the main Zander Warsaw what to see. Warsaw attractions - what to see in Warsaw in one day? Night life

Warsaw what to see. Warsaw attractions - what to see in Warsaw in one day? Night life

Warsaw - a city with a long history. Since the 16th century it has been the capital of Poland. The city has been repeatedly attacked by enemy states. Warsaw suffered the most damage at the end of World War II. The city was then destroyed almost to the ground. The inhabitants of Warsaw rebuilt it literally brick by brick. Thanks to their work, Warsaw today thrives and pleases residents and tourists with its beauty and unique architectural style.

30 things to see in Warsaw

Look at the bronze one on the Castle Square. It was this monarch who once moved the capital of Poland from Krakow to Warsaw. Also on the square you can touch the medieval monument - a fragment of the fortress wall, which in ancient times surrounded the Old Town.
Visit one of the main attractions, the former residence of the Polish monarchs. Various exhibitions are constantly open for tourists. Here you can wander through the castle halls, enjoy the landscape exhibition. By the way, on Sundays the entrance to the castle is completely free.
Take a photo with the statue of the Warsaw Siren on the Market Square. This statue is a symbol of the city. Locals will gladly tell you the ancient legend associated with it.
Take a walk through the palace and park complex Royal Lazienki. The area of \u200b\u200bthe complex is 76 hectares. Here you can not only walk around the park area, but also visit the famous on the island, the Myshlevitsky Palace, the Hermitage, see the sanctuary of Diana and many other attractions.
Take an excursion to Wilanow Palace, one of the few buildings that survived the Second World War.
Watch the film "Warsaw Will Never Forget" at the Historical Museum. The film tells about the impressive extent of the destruction of the Polish capital during the Second World War and the painstaking work of restorers who rebuilt the city. The exposition of the museum is very diverse, occupies 4 floors, so you will not be bored.
Old city. This is one of beautiful places Warsaw. Here you can feel the historical atmosphere of medieval Warsaw, stroll along the cobblestone streets, or ride in a real carriage.
Market Square... Here you can buy works by local artists or order your own portrait.
Book a three-hour bike tour of Warsaw in Russian.
Visit the national art gallery "Zachęta" (Zachęta Narodowa Galeria Sztuki)

11. Visit the Warsaw Zoo. Now the collection of the Warsaw Zoo numbers almost 5 thousand animals, among which there are rare and endangered species.

12. Taste national dishes of Polish cuisine in small family restaurants, for example, in the restaurant "U Fuker". Order the famous bigos, zrazy or pyzy. Try pickled pork hooves. Inexpressible gastronomic pleasure is guaranteed to you.

13. Appreciate the taste of real Polish beer (Bazyliszek, Pinta, Artezan) in one of the many pubs in the city. For example, in the PiwPaw pub.

14. Watch a spectacular sound and light water show at the Multimedia Fountain Park.

15. Enjoy the divine sound of the organ in the Cathedral of St. Yana, not far from the Castle Square. It was in this cathedral that the coronation of the last Polish king took place.

16. Visit a unique landmark of Warsaw - a two-level garden of exotic plants on the roof of the Warsaw University library. The entrance for tourists is free!

17. Visit the Museum of the Polish Army, and at the same time the National Museum. Why are there two museums at one point at once? It's just that they are located in the same building.

18. Appreciate the wonderful display of the Chopin Museum in Warsaw.

19. Visit the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising, and on the street. Bartycka. Immediately after the war, a 120-meter mound with a monument to Warring Poland at the top was poured almost from the ruins of the destroyed city.

20. Feel like a real researcher, make an independent scientific discovery at the Copernicus Science Center.

21. To look at the Palace of Culture and Science is a gift from the Soviet people to the Polish. This building is the tallest in all of Poland, and the second largest clock in the world is installed on it. From the observation deck of the building opens beautiful view to the city.

22. Visit the observation deck on the very last floor of the Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki). This site offers a view of the entire capital.

23. Enjoy delicious sweets prepared according to old Polish recipes at the homemade confectionery Blikle.

26. Take a photo against the backdrop of the Barbican, a majestic 14th century stone wall that protected the city from invaders until the end of the 18th century.

