Poland

Reasons to go:

1. Warsaw

1.1 Śródmieście Południowe
  • National Museum in Warsaw - the landmark art museum. I focussed on Gallery of Old Masters and Gallery of 19th Century Art. Free audio guide. Polish Army Museum has moved to a different location, but you can see the air crafts they left behind from this (52.231082, 21.02645) viewpoint.
  • ★ Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art - I really enjoyed this contemporary art gallery. On Thursdays it is free and open until later.
  • If you love rocks, there are two museums to choose from. ★ Museum of the Earth Polish Academy of Sciences (not free) has a great collection of rocks and separate rooms for meteorites, amber and ancient skeletons (in the building opposite (52.229067, 21.027777)). Don’t miss the Unity sculpture (52.228359, 21.031267) nearby, and if you are in the mood for pastry you could try Soulmates. Geological Museum (free) is bigger, similar and also exciting; but until the air circulation is fixed it is very low on oxygen.
  • ★ Re-neonisation of Warsaw (to be seen at night): Around Plac Konstytucji there is The “Siatkarka” (Volleyball Player) neon (52.222907, 21.015065) and smoking chimney neon (52.221343, 21.015974); also don’t miss the magnificent street lamps in the middle of the square. A new neon artwork here (52.227107, 21.005759). The morning after the night before - a restaurant with a cool neon sign.
  • Poznańska street is very lively and lined with restaurants. Hala Koszyki - an architecturally exciting old market converted into a food court. Warsaw University of Technology building on the Plac Politechniki - walk inside to see the beautiful glass roof of the inner courtyard. Continue to Plac Zbawiciela and Plac Unii Lubelskiej. Oleandrów street is a smaller version of Poznańska street. The area between Poznańska and Oleandrów streets is the best place to stay for both short and longer visits to Warsaw.
  • Mokotowska street is lined with beautiful buildings. My favourites include (52.222776, 21.019739), (52.225371, 21.021514) and (52.227027, 21.023574). St. Alexander’s Church is pleasingly round and elegant inside.
  • Łazienki Królewskie (Royal Baths). The huge garden is free to visit and there are a lot of things to explore, including the viewpoint of the palace (52.212954, 21.035684), a cool sculpture (52.212131, 21.033205), Chinese garden (52.21672, 21.032656), etc. A single ticket allows you access to Palace on the Isle (the best bit), Myslewicki Palace, The White Pavilion, Old Orangery and Water Tower. I skipped the Museum Of Hunting And Horsemanship (Kubicki Stables and Cantonists’ Barracks).
  • University of Warsaw Botanical Garden is a good one. From the main ticket office (52.21726, 21.027504) the 3 greenhouses are to the right (52.216644, 21.027601) and the gardens are to the left. If you are lucky, you might catch Titan Arum in bloom.
  • Food: Bibenda is my favourite restaurant in Warsaw. Pizzaiolo Krucza has good pizza and is open until very late; don’t miss a cool street art nearby (52.225449, 21.017963). Indian Taste Restauracja Indyjska has good Indian food.
  • Coffee: You have to ask for special beans, do not drink Brazilian beans that for some reason are really bad in Poland. My favourites were The Espresso Bar on Emilii Plater street, LAB speciality coffee on Wspólna street and Ministry of Coffee on Marszałkowska street. Coffeedesk (many locations) is good. On my wishlist: Pan od Kawy Espresso Bar (and Piekarnia Będzie Dobrze nearby).
  • For grocery shopping - you’ll find most things in Carrefour hypermarket in Plac Unii shopping mall; Carrefour BIO on Marszałkowska street is more central.
1.2 Śródmieście Północne
  • ★ Neon Museum is an exciting place to learn about neonisation of Warsaw (opening in the new location in July 2025?).
  • Warsaw from above: Palace of Culture and Science 30th floor viewing terrace is great. When the Varso Tower observation deck opens (August 2025?) it might become my first choice - as from there you’ll see both Warsaw and Palace of Culture and Science. I skipped Bell Tower of St. Anne’s Church.
  • Krakowskie Przedmieście and Nowy Świat are part of The Royal Route. Along this lovely, if touristy, stretch you’ll find many churches, the Presidential Palace, University of Warsaw (visit the courtyard with a photo exhibition), Warsaw Scientific Society, etc.
  • Exciting old architecture: Teatr Wielki (Polish National Opera), The Academy of Fine Arts in Czapski Palace (52.239406, 21.015045), National Cooperative Council (52.233593, 21.011971), the original E.Wedel Chocolate building (52.23337, 21.014728), this beautiful building (52.231558, 21.015243), Krasiński Library, etc. Plac Pięciu Rogów (Five Corners Square) is a modern version of a town square.
  • Exciting new architecture: Złota 44 residential skyscraper is beautiful. Glass roof of the Złote Tarasy shopping mall. For more beautiful skyscrapers head to Warsaw Spire; Browary Warszawskie nearby might be fun to explore.
