"Warszawa - Risen from ashes" Warsaw by HORSCHECK

Warsaw Travel Guide: 2,957 reviews and 7,158 photos

Palac Kultury i Nauki (PkiN) by night - Warsaw

I have visited Warsaw twice; the first time in December 2004 which was actually my first visit of Poland. The second stop was in May 2010 on the way to the 6th VT Euromeeting in Krakow.

The Polish capital is located at the Vistula River (Wisla) and has about 1.7 Mio. inhabitants

By the end of World War II more than 80 % of Warsaw was destroyed by the Nazis, therefore many monuments all around the city remind of the war. Most tourist sights, including the completely rebuilt Old Town, are located on the left bank of the river.

The eastern suburb Praga with its tower blocks from the Soviet-era is a good contrast to the touristy delights of the Old Town. Both bullet scarred walls and ruins from WWII can be found here even today.

An Orthodox Church and a large Russian Market with all sorts of dubious characters gives the area its special eastern atmosphere.

"The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway."
--- Henry Boye ---

Pros and Cons

Pros:Amazing mixture of postmodern and communist architecture.
Cons:It gets dark quite early in winter.
In a nutshell:Risen from the ashes to a bustling city.

Last visit to Warsaw: May 2010
Intro Updated Apr 13, 2012
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Reviews (36)

Rough Guide to Poland What to Pack (3)

On my second visit to Warsaw, which was already my 6th visit of Poland, I felt the need to buy a good guide book, as... more travel advice

Novotel Warszawa Centrum Hotels (2)

On my second trip to Warsaw in May 2010, we chose to stay in the Novotel Warszawa Centrum, due to its excellent central... more travel advice

Public toilets Local Customs (3)

It is customary in Poland that ladies toilets show a circle or the words "dla pan", whereas gents toilets show a... more travel advice

The Royal Castle Things to Do (10)

The construction of the Royal Castle dates back to the 17th and 18th century. During WWII the castle was mined and... more travel advice

Favorites (4)
See All Squares
Nightlife (2)
See All Morgan's
Shopping (1)
Shopping
Transportation (5)
See All Explore Warsaw by bus

Comments (54)

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mickeyboy07 Apr 7, 2013 at 5:05 AM

nice pages often wanted to visit Poland and this gives me a taste
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bugulma Apr 11, 2012 at 11:17 AM

looks like very interesting city. I hope to visit one day
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Redang Jul 5, 2011 at 1:30 AM

Great! (to be continued though)
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micas_pt Mar 15, 2011 at 4:54 AM

I enjoyed Warsaw a lot, such a nice city. And top of the top, we got some snow flakes which is a rare thing for us to see! :)
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Raimix Feb 16, 2011 at 12:35 PM

Long time haven't seen this page, most of new tips are here, nice ones:) Actually I am thinking to visit Warsaw in March, just before other holidays in May. Now it is simply one of options for 2-3 days.
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mallyak Nov 15, 2010 at 1:47 PM

After visiting your pages ,I can see our 2 days was not enough to see Warsaw!The Rail Museum was gem though -if you ever have a chance to visit this preety city again.
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Aitana Nov 14, 2010 at 1:59 PM

Hi Holger, thanks for visiting my Warsaw page. You built a great page. I love your main picture with the tower of the Culture palace.
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Nemorino Oct 13, 2010 at 12:55 PM

Hi Holger, you've done some more updates here, in addition to the new accommodation tip and the new packing tip on the Rough Guide. Good work!
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toonsarah Oct 23, 2009 at 11:34 AM

A very interesting page Holger. You seem to have seen all sorts of different aspects to the city. Polish karaoke in an Irish pub is quite a mix of cultures ;-)
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Delia_Madalina Sep 3, 2009 at 10:09 PM

I came, I saw :) And the architects of both buildings were inspired by a University in Russia that is their "great" sister. So now we have to go to Moscow as well! :D