Are you looking for a cool European city break destination and have already seen other popular places? Then you might want to take a closer look at Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. Delightful old town, a grim history, bizarre architecture mix, fascinating museums, tasty local food, many places to explore, and fairly cheap flights from many places in Europe… Doesn’t it sound appealing? It sure does! As Poles, we’ve already visited Warsaw a couple of times and today we’ll show you what to do during your Warsaw city break. Let’s go!
Interesting fact. Warsaw’s name in Polish is Warszawa. Among Poles, it’s often called Wawa (say it like ‘Vava’).
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Warsaw, Poland FAQ
Warsaw, the capital and largest city of the country, is located in east-central Poland on the Vistula River banks.
Two days in Warsaw are enough to see most of the main landmarks and get a good feel of what this city is all about. But if you want to experience Warsaw better, we recommend staying for 3-4 days.
Yes, Warsaw is an interesting place where you’ll immerse into history, where you’ll see how old is intertwined with new and beautiful with shabby. There you’ll find a bizarre mix of modern glass skyscrapers, concrete giants, and nice medieval-style squares. It offers a huge variety of activities for everyone.
Warsaw is a walkable city and most of the main attractions aren’t located too far from each other but to get to some places you’ll need to use public transport (bus/metro/tram). But don’t worry – the city is well-connected! Just use jakdojade.pl to quickly find connections you might need.
In our opinion, the best time to visit Warsaw is late spring or early autumn – the weather is warm and sunny, there are fewer crowds, and the prices are a bit lower. Summer months will be ok too, if you have nothing against bigger crowds. We advise against visiting Warsaw during the winter months as the quality of air is just terrible and you’ll be lucky to see a ray of sun.
Things to do during Warsaw city break
Warsaw Old Town
Warsaw Old Town is one of the prettiest areas of the city and home to many important landmarks. Here you can admire beautiful townhouses, take a photo with the famous Mermaid, explore the former residence of the Polish monarchs, and taste local cuisine in one of the restaurants or cafes. Exploring the old town is one of the most important things to do during Warsaw city break.
But Warsaw Old Town wasn’t always like this… It was destroyed during World War II almost completely, during the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944. Then over the next few years, it was meticulously reconstructed, making it finally a beautiful and vibrant place full of life. In 1980, Warsaw Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In Warsaw Old Town you’ll find points of interest like Castle Square, Royal Castle, St. Anne’s Church with observation deck, Warsaw Market Square with Mermaid sculpture, Barbican, or Royal Route. The area is best explored on foot.
Warsaw Tourist Office is located in Plac Zamkowy square just a few steps from Royal Castle.
If you want to learn even more about Warsaw and its history, you can also do it with this popular and well-rated guided tour, Warsaw Old Town Highlights Walking Tour in English.
St. Anne’s Church & observation deck
St. Anne’s Church (pl. Kościół św. Anny) is a church in the heart of Warsaw Old Town featuring a beautiful Neoclassical facade and rich interior. But the cherry on the cake is the spectacular panoramic view from the observation deck located at the top of the church bell tower. After climbing 150 steps, you’ll get nice views over Castle Square, the Vistula River, the Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw’s skyscrapers, and more. It’s a must stop in Warsaw for anyone who loves great views.
Entrance to the observation deck costs 15zł for a normal ticket and 10zł for a reduced one (November 2025). For current ticket prices and opening hours visit taraswidokowy.pl website.
Royal Route
Royal Route (pl. Trakt Królewski) is one of the most famous historic streets in Warsaw. It begins at Castle Square and leads directly to the Wilanów Palace. It’s about 10 kilometres long, but don’t worry, you don’t need to walk it all – the most interesting and important part is between Castle Square and the Charles de Gaulle Roundabout, including two streets: Krakowskie Przedmieście and Nowy Świat.
Along Krakowskie Przedmieście street you’ll find points of interest like the Presidential Palace, Hotel Bristol – a beautiful historic five-star luxury hotel, Holy Cross Church – famous for being home to the heart of Fryderyk Chopin, and iconic bronze statue of Nicolaus Copernicus. Here, you’ll quickly understand why walking along Royal Route is one of the best things to do in Warsaw.
Nowy Świat street is a picturesque and always full-of-life street lined with many restaurants, cafes, and small shops. It’s a perfect place to grab something to eat. This street ends at the Charles de Gaulle Roundabout that features… a huge palm tree made of steel!
St. John’s Archcathedral
In the street connecting Castle Square with Market Square, you’ll find St. John’s Archcathedral (pl. Archikatedra Warszawska) whose history dates back to the 14th century. During the Warsaw Uprising, the church was a battlefield, and Germans even managed to bring a tank loaded with explosives inside destroying a huge part of the building. After the fall of the uprising, the rest of the cathedral was blown up with TNT charges. Later it was reconstructed in Gothic style. Entrance to St. John’s Archcathedral is free during opening hours.
