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Is Warsaw Worth Visiting?

Yes, yes, YES! A thousand times yes!!! I’m not just saying this because I’m Polish, or because I desperately crave pierogi like my dear old grandma used to make. I’m saying this because I think Warsaw, Poland is one of the most genuinely underrated cities in Europe. The capital city of Poland, Warsaw has a lot to offer, and in the same way tourists used to rave about Prague, it offers these attractions cheaply. In fact, Poland is one of the cheapest EU countries to live in. There are tons of things to do in Warsaw, from taking in arts and culture to exploring the history and culinary delights. There are plenty of Warsaw tourist attractions that make visiting Warsaw fun, enlightening, and absolutely delightful. Plus, the entire historic center of Warsaw is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This means there are tons of Instagrammable places in Warsaw where you can capture beautiful photos.

I had been waiting to make the trip to Poland for years and I’m happy to say I finally found the time to take my mom to see this great country. Both of us have mobility issues and I’m thrilled to say we found Warsaw Poland to be easily accessible.

In this post, I’ll explore some of the top things to do in Warsaw, where to stay in Warsaw, some travel tips, and how to get around. Basically, I’ll give you everything you’ll need to know for your Warsaw vacation.

When to Visit Warsaw

Spring and fall are arguably the best times of year to visit Warsaw. March through May and September through November will be the most cost-effective times to visit the city. May and September also provide the most comfortable temperatures, usually hovering somewhere in the 50s and 60s on the Fahrenheit scale.

Summer is also quite pleasant though you can expect higher prices and more crowds. Winter will offer great prices, but it will also be far too cold to enjoy the outdoors and I would not recommend making the trip in winter if you can avoid it. Visiting in winter will greatly impede your Warsaw sightseeing.

How To Get To Warsaw

To get to Warsaw, you’ll most likely fly into Chopin International Airport, named after famed Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin. Yeah, that’s right, he’s Polish. More on that later.

To get from the airport to your hotel, I recommend using a taxi. Cabs are pretty inexpensive in Warsaw. I took a 1-hour cab ride in rush hour traffic that cost me about $26 USD. In NYC or LA that would have been well over $100. Alternatively, you could use public transportation. Warsaw does have a very good bus and rail system which is also accessible to those in wheelchairs.

To book a wheelchair-accessible Warsaw taxi vehicle, you can reach EkoTaxi online or call them at +48 22 644 22 22.

Where To Stay In Warsaw

When picking a hotel my advice is to stick to hotels close to Old Town. I opted to stay at the Sofitel Warsaw Victoria Hotel during my visit. Typically Sofitel properties are a little out of my price range, but Warsaw is a delightfully inexpensive city so I was able to afford the five-star elegance. It cost me under $150 a night for a deluxe room with a daily breakfast buffet. So if you’re wondering, is Warsaw expensive to visit? The answer is no.

The Sofitel is wheelchair accessible and located a short distance from Old Town, The Presidential Palace, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and many of the best things to do in Warsaw. It also features a great buffet breakfast with a wide variety of foods that satisfy any dietary restrictions. The property also has a beautiful indoor pool and an amazing restaurant.

How To Get Around Warsaw

As I mentioned earlier taxis are plentiful and can be taken cheaply throughout the city. Just be mindful to only use cabs with the official Warsaw cab emblem on the side door. To book a wheelchair-accessible Warsaw taxi vehicle, you can reach EkoTaxi online or call them at +48 22 644 22 22.

The Warsaw bus system is completely wheelchair accessible. All buses are equipped with space for wheelchairs and ramps. The ramp is always located at the second door of the bus. Many buses are also equipped with a button featuring the international symbol for disability. This informs the driver of your intention to board the bus, so they may come and lower the ramp for you. On some buses, you may have to approach the driver and let them know you would like to board so they may lower the ramp.

When it comes to trains, the Public Transport Authority claims that the Metro system is completely accessible, as all of the carriages are low floor and there are lifts at every station to allow riders to access the platform. However, the gap between the platform and carriage may be too large for some wheelchairs and mobility aids. To solve this trains in service on the first metro line are equipped with a bridging plate that extends to the platform, providing those vehicles gap-free access to the carriage.

What To Do In Warsaw

There are plenty of great tours, amazing sites, and fantastic things to do in Warsaw, Poland. Below I’ll take you through some of the top things to see in Warsaw. I’ll also recommend my favorite day tour from Warsaw to round out this Poland travel guide.

