I'm traveling to Warsaw, Poland and I would love input from those who have visited or lived there.?

I would like to stay in an area that is closest (walking distance) to the majority of historical places and other interesting places to see. I'm hoping for responses that contain specific landmarks around which I should seek hotels, so that I can use search functions easily.

To be honest I wouldn't say Warsaw is very historical and not in the same league as Krakow and Wroclaw, as unfortunately it was totally destroyed in the second world war and was rebuilt.

So all you see now is a reconstruction of the City, and that is only the centre bit, the rest of Warsaw is drab and grey.

Most Polish people that I know do not like the city and try and avoid it, either preferring Gdansk in the North the so-called tri-City, or Krakow or Wroclaw in the South.

Still try and have a good time and next time you go to Poland I would go to one of the places above :O)

omg i hate the answer that was chosen, me as a Pole cant read that Warsaw is not historical GEEEZ i dont like when comments that are NOT TRUE win! Report It

i dont think that a person who is a foreigner n was in Warsaw once or twice can be a reliable source of knowledge Report It

Hello. I'm going to Warsaw tomorrow evening. I've been to Krakow but never to warsaw. I'm gonna type out my itinerary. Some of these things were told to me by my mother's polish friend Anna, who insisted i visit them. I'll write "(anna)" next to the ones shes suggested, so you know. others are places ive read of and interest me or have been reccomended.

Things to do as I have planned:
1. Visit the "royal way" and royal catle and I've been told to make sure I go to see the interior. (anna)
2. St. John's Basilica + Jesuits church (swietojanska street)
3. Visit the pierogarnia (for the best traditional pierogi...yum yum!) opposite Jesuits church (anna)
4. Old town market sq.and Historical museum of Warsaw - Old town sq. 28-42 (lonely planet)
5. Barbican (lonely planet)
6.Warsaw uprising museum on 28 przyokopowa street (tripadvisor)
7. 231m tall Palace of culture and science - was a gift from stalin and HATED by polish people. but you can get a 25 second lift 30 floors up and see the skyline of warsaw. open from 9am-6pm, and 10 zlotys to get in and up (拢2/$4 approx)
8. Jewish Cemetery 49/51 Okopowa street
9. Jewish ghetto in the area of muranow
- "monument to ghetto heros" zamenhoffa st. bus 111, 180,516 the stop is called "NALENKI"
- "umschlagplatz monument" Stawki street. tram 35 Stop is called "DZIKA"
10. Gestapo headquarters 25 Szucha street
11. Nozyk synagogue. 6 twarda street - only surviving synagogue after the war. it was reconstructed and apparently a must see.

go to the golden terraces (Zlote Tarasy) shopping centre which ive been told is amazing! and has the hard rock cafe if youre into that! :-) its located on Jana Pawla II street i think.

Restaurants: Pod Samsonem, street freta 3/5. does great polish food that is cheap. (anna recommended it) and its near the barbican.

With regards to accomodation, im staying at oki dokie hostel.
http://www.okidoki.pl/
it has great reviews and is centrally located. they have dorm rooms, and double/twins and is cheap. and free wi-fi! :-)

This is a great great website!

http://www.warsaw-life.com/sleep/hotels....

select city centre and hopefully you will find somewhere good to stay.

Hope you have a WONDERFUL trip! I will be in warsaw on monday and will but in another edit and write more if i find something extra special.

Edit: wow that website IS really good!lol

just remeber Warsaw is the biggest city in Poland its huge!!

Oh wow,well I can't compete with the 1st answerer but I can tell you that STARY RYNEK (old market) in Warsaw is worth visiting, also the castle gardens-LAZIENKI and WILANOW...yeah I don't know much more because I'm from Poznan and not Warsaw, and I haven't lived in Poland for a long time ..hope you have fun! Poland is really beautiful :)

honestly if you're interested in historical sites then Krakow is the better choice. Unfortunatly most of Warsaw was destroyed during WWII therefore most of whats there has been rebuilt. Krakow has many more historic places to see. However, if you are intent on visiting warsaw, then the 1st post covered pretty much all of it.

WHAT?? ukpolska?? I DO NOT AGREE
i know u like Poland ;) but dont say Warsaw isnt historical cos all ppl know it is! u r not a Pole so u may not be aware of importance of this city,

Warsaw can be read like a great n rich history book but most ppl have no enough knowledge to know it, thats why its important u get a guide who will show u round n tell u bout many historical places that even probably many young Warsaw ppl have no clue bout ;)
i go to Warsaw a few times a year n i think i know many interesting places there n i wish tourists were able to see the depth of that city as well as i do, so they wudnt just pass a certain place w/o gettin to know bout its history;)

Warsaw is a VERY HISTORICAL PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
u cant walk like 10m w/o seein some signs at the buildings sayin that some ppl were shot there durin WWII
n many of em were even famous ppl such as poets (for instance Krzysztof Kamil Baczynski)

there are signs of Polish resistance against Germans everywhere there but u didnt read books such as Kamienie Na Szaniec n u dont know our history so u cannot see that each street has a gd story to tell u ;)

Warsaw before the war was HUGE n was one of the most important cities in Europe it was a fashion capital too, had a rich cultural life, awesome buildings n all that was destroyed TOTALLY u can still see many bullet holes in the walls of some old buildings,
many important ppl spent some time in Warsaw, many things were goin on there for yrs
this city is a pride for Poles, was fighting till the end, ppl of Warsaw didnt give up! n the city was rebuilt by all who loved it n wanted to show how united we are!
there are many cool places to see there castle, 艁azienki, the old town, barbacain, PKiN, museums.....too many to list em all, go to wikipedia n check it out urself ;)