Old Town (Starego Miasta)
The Old Town is an historic focal point, rebuilt in
original 17th and 18th-century style following the war. The
picturesque Old Market Square (Rynek) is at the centre, surrounded
by restored buildings and colourful three-storey merchant houses
with Baroque and Renaissance facades, lively open-air restaurants,
art stalls, and the Historical Museum of Warsaw. Buskers, painters,
and musicians provide entertainment, while cobbled streets and
alleyways contain beautiful Gothic churches and palaces. The
impressive Royal Castle was once the home of the Polish Kings while
ramparts and watchtowers dot the medieval walls surrounding the old
city.
Old Town
Adrian Grycuk
Museum of Warsaw
The Museum of Warsaw is one of the best of the city's
impressive array of museums. Its three storeys are crammed with
fascinating exhibitions, covering every aspect of Warsaw's history
and life from the city's establishment to the present day. It
occupies almost an entire side of a square in Old Town, housed in
quaint historical buildings and boasting 52 rooms with permanent
exhibitions, four with temporary exhibitions, a cinema, a library,
and a reading room. A special feature is a documentary film showing
the destruction and reconstruction of the city, with footage shot
by the Nazis during their calculated and systematic annihilation of
Warsaw, and footage of the careful rebuilding after the war. The
film is shown in English at 10am and 12pm from Tuesday to Friday,
and at 12pm and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Address:
Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42, 00-272 Warszawa,
Poland.
Opening time:
10am to 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
Museum of Warsaw
MM
The Royal Way
Known as the Royal Way, this two-and-a-half mile
(4km) route stretches from the Royal Castle in the Old Town to the
stately King's Palace at Wilanów on the outskirts of the city. It
bisects the central city from north to south, and is lined with
galleries, museums, and historical buildings St Anne's Church.
Along the way are the royal gardens of Park Lazienki with its
lakes, peacocks, and charming 18th-century Lazienki Palace, which
was the royal summer residence. A monument of the famous Polish
composter Frederic Chopin stands in the park, with summer concerts
held on the lawns. The Royal Way ends at the splendid Wilanów
Palace which was modelled on Versailles, containing a museum and an
art gallery called the Orangery.
Presidential Palace
adjourned
Polish Poster Gallery
The Galeria Grafiki i Plakatu (Polish Poster Gallery)
is located in the old town district of Warsaw, housing the finest
collection of graphic art and posters in Eastern Europe.
Established in 1975, it now exhibits over 5,000 pieces of art, many
displaying facets of Polish culture. Visitors will see theatre,
music, and cinema posters, as well as Polish Solidarity political
posters. The gallery also displays some iconic American, British,
French, and German posters, and tourists may be excited to see
classics like West Side Story, Moby Dick, and Dirty Dancing.
Thankfully, the museum has a great selection of prints for
sale.
Address:
Hoża 40, 00-001 Warszawa, Poland
Opening time:
11am to 6pm (Monday to Friday); 10am to 3pm on
Saturdays.
communication
Jonny Hughes
Bialowieza National Park
Bialowieza National Park is a heavily protected
UNESCO World Heritage site. It guards the last remnants of the
primeval forest that used to cover most of Europe at the time of
the last ice age. The park is the last place on earth that tourists
can see European bison, huge beasts that once roamed across the
continent, living undisturbed in their natural habitats. An
ecotourism destination of international repute, the nearby town of
Bialowieza has launched numerous luxury spas and elite lodgings.
Bialowieza National Park is a short train ride from Warsaw (two and
a half hours) making it possible to visit the park on a daytrip,
but it is best to spend at least one night in the area if
possible.
Bialowieza
Francesco Carrani
Warsaw has a humid continental climate, with cold,
snowy winters and mild to hot summers. On average, summer (June to
August) temperatures range between 47°F (9°C) and 73°F (22°C),
while winter (December to February) temperatures range between 25°F
(-4°C) and 42°F (6°C). The average temperature in Warsaw is 27°F
(-3°C) in January (mid-winter), and 66°F (19°C) in July
(mid-summer), although summer temperatures frequently reach 86°F
(30°C).
July is the wettest month, although rain does fall
sporadically throughout the year; generally rainfall is heaviest in
summer, with winter receiving the least rain. Spring (March, April,
May) and autumn (September, October, November) are both lovely
seasons with pleasant, mild temperatures and plenty of sun,
although autumn can be misty.
Warsaw has a long tourist season and the city is
lovely to visit any time between April and October. The peak
tourist season is summer, especially July and August; however, the
city can become unpleasantly crowded. Those who don't mind the cold
and snow will find that Warsaw is a great winter destination.