  • Zachęta National Gallery of Art - a contemporary art gallery; on Thursdays it is free and open until later. Don’t miss the round Holy Trinity Church nearby.
  • Hala Mirowska - a local market in an exciting building. Don’t miss the flower market outside the west entrance, an older Hala Targowa Mirowska (wschodnia) building to the east, Park Mirowski to the south, and Classic Cars Warsaw (a car dealership with exciting cars in the windows).
  • Zapiecek - a chain of restaurants serving traditional dishes to (mostly) tourists. Order a mix of vegetarian fried pierogi with a mug of soured milk (which I used as a sauce) and a mix of sweet pierogi with soured cream to try 10+ different pierogi fillings in one sitting. Savoury pierogi at Gościniec (a competing chain) were not good.
  • On my wishlist: Forum coffee shop and National Museum of Technology.
1.3 Old Town
  • ★ Museum of the Warsaw Archdiocese - the collection of paintings by Zdzisław Beksiński is incredible, I didn’t pay attention to the rest of the museum.
  • Squares: Castle Square with a pelican welcoming you into Piwna street, the buildings around the Wishing Bell, Rynek Starego Miasta (Old Town Square) and then follow Freta street to Rynek Nowego Miasta (New Town Square). Warsaw Barbican - you get to walk on the outer wall here (52.250888, 21.010829).
  • Multimedialny Park Fontann - check the fountain’s calendar for free 30 minute evening shows that usually happen May to October on Fridays and Saturdays. Around here (52.253881, 21.011103) is a good place to be at the beginning of the show.
  • Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist (stylish brickwork interior with modern stained glass windows) and the door of the Jesuit church (my favourite church door in Warsaw).
  • On my wishlist: The Canaletto Room in the Royal Castle, Pałac Rzeczypospolitej (Palace of the Republic), Wednesday farmers market in Fort Legionów.
1.4 Praga
  • Centrum Praskie Koneser - a cool conversion of an old distillery; with Google Campus for Startups and Polish Vodka Museum as unlikely neighbours. Muzeum Sztuki Fantastycznej - overpriced but still very enjoyable exhibition of dystopian surrealism paintings by contemporary artists (Jacek Szynkarczuk, Dariusz Zawadzki, Wojciech Siudmak, Michal Powalka, etc.) inspired by Zdzisław Beksiński. Skamiejka - great Russian restaurant.
  • Cathedral of St. Michael has a charming gold crown on one of its spires. Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary Magdalene is magnificent both on the outside and on the inside. Nearby PKP Polish Railway HQ building is architecturally exciting.
  • Food: Hub.praga is an amazing tasting menu restaurant with focus on seasonal and local, vegetarian option available. Peaches is an amazing restaurant, accidentally vegan. Don’t miss a cool street art nearby (52.260907, 21.044579).
  • Soho Factory (52.249539, 21.059709) - a cool conversion of an old industrial area into a new residential one. Neon Museum, that used to be here, has moved across the river.
  • Saska Kępa area: Francuska is a lovely street lined with restaurants and cafes. HAŁAS Coffee+Vinyl has good coffee and in a unique setting.
  • Poniatówka beach is nice on a sunny day.
  • Bazar Różyckiego (market) is loosing it’s charm as old market stalls are being replaced with new ones.
  • On my wishlist: Warsaw’s Printing Museum.
1.5 Powiśle
  • Warsaw University Library Garden is awesome. Entrance at (52.243011, 21.024097); for a peek into the library itself head to the garden entrance through this door (52.242251, 21.024671). The rooftop part of the garden is the best bit, take the stairs up to the viewpoint (52.242548, 21.026326).
  • Most im. Magdaleny Abakanowicz (the pedestrian bridge across the river) is a fantastic spot for sunset watching. Seeing locals enjoy this bridge is one of my favourite memories of Warsaw.
  • Elektrownia Powiśle is an architecturally exciting conversion of an old power plant into a shopping and residential area.
  • Vistula Boulevard is lovely for a stroll along the river on a warm evening.
  • I really liked the fountain in front of the famous Mermaid’s Statue (52.240264, 21.032077). My favourite mermaid statue (52.242271, 21.01953) is on the Wiadukt im. Stanisława Markiewicza. Also Golden Duck Fountain (52.236671, 21.024003) is cute.
  • Bez Gwiazdek is a good tasting menu restaurant with focus on reinvention of old traditional recipes with seasonal and local ingredients; vegetarian option available upon request. But if you are doing only one tasting menu in Warsaw, make it Hub.praga.
  • On my wishlist: Copernicus Science Centre.
1.6 Everything else:
  • ★ Warsaw Gasworks Museum - great museum with old gas infrastructure. You can see the gas holders from here (52.223897, 20.966206), but there is no way to enter them.
  • ★ Museum of Polish Military Technology located in one of the Warsaw forts. I really enjoyed exploring this open air museum. Seeing the space capsule that went to space in 1978 was a thrill. Entrance at (52.183495, 21.066943).