Old Town

I highly recommend starting your time in Warsaw with a walking tour of Old Town, Market Square, and more. It’s a great way to get your bearings and see many Warsaw attractions. You’ll also get a brief history of Warsaw which will help deepen your understanding of this fantastic city. I took this 2 1/2-hour wheelchair-accessible tour of Warsaw in a nutshell. My guide was absolutely incredible, funny, informative, and brilliant. The tour gave me a great overview of the city and allowed me to map out places of interest that I’d like to explore more during my Warsaw visit.

Old Town is a gorgeous area of the city, which, like most of Warsaw, was completely rebuilt after the Second World War. 85% of Warsaw was destroyed during the war. The unique thing about Old Town is that the buildings were rebuilt using some of the wreckage and remade in their original style.

Warsaw Uprising Museum

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Museum is the most important, can’t-miss museum in Warsaw. If you see only one museum during your Warsaw visit, this should be it. The Museum is a tribute to Warsaw’s residents who fought and died for an independent Poland and its free capital. The museum presents 800 exhibition items, approximately 1500 photographs, and numerous films, and sound recordings. Audio guides are available in 27 languages. It’s a great place to learn about Polish history.

The Museum is accessible to people in wheelchairs. There is an elevator on each level of the exhibition. A wheelchair can also be rented from the Museum's cloakroom. Admission for carers of disabled visitors is free.

A modern audioguide system enables blind people to visit almost the entire exhibition. Guided tours for blind visitors can be booked by phone at (+48 22) 539 79 33 or (+48 22) 539 79 47.

The Museum also offers guided tours assisted by a sign language interpreter. Tours are available, on-demand, on Fridays during the Museum's opening hours. Visitors can book by email at ekspozycja@1944.pl.

Admission to the museum is free on Mondays. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. I highly recommend getting tickets in advance.

Address: Grzybowska 79 Warsaw 00-844 Poland

Copernicus Science Centre

Looking for what to do in Warsaw with kids? Check out the Copernicus Science Center. With over 400 exhibits, construction challenges, workshops, mini-labs, a theatre, a planetarium, and other attractions, the Copernicus Science Centre is a great place to make learning fun.

A lot of what there is to do in Warsaw can feel very heavy and decidedly not kid-friendly. If you’re looking for kid-suitable attractions in Warsaw this is a fantastic place.

The building is equipped with elevators, platforms, and special bathrooms for people with disabilities. Inside the Planetarium there is reserved seating for wheelchair users.

For visually impaired guests, the entrance zone of Copernicus Science Centre has special markers on the floor (directional and blister tactiles). Next to the cash desk aisle, there is a tactile map of the whole building. Visitors to the Planetarium can enjoy three films with audio descriptions.

For hearing-impaired visitors, cashiers have a sign language system to better communicate with guests.

For guests on the autism spectrum, it is recommended you bring noise-canceling headphones, as the museum can be loud. There is also a quiet room outside the exhibition area. Simply ask the museum staff to help you locate it.

Address: Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 20, 00-390 Warsaw, Poland

Holy Cross Church

The Church of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic house of worship located on Krakowskie Przedmieście opposite the main Warsaw University campus. It is one of the most notable Baroque churches in the city of Warsaw. It’s also the home of famous composer Fryderyk Chopin’s heart. Yeah, I told you we’d get back to Chopin. Chopin fell in love with Warsaw and after moving to France, he vowed to return to the city he loved. On his deathbed, his wife promised to transport his heart back to Warsaw. But how’s a lady to transport a human heart across international lines? She simply placed it in a jar of brandy and smuggled it under her giant 1840s skirt. The heart was later interred in a church pillar.

Years later, people began to question if the heart was actually in the pillar. The pillar was reopened and the heart was found fully intact, still in its jar of brandy. Which lead Poles to claim brandy is good for your heart.

While you can’t see Chopin’s heart, you can see the pillar it’s contained within, as well as this beautiful Baroque church.

Address: Krakowskie Przedmiescie 3, Warsaw 00-047 Poland

The Royal Way

The Royal Way or Royal Route leads into the heart of Old Town Warsaw. While the entire Royal Way is much too long to walk, I would recommend starting at the Copernicus statue and following the streets down to Market Square in Old Town. This will allow you to see the bulk of the attractions Warsaw is known for. So much of your sightseeing in Warsaw can be found on this one path. From the Presidential Palace to Castle Square, Holy Cross Church, The Warsaw Barbican, and more, it’s all located along the Royal Way. You’d be surprised how many places of interest in Warsaw can be seen along this one beautiful route.

The Royal Way takes you along wide, flat sidewalks and is easy to walk and wheelchair accessible.

