What you can do in Warsaw for EUR 8
Find out how many unique attractions there are in Warsaw below this amount. Decide whether to visit one of the famous museums also well-known outside Poland, a royal residence, the best Polish contemporary art gallery or the largest stadium in Poland. Or maybe you prefer an early meal with locals at a breakfast market, lunch in a restaurant or dinner in a milk bar? Regardless of what you choose, expect an unforgettable experience.
See Warsaw’s breath-taking panorama from the observation deck on the 30th floor of the historic Palace of Culture and Science. Enter one of the super-fast lifts and race up to a height of 114 metres in a matter of seconds. On summer weekends, when the terrace is open until almost midnight, you can enjoy the view of the city at night.
You’ll be amazed by the collection of masterpieces of Polish and world art at the National Museum in Warsaw. The themed galleries include wall paintings from the Christian cathedral in Faras, Sudan, founded in the 7th century, authentic 15th-century altars and famous paintings such as Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and an Angel by Sandro Botticelli, In the Gazebo by Aleksander Gierymski, The Strange Garden by Józef Mehoffer and the enormous Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko.
Learn about the life of the famous Varsovian and genius composer in the multimedia Fryderyk Chopin Museum. The exhibits gathered in the historic Ostrogski Palace include a cast of the composer’s hand, the Pleyel piano on which he played in the last years of his life and a lock of hair kept by his immediate family.
You can learn about the history of the biggest uprising in German-occupied Europe by visiting the interactive Warsaw Rising Museum. Walk through the interiors of the former tram power plant and feel the atmosphere of the heroic uprising of the people of Warsaw, listen to the stories of the insurgents and see authentic exhibits from the uprising.
Learn about the fascinating history of Warsaw and its inhabitants by interacting with hundreds of authentic exhibits at the ‘Things of Warsaw’ exhibition at the Museum of Warsaw. The museum is housed across eleven historic tenements on the Old Town Square. It has a viewing point and a cinema showing films about Warsaw.
See the perfectly preserved Wilanów Palace, and in it the apartments of its former residents: King Jan III Sobieski and his beloved wife, Queen Marysieńka. Moving through the rooms stop in the royal bedroom – this is where the king, lying in his ceremonial bed, received guests. In the magnificent White Room, you’ll see portraits of later palace owners, and in the Northern Gallery a rich collection of works of art collected by one of them, Stanisław Kostka-Potocki.
In the only Neon Museum in Europe, you can delight at the original design of illuminated advertisements from years ago, designed by renowned artists during People’s Poland. There aren’t as many neon signs in the city anymore, but ask the museum staff and they will tell you where to find the ones that are still working.
See the most interesting phenomena in Polish and foreign contemporary art at the prestigious Zachęta National Gallery of Art. Meetings with artists, cinema screenings and concerts are also held in the beautiful historic building.
See the work of artists from Poland and abroad at the Centre for Contemporary Art. This place was once a court of the Mazovian princes and a royal residence. It became a military hospital at the beginning of the 19th century, making it the oldest in Poland.
Viewing terrace at the top of the belfry of St. Anne’s Church
See the beautiful panorama of the Old Town and the right bank of Warsaw from the vantage point on the bell tower of St. Anne’s church. Follow the 150 stone steps to reach the terrace, and then enjoy the views or take a souvenir photo. Zygmunt’s Column, the WZ Route, the Vistula and the PGE National Stadium all look great from here.
Learn the latest trends in contemporary world art by visiting the exhibition at the temporary Museum of Modern Art – the Museum on the Vistula. If you want to know what to expect, take a look at the abstract composition on the facade of the building. For some time, the pavilion housed the Kunsthalle collection in Berlin. Or maybe the lectures, meetings and workshops that are often organised there will interest you?
