"weekends in Warsaw" Warsaw by brendareed

Warsaw Travel Guide: 2,968 reviews and 7,170 photos

day one in Warsaw

Three days in Warsaw and so much to see! Having arrived the previous evening, I got an early start. Map and camera in hand, I started my walking tour. I had been given bus tickets, but opted to stay on foot to experience the city on a personal level and to be able to take photos as I went along. And the weather was perfect – clear, sunny, and warm!

I was staying at the Sheraton so I began by heading north on Al. Ujazdowskie towards the Old Town. The roads and sidewalks were bustling with commuters on their way to work. Crossing over Al. Jerozolimskie, I headed down Nowy Swiat, a street lined with shops and restaurants. In these early hours, the restaurants were just starting to open; hosts were setting up their outside chairs and tables.

Having done my research, I had a good idea of the highlights of my walk and was looking out for them. First on my path would be the Nicolaus Copernicus statue. I thought it would be just a quick snap of the camera and move on. What I didn’t realize was that it would captivate me. After taking some photos of the statue, I happened to look down as something caught my eye – what was that? It was the Sun! The base of the statue – actually the entire platform and sidewalk was a model of the solar system. Amazing.

A couple stops later (churches, statues), I entered the Old Town. While the commuters were busy on the streets, the Old Town seemed to just be waking up – it was empty; no tourist buses full of people, no crowds. As I wandered around the Old Town, I enjoyed being just about the only one around. I visited the mermaid, the church, and walked along the wall. Continuing out of the Old Town through the Barbican gate, I looked for Marie Curie’s birthplace on Ulica Freta. Quick photo and I moved on.

I knew this next part would involved some walking – but I wanted to see the many memorials to the Ghetto and Warsaw Uprising. So I walked along Konwiktorska to Stawki towards the Umschlagplatz Monument. From there I followed the stones on the Path of Jewish Remembrance to the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto. They are building a new museum next to this monument (mental note to return in a couple years!).

By now it was around noon so I needed to pick up my pace since I still had many things to see. But, I was now heading south towards my hotel. I walked through one of the many parks in the city, the Ogrod Krasinskich. It would seem this park is dedicated to mothers with babies! Just about every park bench was a mother and her child – one was playing with her baby, another was holding her napping child, yet another was reading a book while rocking the stroller back and forth. As I passed Krasinski Palace (now part of the national library), I came out onto a main road and found the Monument to the Warsaw Uprising. I took my time at this memorial, soaking in the history and viewing the many photos that were on a temporary display. English and other languages told the story of the uprising.

Moving on, I wandered down through several streets on my way to the Saxon Gardens and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The history of the nation was apparent in the list of wars and battles fought that made up the sides of the structure surrounding the tomb. The two soldiers stood so still, changing positions formally about every 15 minutes. A flame burned in remembrance.

Day one of my journey in Warsaw was coming to an end. Back to the hotel, dinner, and relax as I prepared my itinerary for the next day.

day two in Warsaw

Chopin Monument in Lazienski Park

Well, the weather wasn’t as nice on day two as it rained. But that didn’t stop me from getting out. Today I would be staying a little closer to the hotel and visiting the nearby parks. So I headed south on Al. Ujazdowskie towards Lazienski Park. I wanted to see the Chopin Monument.

But before I got to my destination, I passed another park on my left. After walking past the entire park, I stopped and went into the far side entrance of Ujazdowski Park and walked through this beautiful park with paths and bridges, streams and ponds. The smell of freshly cut grass was in the air as the workers mowed (yes, even in the rain). Men sat on benches chatting to each other or reading the paper (fortunately the benches were under trees that created umbrellas from the rain).

A little more walking and I made it to the Chopin monument, in honor of the famous composer. In the monument, Chopin gets inspiration while sitting next to a tree overlooking a small pond. Had the weather been sunny, I would’ve liked to get a photo of Chopin’s reflection in the water. But, alas, it was not meant to be. On Sunday afternoons, there are concerts at the monument, so there are many benches and seats around. I chose one that was under some trees and sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. Beside me was a small bust statue of Franz Liszt – I guess he wasn’t as popular as Chopin and only got the small notice.

Then I headed down the hill into Lazienki Park, where I visited the many buildings in the park. I spent some time at the Palace on the Water and walked around the amphitheatre. I didn’t get into the Palace that day since it was “free admission day” and the school groups were lining up. But I was fine with walking around the outside. Peacocks and ducks walking around called out to me and my camera!

As I walked back towards the hotel, I passed the Parliament building, the Monument to the Home Army, and many embassies. I stopped at the local market and picked up some lunch before settling in for some reading in the afternoon of this raining day.

day three in Warsaw

Detail of the Warsaw Uprising Monument

Oh, I leave tomorrow morning to head back home. I have one day left in Warsaw. The weather has cleared up so I set out to soak in some more history. My goal today is the Warsaw Uprising Museum. I know it will be quite a walk for me from my hotel, but I am up to the challenge and hoping to see other parts of the city.

