By air
Warsaw Chopin (WAW), ~10 km
Europe · Poland
Warsaw, Poland
A rebuilt old town and a modern capital
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to September — summer
Don't miss
The Old Town
The Royal Castle
Łazienki Park
The Palace of Culture and Science
Things to do
The Old Town
The Warsaw Uprising Museum
Chopin concerts in Łazienki Park
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The street art of the Praga district
Questions travellers ask
When is Warsaw at its best?
Come in summer, between May and September, with layers in your bag.
What's worth seeing in Warsaw?
The rebuilt Old Town, the Royal Castle, Łazienki Park and the Palace of Culture and Science. Add the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
Can I hear Chopin in Warsaw?
Yes — there are Chopin concerts in Łazienki Park. You can even fly into Warsaw Chopin (WAW), about 10 km out.
What and where should I eat in Warsaw?
Pierogi at the milk bars. Then walk it off among the street art of the Praga district.
About Warsaw
- Riverside
Where it is
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland, on the Vistula river in the east-central part of the country, in the historic region of Masovia.
History
Warsaw grew as a seat of the Dukes of Masovia and became the capital of the Polish Crown in 1596, when King Sigismund III Vasa moved his court here from Kraków. During the Second World War about 85 per cent of the city was destroyed, including the Old Town and the Royal Castle, and both were painstakingly rebuilt in the following decades.
People
Warsaw's people speak Polish, and the city is Poland's main business and university centre, drawing people from across the country. Chopin, who grew up here, is honoured in summer with piano recitals by his statue in Łazienki Park, and milk bars still serve home-style Polish dishes.
Known for
- The rebuilt Old Town and Royal Castle
- Łazienki Park and its summer Chopin concerts
- The Warsaw Uprising Museum
- The Palace of Culture and Science
- The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Did you know?
The Old Town was rebuilt so faithfully after the war, partly using 18th-century paintings of the city by Bernardo Bellotto, that it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.