Old Town Market Square
Colorful and vibrant Warsaw’s Old Town Market Square (pl. Rynek Starego Miasta) is the prettiest part of the city. And it’s hard to believe that it’s no older than 70 years! Yes, like everything else in the area it was blown up by the German Army after the Warsaw Uprising and restored to its prewar appearance in the 1950s.
Today it features beautiful townhouses and in the middle, you’ll find a Mermaid statue – the symbol of Warsaw. The square is surrounded by numerous restaurants and cafes, and if lucky you’ll also come across some street performers. During your Warsaw city break, you definitely can’t miss exploring all the nooks and crooks of the Old Town Market Square. It’s such a delight!
Barbican & City Walls
Warsaw’s Barbican (pl. Barbakan) is a semicircular fortified outpost that was originally part of a series of walls and fortifications that once encircled Warsaw. It’s located between Old and New Towns and dates back to the 16th century. As you might expect, barbican and city walls were largely destroyed during WWII and reconstructed in the mid-20th century (at least partially). Nowadays, it’s one of the most iconic places in Warsaw.
Be sure to take a nice stroll along the walls, and on the walls too. Best place to admire Barbican and walls? From the outside, from the intersection of Podwale and Nowomiejska streets. Also, just a few steps away you’ll find a bronze sculpture of Little Insurgent (pl. Mały Powstaniec) that commemorates child soldiers of World War II.
Palace of Culture and Science
When most people think of Warsaw, the Palace of Culture and Science (pl. Pałac Kultury i Nauki) is usually the first landmark that comes to mind – and it’s easy to see why! This iconic building was built in the 1950s and has a total height of 237 metres (which makes it the second tallest building in Poland). Palace of Culture and Science was actually an unwanted gift from the Soviet Union, first known as Joseph Stalin’s Palace of Culture and Science, but it was changed in the wake of destalinization.
Today, the building houses a various cultural institution, including theatre, museums, cinema, congress hall. There’s also Warsaw Tourist Office and viewing terrace. Visiting Palace of Culture and Science is simply a must see during Warsaw city break.
The biggest highlight of the Palace of Culture and Science is undeniably the viewing terrace. It’s located on the 30th floor and is reached in only 19 seconds by an elevator. From there, you’ll enjoy breathtaking 360-degree views over all faces of Warsaw – a truly unforgettable experience that quickly became one of the most popular things to do in Warsaw.
Entrance to the viewing terrace of Palace of Culture and Science costs 28zł for a normal ticket and 23zł for a reduced one (November 2025). You can either buy a ticket online (which is recommended) or at the ticket office. For current prices, opening hours, and online tickets visit bilety.pkin.pl website.
Tip. The Palace of Culture and Science looks impressive not only during the day but also at night when it’s beautifully illuminated (just look at the first photo in the post!). So if you can, visit the area after dark too.
Warsaw Museums
During your city break in Warsaw, you’ll also have time to visit one or two of the city’s many great museums. The most important/interesting ones are Warsaw Uprising Museum, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and Museum of Life under Communism.
Warsaw Uprising Museum
Warsaw Uprising Museum (pl. Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego) tells the story of the uprising that started in August 1944 to drive Germans out of the town. Fighting was brutal but despite lesser manpower and guns resistance fighters were able to hold for almost 2 months. Unfortunately, the result was quite bad. Inside you’ll find many exhibits, artifacts, videos, and photographs detailing this tragic Warsaw’s battle for independence.
Entrance to the Warsaw Uprising Museum costs 35zł for a normal ticket, 30zł for a reduced one, and is free on Mondays (November 2025). For current prices, opening hours, and online tickets visit 1944.pl website. You’ll need about 2-3 hours to thoroughly explore this museum.
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
If you want to learn about the history of Polish Jews, direct your steps to the POLIN Museum, a modern museum with many interactive exhibits and various historical artifacts, covering over the 1000 years of Jewish history in Poland, from the Middle Ages until today.
Entrance to POLIN Museum costs 45zł for a normal ticket, 35zł for a reduced one, and is free on Thursdays (November 2025). For current prices, opening hours, and online tickets visit polin.pl website. You’ll need about 2-3 hours to thoroughly explore this museum.
Museum of Life under Communism
Museum of Life under Communism (pl. Muzeum Życia w PRL) will take you back in time to the communist era in Poland which lasted from 1944 to 1989. There you’ll discover why Poland fell under communism in the first place, and thanks to many relics, artifacts, and life stories you’ll discover how everyday life looked back then.
Entrance to the museum costs 30zł for a normal ticket and 20zł for a reduced one (November 2025). For current prices, opening hours, and online tickets visit mzprl.pl website. You’ll need about 1 hour to thoroughly explore this museum.
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Royal Łazienki Park
Royal Łazienki Park (pl. Łazienki Królewskie) is a big green space in Warsaw, a perfect place if you need to spend some relaxing time in nature and away from the crowds. It featured not only many walking paths but also some stunning buildings.