The Presidential Palace

Home to Poland’s President, the palace was originally constructed in 1643 as an aristocratic mansion. It was rebuilt and remodeled several times over the course of its existence. The current neoclassical palace was completed in 1818. The building actually survived the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. On May 14, 1955, the famous Warsaw Pact was signed inside the Presidential Palace between the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries. Since July 1994, the palace has been the official seat of the president of the Republic of Poland.

Address: Krakowskie Przedmieście 48/50, 00-071 Warsaw, Poland

Castle Square

Castle Square is a historic square in front of the Royal Castle – the former official residence of Polish monarchs – located in Warsaw, Poland. The castle itself is one of the most incredible castles in Poland. The area in front of the castle is a popular meeting place for tourists and locals. The Square, actually somewhat of a triangular shape (no Polish jokes, please), features perhaps the most iconic tourist attraction in Warsaw, Sigismund's Column, and is surrounded by historic townhouses.

It was said if Sigismund’s Column fell Poland would experience great tragedy. The column fell once, in 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising. The original pieces of the broken column can be seen next to the Royal Castle.

Address: plac Zamkowy 01-195 Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw Barbican

The Warsaw Barbican is a semicircular fortified outpost and one of the few remaining relics of the complex network of historic fortifications that once encircled the city of Warsaw. Built in 1540, it’s located between the Old and New Towns and is a major Warsaw tourist attraction. The Barbican was used only once in the defense of the city, during the Swedish invasion of Poland, on June 30, 1656, when it had to be recaptured by the Polish army under Polish King John II Casimir from the Swedes.

I visited as the last stop of our Warsaw in a Nutshell tour. It’s a great spot to grab photos. Though as you can see above, it does get busier in the afternoons, so it’s best to visit in the morning if possible.

Address: Nowomiejska 15/17, 00-257 Warsaw, Poland

PGE National Stadium

Stadion Narodowy or PGE Stadium is a football (or soccer if you’re reading this in the US) stadium. However, it was mentioned by several guides during our visit that given a myriad of design flaws the stadium is rarely used for games. Design flaws like, the locker rooms being located too far from the pitch for teams to make it there and back within the allotted 15-minute halftime. The stadium is mostly utilized for concerts these days. I’ve included it on my list because I found this fact humorous.

The stadium is wheelchair accessible.

Address: al. Księcia Józefa Poniatowskiego 1, 03-901 Warsaw, Poland

Vistula River

The Vistula River cuts Warsaw in half. In 1656 when Sweden invaded Poland, the Swedes made off with literally everything they could grab in Warsaw and loaded it up on ships. We’re talking not only art, furniture, and other high-end valuables, but staircases, wallpaper, and anything that could feasibly be loaded on a boat. Unfortunately for the Swedes, one of their ships sank into the Vistula losing everything on board. To this day, when Warsaw experiences a drought and the Vistual lowers, items from that ship are discovered and pulled to shore. During normal times the waters are too murky with a severe undercurrent so divers cannot explore what lies beneath.

Today you can experience the wonders of the Vistula with a wheelchair-accessible Vistula River cruise. Climb aboard a replica of a traditional Galar boat for a one-hour sightseeing cruise along the banks of the Vistula.

Royal Baths Park aka Lazienki Park

Łazienki Park or Royal Baths Park, is the largest park in Warsaw, Poland, occupying nearly 188 acres of the city center. Originally designed in the 17th century as a baths park for nobleman Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, it was eventually transformed by Poland's last monarch, Stanislaus II Augustus, into a setting for palaces, classicist follies, villas, and monuments. In 1918 it was designated an official public park.

If you’re looking for a very pretty place to relax, I highly recommend Lazienki Park.

The park is wheelchair-accessible.

Address: Aleje Ujazdowskie, Warsaw 99-200, Poland

POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews

POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is a museum on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The Hebrew word Polin means either "Poland" or "rest here" and refers to a legend about the arrival of the first Jews to Poland.

The museum opened on April 19, 2013. The main exhibition features a multimedia exhibition about the Jewish community that flourished in Poland for a thousand years up to the World War II Holocaust.

The museum is wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs for adults are available at the ticket desk and by the security stand at the main entrance.

Address: Mordechaja Anielewicza 6, 00-157 Warsaw, Poland

Museum of Vodka

Poland is known for its vodka. And if you’d like to know more about this delightful adult beverage The Museum of Vodka is the place to go. Located across the Vistula River in the Praga district, you can take a cab to this museum of Polish libations and experience a 70-minute wheelchair-accessible tour of the museum of vodka, including a 20-minute vodka-tasting lesson at the Vodka Academy.