On my wishlist:

  • William Lindley Water Filters is not normally open to visitors, contact them (Muzeum Wodociągów i Kanalizacji at (52.222921, 20.994402)?) long in advance to figure out a way to visit. Nearby water tower (52.223079, 20.995392) is cool.
  • Xawery Dunikowski Museum in Królikarnia (sculpture museum) and Targ Śniadaniowy Mokotów (Sunday market).
  • Wilanów Palace.
  • Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin (botanical garden).
  • Villa La Fleur (art museum).
  • Warsaw Railway Museum “Museum Station” and Interactive Museum of Pinball “Pinball Station”. Nearby Nocny Market (evening food court) might be fun to explore.
  • Jewish Cemetery (Cmentarz Żydowski) in Warsaw.
  • Żoliborz neighbourhood: Błysk Espresso Bar, Targ Śniadaniowy Żoliborz (Saturday market), etc.
  • Kampinos National Park for a long walk.
1.7 Daytrip to Łódź

Old factories converted into something new:

  • Manufaktura - a place where locals hang out on the weekend. Awesome fountains. Muzeum Fabryki is a small museum with old machinery; they do short demonstrations of how the machinery works and there is access to the rooftop to see the whole of Manufaktura - these two additions totally justify the ticket price (ask about them to avoid disappointment). The palace that now houses the Museum of the City of Łódź is beautiful.
  • FUZJA - converted into a residential area. Secesyjna elektrownia Scheiblerów (power plant) still has the machinery inside (51.748582, 19.466791) but is not normally open to visitors, contact them long in advance to figure out a way to visit. For pastries try Cukiernia Kawiarnia Deseo Fuzja.
  • OFF Piotrkowska - beautiful old buildings converted into a place for hangouts. Don’t miss the street art at (51.760504, 19.459721), (51.760095, 19.45879) and (51.75819, 19.460304).
  • Central Museum of Textiles - a huge museum, perhaps better than the Muzeum Fabryki that I visited. I only saw the old buildings through the fence from Reymont Park.
  • On my wishlist: Monopolis, Karl Scheibler’s Cotton Mill (Księży Młyn) and fire station (51.753936, 19.480883), Ogrody Geyera, Information Technology Center (now a university), Marcus Silberstein’s Wool and Cotton Products (51.751658, 19.460973).

