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Travel: How to spend 48 hours in the Polish capital Warsaw

© ShutterstockThe old city in Warsaw
The old city in Warsaw

 

Stay

With return Ryanair flights for £20 from Edinburgh and £30 from Glasgow, Warsaw is ideal for a cheap weekend break.

And with a wealth of historical landmarks, inspiring museums, green spaces, a beautiful Old Town and countless restaurants, cafés and bars, this vibrant city has much to offer.

Chain hotels offer double rooms in the heart of the city from £40-50 per night, such as the Mercure Warszawa Centrum or Novotel Warszawa Centrum.

Eat

For breakfast and brunch, the popular Aioli serves shakshuka, bacon, sausage and eggs, served with freshly baked bread.

On weekends, Wrzenie Świata, a bookstore-café offers hungry book-lovers a breakfast buffet. The city’s famous “milk bars”, such as Bar Bambino, Bar Mleczny Prasowy and Bar Mleczny Pod Barbakanem, serve cheap but delicious Polish dishes. Or for trendy street food and cocktails, try MOMU.gastrobar.

Drink

Over the summer, Plac Zabaw offers alfresco drinking on the banks of the Vistula river, with regular gigs and DJ sets.

For a laid-back vibe, enjoy The Alchemist Gastropub’s great range of beers and food.

The Kraken Rum Bar, serves seafood, rum-laced beer and a good rum selection.

See

Don’t miss the Old Town. Its market square is the most historic part of the Old Town and is enveloped by tall Renaissance and Baroque merchants’ houses in a spectrum of colours.

Handily, nearly all of Warsaw’s historic landmarks – churches, parks and palaces – are located on “the royal route”, one street that runs 15km from the Castle Square to Wilanów Palac, including Łazienki Palace and its stunning eponymous park.

The city’s museums pay homage to wartime Poland, including the POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews and the Warsaw Uprising Museum. And, the viewing platform of the St Anne’s Church bell tower offers a bird’s eye view of the city.

Of the city’s many gardens, Warsaw University Library Garden and Saxon Garden are the most picturesque. For a spot of scenic shopping, stroll along Nowy Świat Street.