Warsaw holidays

You might not expect to find mermaids on holidays to Warsaw, but if you look closely you’ll see them everywhere. The Old Town is the best area for mermaid hunting – they pop up on buildings, lamp posts and signs. Tick these city icons off your sightseeing list in the Old Town Square and beside the Swietokrzyski Bridge.

Colourful tenement buildings and traditional restaurants line the narrow streets of Warsaw’s atmospheric Old Town. The Market Place is the prettiest square in the capital and a great spot to kick off a city break to Warsaw. Learn about the rebuilding of the Old Town after World War II at the Heritage Interpretation Centre. This is also where you start the Old Town Cellars Route to discover the city’s medieval underworld. 

For classical music fans, holidays to Warsaw aren’t complete without a bit of Chopin. The renowned 19th-century composer lived here during his youth. See one of his pianos and listen to live performances of his music in the Fryderyk Chopin Museum. For a more intimate experience, book tickets for a recital in the beautiful Fryderyk Concert Hall.

The central Srodmiescie district is where to stay in Warsaw for monuments and museums. Here, you’ll have highlights like the Royal Castle and Warsaw Barbican to explore. The hotels are luxurious and the restaurants on Nowy Swiat are some of the city’s finest. For something romantic, head to Agrykola Street at dusk to stroll beneath the light of historic gas lamps.

Good for: Monuments, restaurants, luxury hotels

Past and present meet with surprising style in Wola, the best area to stay in Warsaw if you want to be in the city’s business hub. Skyscrapers tower over historic tenement buildings, with heaps of old-world charm waiting for you in the back streets. Don’t miss the Warsaw Uprising Museum to learn about Polish resistance during World War II and look for the steampunk-style murals on Zelazna 22.

Good for: Street art, museums, skyscrapers

Leave the touristy centre behind and choose leafy Mokotow as your base. It’s known for its green spaces, such as Pole Mokotowskie Park, so get ready for lots of walks and picnics. This is a hip residential district, with independent restaurants and shops loved by locals. It’s peaceful and fashionable, which makes it a top area to stay in Warsaw. 

Good for: Parks, restaurants, shopping

Travelling with the whole tribe? There’s a heap of engaging things to do with family in Warsaw. Let your young ones run wild at Warsaw Zoo and check out the cannons and tanks at the Polish Army Museum. Imaginations will go into overdrive with high-voltage robot shows and live experiments in the Copernicus Science Centre. 

Shopping in Warsaw is a local pastime, so you’ll be in good company browsing the stores. Pick up something original in the trendy design shops on Mokotowska Street or rummage for antiques at the weekend Kolo Flea Market. If you’re after designer fashion at discounted prices, the outlet stores at Factory Annopol are a good choice.

Get to know the city better by checking out the museums in Warsaw. Admire Polish masterpieces at the National Museum and see Cold War-era signs at the Neon Museum. Learn about a Nobel Prize-winning scientist at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Museum, housed in her birthplace. Save money on museums and skip lines with the Warsaw Pass.

When it comes to nightlife, this old city is young at heart. The boulevards along the Vistula River are packed with some of the trendiest bars in Warsaw – come in summer for live music and outdoor partying. More intimate gigs are staged in the old Praga district, often in atmospheric tenement settings.

Satisfy cravings for local cuisine by tucking into meaty dumplings and craft beer in the Old Town and on Nowy Swiat Street. You’re not a true Varsovian until you’ve tried herrings with vodka chasers. Vegans are well catered for too, with many of the restaurants in Warsaw offering plant-based versions of Polish classics.

There are plenty of free things to do in Warsaw if you know where to look. On certain days of the week there’s no charge to enter several museums, including the popular POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. For a cooling diversion, check out the free Multimedia Fountain Park or enjoy a beach picnic on the banks of the Vistula.