I walk towards the train station , partly because I need to find out how long it will take me to get there in the morning to catch my train home. Beside the train station is the Palace of Culture and Science – a massive building that caught my eye the first day as I stepped out of the station for the first time.

Continuing on, I walked through the non-tourist parts of town. These parts were worn and tired looking, not so crowded with commuters, but everyday people doing what they do – sweeping, shopping, walking the dog. In review, I’m not even sure what streets I walked along – I just knew I needed to head west and kept heading that way. After nearly two hours, I found the museum.

This is a newer museum that is dedicated to telling the story of the Uprising, when in 1944 the people fought for their independence and died. A moving experience, I stayed several hours reading as much as I could (thankfully the signs were in Polish and English). I watched a 3D film on what Warsaw looked like at the end of the destruction – impressive and touching. I could see places that I had visited during my stay and now could understand how much these people have been through – not just the destruction, but the years of rebuilding they endured.

Time to head back – walking back on different streets, but the views were the same. I passed the train station and the Palace of Culture and Science and knew I was nearly “home”.

Back at the hotel, I packed up for my journey home before I headed out for the evening.

I like Warsaw – I like the people, I like the town, I appreciate its history. I hope to return again.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Clean, safe, interesting city with lots of history
Cons:Crowded near city center and train station (but that is like most big cities)
In a nutshell:Go for the history, stay for the people!

Last visit to Warsaw: Sep 2011
Intro Updated Dec 19, 2011
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (25)

Barbican Gate from the New Town - Warsaw

Barbican Gate and City Walls Things to Do (20)

Around the Old Town remain parts of the old city walls of Warsaw – built between the 14th and 16th centuries. Not only... more travel advice

gingerbread cat Christmas ornament - Warsaw

Gingerbread Christmas ornaments Shopping (1)

As I was browsing along in Old Town, I was fascinated by the Christmas ornaments made from gingerbread. They are cut... more travel advice

Ujazdów Park Things to Do (20)

I actually walked past this garden on my way the Chopin Monument and almost completely disregarded it! That would have... more travel advice

tactile map for visually impaired of Old... Things to Do (20)

I've seen many of these tactile maps in my travels throughout Europe and think they are just wonderful! The... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
Wonderfully central location!
Been to Warsaw?
Share your travels with the world!

Comments (8)

- Report abuse
ettiewyn Sep 8, 2012 at 1:31 AM

Hi Brenda, another fantastic page of yours! Warsaw looks like a very interesting city! The memorials are so moving, each one of them so unique and telling us about a different part of history... I also like the parks, and the old town just looks fantastic!
- Report abuse
  brendareed Sep 8, 2012 at 11:00 PM
  
  Hi Mirjam~ I really have great memories of my three days in Warsaw - it is such a wonderful place and I enjoyed being able to squeeze so much into my short time there. Tom was there on business so I pretty much had the days to myself to explore (then I played tour guide for him in quick overviews each evening!). I do hope to get back to Poland again and explore some more. Thanks for visiting Warsaw virtually with me :-) ~Brenda
Reply
- Report abuse
toonsarah Jul 7, 2012 at 12:47 PM

Great page Brenda. I am hoping that Newcastle might draw Warsaw in the Europa League as that will give us a reason to go, and I would love to see more of Poland. If we do, I will come back and reread all your tips :-)
Meanwhile I enjoyed my virtual visit a lot, especially the Copernicus statue and surrounding solar system (what a great idea!), the various memorials (very moving, some of them) and the Old Town Square. The Uprising Museum sounds especially interesting, and you convey a great sense of the history of the city throughout your writings. Oh, and how nice that you met Mr Tumnus!
Reply
- Report abuse
TheWanderingCamel May 10, 2012 at 7:04 AM

Interesting to see Warsaw today. I visited the city in 1970, when it was a very different place indeed. Faded memories now, still a few familiar things but so much that is new. Will I ever get back there? Would like to think so. Walking is such a great way to see a city. Cheers - leyle.
Reply
- Report abuse
CatherineReichardt Dec 19, 2011 at 3:43 AM

Hi Brenda
Love the gingerbread Christmas ornament, but then I have a passion for the uber kitsch! It makes me smile because I have spent the last couple of weeks baking innumerable Christmas biscuits for school events/celebrations and for the kids and their friends to decorate - clearly I need to investigate this resinous seal so that I can save myself repeat effort in future years! ;)
Regards
Cathy
Reply
- Report abuse
hunterV Dec 2, 2011 at 8:37 AM

Hi, Brenda! Thanks for your interesting story!~
Reply
- Report abuse
yumyum Oct 31, 2011 at 3:09 AM

Warsaw is indeed a great city to walk around in! Well done :-)
Reply
- Report abuse
HORSCHECK Oct 31, 2011 at 2:57 AM

Lovely little page with outstanding photos here. Warsaw is among my favourite cities in Poland. Keep up the good work.
Reply
- Report abuse
ZiOOlek Oct 26, 2011 at 1:50 AM

Nice to hear that you enjoyed the city and your trip.:) Great start with your page.:)