1 day in Warsaw - My tour

Prior to flying out to Egypt, I had the chance to spend 1 day walking around Warsaw, the often underrated capital city of my beloved Polska. So this post is for anybody who is new to Warsaw or finds themselves unexpectedly in said city with a few hours to spare and wants to see some interesting stuff.

The DYSP Tour of Warsaw...

Icon of Warsaw: The palace of Culture and Science

1.Warsawa Centralna: Start off by grabbing a quick beer in the underground maze of shops, bars and coffeeshops at the train station. If you have a lot of cash to burn you can go to the huge shopping centre next door and when you're poor again you can head outside and take in a good look of the Pałac Kultury i Nauki: the symbol of Warsaw and a gift from Uncle Stalin... for free.

2. Head North to Ul. Prózna: This street has been left more or less exactly the same as it was in WWII. Fresh with shrapnel scars etc... interesting and eerie.

3. Head North East to Plac. Piłsudskiego: Here you can see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier which appears to be constantly guarded and nearby is the University and Ogród Saski, which is a good place to drink a takeaway coffee early in the morning.


4. Head North along Krakowskie Przedmieście: Along this route you can see the beautiful Hotel Bristol and the slightly boring Presidential Palace.


5. Continue North into the Old town: This is the more touristy part of Warsaw. Good place to buy souvenirs and see some of the medieval architecture.

Ciekawy...no?...

6. Head East along Most Śląsko past the Zoo. Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene - cathedral of Polish Orthodox Church in Warsaw built in second half of XIX century: For me this is the best thing in Warsaw. The church looks exactly like orthodox churches I associate with Russia and is genuinely a beautiful sight to behold. Also the area you are now in is called Praga, where you can visit the Zoo and take a cheap dinner in the shopping centre opposite the church.


7. Catch the tram south to Park Łazienkowski: This is the part of the journey most suitable for couples looking to indulge in a bit of romance. You can take a walk through the park and take a look at the squirrels (everyone loves squirrels) and I remember peacocks in the park and a floating palace but more importantly, a good place to buy waffles. Close by is the British Embassy and also in the park is a quite interesting Chopin monument. 

8. Take a slow walk North back to Warsawa Centralna: Along the way north from the park I remember seeing a 'genuine' British fish and chip shop which might interest the Brits but for others I also remember a place where you can buy a beer for 5pln... keep your eyes open.


9. Arrive at Warsaw train station i.e. Warsawa Centralna.

So, that's it, my tour. I'm not saying that everything to see in Warsaw is here or that my route is good/optimal/interesting in anyway, but it was to route I took.

I'm also welcome to any other suggestions or amendments people might want to suggest.

Generally, people I have spoken to don't like Warsaw because it's a cold place full of unfriendly people and it's style is some crazy mix of the old and the new. Well, In my opinion all capital cities fall into these traps but Warsaw has something else, notably interesting churches, communist towers and cheap beer! enjoy!

p.s. some other good links for sightseeing in Warsaw:
Things to do in Warsaw
PZU Warsaw posts
Tours in Warsaw
Video guide to Warsaw
Młochów