Visit the Praga Museum of Warsaw in one of the most hipster districts in Europe, and once a multicultural town in its own right. You will learn the history of Warsaw’s right bank and the people who lived there. See an impressive model of 18th-century Praga, as well as lots of peculiar everyday items (such as a cane for measuring a horse at the withers or a machine for making bread rolls). You can also listen to anecdotes told by the people of Praga.
Travel back to the time of the Polish People’s Republic by visiting the Life Under Communism Museum. You will see a typical apartment of the time with authentic everyday objects. The interiors of the museum also contain a shop with empty shelves, a preschool classroom and a cafe. There was also an exhibition about the legendary trade union Solidarity.
Learn the history of the creation, destruction and restoration of Warsaw’s Old Town after World War II at the Heritage Interpretation Centre. See the studio of an architect from the 1950s, see a model of the old town under a glass floor, look at photographs of pre-war Warsaw and authentic films from the time of its rebuilding. It is no wonder that it has been entered on the UNESCO World Heritage list!
Feel the atmosphere of ancient times by visiting the crypts of one of the most important Polish temples – St. John’s Archcathedral. See the almost 600-year-old tomb of Masovian prince Janusz I, a knight from Grunwald, and the sarcophagi of many church dignitaries, rulers and politicians, among them Stanisław August Poniatowski, Gabriel Narutowicz and Ignacy Paderewski.
Look at old three-dimensional photos on a unique device operating for over a century in Warsaw’s Photoplasticon. With old gramophone hits playing in the background, you will feel the atmosphere from the time when taking pictures was reserved for professional photographers.
Shelter from the heat and the hustle and bustle in the University of Warsaw Botanical Garden, one of the oldest gardens of this type in Poland. Walk through its charming alleys and discover the beauty of thousands of plants originating in Poland and from many exotic countries around the world. You can always relax on a bench under one of the majestic, old trees.
Visit the building where Maria Skłodowska was born, the most famous Polish scholar and the only woman who received the Nobel Prize twice. Take a look at the Nobel Prize winner’s laboratory and the Skłodowski family’s living room. Also see authentic mementos of the scientist – her letters, family photos and her own coat.
Visit the PGE Narodowy Stadium, the most modern sports stadium in Poland from the inside: walk out onto the pitch, look into the players’ area and the dressing room where Cristiano Ronaldo prepared for the European Championship matches. Poland’s largest stadium was built in 2012 at the site of the historic 10th Anniversary Stadium.
Travel into space, see the Milky Way or watch a 3D film on the spherical screen in the Planetarium. During the screening lasting about an hour, you will discover life in space, look inside a volcano and meet animals living in the depths of the oceans.
Get close to the action during a tour of the stadium of Legia Warsaw – the most decorated football team in Poland. The sightseeing route includes the famous ‘Żyleta’ – the stand occupied by the loudest fans, the bench and the dressing room.
Fulfil your childhood dream of being a train driver. The Station Museum is a former railway station where historic locomotives and trains have arrived at their final destination. They include an authentic artillery wagon from World War II and the lounge wagon of the post-war president of People’s Poland Bolesław Bierut. In the station building you will see model railways, antique telephones, tickets from years ago and many other railway treasures.
Find out where life began, what the Tarbosaurus, the Asian relative of the bloodthirsty T. Rex, looked like, and see a reconstruction of the famous Australopithicus ‘Lucy’ at the Museum of Evolution. In addition to the real skeletons of dinosaurs, you will also see their petrified eggs, the oldest known frog, a herd of amphibians from several hundred million years ago and numerous remains of primitive mammals and reptiles.
Admire the traditional costumes, crafts and old utensils and tools from various regions of Poland and Europe at the State Ethnographic Museum. See how long-forgotten items were used by watching films and learn how rural artists understood God and the bible through their artwork.
Discover the mysterious beauty of religious art in the Museum of the Archdiocese of Warsaw and admire woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer, gothic figures of Christ, Madonna and old paintings. Among the exhibits are impressively decorated liturgical vessels, memorabilia connected to John Paul II and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and a rich collection of antique furniture and clocks.