27. Visit exhibitions at the Center for Contemporary Art (Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej)

28. Expand your knowledge in the Museum of Technology and Industry (Muzeum Techniki i Przemysłu), which is also located in the Palace of Culture and Science.

29 ... Enjoy jazz music at the Tygmont jazz club.

Today Warsaw is much less popular with tourists than others. european capitals... And completely in vain. This is a wonderful city that is always glad to see guests!

The first impression of Warsaw is often negative. New office buildings and hotels look odd among the gray blocky structures of the communist era. But there is much more to Warsaw: to the north of the center of modern development there are magnificent Baroque palaces and the carefully reconstructed Old Town, to the south are two of the most beautiful city parks in Central Europe, and to the east are the remains of a rich Jewish heritage. The capital, flooded with bars, clubs and restaurants, has a bustling nightlife. Warsaw became the capital of Poland in 1596. The city flourished until the 18th century and the three partitions of Poland between Prussia and Russia.

The Napoleonic invasion in 1806 gave the Poles hope for liberation, but after the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the city became part of Russian Empire... This was followed by a series of uprisings, but all of them were brutally suppressed. Only after the First World War did Russia's influence weaken. With the restoration of independence in 1918, Warsaw regained its capital status. During World War II, the city was virtually razed to the ground. Hitler, enraged by the 1943 uprising in the Warsaw ghetto and the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, ordered the destruction of Warsaw. By the end of the war, 850,000 Warsaw residents - two-thirds of the city's population - had been killed or gone missing. The process of rebuilding the city took ten years.

Arrival and accommodation in Warsaw

Okecie Airport is located 8 kilometers southwest of the Old Town. Avoid annoying taxi drivers. It is better to go to the city by bus 175 (or night bus 611), which passes by Warszawa Centralna train station and goes to the Old Town. The main bus station Miedzynarodowa Dworzec PKS is located at Warszawa Zachodnia station, 3 kilometers west of the Central Station. The city can be reached by any bus heading east. Polski Express intercity buses leave from the bus station to al. Jana Pawla II at the west entrance of Central Station.

The best source of information is the IT bureau in the main hall of the Central Station. Free city maps and tourist brochures are provided here. IT offices are available at the airport and at the main bus station. Buses and trams stop working at 23.00, and every half hour from the stop at the main bus station, night buses leave. There is one metro line that runs from north to south and runs through the center. Tickets for trams, buses and metro can be purchased at RUCH kiosks or vending machines. To travel by night bus, you will need two tickets. Always punch your ticket upon entering the salon: Warsaw controllers are ruthless. The kiosks offer tickets for three days and a week, which must be punched out on first use.

Taxis in Warsaw are a relatively expensive form of transport, so only use cars that have a fare, company name, and phone number. Don't take a taxi from Central Station and go straight to the nearby Emilii Plater, where there is a taxi rank with reasonable prices. The best option is by phone: English is spoken at Bayer and Wawa. There are several good private hostels in Warsaw, and from July to August you can stay in one of the student dormitories. Make inquiries at the IT offices, where you will be helped and with. Advance booking required during summer. Private accommodation can be found at Syrena Travel Agency, 17 Krucza Street (Monday-Friday 9.00-18.00).

Warsaw hostels

1). Hostel Agrykola - The best youth hostel in town with clean modern rooms, friendly staff, sauna, solarium and tennis court. Located near azienki park, bus 151 travel from the station to the Rozbrat stop at the bridge. Location: Mysliwiecka street 9;

2). Dizzy Daisy Hostel - Clean and comfortable youth hostel near azienki park. Open from 1 July to 25 August. Location: Gornoslaska street;

3). Hostel Nathan's - Well-groomed establishment, Warsaw branch of the Krakow hostel. Two tram stops south of Central Station. Location: Piekna street 24/26;

4). Oki Doki Hostel - The most original youth hostel in Poland, located in the building of the Ministry of Agriculture. 10 minutes walk northeast of Central Station. Location: Dabrowskiego area 3;

5). Przy Rynku Hostel - The best summer hostel (only open from July to August). Location: Rynek Nowego Miasta 4;

6). Hostel Smolna - The total lack of comfort is partly offset by the central location and discounts for HI members. Three tram stops east of Central Station. June-September curfew 2.00; October-May 23.00. Location: Smolna street 30;

7). Hostel Syrenka - An old-fashioned youth hostel with simple dorms and cozy double rooms. Curfew 24.00. Six tram stops (12 and 24) from Central Station. Location: Karolkowa street 53-a.

