Warsaw Off The Beaten Path Tips by evaanna Top 5 Page for this destination

Botanical Gardens Gardens Review

Warsaw has two botanical gardens: the older one, which belongs to the university, situated in Aleje Ujazdowskie next to the Lazienki Park and a very recently set up garden belonging to the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and situated in Powsin. I have not been to the university one for a long time even though I could see the characteristic dome of its astronomical observatory nearly every day on my way to work. We live not too far from the other one though and yesterday, when we finally took a long walk there, I couldn't help wondering why we had not done that sooner. The gardens are beautifully landscaped and must look really lovely in the spring but even in early August they made a faerie of colours and shapes that only nature can invent. Here and there you could also see sculptures, esp. in the greenhouses where the plants of southern Asia and the Pacific surrounded sculptures of Indonesian gods and goddesses. The place is charming on weekdays when the crowds are not there, but, if you want peace and quiet, you may be disappointed as all the lawn mowers seem to be in action then. Even so, you can always find a secluded alley and sit down on one of the numerous benches to have a rest or read a book. The gardens are still being developed so I'd rather not describe them in full. One of the parts that we found interesting was set up as a garden on a rocky mountainside, displaying the flora of the Polish Tatra and other mountains. There is a cafeteria near the garden gate but it probably opens only at the weekends.
Admission: weekdays: 6 PLN, concessions - 4 PLN; weekends - 8 PLN, concessions - 4 PLN

Address: 2, Prawdziwka St

To get there, take bus 139 from Wilanowska Undeground Station or from Wilanów

Phone: 22 648 38 56

The only mosque in Warsaw Churches Review

There are not many Muslims in Poland so the mosque in Warsaw is one of only four mosques in our country. It was adapted in 1993 from a villa so, while the facade is characteristic of this kind of building, there is just an ordinary house behind it. I haven't been inside so cannot say anything about the interior. It lacks a minaret so there is no muezzin calling the faithful to prayers but prayers are held there every Friday at noon.
The building also houses the offices of the Muslim Community and of some Muslim cultural institutions.
Address: 103, Wiertnicza St. (not far from Wilanow)

Phone: 022 842 91 74, 022 8856276

Great for a romantic walk! Gardens Review

Sightseeing in Krakowskie Przedmiescie, you may not even suspect the existence of this romantic walk just a few paces away. It's worth your while turning at the Bristol Hotel and taking a walk down Karowa Street. You will soon come to a hundred-year-old viaduct specially built in the past for carts transporting the city sewage down to the river. Though constructed for purely practical purposes, the viaduct is very ornate with sculptures by Stefan Szyller and Jan Woydyga and beautiful art deco candelabra all along it and affords a lovely view over the area of Warsaw known as Powisle, i.e. a district by the river. The viaduct was recently closed for restoration so I couldn't take a proper picture. If you have time to spare, go down and stroll in the lovely park below the escarpment. Years ago, when the trees were not so tall, it was a place where you could admire the Kazimierzowski Palace high up above them. You can go back as you came or walk to the right and return to the Royal Route climbing the steep Obozna St. On your right you will pass the university buildings. This is the main university campus, well-worth visiting. You can enter it through the gate in Obozna St., walk around and, leaving by the main gate, get back to Krakowskie Przedmiescie. For more information on the university see my Things to Do tip.

Oasis of tranquillity in the city centre Gardens Review

When you have had enough of the hubbub of Warsaw and crave for a moment of peace, you can find it even in the city centre. Just a stone's throw from the busy Nowy Swiat and Plac Trzech Krzyzy, you have this little park going down the encarpment. To reach it, walk down Ksiazeca St till you come to a pond, with a rotunda and a spring trickling from a spout there. There used to be ducks on the pond but I haven't seen them this year. I wouldn't be surprised if they migrated to a quieter place, like Mazury. I would if I were them. For, quiet as this place may seem, there is a lot of traffic in the street behind me as I take this photo.
P.S. The ducks are there again: a whole family with five or six young ones. I saw them yesterday on my way back from work.

Las Kabacki - the Warsaw forest Kabaty Forest Review

Believe it or not, the Kabacki forest is part of Warsaw. More and more enclosed by the modern housing estates, it has been, however, changing for the worse. A few years ago you could still encounter wild animals there: deer, hares and you could hear frogs in the small pond. Now that the foresters have cut down a lot of trees, and, what is even worse, got rid of the shrubs, the animals have moved elsewhere, having nowhere to hide. Also, the crowds of people, trampling the forest at weekends have contributed to its gradual degradation. Yet, it still remains an oasis of peace on week days and a cyclists' paradise.
For more winter pictures of the forest see my travelogue.