Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki)
Viewing terrace ‘The Thirtieth Floor’ (Taras widokowy „trzydziestka”)
Plac Defilad 1, tel. 22 656 76 00, www.pkin.pl Opening hours:
June – August: Mon.-Thu., Sun. 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-11.45 p.m.
September – May: Mon.-Sun. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission: regular – 20 PLN, reduced – 15 PLN, group (min. 10 persons) – 10 PLN/person.
The terrace viewpoint is on the 30th floor, at a height of 114 m, which is reached by modern elevator. From here, you can admire a truly panoramic view of Warsaw, even at night.
Bell Tower at St. Anna’s Church (Dzwonnica Kościoła św. Anny) ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 68 www.taraswidokowy.pl Opening hours:
May – October: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
October – May: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-6 pm.
Admission: regular – 4 PLN, reduced – 3 PLN
The bell tower stands next to Plac Zamkowy, and offers one of the prettiest views of the Old Town and the east side of Warsaw. 150 stone steps lead up to the viewing point.
Warsaw Rising Museum Tower (Wieża w Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego) ul. Grzybowska 79, www.1944.pl
Opening hours: Mon., Wed,. Fri. 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Thu. 8 am-8 pm, Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Admission: regular – 5 PLN, reduced – 3 PLN, group – 2 PLN, Sundays admission free
The museum is dominated by a 32-meter high tower, with its side bearing the symbol of ‘Battling Warsaw’ (Polski Walczacej). From the tower is a vast panorama of the city and the nearby Wola area; guests get to the top of the tower by panoramic lift.
Gnojna Góra
ul. Brzozowa, Stare Miasto
From the Middle Ages to the second half of the 18th century, this was a waste dump, but today it is a man-made hill with a terrace. The view
extends from the right side of the Vistula River and goes very far east.
The Roof Garden of the Library of Warsaw University
(Biblioteka Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego) ul. Dobra 56/66, www.buw.uw.edu.pl Opening hours:
1st May-30th September: Mon.-Sun. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. April and October: Mon.-Sun. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission free
One of the most beautiful roof gardens in Europe, it’s here that you can admire a panorama which includes the Świętokrzyski Bridge and the Vistula River. A great place for photographers.
Szczęśliwicka Hill (Górka Szczęśliwicka) ul. Drawska 22, www.wosir.waw.pl Opening hours:
Tue.-Fri. 5.30 pm - 8 pm, Sat.-Sun. noon–8 pm Admission: 3 PLN - 5 PLN (price depends on number of persons)
The slope, with a height of 75 m, offers a unique panorama of Warsaw.
Czerniakowski Mound (Kopiec Czerniakowski) ul. Bartycka
This artificial elevation (with a height of 120 m) was built from the rubble left after Warsaw was almost totally destroyed in WWII. At its peak is a monument which is reached by climbing 400 steps. During commemorative ceremonies of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, a fire burns at the top of the mound, in somber remembrance of the city’s dra- matic resistance against Hitler’s occupying troops.
TOURIST BUSES Bus 100 and 180 www.ztm.waw.pl tel. 194 84
100 – (regular tourist bus), one of the two recreatio- nal lines running in Warsaw. The line travels thro- ugh an approximately 25-kilometers long route from the Zamkowy Square (Plac Zamkowy) by the Royal Route (Trakt Królewski), South Centre, Wola, Powiśle,
the centre of Praga, Muranów and ending back at the Zamkowy Square. All stops are only one way, with a few exceptions, where the trail intersects with iself. The 100 bus line operates every day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., every two hours. Out of season the bus runs into weekends and holidays. 180 (regular tourist bus) connects the Military Cemetery in Powązki with the Wilanów district. The whole route takes about 50-60 minutes, leaving every 12 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends and holidays. The 180 line leads you through the most important historical sites in Warsaw: the Powązki Cemetery (Cmentarz Powązkowski), the Jewish Cemetery (Cmentarz Żydowski), the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes (Pomnik Bohaterów Getta), the New and the Old Towns (Nowe i Stare Miasto) and Royal Route (Trakt Królewski), near the Łazienki Królewskie, the Belvedere, the Church of St. Anthony on Czerniaków (kościoł św. Antoniego na Czerniakowie), the Katyń Museum (Muzeum Katyńskie) to the Palace and Park complex in Wilanów.
City Sightseeing Warsaw www.city-sightseeing.pl tel. 793 973 356
City Sightseeing Warsaw offers open top bus route to see all the best sights and attractions of Warsaw. The bus runs every day and has 10 stops. There are 24- or 48-hour tickets; you can Hop On and Hop Off as much as you like at any of the bus stops on the route. During 2 hours you can enjoy fantastic views, we offer as well multi- lingual commentary with 8 languages and an exclusive Kids Commentary.
TOURS AROUND WARSAW
Travel in Warsaw is not only done through traditional forms of transportation such as buses or cars: for those who want to get a glimpse of 19th century Warsaw, horse omnibuses and cabs are available in the Old Town, while a great attraction for kids is a trip on the old railway (Kolejka Staromiejska). To see the city centre and Warsaw’s right bank, whilst travelling back in time to the 1950’s, you can take a ride on the historic “T” tram line. For more quiet souls and water-lovers, the city has prepared trips on the Vistula (Wisła river), via watertram or ferry. Finally, there is the option of taking a rickshaw around the Krakowskie Przedmieście area.