Warsaw hotels

1). Na Wodzie Hotel - "Water Hotel" with small, clean rooms at the pier of the Poniatowski Bridge in the center of Warsaw. Fourth tram stop east of Central Station. Closed from November to April. Location: Wybrzeze Kosciuszkowskie;

2). Premiere Classe Hotel - The best among inexpensive hotels in Warsaw. Clean and bright double rooms with TV. Three tram stops west of Central Station. Location: Towarowa street 2.

Sights of Warsaw (Poland)

Most of Warsaw's sights are located on the west bank of the Vistula River. Here, near the Central Station and the Palace of Culture, is the business and shopping district of Sredmiescie, and the more picturesque Old Town (Stare Miasto) is located just to the north.

Old city, New town and the ghetto

The name Stare Miasto does not quite fit the designation of the historical center of Warsaw. After World War II, this part of the city lay in ruins, and a thorough reconstruction began years later. You should start your tour of the city from the Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy) on the south side of the Old Town. On the east side of the square is the Royal Castle, the former seat of Polish monarchs and the seat of parliament. Now it houses the castle museum (Tuesday-Sunday 10.00 / 11.00-16.00; admission is free on Sundays).

Although the building itself is only a copy of the previous structure, many of the furnishings are genuine: they were hidden during the first bombings. Walking through the most luxurious part of the castle - the apartments of King Stanislaw Augustus, you find yourself in the magnificent Canaletto Hall with views of Warsaw by Bernardo Bellotto, the nephew of the famous Venetian, who named his uncle so that the paintings would sell better. These cityscapes, amazing in detail, served as an important source of information for architects who rebuilt the city after the war.

To the north of the castle, on Swietojanska Street, stands the oldest St. John's Cathedral in Warsaw. A little further on is the Old Town Market Square, which is one of the finest examples of careful renovation. The former three-storey merchant houses, destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising, were restored according to the projects of the 17th-18th centuries. The Warsaw History Museum has a section dedicated to the history of the Resistance, where you can watch an impressive film in English (Tuesday-Saturday 12.00) about the city that lay in ruins after the war. The 16th century barbican, located next to the museum, served to protect the northern gates of the city.

After passing through the Barbican, you find yourself in the New City (Nowe Miasto), which, contrary to its name, dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. In the center of this area is the Market Square of the New Town. To the west of here lies the former ghetto area. In 1939, about 380 thousand Jews lived in Warsaw and its environs. In May 1945, the ghetto was destroyed: by this time, about three hundred people remained alive. Of the three former synagogues, only the Noyk synagogue on Twarda Street has survived. You can get an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat the Jewish district of Warsaw looked like on the miraculously preserved Prozna Street.

Walking north from the synagogue along Grzybowska Street, then turning onto Towarowa Street and walking another 10 minutes (or by tram 22) to Okopowa Street, you will arrive at the vast Jewish Cemetery (Cmentarz Zydowski), one of the largest in. Just west of the intersection of Grzybowska and Towarowa Streets, at 28 Przyokopowa Street, there is the Warsaw Uprising Museum (tram 22 to Grzybowska Street), opened in August 2004 for the sixtieth anniversary of the uprising. The museum, located in the building of a former hydroelectric power plant, is dedicated to the tragic episode of the struggle of the Warsaw people against the Nazis in 1944. The uprising killed 200 thousand Poles, and Warsaw was destroyed by three quarters. Particular attention is paid to the role of the Soviet troops.

