtown district.

1. The Old Town and the New Town - UNESCO treasures

The natural place to start discovering Warsaw is in the Old Town. Begin at plac Zamkowy (Castle Square). This large cobblestoned square, home to King Sigismund's Column and the Royal Castle (more a palace, actually) is instantly intriguing. You may wish to explore the castle which could take several hours.

Take a walk down Swietojanska Street, a beautiful pedestrian street. On your right you will pass Crypts of St. John's Cathedral and the Jesuit Church. These two buildings are excellent examples of the varying architectural styles which are so prevalent in Warsaw.

Following along the same path (leaving the narrow alleyways for later) you will soon reach the Old Town Market Square (Rynek Starego Miasta). This is one of the most beautiful market squares in Europe. While gazing around at its near perfect presentation, it's a good time to consider that the square, the churches, in fact every building in the Old Town was completely rebuilt, brick by brick and stone by stone, at the end of the Second World War. The reconstruction was an astounding feat, and the whole area is now on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

The square is an excellent place to stop for a drink. If you're hungry, some of the restaurants here are very famous. Fukier is the oldest restaurant in the city (it opened in 1610) and the nearby Karczma Gessler is popular for its stylish Polish food.

When you're ready to leave this charming square, continue along Nowomiejska. You will eventually reach the Barbikan. This is the fortified gate of the Old Town Wall. In 1408, the city officially expanded beyond these walls, taking in and developing what is now called the New Town (Nowy Miasto). At 600 years old, it is one of the most ancient "new towns" in the world!

Continue walking, and on the left you will pass the Pauline Church of the Holy Spirit which was completed in 1717. A yearly pilgrimage to the city of Czestochowa starts from here. On the right is the popular coffee shop Pozegnanie z Afryka, where you may want to stop off for a break. The street now becomes Freta. On the right you will see a Dominican Church (St. Jacek's) which is a baroque building completed in 1639 after a construction period of thirty five years.

Just past this church is the house where the Nobel prize winner Marie Sklodowska was born. This woman was later known as Marie Curie. She actually won the Nobel Prize twice—in 1903 and 1911—and was the only person ever to have done so. The house (Number 16) is now a museum dedicated to the woman and her work.

Continuing along you will reach the peaceful and quiet New Town Market Square (Rynek Nowego Miasta). The beautifully proportioned white church is the St Casimir's church (Kosciol sw. Kazimierza). It was built by Queen Sobieska to honor her husband. He was the victor in the famous battle against the Turks in Vienna in 1683—a decisive moment for all of Europe which ended the Turkish advances once and for all. This church was also destroyed at the end of the war, with rebuilding ending only in 1955.

Anyone who appreciates style and innovative décor will want to visit the Nowe Miasto restaurant. It is one of the most elegant vegetarian restaurants anywhere in the world. There is a wonderful sun-soaked patio which is open during the warmer months.

Returning to plac Zamkowy where the tour began could be something of an adventure. Go back through the Barbikan, and then why not wander down any of the appealing small side streets and cobblestone alleys? You may come across small churches, the Kamienne Schodki Street (Stone Steps) that lead down to the river or Zapiecek Square with its beautiful alcoves and entrances. The side streets of the Old Town can be very quiet, and there is a palpable feeling of having stepped back in time.

Once you leave plac Zamkowy, you will find yourself at the beginning of the famous Royal Way, whose path is charted in the next tour.

2. The Royal Way, Lazienki Park and Wilanow Palace

This second tour takes in the magnificent Krakowskie Przedmiescie, as well as the wonderful Lazienki Park and Wilanow Museum Palace.

The Royal Way is the ceremonial name given to the road that runs, more or less in a straight line from the Stare Miasto (Old Town) through the city to the Wilanow Palace. It is made up of five different streets and is some ten kilometers long.

Like so much of the city, large parts of this magnificent stretch of road (especially the sections closest to the Old Town) were completely destroyed in the Second World War. Unsure how to rebuild, the architects and engineers used paintings by Canaletto. His faithful rendering on canvas of what the street looked like (albeit much earlier than at the end of the war) is partially responsible for how it looks today.

The street was home to many families of the Polish nobility. The president, for example, today lives in the Radziwill Palace which was at one time a residence of the famous Radziwill family. There are many other famous sites along this street including the Monument To Adam Mickiewicz, the Monument To Adam Mickiewicz, the Academy of Fine Arts Museum, the Carmelite Church (a rare war survivor) and the Le Royal Meridien Bristol. The best thing to do is to simply stroll along it at your leisure.

If you continue walking you will arrive at Nowy Swiat Street (the street changes name with no visible indication). Nowy Swiat means "New World" and appropriately enough, this is now the city's chic shopping street. Many big names such as Estee Lauder have flagship stores here. Recently made more pedestrian friendly, the street is open only to buses and taxis. There are many cafés and restaurants here as well as shops. Blikle Cafe — Warsaw's oldest café — is nationally famous and the Viennese-style Nowy Swiat Cafe is definitely worth a visit. More restaurants and cafés are opening up here all the time.

Nowy Swiat continues until the picturesque Plac Trzech Krzyzy (Three Crosses Square), after which it becomes Aleje Ujazdowski. Trzech Krzyzy, (or Three Crosses Square) has the delightful and perfectly proportioned St Alexander's Church at its center. This is also where the Sheraton Hotel is located. Some trendy bars and cafés have sprung up here recently as well.

Aleje Ujazdowski has many fine buildings, but if you've walked this far, you may now want to catch a bus to Lazienki Park, as the sights become less interesting in a block or so. Buses 116 or 195 will take you there in just a few minutes.

Lazienki Park is one of Europe's classic palace and garden complexes. It offers everything from museums to boat trips on the lake and Chopin concerts in a picturesque rose garden. There are busts of Roman emperors, an Orangery and pleasant walkways in every direction. The open-air concert stage is a popular venue and there are plenty of cafés to be found here as well as the famous Belvedere restaurant. You could easily spend anything from an hour up to a whole day out here.

When you're ready to continue, you will need to take a bus (180, 519 or 522) or taxi for the final six kilometers to Wilanow.

Sculpted gardens and vast areas of parkland surround this magnificent palace. There is a Chinese-style pagoda, a footbridge built on the Roman model and weeping willows that dip down into the lazy waters that run through the park.

The palace itself is stunning. If you look at its very center you can see how it began as a small one-story home. Section by section was added until it finally looked the way it looks today. The work was undertaken in stages from 1677 until the mid 1800s. Fortunately, the palace was not destroyed during the war, making it all the more precious. Taking a tour is highly recommended.

Also on the premises is the lovely St Anne's Church, a popular place for special Sunday services, as well as the world-renowned Poster Museum.

It would be easy to spend an entire day in either Lazienki or Wilanow, but at this point you may wish to return back to the busier sections of the Royal Way. Shopping, cafés, culture and restaurants all await you...if you still have the energy!2008-08-02T07:29:22.000 112