Flights to Warsaw, Poland
Warsaw, the capital of Poland, was severely damaged during the Second World War. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean the city has lost much of its grandeur. The Vistula, the longest and largest river in Poland, divides the city of Warsaw into two different parts. The right side, although less damaged, is not as popular as the left side. The left district is the most attractive to tourists, thanks to its modern city centre and Old Town.
The Old Town is lively and atmospheric, full of outdoor cafés and surrounded by medieval fortified walls. Warsaw has successfully combined traditional and modern, by renovating the damaged areas of the city, all the while keeping its historical richness intact.
So what are you waiting for? Book your flight to Warsaw with Brussels Airlines now!
Things to do in Warsaw
- Warsaw Royal Castle: it has been renovated and is now once again open to the public. Visitors can wander through magnificent royal chambers, such as the Marble Room, the Throne Room and the Ballroom and enjoy works from the early Baroque, Gothic and Rococo periods.
- Sigismund’s Column: one of Warsaw’s most famous landmarks and one of the oldest secular monuments in northern Europe. This is the perfect spot from which to start exploring the picturesque Old Town. With its statue, the column honours Sigismund III Vasa, who was the King who moved Poland’s capital from Krakow to Warsaw. The column was severely damaged during the war, but luckily reconstructed afterwards.
- The Wilanów Palace is definitely a must-see monument when visiting Warsaw. It dates from 1677, when King Jan III Sobieski turned this existing mansion into a stunning villa, perfect for a royal summer residence. This beautiful palace is known for its wonderful Polish Baroque architecture, its museum of interiors, and large collection of European and oriental art.
- The Lazienki Palace and Park are perfect for wandering around and enjoying the picturesque and serene environment. The palace was built in the 17th century as a private bathhouse for Count Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, owner of the neighbouring Ujazdowski Castle.
- The Main Market Square is Warsaw’s heart and soul and dates back to the 13th century when it used to be the centre of Warsaw’s public life and its most important meeting point. Today you can enjoy a quiet drink and dinner in the charming little cafés and restaurants, while surrounded by beautiful painted townhouses. While you’re in the market square, you can also visit the Literature Museum and the Historical Museum of Warsaw.
- Museums:
- The Warsaw Rising Museum remains one of Poland’s best museums. It leads visitors through the chronological history of the Uprising. The tour is divided into three interactive displays, photographs, film archives, and personal accounts. The main objective of the museum is to give the visitor a sense of the desperation these residents felt when they decided to oppose the occupation by force, and it does an excellent job showing it to their visitors.
- The Museum of the History of Polish Jews is definitely worth a visit. It’s an exceptional museum, documenting 1,000 years of Jewish history in Poland. It starts with the earliest Jewish traders in the region, then moves on to the waves of mass migration, progress and massacres, all the way to WWII and the destruction of Europe’s largest Jewish community.
- Cafés and restaurants:
Of all the cities in Poland, Warsaw is the one where you’ll eat best. It has wide-ranging cuisine from traditional Polish food to Japanese, Middle Eastern, and Indian food. There’s a wide variety, but you can still find some good, cheap eats in the form of Poland’s classic milk bars. The following restaurants are worth a visit:
- Gościniec Polskie Pierogi: this cosy and tasty restaurant is right at the entrance to the Old Town, offering traditional Polish food including soups, pierogi, potato pancakes, and various meat dishes.
- If you’re looking for a classic milk bar, then Bar Mleczny Familijny is the perfect choice. This milk bar is famous across the city for its strawberry dumplings.
- U fukiera is the most famous restaurant in town. It’s mainly known for its magnificent interior, which is a work of art in itself. Experience an amazing dining experience in the heart of Warsaw’s Old Town. Enjoy the great food and absorb the atmosphere.
- Relax with a cheap massage
The perfect way to end your trip in Warsaw is by spending a day at the Relax in Spa. Enjoy an amazing massage and a top service from its kind and professional staff.
When to visit Warsaw
Warsaw has a humid continental climate, with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. The capital has a long tourist season between June and August. However, if you want to avoid the crowd and enjoy some milder weather, visit Warsaw in the colder season.
What to eat in Warsaw
Pierogi – filled dumplings
These dumplings are stuffed with a filling such as cottage cheese, seasonal fruit, or potato, usually served with onions or sour cream, and come highly recommended. They’re one of the most classic and well-known Polish dishes.
Paczki
These Polish doughnuts are absolutely worth a try. The delicious buns come filled with a wide range of possible flavours. One of the most popular flavours is rose, but there are many variations including custard, chocolate, and strawberry jam.
Bigos
This national dish of Poland is truly a must eat for tourists. Bigos is a hotpot of real country flavours. Cabbage is the main ingredient, combined with pork shoulder, bacon bits, juniper berries, onions and bay leaves.
Golabki
Golabki - a typical Polish dish - are cabbage rolls made from soft-boiled cabbage leaves wrapped around minced meat, chopped onions and rice. These rolls are mostly served with tomato sauce to complete the dish.
Borscht
The main ingredient of this national Polish soup is beetroot, which explains the strong red colour of the dish. The soup can be served hot or cold and can include meat or just vegetables.
Travel tips from our staff
Len works for our customer experience department and goes on a mystery trip to Europe every year.
This year, it was my turn to pick a European destination. I decided to take off to Warsaw with a group of 9 friends, to explore the Polish capital and its hidden gems.
I made sure to download the ‘mytaxi’ app for a safe and quick transfer from Warsaw Chopin Airport to the city centre. To our surprise, taxis were quite cheap in Poland. We weren’t all that lucky with the weather conditions, so we used the app throughout our trip. So easy and convenient for a group of 10!
As we were only visiting Warsaw for the weekend, we wanted to make sure we’d seen everything. In addition to the main tourist attractions, we always try to do some alternative activities on our mystery trips. That’s why I booked a 3-hour communism tour, which took us through Warsaw and its socialist history in an original socialist-style van. I can only recommend doing this tour, as it’s something few people know about and you really get a good local view of how Poland lived under communist rule.
Experiencing the nightlife scene is another must in Warsaw. There are probably more clubs than you’ll ever realise in this city, so it was hard for us to pick one where we could experience the party vibe. One of my hipster friends opted for Smolna, an underground club with a rough and shadowy design. One unique thing about this club is that they have a no-photo policy, so you can really get into the techno music without having people constantly on their phones.
Although our trip to Warsaw was rather short, it was definitely worth spending a weekend there with friends. We ended our trip in the Alewino restaurant, which serves high-end food and excellent wine, and flew back home the morning after. I’m already curious to find out where our next mystery trip will be!