District Sredmiescie

From the Old Town to azienki Park stretches Srodmiescie - the center of Warsaw, divided in two by the Royal Road, which stretches from the Castle Square to the Wilanow Palace. Old buildings are lined up along the first part of the Royal Road - Krakowskie Przedmie старинcie. Among other Baroque churches, the Church of the Visandine Sisters stands out with columns and statues along the façade. This is one of the few buildings in Warsaw that survived the Second World War. Most of the Krakowskie Przedmiecie is occupied by the buildings of the Warsaw University. These include several remarkable Baroque palaces and the Church of the Holy Cross, destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising.

A photograph of a statue of Christ among the ruins has become a symbol of the suffering of Warsaw. An urn with Chopin's heart is immured in a column on the left side of the nave. To the south of the university stretches New Святwiat Street with expensive shops and cafes. On al. Jerozolimskie is home to the National Museum (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday-Sunday 10.00-16.00, Thursday 10.00-18.00; admission is free on Saturdays), where you can see an impressive collection of impressionist paintings from the "Young Poland" period and Christian frescoes from the 8th-13th centuries.

To the west of the museum is Marszalkowska Street, which crosses the Jerusalem Alleys (Aleje Jerozolimskie). The Palace of Culture and Science rises above the entire district - a Stalinist gift to the Poles, which they could not refuse. There is a conference room, offices, theaters, nightclubs, cinemas, swimming pools and casinos. Outside there are basketball courts, which turn into a free ice rink in winter. A spectacular bird's-eye view of the city opens from the observation deck on the thirtieth floor (daily 9.00-18.00).

Outside the center

To the south of the shopping area, on the eastern side of the Ujazdowskie Alley, is the azienki Park, beloved by all Warsaw residents. In the past, hunting grounds, in the 1760s, azienki was bought by King Stanislaw August, who turned this territory into an English park and built a neoclassical azienki palace near the lake (Tuesday-Sunday 9.00-16.00). Alleys lined with oak trees lead to the palace from the entrance to the park and the massive Chopin monument. Most of the furnishings of the palace were preserved after the war, but the main attraction remains the park, where you can see peacocks and squirrels.

On the east bank of the river is the Decade Stadium, the largest outdoor market in Europe, located on the site of a former football stadium. Here you can buy everything: from life rafts and machine guns to Russian caviar, icons and contraband cigarettes. This place is in stark contrast to the rapidly Europeanizing part of Warsaw on the other beret of the Vistula. To see the market in all its glory, it is advisable to come here no later than 11.00. Any tram from the Central Station goes to the stadium (the first stop across the river). To the north of the market is the area where the 2002 Oscar-winning film The Pianist was filmed.

The Wilanow Palace (Wednesday-Monday 9.30-15.00, May-September Wednesday and Sunday until 17.00), the most grandiose of Warsaw's palaces, can be easily reached from the city center by bus 116 or 180 from Krakowskie Przedmiecie or Nowy Sviata (to the final stop). King Jan Sobieski bought this manor house in 1677 and for almost twenty years turned it into the "Polish Versailles". The gate on the left at the main entrance leads into the magnificent palace park (daily from 9.00 am until sunset; admission is free on Thursdays), and the poster museum is located on the right in front of the entrance (Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-15.30; admission is free on Wednesdays). All of the above sights can be seen during.

Food, drink and entertainment in Warsaw

The cheapest establishments catering Are dairy bars. The best of them are Bar Uniwersytecki at Krakowskie Przedmiescie 20 and the bar at Mostowa street 29. Over the past few years, Warsaw's restaurants and bars have improved significantly, and you can have a great evening here. Festivals in Warsaw include the Warsaw Summer Jazz Festival and the Jazz Festival in October. For information on current events, see the Warsaw Insider monthly and Warsaw In Your Pocket, which are available at EMPiK stores and IT offices.

