A winter getaway in Warsaw
Are you coming to the capital for a city break at the end of the year? Here are some event suggestions you can’t miss. Christmas shopping, festive lights, and ice rinks – these are just some of the attractions Warsaw is famous for at this time of year. Be sure to check out what the city has in store for this season and choose something for yourself!
Shopping at fairs and markets
Christmas shopping is a real pleasure – just take it slow. Fairs are the perfect place to find original Christmas gifts – from handmade Christmas decorations to warm sweaters and hats to local gingerbread and chocolate specialties. You will find small wooden houses decorated with pine needles and colourful lights at several places around Warsaw. The Main Christmas Fair starts on Saturday, November 23, 2024 on Międzymurze P. Biegańskiego – a pedestrianised route from Zygmunt’s Column to Wąski Dunaj Street – and runs until January 6, 2025.
In addition, on December 7–8, 2024, there will be a Christmas Market at the Palace of Culture and Science. During the event, you will be able to buy Christmas decorations, gift wrapping, fresh jams and preserves, Christmas teas and sweets, as well as cosmetics, jewelry, books and much more.
Christmas lights and ice rinks
In December, the streets and squares of Warsaw take on a special charm. Adorned with colourful decorations and fairy-tale figures, they twinkle with thousands of lights in the evenings. Every year, Varsovians – big and small – look forward to the moment the illuminations are lit up. From the beginning of December, you will be able to admire the lights on the Royal Route and in Castle Square and the Old Town. But that’s not all! The Royal Garden of Light at Wilanów Palace is an outdoor exhibition in which thousands of colourful LEDs are arranged in intricate patterns. This winter season, the exhibition will be open until February 28, 2025. It is a great choice for cold, grey evenings for children and adults alike, as well as being one of the biggest attractions in Warsaw. A host of new installations and interactive features await visitors to the Royal Garden of Light. After dark, they will be led to the exhibition by a brand new, 75-metre illuminated tunnel playing classical music. Visitors will also be treated to renowned features from years past: the gate to the courtyard garden, and son et lumière attractions on the lower terrace of the Baroque garden.
Our list cannot omit one of the biggest winter attractions – Warsaw’s ice rinks. Get your skates on and – more or less smoothly – dance on the ice. In early December, ice rinks will open at the Palace of Culture and Science and on the Old Town Square, among other locations. You can rent skates on site almost everywhere. Follow our What? Where? When? Calendar and you won’t miss a thing!
On the website warsawcitybreak.com, you will find unique Christmas offers prepared by the partners of the Warsaw Tourist Organization. It’s the perfect opportunity to plan an unforgettable time in the heart of a city filled with holiday attractions!
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