The Museum of the 10th Pavilion of Warsaw Citadel – a 19th-century tsarist prison. See the cells for political prisoners in which Polish heroes were held, including Romuald Traugutt and Józef Piłsudski. You’ll also learn about the history of the fort, see an underground printing house, a blacksmith’s and a Warsaw cafe from over a hundred years ago. Paintings by Aleksander Sochaczewski, a painter who was exiled to Siberia, will bring you closer to the dramatic fate of thousands of Polish convicts.
See what remains of Pawiak prison, which during World War II was the largest political prison in occupied Poland. Walk along the prison corridor and see a death cell recreated according to the descriptions and accounts of prisoners, as well as poems, diaries, secret letters, calendars and various small objects made by prisoners.
Trace the history of sport – from its beginnings in ancient Greece through the history of the Olympic Games and the development of sport in Poland up to modern times – at the Museum of Sport and Tourism. Here you will see a collection of Olympic torches, listen to the emotional coverage of well-known sport commentators, see the Adam Małysz’s suit and skis, John Paul II’s kayak and numerous medals won by Robert Korzeniowski and other Poles at the Olympic Games.
You will smile more than once at the drawings of satire masters at the unique Caricature Museum. If you stumble across a temporary exhibition here, you can find an overview of famous artists such as: William Hogarth, Honoré Daumier, Roland Topor, Eryk Lipiński, Andrzej Czeczot, Andrzej Dudziński, Szymon Kobyliński, Andrzej Krauze, Edward Lutczyn, Andrzej Mleczko, Sławomir Mrożek, Marek Raczkowski and Henryk Sawka.
Learn about the history of the national drink of Poles in the Vodka Museum, which offers an extremely rich collection of exhibits related to its consumption, advertising and sale. Among the thousands of exhibits you can see an authentic glass used by Napoleon Bonaparte, a French army water bottle from the time of its march to Moscow, as well as numerous bottles, decanters, labels and signboards from nearly 180 Polish vodka factories.
Travel back to when your grandmother was a young girl and admire over 100 restored exhibits at the Museum of Dollhouses, Games and Toys. In addition to houses, you will also see a municipal school, a Victorian house, a puppet reconstruction of the Holy Mass and the oldest of the exhibits, a 200-year-old Gothic altar.
Go on a bike ride on a Veturilo city bike, which you can rent at any time from one of several hundred self-service rental stations. Thanks to Warsaw’s extensive network of cycle paths you can go anywhere you want. When you get tired of the hustle and bustle of the city, ride along the Vistula boulevards or among the greenery on the Praga side of the river.
Art cinemas
Spend the evening in a small, art cinema and enjoy a film without being disturbed by the crunch of popcorn. Choose from a repertoire not available at the multiplexes: an ambitious film by a cult director, an important picture by a European cinematographer or a blockbuster from years ago. You still have change left for a good coffee.
Breakfast markets
Eat your morning meal with locals at a weekend Breakfast Market – an outdoor meeting of regional suppliers and restaurateurs serving meals with fresh, healthy products. When you are there, you can also take part in workshops or culinary shows as well as buy organic, regional products that you will take home.
Milk bars
Eat a typical Polish dinner in a milk bar, which are famous for their friendly prices and homemade food. Try traditional Polish dishes such as dumplings, dumplings with meat, sweet dumplings, borscht, tripe and sour soup, all in a People’s Poland atmosphere.
Lunch
Eat a delicious lunch in one of the many atmospheric pubs or restaurants serving original dishes from a variety of cuisines including Polish, international and vegan. Some restaurants offer lunch menus until late afternoon.
Take a stroll around the Royal Garden of Light, named after the shimmering trees and carpets of illuminated flowers that fill the park in Wilanów. On weekends at this time of year you will be taken to the court of King Jan III Sobieski thanks to three-dimensional displays of light, image and sound displayed on the palace facade.