Warsaw cafe

1). Blikle Cafe - Legendary cafe famous for its donuts and pastries. Location: Nowy Swiat 33;

2). Cafe 6/12 - Cafe, bar and restaurant with excellent design, attentive service, high quality drinks and food. Location: Zurawia street 6/12;

3). Cafe Czuly Barbarzynca - A bookstore / cafe, always packed with students. Location: Dobra street 31;

4). Cafe Marak - Excellent cafe where you can taste both classic Polish and exotic soups. There is a branch in Jerozolimskie alley 42. Location: Swietokrzyska 18;

5). Mercer's Cafe - The best cafe in New Svyat with excellent fruit cocktails. Location: Nowy Swiat 25;

6). Miedzy Nami Cafe - Cafe popular with gay people. It offers light food and a great atmosphere. Location: Bracka street 20.

Warsaw Restaurants

1). Green Way Restaurant - Popular establishment for vegetarians. Low prices, large portions of Polish and Asian dishes. Location: Szpitalna street 6;

2). Kompania Piwna Restaurant - Noisy restaurant in the basement with live music, huge portions of national food and Czech beer. Location: Podwale street 25;

3). Pierogarnia restaurant - A cozy place where you can taste many types of pies (until 19.00). Location: Bednarska street 6;

4). Pod Samsonem Restaurant - The best tourist restaurant in the Old Town. Meat and potato based dishes and some Jewish dishes. Location: Freta street 3/5;

5). Restaurant Ochnia Artystyczna - The terrace of the restaurant in the Ujazdowski Castle offers a beautiful view of Lazienki Park Large selection of vegetarian dishes. Location: Alley Ujazdowskie 6;

6). Ollinarnia Restaurant - A place where you should try pies with chicken and walnuts. Working hours: Monday-Friday until 19.00. Location: street Zielna 5, Pavilion 59;

7). Warsaw Tortilla Factory Restaurant - A noisy place with Texas-Mexican cuisine, great homemade lemonade and tequila-based cocktails. Location: Wilcza street 46.

Warsaw bars

1). Chimera Bar - The fancifully decorated cellar attracts a cheerful audience. Location: Podwale street 29;

2). Kulturalna Bar - A artsy student bar in the southeast wing of the Palace of Culture. DJ works on weekends. Location: Defilad Square 1;

3). Bar Le Madame - Popular gay bar / club on a quiet side street in New Town. Location: Kozla street 12;

4). Lolek Bar - A place in the middle of the park with grilled food, beer and live music. Pole Mokotowskie metro station. Location: Rokitnicka street 20;

5). Lysy Pingwin Bar - Tapas and Staropramen beer in the Prague area. Location: Zabkowska street 12;

6). Morgan's Pub - The best Irish pub in Warsaw. Location: Okolnik street 1;

7). Bar NoBo - A trendy place with delicious food and live music in the evenings. Location: Wilcza street 58-a;

8). Paparazzi Bar - Representatives of the "middle class" come here for a cocktail. Location: Mazowiecki street 12;

9). Szparka Bar - A nightclub with good food. Location: Trzech Krzyzy Square 16-a.

Warsaw night and jazz clubs

1). Nightclub Barbie - Fashion club (gay people gather), completely decorated in pink. Location: Zurawia street 6/12, entrance from Nowogrodzka street;

2). Diuna night club - An eclectic place with student jazz bands and Polish hip-hop. Location: Dobra street 33/35;

3). Labo night club - Luxurious club in the city center. Fashionable audience, comfortable sofas. Location: Mazowiecka street 11-a;

4). Organza Night Club - Large club / restaurant with delicious pasta and beautiful audience. Location: Sienkiewicza street 4;

5). Piekarnia night club - One of the best clubs in Warsaw, at the forefront of musical fashion. The most popular DJs work here. Location: Miocinska street 11;

6). Jazz Club Tygmont - The best jazz club in Warsaw with good food. Location: Mazowiecka street 6/8.

Rare tourists spend more than one day in Warsaw, and we were no exception, having arranged for ourselves a one-day respite along the way. Naturally, we read preliminarily reports and impressions of other travelers from Warsaw. They all come to the conclusion that they expected less from the capital of Poland, bad reviews are usually left by people who have not visited Warsaw at all.

