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Since moving to the UK, I’ve made lots of Polish friends who are always telling me how beautiful Poland is and encouraging me to experience it for myself. With Easter coming up, I was looking online for cheap flights and spotted some into Warsaw and out of Krakow, so I took this as a sign it was finally time to visit.
I studied history at school but growing up in the relatively ‘new’ country of New Zealand, I never got to go on any historical school trips since Europe is so far away. Now, as an adult living in Europe, I enjoy taking the opportunity to finally see things with my own eyes. Visiting Poland gave me the opportunity to learn more about their Soviet occupation and the Nazi Holocaust.
As my flight into Warsaw was on a budget airline, it landed in Modlin airport which is further out than main city airport, Chopin. However, there is a regular airport shuttle bus that takes you directly into Warsaw in about 40 minutes, and as the flights were very cheap, this didn’t seem much of an inconvenience. (I’ve added further instructions on airport transport from both Modlin and Chopin in my ‘Practical Tips for Warsaw’ section at the end of this post).
Our flight arrived late in the evening so we got up early the next morning to enjoy our one day in Warsaw. As it was Easter and supposedly spring, we were very surprised to wake up to a blanket of snow. Although it looked very pretty looking out from our warm apartment, once we got outside we were disappointed to find a very cold, wet, windy snow blowing into our faces. Unfortunately, at the last minute I had made the rather poor decision to remove my wool thermal leggings from my bag, so I had to make an emergency stop at H&M to buy myself some thick tights, which I put under my trousers in the changing rooms! Thankfully I had my warm down jacket with me.
First up we headed to the train station to purchase our tickets for our train ride to Krakow the following day. As it was Easter, I knew it would be busy and we were concerned about getting seats at the time we wanted (I’ve added detailed instructions about how to purchase train tickets from Warsaw to Krakow in my ‘Practical Tips for Warsaw’ section at the end of this post).
We walked down the Royal Way from Castle Square, this historical route follows ulica Krakowskie Przedmeście and ulica Nowy Świat to Al Jerozolimskie. Sadly, our walk was not the relaxing stroll I had imagined, as the cold sleet was driving into our faces, and made it rather difficult to take photos, so I apologise that the photos aren’t great in this post. It was a struggle because as soon as I exposed the lens it would be covered in sleet, even though my husband was trying to protect me with two umbrellas. As soon as I took my gloves off to take a photo, my hands would be numb within seconds, so all the photos were taken one handed and were very quick snaps.
However, this is a wonderful walk and despite the bad weather we enjoyed ourselves. En route, we saw many statues and beautiful buildings. There’s the Presidential Palace, the ornate gates of the University of Warsaw, and several churches such as the Church of the Holy Cross, where there is a statue of Jesus hauling a giant cross up the stairs at the front. This is also where the ashes of the legendary musician Chopin are kept.
Unfortunately, the weather did dictate our activities somewhat. We had planned to head up the to the viewing platform at the Palace of Culture and Science building which is directly outside the train station. However, due to the weather it was rather pointless, as we would only have seen the heavy, snowy cloud fog that had enveloped the city. However, we did stop to admire this building as it is impressive, you can’t miss it at 231cm high. It was apparently a “gift” from the Soviet Union in the early 1950’s. You can buy tickets that take you up the elevator to a viewing platform on the 30th floor. Apparently it can get really busy here, so buy tickets online that allow you to skip the line.
After buying our train tickets to Krakow for the next day, we jumped on the metro to visit the war memorial, Umschlagplatz. This is where the Nazi’s set up their holding area adjacent to a railway station. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were rounded up from the ghetto’s and loaded onto freight cars to be sent to their deaths at the extermination camps. The monument symbolises an open freight car and displays a plaque “Along this path of suffering and death over 300,000 Jews were driven in 1942-1943 from the Warsaw Ghetto to the gas chambers of the Nazi extermination camps”. It also lists 400 of the most popular Jewish-Polish first names.
A short walk away is the POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews. Usually there is an entry fee, but we were lucky enough to visit on their free open day (check their website for more details as their weekly free day can vary depending on the time of year). There is a lot to see at this museum, so put aside at least a couple of hours. The museum begins with the first Jewish people who arrived in Poland dating over 1000 years ago. Their story is interweaved with Poland’s history and you are taken on a journey all the way up until modern day.
The most moving part for me was the period just before the holocaust, particularly the photos of everyday life such as the young men and women in the local cycle club, people out dining, having fun in clubs, and enjoying summer days. Everyone looked so carefree. It must have been unfathomable what was to come.
The exhibition is sensitively done, but at the same time doesn’t shy away from the horrific acts that occurred. For example, there are explicit photos of people being executed, and of the suffering that occurred in the Ghetto’s. It also tells of the Polish underground resistance, led by the Home Army, attempts to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. This museum really does take you on a journey and helps you gain some insight into what happened.
After a lunch break, we headed on to visit the Barbican, the second largest fortress in Poland (the largest is in Krakòw) with its distinctive red bricks. It was built in 1540 and used to completely encircle the city, but after being partially damaged in the war, it’s now more of a semi-circle, with the main entrance on ulica Nowomiejska. You can see where the moat used to run around the walls too.
We headed on to visit the Royal Castle. There is an entry fee for the castle but check their website for their free days. It’s not particularly obvious from the outside that the building is a castle, as it’s not particularly grand. This former residence of the Polish monarchs was actually destroyed during World War 2, and the castle that stands here today is a complete replica of the original. It is used as a museum, containing artwork and furniture. For those of you that have visited other, more fairy tale style European castles, this one may not compare. However, I personally love visiting castles and palaces, so I enjoyed our visit.
