Warsaw

A UNESCO world heritage site, the Old Town charms with its colourful townhouses and the exceptional atmosphere of its narrow streets. When in the Old Town Market Square, you will meet a mermaid – the official symbol of the city. Don’t forget to see the Barbican, stop by the bell on Kanonia Street, and walk along the old city walls. You should also visit the Royal Castle. Apart from the royal apartments, the old seat of Polish rulers also houses an art collection with paintings by Rembrandt and Bernardo Bellotto, also known as Canaletto.

The vast park surrounding the summer residence of the last Polish king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, is where Varsovians like to go for longer walks. The park is home to a winter garden, an amphitheatre, and even a Chinese garden. The biggest attraction, however, is the park’s permanent residents: the squirrels and peacocks. Another site worth seeing is the classicistic Palace on the Isle with its enchanting interior design and gallery of paintings. The park is famous for its Chopin concerts, which take place from mid-May to the end of September every Sunday at noon and 4:00 p.m. Come lounge on the grass and enjoy the music.

This interactive museum is an exceptional place to gain a deeper understanding of Warsaw’s history. It was founded in commemoration of an event that profoundly changed the city: the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Listen to the oral accounts given by insurgents, go down into the sewers – similar to the ones that insurgents used to move around the city – and see The City of Ruins, a bird’s-eye view of Warsaw burnt to the ground. Don’t forget to see the murals painted by Polish artists on the Wall of Art. The museum building is interesting in its own right since it was previously an old electric power plant for trams.

The National Museum houses a wonderful collection of well over 830,000 objects from all epochs – from antiquity to contemporary times. Here you will find works of both Polish and world art, including such gems as Jewess with Oranges by Aleksander Gierymski and the large-format Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko. Visit the Gallery of Medieval Art to see the unique artefacts there or visit the biggest collection of Nubian cultural artefacts and art in Europe. Don’t forget to check out the schedule of temporary exhibitions.

Wilanów Palace is a true pearl of Baroque architecture in Warsaw. Learn about King Jan III Sobieski, who successfully fended off the Turks in the battle of Vienna and who lived in Wilanów with his beloved Marysieńka. Take a walk in the park and tour the palace interiors; see the portrait gallery and listen to stories of great romances. The building and the park have both kept their original form, despite the partition, war, and occupation. Wilanów Palace is a must-see when visiting Warsaw. In the wintertime, the venue, illuminated with thousands of lamps, transforms into the Royal Garden of Lights.

The POLIN Museum restores the memory of the rich, thousand-year shared history of two peoples: Poles and Jews. The interactive exposition will take you on an incredible journey across centuries. You’ll have the chance to walk the streets of a pre-war Jewish shtetl and discover how Polish and Jewish cultures have intermingled. The edifice of the museum is itself an architectural attraction and a landmark of modern Warsaw.