Welcome to my site about Warsaw!
My aim is to give you information about Warsaw, and to guide you on your visit here. I have lived in Warsaw for 1,5 years now and can therefore share my own experiences with you.
I must say that Warsaw is an excellent destination for your weekend holiday. It is easy to get there , it is cheap to stay there and the city offers activities for every kind of tourist.
Travel to Warsaw
The international airline is LOT Polish Airlines. They are relatively cheap compared to other regular airlines, especially if you book your tickets well in advance. If you're looking for a budget trip you can fly with Wizzair, the Hungarian low-cost airline. They arrive and depart from Warsaw's main airport Fryderyk Chopin, which is rather unusual when it comes to budget flights.
From the airport it's easiest to take a taxi in to the city centre. It only takes about 20 min and dosn't cost more than 50 PLN. You can also take the bus.
Of course you can get to Warsaw by car or train as well if you live in a nearby country. I warn you to drive there though. The roads are bad and traffic takes longer than usual. For exampel, to drive from Warsaw to the Polish coast, (distance about 350 km) can take up to 8 hours.
Where to stay
It's cheap to stay at a hotel in Poland and that makes it easy to add luxury to your weekend. Warsaw has many top star hotels in the city centre. Below is a list of my favourites.
| MaMaison Hotel Le Regina Warsaw | Located in the New Town. Known to be the best hotel in Warsaw. It is very famous for its restaurant La Rotisserie. The hotels consists of 58 individually decorated rooms and 3 unique suites. All of them includes free Wi-Fi. Relaxation facilities with swimming pool, sauna and massage room |
| Hilton Warsaw Hotel | Located about 20 min by walk from the city centre. Internet access is available but isn't free of charge. In the hotel is Holmes Health Club, the most popular gym in Warsaw, to where hotel guests have free access. The health club has a large gym, swimming pools and SPA facilities. |
| Le Meridien Bristol Warsaw | The oldest hotel in Warsaw and the most central. It is located on the Royal Route in the city centre. High Speed Internet Access is free of charge. The hotel's health club offers steam bath or sauna, fitness facilities, indoor swimming pool and massages. |
Where to eat
The Polish cousine is very heavy and you probably don't want it for both lunch and dinner. But that is not a problem since Warsaw offers many international restaurants. A must visit is the Polish restaurant U Kucharzy, located near the Royal Route close to Hotel Bristol. The restaurant is very famous and always fully booked, so you need to make a reservation at least a week before your visit, especially if you're more than two persons. U Kucharzy is not a beautiful restaurant in terms of interior, quite the opposite actually. It is located in an old hotel kitchen and is very charming. They have an open kitchen and the chefs bring the food out to you on a trolley before they serve it. Don't miss out on the tartar, which is prepared right in front of you. Another Polish restaurant is Ale Gloria. If you're looking for Asian food you should try Papaya or Sense. In Burakowska Street you can combine your shopping with lunch or dinner at cosy Mielzynski, a combined wine auction and restaurant.
There are plenty of cafés all around Warsaw, so you don't have to search long for a sugar fix. Most of the cafés offers mostly cakes, so don't expect to find a big healthy sandwich or salad. You should check out famous café Wedel on ul. Szpitalna 8 and try their hot chocolate. At Wedel you can also have a good breakfast. Of Course, there is always Starbucks and Costa on Nowy Swiat if your'e looking for that kind of café. When it's warm enough to sit ouside I recommend a visit to Café Kafka on ul. Obozna 3
What to do and see
There is much to discover in Warsaw, and I'm convinced you will get the most out of your weekend, whether you're planning a romantic gettaway with your partner, a spa-trip with your girlfriends, a party weekend with the boys or a weekend filled with cultural experiences.
Useful information
Only few speak English in Poland. They do of course in hotels and most restaurants, but people in general doesn't. The younger generation is better in English, while the older generation often speak German.
Don't be offended if the sales woman in the food or clothing store doesn't give you a friendly smile or wanting to help you. Probably it's a combination of the lack of service-minded staff and they not being able to understand you.
Zloty (PLN) is the Polish currency. Try to pay with as even money as possible. If you buy something for 11 zl, they won't be glad when you bring out a fifty-note. They will tell you this, but you probably won't understand it. You are expected to tip waiters and taxi drivers about 10 %.
Taxi is cheap, especially since there aren't any long distances in Warsaw. Most taxis prefer cash, so if you want to pay with credit card, ask the driver first. Reliable taxi companies are Sawa, MTP and ELE. You can also take the bus or the tram, its extremly cheap, but the problem is to understand what bus to take and where it's heading. Bus and tram tickets are bought in the little green kiosks called RUCH. If they don't understand English, ask for "bilet normaly".