Everything else:

  • Science and Technology Center (Centrum Nauki i Techniki EC1) is architecturally exciting and it is surrounded by a lot of interesting objects. Walking around it is worth it, even if you don’t plan to enter it (I didn’t).
  • Museum of Sewer “Tube” - I really enjoyed it, I did more than one lap. The Rose Passage is nearby, if you like that kind of thing.
  • Beautiful buildings: Karol Poznański’s Palace (51.772896, 19.448826), Michał Kipper’s house (51.771074, 19.448879), Willa Leopolda Kindermanna (51.769217, 19.451652), former Russian State Bank (51.768131, 19.454243), Abraham Dudak’s house (51.770241, 19.460801), Rachmil Lipszyc’s house (51.771517, 19.464704), August Haertig’s Palace (51.752435, 19.460329) and many on Piotrkowska street (my favourites were (51.766681, 19.457312) and (51.764282, 19.45719)). Don’t miss this photo exhibition (51.764697, 19.457245) of old factory buildings.
  • Street art: For my graffiti hunt I used this map, this pdf and Street Art Cities app. See here and here what you might find.
  • Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is beautiful from outside (I didn’t enter).
  • Karol Scheibler’s Chapel (51.776677, 19.433239) in a cemetery is under seemingly never-ending renovation, but it is very beautiful. This entrance (51.776199, 19.437525) is to a different cemetery, but this one (51.775839, 19.436305) or any other will do.
  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Łódź.

To make it into a two-day trip, you could add:

  • Herbst Palace Museum.
  • Modern art museums MS2 and MS1.
  • Botanical garden in Łódź.
  • Palm House in Park Źródliska.
  • On the way back to Warsaw: Railway Museum in Skierniewice and/or Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Sochaczew.

Łódź notes:

Warsaw notes:
  • Public transport (metro, trams and buses) works extremely well in Warsaw; and it is perfectly integrated into Google maps - even buses show up exactly when you expected them. Ticket types are based on location (central Warsaw and the airport are zone 1) and validity period (20 minutes, 75 minutes, 24 hours, weekend (from 19:00 on Friday until 8:00 on Monday), 72 hours). You have to validate your ticket when you use it for the first time. There are 3 options for doing that - you can buy a ticket from the machine on the tram/bus (it prints out validated tickets), you can buy tickets from a ticket machine at a bus stop (you could buy many as they are not yet validated) and then feed them into validating machines on trams/buses, or you could buy digital tickets from Jakdojade app and validate them by scanning a QR code when you get onto a tram/bus.
  • For train tickets use PKP Intercity app.
  • Some museums in Warsaw are free once a week - here is the list. I had much fun visiting Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporaray Art and Zachęta National Gallery of Art for free on a Thursday evening.
  • Summer is May to October; some things are closed during the winter.
  • Food: There are a lot of milk bars and ice cream places in Warsaw, perhaps I shouldn’t have ignored them. There are a lot of vegan places - Peaches restaurant is probably the best, Eter vegan bakery has a good looking cheesecake amongst other things, vegan sushi restaurants are numerous.
  • Coffee: Most places have Brazilian coffee beans as a default and they, for some reason, are really bad. I frequented places that also offer non-Brazilian “special beans”. Cortados come strictly with a single shot, so for a milky coffee with special beans you have to order flat white not to waste the second shot.
  • For cocktails I’d try El Koktel, Veles Bar, Bar Wieczorny.
  • I found Rachel’s and Kami’s blogs useful.
  • I had a totally cashless experience in Warsaw and Łódź. My EU chargers worked everywhere.