Address: Centrum Praskie Koneser Plac Konesera 1, 03-736 Warsaw, Poland

The Palace of Culture and Science

A gift from Stalin that nobody wanted or needed, it’s said the observation terrace of The Palace of Culture and Science offers the best views in Warsaw. Why? Because it’s the only place in Warsaw from which you can’t see The Palace of Culture and Science. I do appreciate the heavy Polish sarcasm.

The Palace houses an assortment of public and cultural institutions such as theatres, cinemas, libraries, university faculties, and authorities of the Polish Academy of Sciences. It’s also one of the tallest buildings in Europe. Upon its completion in 1955, it was the eighth-tallest building in the world. It’s now the second-tallest clock tower in the world. The massive grey structure is quite imposing, but the views did not disappoint. In addition to the observation deck, you’ll also find many tours depart from the front of the building.

The Palace of Culture and Science is wheelchair accessible.

Address: Plac Defilad 1, 00-901 Warsaw, Poland

Tomb of The Unknown Soldier and Saxon Gardens

Located directly next to the beautiful Saxon Gardens Park, The Tomb of The Uknown Soldier is a monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. The tomb houses the unidentified body of a young soldier who fell during the Defence of Lwów.

The tomb is lit by an eternal flame and guarded by two soldiers from the honor guard regiment of the Polish Armed Forces. The changing of the guard takes place every hour on the hour 365 days a year.

The area around the Tomb and Saxon Gardens are wheelchair-accessible.

Address: plac Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego 1-3, 00-078 Warsaw, Poland

Tour of Praga, The Dark Side of Warsaw

Praga used to be a center of criminal activity, but now due to gentrification, it’s actually quite safe. Unlike the opposite side of the river, the Praga district was largely spared in the second world war, giving it a more interesting architectural feel. Praga is also a hub for Warsaw nightlife and home to the thriving Warsaw street art scene. Being a fan of street art, I purchased a ticket for a guided tour of the Praga district, an area most tourists don’t get to see.

The 2 1/2-hour Praga Dark Side of Warsaw Tour will whisk you away in a retro Jelcz “cucumber” bus. After crossing the Vistula River, you will get off at the first stop – the E. Wedel chocolate factory. Here, you’ll get to know the history of the company producing sweets in Warsaw since the mid-19th century. You’ll also get to taste a cup of the most delicious hot chocolate ever made. The next stop is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of the most impressive religious buildings in Warsaw. Next, you’ll see a former vodka factory, Koneser. The tour also covers the area called the Praga “Bermuda Triangle” where you’ll see some examples of authentic pre-war architecture with scenic courtyards and colorful shrines inside. From here, you will head back to the Palace of Culture and Science to finish the tour.

Unfortunately, the tour is not wheelchair accessible.

Wilanów Palace

The Versailles of Poland, Wilanów Palace was built for King Jan iii in the 17th Century. This royal castle was enlarged in the 18th Century by subsequent owners and miraculously survived the bombings that came with the second world war. Wilanów Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the top tourist attractions in Poland. I highly recommend making part of your Warsaw visit.

The Palace features incredible gardens and art collections some from the inheritors of King Stanisław August Poniatowski.

The palace is partially wheelchair accessible, though the palace gardens are fully wheelchair-accessible and feature wheelchair-accessible restrooms.

Address: Stanisława Kostki Potockiego 10/16, 02-958 Warsaw, Poland

The Warsaw Zoo

Not just a place for exotic animals, The Warsaw Zoo was once a hiding place for Polish Jews kept safe from the nazis by the then zookeeper and his wife.

If you’ve seen The Zookeeper’s Wife, or read the book by the same name, you may know the events that transpired at the Warsaw Zoo during WWII. Jan and Antonina Żabiński rescued hundreds of Polish Jews from the Germans by hiding them in their villa within the Warsaw Zoo during WWII. The Zabinskis were later recognized by Israel for their righteous acts and defiance against the Germans for saving 300 people.

While the zoo’s animals were largely killed off during WWII, in 1949 the zoo was restored and reopened. The famous Zabiński villa, called “The House Under the Crazy Star” by friends, stands in the garden to this day.

All zoo exhibits are wheelchair-accessible.

Address: Ratuszowa 1/3, 03-461 Warsaw, Poland

Jewish Cemetery

Another important Warsaw historical site is the Jewish Ghetto and Jewish Cemetary. Visitors can take a wheelchair-accessible 3-hour guided tour of the Jewish Ghetto and Cemetery. Visitors will explore the Moranow district in Warsaw, which was the location of the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe during World War II. You’ll also see the actual ghetto walls and old homes where over 400,000 Jews from Warsaw were forced to live inside a closed-off area of only four square kilometers. 100,000 Jews died in this ghetto from exhaustion, hunger, and disease. More than 300,000 others were killed at the nearby Treblinka extermination camp.

