Walking Around Warsaw

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The Łazieniki Park statue of Fryderyk Chopin shows the composer lost in the sounds of a rustling willow.

10 Fun Facts

  • There are many bike lanes on the main sidewalks separate from pedestrian lanes.
  • Warsaw is further north than both London and Vancouver, BC.
  • Pedestrians wait for the Green Man before crossing the street, even when no cars are in sight.
  • Cars stop for pedestrians at crosswalks.
  • It gets light early – 5:00-ish. Sunset is after 20:00 in early August. Been told that it gets dark early in the winter.
  • The tap water is safe to drink.
  • Madame Marie Curie, scientist, scholar, discoverer of radioactive elements Polonium and Radium and recipient of two Nobel Peace prizes -Physics and Chemistry was born in Warsaw 7 November 1867.
  • The mermaid has been Warsaw’s symbol for 8 centuries. A legend tells of a mermaid living in the Vistula River where Old Town Warsaw stands. Local fishermen were searching for the beast that had destroyed their nets. Hearing the beautiful voice of the singing mermaid they fell head over heels in love with the creature. One day she was caught by a wealthy merchant. The son of a local fisherman heard her cries and with help from his friends managed to free her. In gratitude the mermaid promised to protect the city’s residents in time of need.
  • Uber and Bolt are available in Warsaw as well as Lime and Gett for e-scooters and Veturilo for public bike rentals. Public transportation includes buses, trams, streetcars, and Metro (Subway). Bicyclists and streetbikes deliver Wolt, Uber and Glovo food orders.
  • Polish sounds difficult. The easiest part is learning that the W is pronounced as a V, and the C as a TS (as in cats), the J like a Y, and the Ł is a W. But then there are additional letters in the Polish alphabet: ą, ę, ć, ś, ż, ź, I’ve struggled just to say ‘thank you’ in Polish.

Our Hip Neighborhood

Our “Modern Apartment in a hip area in the city” Airbnb is well connected to public transportation with buses, trams, and a nearby Metro station, and within walking distance to Łazieniki Park, markets, pharmacies, and all kinds of eating options such as sidewalk cafes, bakeries, coffee shops, ice cream, Milk Bars, and vegan and ethnic restaurants including Vietnamese, Sushi, Ramen, Indian and Thai.

The view out the window of our WarsawAirbnb. On the sidewalk opposite us is a outdoor seating for a vegan restaurant and a very popular coffee shop called The Ministry of Coffee.
Looking out our window to the right of The Ministry of Coffee.
Residential street.
The sidewalk cafes are crowded with young and old.
Entrance to the Politechnika Metro station.
There is a mixture of new and old, modern, Old World and communist architectural styles.
There is a lot of graffiti as well as many vacant storefronts.
Not sure what these are. Lingonberries perhaps?

The Royal Way

For hundreds of years the most important route has been The Royal Way linking Warsaw and the Royal Palace to Łazienki Royal Park and Wilanow Palace 11-kilometers away.

It is a feast for the eye to stroll Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, known as the Royal Way, to Castle Square and Old Town Warsaw. It is lined with shops, restaurants, churches, statues and luxury hotels.

Through the centuries it has seen royal processions, merchants’ carts and ordinary people coming to the city and especially to the market square. My photos of Castle Square and Old Town Warsaw are in this post here.

One of the most impressive buildings is the Presidential Palace built in the 17th century.
The beautiful Hotel Bristol is one of the most luxurious hotels in Warsaw with a rich history of famous guests.
Gates to Warsaw University.
The Church of the Holy Cross. Though 200 years have passed since Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin strolled this street, it still has charm. He grew up in Warsaw and died in Paris and desired his body be returned to Warsaw, Only his heart made it – 96 years after his death when it was laid to rest in the Church of the Holy Cross.
Staszic Palace is now home to the Polish Academy of Sciences and Warsaw Scientific Society. A statue of Nicholas Copernicus is in front.
Multi-media Fountain Park between the Vistula River and Old Town Warsaw. On Summer weekends there is a Disney laser light show.

We’ve enjoyed our week walking and feasting in Warsaw. As slow travelers we could’ve stayed longer; there were some things we didn’t get to see. For being Poland’s largest city and Capital with a population of 3 million it’s been very modern, manageable and calm.

Crowds come for the free Sunday concerts at 12 and 4pm

Looking at Warsaw’s Jewish and Communist history next time we Meet You in the Morning.

4 responses to “Walking Around Warsaw”

  2. Wow…I didn’t think I would want to go to Warsaw but it looks really nice. I may have to rethink that. Loved the Ministry of Coffee name – however, I know you like Starbucks 😊.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I hope you can cone to Poland. We’re living the food. I think Rick Steves said lots of people make the mistake of skipping over Warsaw. We arrived in Krakow today! And to clarify, Steve loves Starbucks mostly cause he wants more than a 6oz drink. I love trying other coffee shops and thought Ministry of Coffee a rather clever name. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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