Yes, of course, the entire city was destroyed during the war years and it was not possible to restore it completely in the pre-war form. It turned out to be a kind of mix from different centuries, since some objects were restored according to the plans of the 18th century, others according to the pre-war plans, some buildings were restored in a simplified version. But UNESCO still included the center of Warsaw in the list of historical heritage of mankind, because the efforts made to restore it were simply enormous.

How to get to the center of Warsaw, I described in the article on We began the inspection from Charles de Gaulle Square. We went along Nowy Świat Street, which together with Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street is part of the Royal Route.

Perhaps you would like to find yourself excursions in Russian in Warsaw. To do this, I would recommend that you read the article - The second and last site from the specified list is relevant for Warsaw.

The Royal Route previously connected Royal Palace Jan III Sobieski with his Wilanów country residence. In total it will be about 10 km. We examined only a small piece of this historic road from Place Charles de Gaulle to Castle Square.

Interestingly decorated house on the street New World

The Polish language started to surprise us right away, we were in Poland for the first time and were not used to such surprises yet. The day before, we just talked with the landlady in a mixture of Polish, Russian and English and made sure that there are definitely many similar words in our languages. Slavic languages \u200b\u200boften have the same roots of words, but completely different meanings, below is an example in the photo. "Dermo" is something about skin diseases and dermatology, but I have completely different associations?

Polish language quirks, pharmacy signboard

The signs of Polish shops were also surprising, in Polish the store will be “sklep”, “zoo sklep” generally evokes memories of “a pet cemetery”. The beauty salon will be exactly the opposite - Salon Urody.

Beauty salon in Polish

This is where I will finish about the peculiarities of the Polish language, come and learn a lot of new things.

Near the monument to Copernicus, Novy Svet Street smoothly flows into Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street. Despite the controversial issue of Copernicus' nationality, the Poles consider him theirs. On the square in front of the monument, a diagram of the heliocentric system of the world is laid out with multi-colored stones, and the Copernicus monument is in it in the center.

Houses on the Castle Square

Polish cuisine

After visiting the palace, it was time for lunch. Naturally I wanted to try Polish cuisine. This is not difficult to do. There are many establishments specializing in national dishes in the center of Warsaw. We chose the restaurant Restauracja Zapiecek, a chain of restaurants, there are several of them in the center of Warsaw. Prices are moderate: soup about 2 €, dumplings or dumplings about 4 €. The menu with prices can be found here.

Restauracja Zapiecek - Polskie Pierogarnie

The waitresses of "Restauracja Zapiecek" are dressed in national costumes, they serve Polish "feathers", as they call dumplings with berries, cottage cheese, potatoes, and Russian style "feathers" are made with meat. In addition to "feathers", many other dishes are served - soups, bigos, sausages with cabbage. Everything was delicious. Poles understand the word "sour cream" in Russian, in Western Europe there is no such concept, there is either cream or yogurt. And we took sangria to drink, not in Polish, but very tasty and refreshing.

Pasha with feathers and sour cream

During lunch, our Polish grandfather entertained us with songs, including in Russian. I remember exactly that he sang "White Roses" and "Hold tight to the wheel of the chauffeur ...", he also sang our other songs. For Russian songs, not only people of Slavic appearance served him, but also Indians. Then the nuns approached my grandfather and ordered him Polish songs, then he sang something in Yiddish, we understood only the words "Sholem Aleichem ...". This I mean that it is believed that the Poles do not like Russians, but Russian songs are successfully performed on one of the most important streets of Warsaw.

Street singer

Old city

Then we continued our walk through the Old Town. The streets there are much narrower than on the street Krakowskie Przedmiescie and they are completely pedestrianized, it is possible that cars call in there, but only with the aim of replenishing the stores of shops and restaurants. It is impossible to photograph the entire houses in the Old Town, so I took photographs of the fragments of architecture I liked.

As in all countries with access to Baltic Sea, in Poland, trade in amber products is very popular, and in such an architectural frame, amber looks like a king.