Horse omnibuses and cabs www.omnibuskonny.pl www.ztm.waw.pl tel. 518 950 500
Take a ride around the streets of the Old Town in a horse-drawn cab, all year round. Once the only available means of transportation in the city, these cabs are now a tourist attraction. Cab drivers wait for passengers at Plac Zamkowy, and are open to negotiation (but do expect to pay around 100 PLN for a 30 minute trip).
Another idea is a horse-drawn omnibus. This service is available from June to September, and
there are two, double decker omnibuses that run through the streets of the Old Town. The route goes from Plac Zamkowy through ulica Podwale and ulica Freta to the Rynek Nowego Miasta, then comes back following Kościelna, Freta, Długa, Miodowa and Senatorska Streets, to Podwale and back to Plac Zamkowy. There are five scheduled stops appear on the omnibus track: Stare Miasto (at Plac Zamkowy), Barbakan (at ulica Mostowa), Rynek Nowego Miasta (at ulica Kościelna), Długa (at Plac Krasińskich) and Bohaterów Getta (at ulica Długa). The journey time is around 50 minutes. Omnibuses run every hour, from Tuesday to Sunday. Tickets can be purchased directly from the driver at Plac Zamkowy, just before departure. Tickets: regular – 14 PLN, discount – 7 PLN, group rate (3 to 5 people) 30 PLN
The Old Railway (Kolejka Staromiejska) tel. 22 635 23 19 or 501 131 245. Tickets: regular – 20 PLN, discount – 18 PLN, group rate – 16 PLN
During the summer, the train runs daily; during the off-season it runs only at weekends. The route starts and ends at Plac Zamkowy. During the 30- minute trip through the streets of the Stare and Nowe Miasto, the guide points out interesting buildings, monuments and other attractions. It is possible to request a guide speaking a particular foreign language.
The “T” tram
www.tw.waw.pl, www.ztm.waw.pl This tourist tram line runs every 30 minutes, at the weekends during the summer. The route, which goes through the city centre and the city’s right bank, begins and ends at Plac Narutowicza.
The trams stops at all scheduled tram stops along the way, but there is a difference between the “T” trams: they are vintage trams, from the pre- war era and the 1950’s. On the “T” tram, regular public transportation tickets are valid.
The ornithological ship www.stop.eko.org.pl www.wislawarszawska.pl tel. 603 591 485, 695 185 965
Trip schedule: Monday to Friday 10 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased directly from the ship’s captain: normal – 16 PLN, discount – 14 PLN Nature-themed educational tours are organised by the Warsaw City Office and the Society for the Protection of Birds. The banks of the Vistula river are an excellent habitat for birds, and offer guests one of the most diversified groups of wild birds in Central Europe. The most valuable species are terns, guulaunds, grebes and nightingales. Each tour participant receives educational material about the river’s natural offerings and a pair of binoculars, and may observe the birds whilst listening to the simultaneous commentary of professionals, including ornithologists. From June until the end of October, from the Pomnik Syrenky to Wilanów, a ship called ‘Ben’ sails, which is created to resemble a Viking ship.
“Wars” Water Tram www.ztm.waw.pl
The water tram, operated by the Żegluga Stołeczna company, floats down the Vistula river from June until the end of September. The route has four stops: Podzamcze, Most Poniatowskiego, Cypel
Czerniakowski and Cytadela. The timetable is six trips a day – the first is at 9 a.m., the last at 6.10 p.m. “Wars” departs from the landing at Podzamcze next to the River Cafe, and the cruise lasts approximately 2 hours. Tickets: regular – 14 PLN, discount – 7 PLN, group rate (3 to 5 persons) – 30 PLN. Tickets can be purchased on the boat right before departure, or in advance, from Monday to Friday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., on the Story Café boat (about 300 m from the Śląsko- Dąbrowski bridge, below the Old Town).
Ferry www.ztm.waw.pl
The ferry goes from Podzamcze (the ‘Pliszka’ ferry stops at the beach near the ZOO) to Cypel Czerniakowski (the ‘Słonka’ ferry goes on to Saska Kępa, and the beach at ulica Kryniczna). Ferries run from June until the end of September, every 30 minutes, between 12.45 p.m. and 7.15 p.m. from Monday to Friday (to make a total of 14 trips daily); it runs every 30 minutes on Saturdays and holidays between 10.45 a.m. and 7.15 p.m. (18 trips daily). The ‘Truskawka’ ferry also floats down the Vistula on a daily basis, linking Łomianki and Nowodwory, from 10.45 a.m. to 7.15 p.m. All ferries are equiped with bicycle racks. Ferry trips between the two sides of the Vistula River are free of charge.
The cruise ship on the Vistula www.ztm.waw.pl
Tickets: regular – 14 PLN, discount – 7 PLN On weekends, you can take a trips from Warsaw to Serock on the ‘Generał Kutrzeba’ ship. There is one cruise a day (every Saturday and Sunday), and it takes about seven hours. The ‘Generał Kutrzeba’ leaves Warsaw at 9 a.m., and arrives at Serock around noon, where it stops for one hour. The ship then returns to Warsaw Podzamcze around 4 p.m. On the ship there is a restaurant bar where you can buy hot and cold beverages and snacks. The ‘Generał Kutrzeba’ offers cruises from June to September.
Note – The information concerning the water bus, ferry and tours can change!