Things to Do in Warsaw
• Ready for a glimpse of the endangered Rothschild giraffes? It's not every day you get to see these elegant creatures.
• Your ticket is your gateway to explore diverse habitats – from African elephants to native Polish storks.
• Not just land animals, the ticket includes access to a vibrant underwater world! Check out the shark aquarium and meet the clownfish family.
• Did you know? During WWII, this zoo was a secret refuge for people as depicted in the film *The Zookeeper's Wife*.
Warsaw for Beginners – Free Walking Tour (2:30 Hours, 3.8 km)
Perfect for first-time visitors, this tour takes you through Warsaw’s must-see landmarks, blending history, culture, and local insights. In just 2:30 hours, you’ll get an essential introduction to Poland’s capital.
Meeting Point: Palace of Culture and Science
Start: In front of the entrance of Kinoteka (cinema)
Tour Itinerary:
🔹 1. Palace of Culture and Science (PKiN)
- Warsaw’s most controversial building, a "gift" from Stalin in the 1950s
- Why locals have a love-hate relationship with it
🔹 2. Nowy Świat and Krakowskie Przedmieście
- One of Warsaw’s most beautiful streets, part of the Royal Route
- Presidential Palace – seat of Poland’s President, but with a dramatic history
- Holy Cross Church – where Chopin’s heart is kept
🔹 3. Castle Square & The Royal Castle
- Why the Royal Castle is not as old as it looks
- The story of Sigismund’s Column – and how it survived WWII
- Warsaw’s complete post-war reconstruction
🔹 4. Old Town Market Square
- A fairytale square rebuilt from ruins
- The legend of the Warsaw Mermaid – the city’s protector
🔹 5. Warsaw Barbican & City Walls
- Medieval fortifications that once protected the city
Get a taste of local culture, discover quirky facts, and unveil hidden treasures. What's more? You'll have the chance to ask all your burning questions along the way. This isn't just a tour - it's your backstage pass to the heart of the city!
The tour takes place with a minimum of 2 walkers.
NO CARD PAYMENT:(
• Ride Red/Blue routes to 26 key sights with audio guides in 10 languages, kids' commentary in Polish, open-top buses for perfect photo ops, plus free child tickets (age 0-5).
• Step off to explore POLIN Museum's moving Jewish history, Wilanów Palace's grandeur, Zachęta's masterpieces, and Old Town's timeless charm.
All you need to know about Warsaw in one tour.
This 2-hour tour, guided by Warsaw enthusiasts, is your perfect Warsaw starter pack, including must-see spots of the 2 oldest Warsaw districts, its lesser-known gems, and stories and legends that bring them to life.
On this 2-hour long tour, we will show you the essentials. You will explore the medieval core of Warsaw: founded in the early 14th century the Old Town, and established one hundred years later - the so-called New Town (the second oldest district of Warsaw). You will learn how Warsaw, from a wooden medieval settlement, in 700 years marked by invasions and occupations, developed into a big, modern, European capital.
You will see and understand stories behind:
- The Royal Castle
- Sigismund’s Column
- The Cathedral of Saint John
- The Magic Bell
- The Vistula River viewpoint
- Market Square
- Medieval defensive walls
- The Barbican
- Marie Curie’s birthplace
- The monument of the Warsaw Uprising
Expect tons of history seasoned with anecdotes, legends and insider tips.
At the end of the tour you will get a printed MINI GUIDE about major Warsaw tourist attractions, most-visited museums, local food delicacies and city hacks.
• Enjoy an intimate boating experience on a 12-seater Galar ship, armed with a snug blanket.
• Get a unique perspective of Warsaw's architectural marvels like the Copernicus Science Center, the National Stadium, and the Warsaw Mermaid.
• Did you know? The Vistula River often personified as a lady, plays an integral part in Warsaw's folklore, adding an intriguing layer of local storytelling to your cruise.
A city that suffered tremendous losses over the last 100 years. Come and see how it rose like a phoenix from the ashes: experience the invincible spirit of Warsaw and learn about the heroism of its people.