Cute showcase with amber in the Old Town

The facade of the house on Pivnaya Street is decorated with images of pigeons. This decoration appeared on the house in 1953 in honor of the protector of pigeons who remained to live in the ruins after the liberation of Warsaw. In my opinion, it is very cute, the pigeons turned out to be alive.

Home decoration No. 6 on Pivnaya street

The house under the ship was rebuilt after the war in 1953.

House number 32 on Sventoianskaya street

In the old town, many houses are decorated using the sgraffito technique. Below are examples.

Clock and sgraffito house at the Old Market

House under a little black boy in the Old Market

The Jesuit church was significantly rebuilt; after the war, only a pile of rubble remained from it. Noteworthy is the original gate (2009) by the famous Polish contemporary sculptor Igor Mirotai. For the first time we got acquainted with his work on. We are still impressed and are already tracking the opportunity to see his work in the cities we visit.

Jesuit Church of the Virgin Mary and the gate by Igor Mirotay (2009)

In the Old Town, all roads lead to the Old Market Square, this is where the Varshavskaya Sirenka or the Little Mermaid stands. She is the symbol and emblem of the city. About 200 years ago, the statue of the little mermaid adorned the facade of the town hall, then the building was demolished, and the sculpture was installed on the square on its own. All sides of the square are named after Polish politicians, but their names, however, do not mean anything to the average Russian.

Old Market Square

There is an artificial puddle around the pedestal with the little mermaid, it is pleasant to walk along it barefoot in hot weather, which is what many children and adults do.

Warsaw Sirenka

One of the cafes on Stary Rynok Square was decorated with boxes of Russian ammunition, the boxes are very new, do the Poles still buy weapons from us?

In Warsaw, they also sell these buns made of yeast dough with sprinkles, which in the Czech Republic are called trdlo, in Hungary kyurtash-kalach, as they are called in Poland, I did not have time to understand, but we ate one bun with a hole at all.

Houses in the Old Market

The Barbican separates the Old City from the New, but the New City can be recognized as new only in relation to the Old. As in Prague, the New Town of Warsaw was originally a separate settlement outside the city walls and merged with the Old Town only in the 18th century.

The Barbican was restored according to the drawings of the 17th century after the war, old bricks for the reconstruction of the Barbican were collected on the post-war ruins of other Polish cities and upon closer inspection it is noticeable, bricks of different colors.

Barbican

New town

We did not examine the new city completely, only a part adjacent to the Old City, but we looked at the Stalin skyscraper from the tram window on the way to a rented apartment. There are still many quite interesting buildings in quite modern style, but this is a topic for a separate story.

On one of the houses in the New Town, an illustration is drawn for the Warsaw legend of the capture of a siren mermaid in the waters of the Vistula by two fishermen. Varshavskaya Sirenka, according to myths and legends, is the sister of a mermaid from Copenhagen.

In the new city

We didn’t find Heel Street and Winnie the Pooh, but Kozla Street caught our eye and there is such a thing in the New Town.

On Freta Street, the Maria Skladovskaya-Curie Museum attracts attention. Maria was born in Warsaw and lived in the house where her museum is now located only one year after her birth, then the family moved to another house, also in Warsaw.

The building of the Maria Skladovskaya-Curie Museum on Freta Street

A special tourist route has been developed in the footsteps of Maria Skladowska-Curie in Warsaw, most of the memorable places are located on Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street and in the Old Town. Russian tsarism did not allow Maria to receive higher education in Poland or Russia, and she and her husband made most of her discoveries in Paris, but she did not forget her homeland either.

Portrait of Marie Skladovskaya-Curie in the window of the museum

Thanks to her efforts, the Radium Institute also appeared in Warsaw, now it is the Institute of Oncology. Maria Skladovskaya-Curie received two Nobel Prizes - in physics and chemistry, became the first woman professor at the Sorbonne in Paris. Moreover, her daughter Irene Joliot-Curie also became a Nobel laureate with her husband. In my youth, I read the biography of this great woman, written by her second daughter, Eva Curie. This family undeniably glorified Poland on the world stage.

