Attractions in Warsaw

Orientation

Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is a city of some 2.2m inhabitants located on the river Vistula. The old town and city centre is on the west side of the river, with the east side generally called Praga. The main tourist area is around 2km wide so it's not a problem to stumble around. The central point of Warsaw is Palace of Culture and Science (Palac Kultury i Nauki). Two major adjecting streets are Marszalkowska street and Jerozolimskie avenue. The Old Town begins at the North end of Krakowskie Przedmiescie street.

Sightseeing

Warsaw is said to be like the mythological phoenix - it has been destroyed several times in its history, yet it survived all storms and lives on. After the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 approximately 90% of the buildings were destroyed and all the inhabitants killed or expelled. It was partially reconstructed in the fifties, but the majority of the buildings are not historic. That's why at first glance Warsaw might seem a little faceless, gray and uninteresting. However, both its history and its present climate make Warsaw an interesting place.

Nightlife

No matter what your style, Warsaw has a night club to suit your needs. The ‘cool’ places are either really worth visiting or too full of bravado, velvet ropes and bouncers with no necks. Posing comes in high doses in many places, so be prepared to see lots of well (or barely) dressed women. Trainers and jeans are sometimes frowned at, depending where you go. There are no licensing hours and many bars stay open until the last guest leaves. A good source of more information on cafés, pubs and clubs is the Warsaw Insider http://www.warsawinsider.pl/