You will also learn about the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. Walking through Moranow you'll see the Nozyk Synagogue, which is the only surviving prewar synagogue in Warsaw. The last stop of the tour allows you to step inside the Jewish Cemetery where you’ll hear the stories of the Polish-Jewish spiritual leaders, political activists, creators of Jewish culture, and thousands of nameless victims of the Ghetto.

Day Trips From Warsaw

There are several day trips you can make from Warsaw, including a wheelchair-accessible trip to Treblinka, a wheelchair-accessible tour of Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair Headquarters, a wheelchair-accessible tour of Fredryk Chopin’s birthplace, a wheelchair-accessible tour of Krakow, a wheelchair-accessible tour of Gdansk, and a tour of Krakow, Auschwitz, and Birkenau.

I opted to take the tour of Krakow, Auschwitz, and Birkenau. I will warn however that this tour Is not wheelchair accessible. In fact, it involves a lot of stairs, sometimes rough terrain, and a ridiculous amount of walking. My mother and I logged over eight miles of walking the day we made this trip and we were left in considerable pain the next day. I could not find a wheelchair-accessible tour of Auschwitz, and after touring the death camp, I saw how completely inaccessible it is. To get inside any of the buildings visitors have to use stairs. There were also a lot of dirt or gravel paths that were very uneven. Still, I’m incredibly grateful that my body held up and I was able to see this important historical site. Though I would not recommend it if you have chronic pain or don’t think you can spend hours on your feet.

If you’re still interested, I’ll go into details below.

Krakow

The tour started with a 4:30 am pick up (still with me?) and a train ride to Krakow. I do highly recommend the Krakow portion of the trip as it’s very wheelchair accessible and the city itself is gorgeous. The bright side of taking such an early train was arriving in Krakow before 7 am when the streets were empty. The lack of tourists made for some fantastic photographs.

In Krakow, you can see several stunning churches, castles, and tons of shops where you can purchase everything from mugs to handmade amber jewelry and Polish folk art. The main square is the largest Medieval old town square in Europe.

We visited on a Sunday and enjoyed a massive market in the central square filled with delicious Polish food and crafts. You can also wander through the streets and discover some of Poland’s famous milk bars.

After wandering around Krakow for six hours, we met our tour bus to Auschwitz. Our guide was incredible. What was decidedly less impressive was the number of tourists who ignored the repeated instructions not to take selfies or pictures of other people within the grounds of Auschwitz. If you do decide to visit, please be respectful. I can’t believe this has to be said, but a death camp is no place for selfies.

Auschwitz and Birkenau

On your tour of Auschwitz, you’ll learn about its establishment by German Nazis on the outskirts of the town of Oswiecim in 1940 as well as its horrific operations during the war.

After the war, the camp was turned into a museum displaying evidence of the genocide, which you will have the opportunity to browse. After spending time in Auschwitz, you’ll continue the tour to the nearby Birkenau section of the concentration camp. Discover how, in 1941, the German Nazis established this new camp called Auschwitz II Birkenau.

Between 1942-1945, approximately 1.5 million people lived and died here. Around 90% of them were Jews, others were Poles, Gypsies, Russians, and prisoners from 28 countries in Europe.

In 1979, Auschwitz–Birkenau Concentration Camp was listed as a UNESCO World Culture and National Heritage Site.

The trip to Auschwitz was both physically and emotionally painful. It’s hard to fathom the amount of human suffering and man’s inhumanity to man that took place in this one small area. But I cannot stress this enough, it is incredibly important to see. If you are physically able to make the trip please do so.

After the group tour, you’re left with a small amount of time in Krakow before catching your train back to Warsaw. I would recommend grabbing a quick bite to eat before the two and a half hour train ride.

Hope You’ve Enjoyed These Things To Do In Warsaw

Before visiting Warsaw, I read many blog posts by people saying to only give the city one or two days. But after visiting for a week, I still felt like I didn’t have enough time to see all of the Warsaw tourist attractions I wanted to see. There are so many great things to do in Warsaw, from massively important museums detailing integral moments in history to chocolate tastings, vodka samplings, and street art tours. The city is gorgeous and easily one of the most underrated destinations I’ve ever visited.

Have you been to Warsaw? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Like this post? Be sure to share it.

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