World City Guide

Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview
For many people, the very symbol of the city is the voluminous Palace of Culture and Science, which was gifted to Warsaw by Stalin. The viewing deck on the 30th floor is accessible via express lifts and this is the best venue for visitors to get acquainted with the layout of the city.

Sightseeing in Warsaw is generally concentrated on the left bank of the Vistula river. The UNESCO World Heritage Old Town is unmissable – quite literally, seeing as many of the city’s attractions and a whole host of cafés, bars and restaurants are located within its environs. The Old Town is both a physical and symbolic expression of the city’s spirit and determination to come back from the brink of annihilation at the end of World War II. Most visitors to Warsaw spend their first day strolling around the Old Town, where one can find the opulent and impressive Royal Castle, once home of the Polish kings. Outside the historic centre is Wilanow, a charming palace on a grand scale, which was modelled on Versailles.

Warsaw boasts a number of green lungs and Lazienki Park is one of the most relaxing, with its Palace on the Water and boating lake. The city is also home to an impressive array of cultural attractions, with a string of museums, including the National Museum, Warsaw Rising Museum, Chopin Museum and the haunting Pawiak Museum, which was used as a prison under the Nazis.

Tourist Information
Punkt Informacji Turystycznej (Tourist Information Point)
Central Railway Station, Aleje Jerozolimskie 54
Tel: (022) 9431. Fax: (022) 650 2231.
E-mail: info@warsawtour.pl
Website: www.warsawtour.pl
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2000 (May-Sep); Daily 0900-1800 (Oct-Apr).
Service is friendly, efficient, and the staff speak English. They can also make hotel reservations, and produce a weekly leaflet listing the latest on cultural events and activities for the week.

There are two other tourist information points at the Okecie Airport arrivals hall and at Warsaw West coach station at aleje Jerozolimskie 144, and another one, soon to open at 36 Krakowskie Przedmiescie.

A privately run Tourist Information Center, Plac Zamkowy 1/13 (tel: (022) 635 1881; website: www.wcit.waw.pl) offers guidebooks and guided tours in many languages for a fee.

Passes
The Warsaw Tourist Card can be purchased from tourist points and enables the cardholder to enjoy free city public transport and free or discounted entrance fees to many museums and select hotels. The cost is ZL35 for a day pass and ZL65 for a three-day pass.