Monument to Maria Skladovskaya-Curie over the Vistula

We did not visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum, on Sundays admission is as free as in the Royal Palace. The Polish and Russian governments have different views on this tragic moment in Polish history. In general, this is a topic for a separate article and now I will not touch on it.

Graffiti dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising

We reached the multimedia fountain park, but did not wait for the performance. Usually, if you start walking around the city at 10 in the morning, then by 10 in the evening and even before you have no strength left. The next day we had a long haul to the Adriatic coast and wanted to rest before a long journey.

Light fountains

Warsaw seemed to us a very pleasant city. One day, as always turned out to be not enough, especially in summer, when the weather is favorable for exploring parks and suburban residences. Next time, if we go past Warsaw, we will definitely wrap up to look at the azienki park and the Wilanów suburban residence, its palace can be visited on Thursdays as well for free. There is an attraction of unheard of generosity with museums in Warsaw. Three very interesting museums can be viewed for free, does anyone know the same or a similar action in other capitals of Europe?

I read the plans for exploring Warsaw together with the parks within 24 hours, but that doesn't seem like a sensible idea to me. We managed to look only at the city center and not completely. In 2017, we did another visit to Warsaw and spent several hours

A short guide to the sights of the city for those who are passing through here or What to see in Warsaw in 1 day. Where to sleep and dine.

How to get to Warsaw

within the city and here city transport goes for only 1 €. Bus stop near the exit from the airport. Those who do not want to deal with transport and are willing to pay 30 € can order a transfer on the Russian-language website.
is located far outside Warsaw. You can leave here by shuttle buses for 9-33PLN, by train for 19PLN or ordering for 50-60 €.
How to get to Warsaw from other cities is well described in the instructions, etc.

Where to stay in Warsaw

During my trips to this city, I tested more than 10 housing options that I described in the article. Therefore, below will be a short list with the main advantages.

Hotels:

A budget hotel costs 20 €, but often arranges for 9 €. The location is near the Warszawa Zachodnia train station from where it is easy to get to both Warsaw airports.
A more expensive hotel for 30-40 € is already closer to the center and only 10 minutes walk to the Palace of Culture. The rooms are more comfortable than the Ibis. On unpopular days, prices drop to 20 €.

Hostels:

When there are no rooms in the Ibis Budget, hostels are my choice. They consider the most convenient one, which is located in the city center and costs 6-9 €. Alternatively still tested with a price of 7 €. Located 10-15 minutes walk from the center.

What to see in Warsaw

My route involves walking around Warsaw, but for those who want to see much more than is available on foot, it is worth looking in the direction of the tourist bus for 15 €. The bus travels around all sights in 60 minutes.

If you have more time than 1 day or do not want to read boring guidebooks, then it is worth taking a look at with Russian-speaking guides.

Arrival to Warsaw was for lunch on the PlusBus bus from Bialystok, bought for 0.5 €. The road took about 3 hours, the time passed quickly, tk. the bus had WiFi and sockets for charging phones.

The bus stops in the center of Warsaw at the Palace of Culture, built during the Soviet era. Many will recognize a similar building in Moscow.

It won't be enough to just take a picture at the palace. I advise you to go around it. You will see a lot of interesting things, because the building is multifunctional. Below you can see photos of the Puppet Theater and several fountains near the palace. If you wish, you can go up to the observation deck in the palace itself and look at Warsaw from a great height.

Another beautiful fountain with a small park will meet you on the way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The park itself is called the Saxon Garden.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will not surprise people from the USSR, but this monument is special. It is dedicated to all the soldiers who have ever fought for Poland, in all the wars that history knows. The black plaques list the wars in which the Poles took part defending this land.

If you walk a little nearby, you can catch the changing of the guard. It looks very beautiful, no worse than, for example, the same changing of the guard in Prague, which crowds of tourists flock to, but there is practically no one here.

Old city

From the eerie monument we went to the Old Town. First of all, all tourists who come to the city come here. Below are a couple of photos from the Old City (Barbican, Little Mermaid and).

Having finished the inspection of the Old Town, we went down to the center of Warsaw. This is a historic pedestrian street. On the way we met such an original car.