Warsaw Chopin Airport
Location: The airport is situated six miles (10km) southwest of
Warsaw.
Time: Local time is GMT +1 (GMT +2 from last Sunday in
March to last Sunday in October).
Transfer Between Terminals:
Terminals are within walking distance of each other.
Getting to the city:
Municipal buses 175, 148, 188 and 331 operate daily from 4.35am
to around 11pm ferrying commuters to Warsaw city centre and the
right riverbank. Some hotels provide a shuttle bus service to and
from the hotel on request.
Car Rental:
Avis, Hertz, Budget and Europcar operate from the airport. They
are located at the Terminal A arrivals hall.
Airport Taxis:
A taxi stand is located in front of the arrivals hall.
Facilities:
There are shops, bars and restaurants at the airport. Other
facilities include banks, bureaux de change, ATMs, a post office,
and tourist information and hotel reservations kiosks.
Parking
Short-stay parking at the Kiss&Fly Zone is free for the
first 7 minutes, and then PLN 30 for the next fifteen minutes with
a charge of PLN 1 per minute extra. The multi-level car park P1 and
P2 has long-stay parking options at a fee of PLN 250 for six to ten
days or PLN 300 for eleven to fifteen days.
Mozart Festival
Every summer, music lovers from around the world flock to Warsaw
to attend the highlight of the city's music season, the Warsaw
Chamber Opera's Mozart Festival. Presentations of the stage works
of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart include some of his most popular operas,
including
and
among many others.
The programme is typically comprised of about 40 shows and
concerts: in fact, at its inception the festival was the only one
in Europe to showcase Mozart's entire output for the stage, and the
programme still includes all the composer's operas as well as
selected oratorial works, symphonies, instrumental concertos and
chamber works. The performances take place in the most prestigious
and beautiful venues the city has to offer, including the Royal
Castle, Royal Theatre, Wilanow Palace Museum, Warsaw Chamber Opera
Theatre, Church of the Holy Cross, and the Seminary Church.
The Mozart Festival has been held for more than 20 years and is
one of the most popular and famous events in Warsaw, conveniently
scheduled for the summer, which is the peak tourist season in
Poland. There are a variety of ticket options and fanatics can buy
special passes which come with a range of benefits. For more
information check out the official website listed below.
Venue:
Warsaw Chamber Opera
![Mozart Festival]()
Mozart Festival
Kasta33
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Buses and trams ply the streets from 5am to 11pm each day and
are the cheapest way to get around. Tickets are valid for all modes
of public transport and must be bought in advance. The metro trains
run frequently between the southern suburbs and the city centre and
are the fastest way of getting around Warsaw.
Metered taxis can be hailed on the streets or ordered by
telephone from a number of different companies; it is best to agree
on a price before getting in. Taxis ordered by phone are usually a
lot cheaper. Hiring a car is unnecessary except for excursions out
of the city. The historic Old Town is best explored on foot and a
lovely way to get around the city is provided by the rental bike
system.
Warsaw may not have the obvious aesthetic appeal of
Krakow, but the city has many hidden historic gems and a
meticulously rebuilt Old Town which stands as tribute to the
resilience and determination of its population.
Many of Warsaw's historic sightseeing attractions are
clustered in and around Old Town (Starego Miasta), with Market
Square at its heart. This part of the city, famously rebuilt after
the devastation of World War II, is a warren of cobblestone streets
and alleys towered over by Gothic and Baroque buildings and
palaces, and colourful tiered homes.
The city's best museums can be found in this area,
which is best explored on foot. A great way to take in some of
Warsaw's best historic sites is to tour the Royal Way, the route
stretching from the Royal Castle in Old Town to the King's Palace
at Wilanow, which is lined with museums, palaces, and historic
buildings, including St Anne's Church.
The graveyards of the city also allow a step back in
time: the Jewish Cemetery (Cmentarz Zydowski) is romantically
overgrown in summer and spookily snow-covered in winter, and is a
moving and picturesque site to explore; and the famous Powazki
Cemetery is home to some remarkable sculptures and grave
markers.
For some outdoor fun go strolling, paddling, and
picnicking in the lovely Lazienki Park, the most popular of
Warsaw's green lungs. There is a monument to Chopin in the park,
which is frequently a venue for outdoor concerts. For those
travelling to Warsaw with kids, the Copernicus Science Centre is a
great rainy-day attraction.
Old Town
Adrian Grycuk
Museum of Warsaw
MM
Presidential Palace
adjourned
communication
Jonny Hughes
Bialowieza
Francesco Carrani
Mozart Festival
Kasta33
