A little disorienting at first glance, the skyline hits you in a bang – the ominous presence of the Stalinist era Palace of Culture now softened by modern towers such as Daniel Liebeskind’s luxury apartment building Złota 44.
A little disorienting at first glance, the skyline hits you in a bang – the ominous presence of the Stalinist era Palace of Culture now softened by modern towers such as Daniel Liebeskind’s luxury apartment building Złota 44.
Criss-crossed by the city’s main arterial roads – Jerozolimskie and Marszałkowska, an ambitious plan to make the centre more user-friendly is well underway and has already resulted in the launch of pedestrianised gathering points such as Plac Pięciu Rogów.
As confusing and overwhelming as the centre can feel at times, it’s here where Warsaw’s big city vibe rings the loudest – despite that, chich, scenic streets such as Lwowska, Foksal and Mokotowska are as easy to find as those that are lined with post-war concrete carbuncles.
For upmarket Polish design its essential one spends time window-shopping on Mokotowska, a street that brings to mind shades of Paris. Further up, Vitkac is the country’s most high-profile luxury department store and awash with celebs filling their bags with Gucci, Celine and Louis Vuitton. For one-in-a-million dining, Nuta is a thrill ride and the city’s only Michelin-starred restaurant. Finish in one of the lux hotels: standing opposite each other, the Raffles Europejski (guests: the Stones, Beyonce) faces off against the Bristol (guests: McCartney, Gates, JFK). The cocktail bars in both are a memorable splurge.
Some of Warsaw’s quirkiest sights aren’t always obvious to the naked eye. Operating since 1905, the Fotoplastikon (Jerozolimskie 51) is the oldest stereoscopic theatre in Europe and remains one of city’s best-kept secrets. Then there’s the jaw-dropping interior of the Polytechnic, a stunning cloistered courtyard with a stained-glass ceiling hanging over the grand marble staircases. For some exploration, the ruins of the smashed ruins of the miniature park on Pl. Defilad are a sad but engaging site, while for another city secret negotiate the gate at Hoża 70 to find a cute, gabled building plopped inside a 19th century courtyard.
South of Jerozolimskie is where the centre shows itself at its most charismatic. Filled with surviving and sometimes spectacular pre-war tenements, find a heap of atmospheric bars and restaurants on streets like Nowogrodzka, Poznańska and Hoża. And then, on Koszykowa, you have Hala Koszyki, Warsaw’s first food hall – a place visited, even, by Prince William! But inter-mingled with these, its on these streets you’ll find small boutiques, dusty bookstores, and upcoming design stores.
The Royal Route begins in Wilanów and concludes at Old Town’s Royal Castle, but it is on Al. Ujazdowski that it really gathers steam. Joining it from Łazienki takes you past gorgeous stucco clad villas, many of which now serve as embassies. Passing through Pl. Trzech Krzyży – dominated by the domes form of St. Alexander’s, walk the bustling shopping street of Nowy Świat before joining onto Krakowskie Przedmieście, a prestigious street lined with buildings of national importance: the Presidential Palace, for one.
The National Museum has entire galleries dedicated to the masters of Polish painting, and their remodelled Gallery of Ancient Art is a must for fans of Rome, Greece and Egypt. For retro flair though, the Gallery of Polish Design is a paean to Polish 20th century applied arts. Inside Ujazdowski Castle, the CSW currently has exhibitions by Yolik Nal, Claudia Clare and Sławomir Marzec. It is the Zachęta, however, where you’ll find the most controversial modern art shows.
Łazienki is the name all need to remember (see p. TK), but there’s also plenty of other green spaces to appreciate such as Saski Gardens, one of the first public parks in the world. Equally princely is Ujazdowski Park whose features include a humpbacked bridge and a green cabin containing a weighing scale once used by Charles de Gaulle. Behind Ujazdowski Castle, lose yourself in the huge Park Śmigłego-Rydza, a place built post-war by 15,000 kids.
The rich choices of the centre include Warsaw’s Michelin flagbearer Nuta, as well as the post-industrial food haven that is Hala Koszyki. But it also means a wealth of alt. vegan options (particularly in the vicinity of Poznańska, Krucza and Hoża) and craft beer pubs around Nowogrodzka and Chmielna. Combined, it’s around these aforementioned streets you’ll also find a heap of restaurants aimed at every income band. Although Nowy Świat is riddled with tourist traps, head just off there to the ‘pavilions’ to uncover dozens of lively dive bars. Onto clubbing, and Jasna / Mazowiecka streets have a few options such as Ritual and Jasna 1.