In Royal Łazienki Park you’ll find points of interest like the 18th century Palace on the Isle (pl. Pałac na Wyspie), ruins of Amphitheater, Ujazdów Castle housing contemporary art museum, Botanical Garden, Belweder Palace, New Orangery, Chinese Garden, or Chopin Monument. But that’s not all – just wander around and for sure you’ll discover even more amazing places.
During the warm months, more or less from mid-May to the end of September, Chopin concerts are held in the Royal Łazienki Park. Entrance is free. For the latest information visit the ‘news tab’ on lazienki-krolewskie.pl website. It would be such a memorable thing to do during Warsaw city break!
Food in Warsaw
Warsaw is a real heaven for food lovers. No matter what you like, you’ll find it in Warsaw! From typical Polish dishes to a wide choice of international cuisine. We’ve already tried several restaurants and none of them have disappointed us. But we recommend checking out some options and reviews earlier – to avoid falling into some tourist trap with bad food.
What places do we recommend? For breakfast/lunch, our number one is Bułkę przez Bibułkę, for typical Polish dishes for dinner head to GOŚCINIEC Polskie Pierogi, and if in need of coffee/tea/healthy juice and something sweet to eat choose Vita Cafe. All mentioned places can be found in several locations all across Warsaw.
Take advantage of a guided tour
If you don’t want to put too much effort into planning your time in Warsaw you can always take advantage of the guided tours and let someone else take care of all the details.
During your Warsaw city break, you can for example take part in this interesting Warsaw Old Town Highlights Walking Tour in English, or if you’re a foodie in this Cooking Class Of Making Polish Dumplings. If you love cars, you might want to explore the city in Retro Fiat!
For a wide selection of well-reviewed tour options be sure to visit GetYourGuide or Viator website.
How to get to Warsaw, Poland?
Warsaw is located about 290km from Krakow, 310km from Poznan, 340km from Gdansk, and 350km from Wroclaw. The most convenient way to get to Warsaw is by car, train, or bus.
Airports near Warsaw
There are two airports in Warsaw: Chopin Airport (only 10km from the city center) and Modlin Airport (40km from the city center). From each of them, you can get to city center by bus or train. You can also take a taxi or rent a car. To learn more about all possible transport options visit lotnisko-chopina.pl for Chopin Airport, and modlinairport.pl for Modlin Airport. You can also use rome2rio.com website.
Where to park in Warsaw?
If you choose to travel by car you need to know that it isn’t very easy to find a parking place for a car (especially a free one). Your best option is probably to find accommodation with parking space and then walk or travel by bus/tram/metro in Warsaw city center.
You can also leave a car in one of the underground parking lots, like Parking Warsaw Spire or Interparking Piękna, or try to find a place along the streets and pay by parking meter or via app.
To Warsaw by train
You can easily get to Warsaw by train, as Poland is quite well connected by trains. For example, a trip from Krakow will take about 2.5 hours, less than 3 hours from Gdansk, and about 4.5 hours from Wrocław. To learn more about connections that might interest you visit rozklad-pkp.pl or rome2rio.com website.
To Warsaw by bus
You can also easily get to Warsaw by bus, especially from other big Polish cities. For example, the trip from Gdansk will take around 5 hours, 4 hours from Krakow, and 5 hours from Wroclaw. To learn more about bus connections that might interest you visit rome2rio.com or Flixbus website.
Warsaw City Break – Summing up
As you can see now, Warsaw is a very interesting Polish city. perfect for a short weekend city break. And now, with our travel guide, you’re ready to explore Warsaw in the best possible way. An exciting journey through history, culture, architecture, nature, and food is at your fingertips! We have presented the most important landmarks that can be seen in just a few hours. Enjoy your time in Warsaw!
Pss. Do you have more time to spare or are already planning your second trip to Warsaw? Awesome! Be sure to check out our other post with all the amazing things to do in Warsaw!
Our video from Warsaw
Our opinion about Warsaw
Among Polish people, Warsaw is probably the most hated big city, and you won’t hear many flattering opinions about it (obviously, apart from the people living there). The city is more of a travel destination for foreigners than locals – not many Poles will go there of their own free will in their free time.
As for us, over the years we visited Warsaw a few times, first during school trips and later only on some business trips. And to be honest, we’ve also never really liked this city. Don’t get us wrong – it’s not bad, but for us it’s just not that interesting or beautiful like other places in Poland.
What do we like about Warsaw? The first thing that comes to mind is an amazing food scene. We also appreciate the large green spaces, and its charming old town. Warsaw is also a great place to learn an important history lesson. What do we dislike? We don’t like the concrete jungle and pompous and unpleasant people. Many homeless and drunk people in the center are quite overwhelming too.
Restaurants, accommodations, and map
Check out various recommended places below.
Where to eat in Warsaw?
Here are your best, high-rated options in Warsaw:
