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Warsaw Travel Guide

Poland's capital, whose Old Town, almost entirely rebuilt after its destruction in World War II, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk the Royal Route linking the Royal Castle with the Łazienki and Wilanów palaces, and meet the city's history at the Warsaw Rising Museum and POLIN Museum.

Sigismund's Column on Castle Square in Warsaw, with the Royal Castle and Old Town houses around it. — Castle Square and the Royal Castle · Photo: Rhododendrites / CC BY-SA 4.0

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At a glance

Currency: PLN (zł)
Power & plugs: 230V · plug type: check before you go
Driving side: Right
Tipping: Check official sources
Local language: polski
How long to stay: 2 to 3 nights

Emergency numbers

All emergencies112
Police997
Ambulance999
Fire998

When to go

The Polish Tourism Organisation names May-June and September-October as the best times, when it is still warm and there are fewer tourists. Summer (late May to late August) is around 20-25°C, and on summer Sundays Chopin concerts are held at the Chopin monument in Łazienki Park. January averages about -4°C, but in winter the Royal Route and the Wilanów gardens are lit with illuminations.

Airport to the city

Chopin Airport (WAW): SKM S2/S3 & KM RL trains

From the airport station (Warszawa Lotnisko Chopina), SKM lines S2 and S3 run toward Śródmieście and Powiśle stations in the city, and Koleje Mazowieckie (KM) RL trains also run. SKM trains use the same ZTM tickets as buses, trams and the metro, and both the airport and the center are in zone 1. According to SKM, the airport-Central Station trip takes more than 20 minutes, so a 20-minute ticket is not enough. On-board ticket machines take cards only.

Time check official info (over 20 min)Cost 75-minute ticket PLN 4.40 (zone 1)

Chopin Airport (WAW): city bus 175 and others

According to the Warsaw Tourism Office, bus 175 runs to the city center and around the Old Town, buses 148 and 188 cross the river to Praga, Grochów and Gocław, and night bus N32 runs to the center. A ticket is required on all lines.

Time check official infoCost 75-minute ticket PLN 4.40 (zone 1)

Chopin Airport (WAW): taxi

Use the taxi rank in front of the terminal, served by companies selected by the airport. The Warsaw Tourism Office warns against people touting rides in the Arrivals Hall: they are often unlicensed and charge several times more.

Time check official infoCost check official info

Getting around

ZTM fare zones & tickets

Warsaw public transport is split into urban zone 1 and suburban zone 2. In zone 1 a 75-minute ticket is PLN 4.40, a 24-hour ticket PLN 15 and a 3-day ticket PLN 36; a 20-minute ticket for zones 1 and 2 is PLN 3.40. A zones 1+2 weekend ticket (Friday 7 p.m. to Monday 8 a.m.) is PLN 24. Luggage travels free.

Buying & validating tickets

Buy at newsstands, Passenger Service Centres, machines at metro stations and stops, machines on most buses and new trams, or in mobile apps. Validate paper tickets as soon as you board a bus or tram, or at the gates to the metro platforms. Riding without a valid ticket risks a PLN 266 fine.

Metro, trams, buses & SKM

According to the Warsaw Tourism Office, the metro runs until midnight on weekdays and until 3 a.m. at weekends, and night buses are marked 'N'. SKM suburban trains take the same ZTM tickets.

Bus 180 (Royal Route)

A regular bus line that passes most of the top sights along the Royal Route to Wilanów. The whole route takes about 60-70 minutes.

Taxis

Licensed taxis have an illuminated 'TAXI' roof sign, a yellow-and-red strip with the taxi number under the front-door window with the Warsaw coat of arms below it, and a fare list on the rear right window. Avoid people offering rides at the airport or stations.

Where to stay

Old Town & Krakowskie Przedmieście

Good for: First-timers, walking to sights

The Royal Castle, Old Town Market Square and St. John's Archcathedral are all within walking distance, and the Royal Route starts here. Airport bus 175 runs to the Old Town area.

City center (around Central Station & the Palace of Culture)

Good for: Transport hub, airport and rail links

Home to Warszawa Centralna station and SKM's Śródmieście station; the Warsaw Tourist Information point is inside the Palace of Culture and Science. Central Station has luggage lockers.

Powiśle & the Vistula Boulevards

Good for: Riverside walks, summer evenings

A riverside promenade several kilometers long, near the Copernicus Science Centre and the Multimedia Fountain Park, which stages water, light and sound shows after sunset on summer weekends (Friday-Saturday). The SKM S2 stops at Powiśle.

Praga (North)

Good for: Old backstreets, local feel

The district on the east bank of the Vistula almost escaped wartime destruction, so its pre-war buildings and character remain. From metro line 2's Dworzec Wileński station you see an Orthodox cathedral built in 1867-1869, and Ząbkowska Street is lined with places to eat.

Map of stays in Warsaw

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Map & prices: Stay22 — you book on each site

Top sights

Old Town Market Square & the Mermaid
Warsaw's oldest square, laid out around the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries and ringed by colorful townhouses. In the middle stands the Warsaw Mermaid, the emblem and guardian of the city. The Old Town was rebuilt after almost total wartime destruction and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980. Also see the Barbican and the old city walls.
Royal Castle & Castle Square
The seat of Polish rulers from the 16th century, where the Constitution of 3 May 1791, the first in Europe, was adopted in the Senate Chamber. Its collection includes paintings by Rembrandt, Canaletto (Bernardo Bellotto) and Matejko. Sigismund's Column on the square is Warsaw's oldest secular monument. Entry is free on Wednesdays; check hours and prices officially.
St. John's Archcathedral
One of Poland's most important churches, first built in the 14th century; King Stanisław August Poniatowski was crowned here in 1764. Blown up during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising with 90% of it destroyed, it was rebuilt after the war with its Gothic façade restored. The crypt holds the tombs of the last king, writer Henryk Sienkiewicz and pianist-statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski, among others.
Royal Route (Krakowskie Przedmieście & Nowy Świat)
The city's most famous route, linking the Royal Castle, Łazienki and Wilanów Palace. Along it are the Presidential Palace (where eight-year-old Chopin gave his first concert), the University of Warsaw campus, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Saxon Garden. In winter it is decorated with thousands of lights.
Royal Łazienki Park & Palace on the Isle
A vast park around the summer residence of Poland's last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski. The gardens are open daily 6 a.m.-9 p.m., free, with squirrels and peacocks. A combined ticket for four buildings including the Palace on the Isle and the Old Orangery is PLN 60, and the buildings are free on Fridays (individual visits only).
Palace on the Isle, Łazienki Park · Photo: Dawid Zawiła / CC BY-SA 4.0
Wilanów Palace
The Baroque palace of King Jan III Sobieski, who stopped the Ottoman advance at Vienna in 1683, and Queen Marie Casimire, called the 'Polish Versailles'. A palace ticket (park included) is about PLN 60-70, and the palace and gardens are free on Thursdays (palace tickets limited). The palace is closed on 1 November 2026 and from 21 December 2026 to 31 January 2027.
Wilanów Palace · Photo: Marcin Białek / CC BY-SA 3.0
Warsaw Rising Museum
An interactive museum commemorating the 63-day Warsaw Uprising of 1944, housed in a former tram power plant. See a sewer passage, the film 'City of Ruins' showing the flattened city, and the Memorial Wall engraved with nearly 11,000 names of soldiers killed in the Uprising. Officially closed on Tuesdays and free on Thursdays; check prices officially.
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Set in the pre-war Jewish district that became the wartime ghetto, it tells a thousand years of Polish Jewish history in eight galleries. A highlight is the reconstructed roof of the wooden synagogue from Gwoździec. The Ghetto Heroes Monument stands in front. Free on Thursdays; check opening hours officially.

Tours & tickets →

What to eat

Pierogi

Polish dumplings in countless varieties, filled with meat, cabbage, mushrooms, potato, cottage cheese or fruit.

Żurek

A sour soup of meat broth leavened with rye sourdough, served with a boiled egg and white sausage. Filling enough to be a whole meal, and a traditional part of Easter breakfast.

Barszcz (borsch)

Most often a red beetroot soup, sometimes served with croquettes. Perfect for warming up in winter.

Pyzy

Round potato-dough dumplings topped with pork scratchings and fried onion, a people's dish long famous in the Praga district. Some come with a meat filling.

Flaki (tripe soup)

An aromatic, slightly spicy broth of beef tripe, a true Warsaw dish best in winter.

Wuzetka & Zygmuntówka

Wuzetka is a cocoa cake layered with milky cream, named after the W-Z Drive built under the Old Town right after World War II. Zygmuntówka is a Warsaw cake of almond pastry, chocolate mousse, cranberry jam, whipped cream and meringue.

Daily budget (per person)

BudgetTransport: 75-minute ticket PLN 4.40, 24-hour ticket PLN 15, 3-day ticket PLN 36 (zone 1). Walking the Old Town and using free-entry days (Royal Castle on Wednesdays; Wilanów, the Rising Museum and POLIN on Thursdays; Łazienki buildings on Fridays) keeps admission costs down. Check booking sites for hotels and food

Mid-rangeAdding paid sights: Łazienki four-building ticket PLN 60, Wilanów Palace about PLN 60-70. Check booking sites for hotels and food

ComfortAccommodation is most of the budget - compare prices for your dates on booking sites

Amounts are rough figures in local currency. Check exchange rates before you go.

Sample itinerary

Day 1
SKM train or bus 175 into the city and check in → Castle Square and the Royal Castle (free on Wednesdays) → Old Town Market Square, the Barbican and the old walls → St. John's Archcathedral → an evening walk on the Vistula Boulevards.
Day 2
Warsaw Rising Museum in the morning (closed Tuesdays) → POLIN Museum and the Ghetto Heroes Monument in the afternoon → the 30th-floor viewing terrace (114 m) of the Palace of Culture and Science around sunset.
Day 3
Bus 180 along the Royal Route: Krakowskie Przedmieście → Łazienki Park and the Palace on the Isle (buildings free on Fridays) → Wilanów Palace and gardens (free on Thursdays) → head to the airport.

Local tips

Entry rules depend on your nationality. Check official information before you travel.
Validate paper tickets as soon as you board; riding without a valid ticket risks a PLN 266 fine. Ticket machines on SKM trains, buses and trams take cards only.
Most Sundays in Poland are non-trading days when shops close, and shops plus some museums and attractions close on public holidays. Check official information when planning shopping and visits.
In Warsaw, drinking alcohol in public places (parks, squares, streets) outside designated areas is prohibited, and shops may not sell takeaway alcohol from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The currency is the złoty (PLN). Change money at registered exchange points, never on the street or with strangers. The Polish Tourism Organisation says cards are widely accepted, especially in major towns and at tourist attractions.
The Fryderyk Chopin Museum is closed until 31 December 2026 (Warsaw Tourism Office, checked October 2026).
Emergency 112 (Polish and English), police 997, ambulance 999, fire 998, Warsaw city contact centre 19115. Check your government's current travel advice for Poland before you go.