Thankfully by now the weather had improved, so we spent some time exploring the Old Town (Stare Miasto), which was destroyed during the Second World War. The rebuilding of this historic area began in 1949 and was in keeping with the historical styles. Wondering around, it is hard to believe that this is a re-creation, the buildings are beautiful.
The Old Town Market Square (Rynek Stare Maisto) is a central hub of markets, cafes and souvenir shops. Whilst in the square we came across the Warsaw museum, which was also offering free tickets (check their website for their free days). It began with an interesting history of the rebuilding of Warsaw and had a range of exhibitions on offer including artwork and historical artefacts found in Warsaw. The building goes up about five stories and at the very top there was a viewing platform that offered views of the market square and Old Town.
If you are keen to get more views of the Old Town, then head to St Anne’s Church (fees apply). Climb the staircase to the viewing platform at the top of the church where you will be rewarded with panoramas of the city and Old Town
By now, we were in desperate need of refreshments, so we stopped off to enjoy a hot drink and cake to restore our energy. The Polish have a sweet tooth, so they make amazing cakes and donuts. The hot chocolate served in Poland is also delicious. Everywhere we went, it was that lovely thick chocolate pudding style hot chocolate, similar to what the Italians serve.
We ended our day in Warsaw at a Chopin solo piano performance. The famous composer Frédéric Chopin was born in Poland. Although he died in Paris, at his request his heart was taken back to Warsaw where it rests at the Church of the Holy Cross. We purchased tickets for the performance from Time for Chopin in the Old Town Square (Plac Zamkowy 8, Warsaw 00-277). There is also a person selling the tickets in the main square. Our pianist was the very talented Katarzyna Hushta, see a preview in the video below. It was an amazing performance. During the intermission we were treated to a glass of traditional Polish mead and an opportunity to view the photo exhibition on display. As the space was quite small, I would recommend booking in advance, as it was at capacity when we attended.
Accommodation Options in Warsaw
The most popular (and affordable!) form of accommodation in Warsaw is apartments. Which personally I prefer over hotels as they much more comfortable and you can also prepare your own food which can really help maintain your budget.
Search available accommodation in Warsaw
Budget
- Apartament Rycerska Stary Rynek Warszawa Rycerska – we stayed here
- Old Town Kanonia Hostel & Apartments
- Chic Apartments I
Moderate
Luxury
Practical Tips for Visiting Warsaw
- Using credit cards: Poland is very tech savvy in this regard. We had no problem paying for everything from food and drinks, entry tickets, and metro tickets with our credit cards using Visa Paywave. Of course, some small stores may not have this, so carry a small amount of cash in the local currency just in case. There are plenty of ATM’s to withdraw cash at. Make sure you check with your bank before leaving home that your card will work in Poland – it needs to be a chip and pin.
- Entry fees: Entry fees are generally cheap, however, if you are on a tight budget there are lots of attractions in Warsaw that have free days, so check their websites as they can change depending on the time of year.
- Getting around Warsaw: The public transport in Warsaw is very good, and easy to use. It includes a bus and metro system. If you are going to be using a lot of transport, then you might want to get the 24hr tickets that provide you unlimited travel within zone 1. We used the metro a number of times and were able to purchase tickets from the machine using our credit card. Don’t forget to validate your tickets just before you use them.
- How to Get from Warsaw airports into the city:
- How to get to Warsaw from Chopin airport: Take the commuter SKN rail service train 53 to Warsaw Central Railway Station. Bus number 175 will take you near old town.
- How to get to Warsaw from Modlin airport: Modlin is further out, so takes a bit longer and costs a bit more to get into the city centre (however, in our case, the plane ticket was so cheap, that this option was still much cheaper than flying into Chopin). The airport bus will take you into the centre city (Plac Defilad, opposite the entrance to the Palace of Culture and Science) and takes 40 minutes. You can book your tickets in advance online. If you need to get to the train from Modlin, then there is a shuttle bus from the airport that takes you to the nearest train station in about 10 minutes.
- How to purchase a train ticket from Warsaw to Krakow: There are regular trains that run between Warsaw and Krakow, however, they do vary in price and speed. If you are on a budget and don’t mind a slower train, then there are trains that take just over 4hrs from Warsaw to Krakow. However, we took one of the IC trains that went directly to Krakow and only took just over 2hrs. I found the price very affordable (especially compared to the UK). To purchase tickets, you need to go to the IC train ticketing office, which is clearly labelled in English as intercity trains. Purchasing tickets at the Warsaw train station can be a little tricky because the staff don’t tend to speak English. Thankfully I learnt about this prior by reading the Google reviews. Therefore, we came prepared with what we wanted translated using Google Translate, and I had the train we wanted up on my phone screen too. We just showed these to the lady in the ticket booth, and she found the train on her computer and booked the tickets for us.
- Language: Polish. Although most people we came across in restaurants and tourist sites spoke some English, do try your hand at a few Polish words:
Yes = Tak (tahk)
No = Nie (nee-eh)
Please = Prosze (proh-sheh)
Thank you = Dziekuje (jink-wee-ah)
Hello = Czesc (cheshked) - Currency: Polish złoty
- Tipping: Not required, but people usually round up.
- Electricity: The electrical current is 230 volts, 50 Hz. Wall outlets generally take the European two round prong plugs. However, you are better off purchasing a
worldwide adaptor that can be used in Poland as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors. - Navigating: We used Google’s free Offline Maps. Google Offline Maps allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Make sure you download a map to use when you find yourself without internet.
- Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices.
- Your accommodation will likely provide you a free city tourist map. If not, just stop in at the Tourist Information office (Ul. Plac Zamkowy 1/13, Warsaw 00-267).
- Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a
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