Today’s Warsaw is a like a patchwork quilt. A few original, grand pre-war buildings; the fully reconstructed and colourful Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; hulking communist architecture and modern skyscrapers. It is different than any other place you’ve seen. The architectural fabric of the city reflects its unique, and often tumultuous, history. Over the centuries, Warsaw has been the setting for many extraordinary events and people: the adoption of the world’s second-oldest democratic constitution in 1791, one of the most decisive battles in history, the music and life of Chopin, and the birth of Marie Skłodowska-Curie, the only person to receive the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. The wartime deeds of Hitler and Stalin left an indelible mark on the city.
During our tour we’ll discover both the past and the present. We’ll start at Krakowskie Przedmieście at the monument of Nicolaus Copernicus to see one of the most beautiful and lively streets of the city with its astonishing buildings, wide pedestrian areas, restaurants, shops, and greenery, and we’ll finish in the Old Town – the historical heart of Warsaw.
But Warsaw is not only about the past. The thriving cultural scene, theater, music, fascinating museums, world-class restaurants and shops make visit to this city a stimulating experience.
Come and join our tour to understand Warsaw, Poles and Poland’s role in world history.
On this 2h 30 minutes’ FREE Walkative! TOUR you will see:
- Copernicus Monument on Krakowskie Przedmieście Street
- Royal Castle
- University of Warsaw
- The presidential palace
- Sigmund Column
- Old town Market Square
- St. John Cathedral
- and much more…!
The last stop is near the Zygmunt’s Column.
ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules
Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.
If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (18 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.
Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.
This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors.
Please respect our rules.
Discover the most bohemian and alternative part of Warsaw on this free tour through the Praga district. The perfect opportunity to get to know Polish culture!
• Enjoy comfortable hotel transfers from Warsaw in an airconditioned bus, making your journey stress-free.
• See the infamous 'Arbeit Macht Frei' gate, barracks, gas chambers, and crematoria that reveal the stories of the daily lives of prisoners.
• Learn about the origins, operation, and resistance movements that took place at the camp. It stands as a powerful reminder of the dangers of hatred, intolerance, and indifference.
• Did you know? Auschwitz was the largest Nazi concentration camp and extermination camp during World War II. Over 1.3 million people, mostly Jews, were killed there.
The thing you simply cannot help not to notice when arriving in Warsaw is the Palace of Culture and Science. Despite the new development and skyscrapers built in the last two decades, the 46-floor Gotham-like colossus still remains the city’s icon. Let us tell you the story behind it: the story of Warsaw between 1945 and 1989. Rebuilt from a sea of ruins and transformed into the grey capital of the communist paradise: the People’s Republic of Poland.
Communism left its marks all over the city; it was meant to overshadow everything that was before and that was to come in the future. Let us show you some of the iconic post-war architectural landmarks and learn about their role in shaping a new kind of person – Homo-Sovieticus. Hear a story of control, terror, and propaganda, but also of the absurdities of daily life under communism. Understand the everyday struggle to have a normal life in a situation that, from today’s point of view, was very abnormal.
We will talk about:
· Everyday life in the People’s Republic of Poland
· The inner workings of communist propaganda
· Examples of monumental architecture
· Anti-communist movement
ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules
Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.
If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (18 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.
Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.
This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors.
Please respect our rules.
• Savor a complimentary glass of traditional Polish mead or refreshing apple juice.
• Attend a live piano concert in the elegant Pleyel Salon, located in the heart of Warsaw’s historic Old Town.
• Opt for premium seats in the first 2 rows for the best view, or choose standard seating in rows three to five.
• Did you know? Frederic Chopin often played in the dark and preferred performing for small, intimate audiences.
[Note] If you don’t see a tour scheduled on the only date available to you, please send me a message. With two or more walkers, I may be able to add an additional walk, for example in the afternoon.
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Warsaw was once home to Europe’s largest Jewish community. Today, you can walk those same streets and see almost none of that world. But it’s still here, buried under layers of rubble, denial, and silence.
All walking tours through the Jewish Ghetto are somehow confusing - you can only spot small bits of usually insignificant buildings here and there. So how do you explain a lack of visible past in a city with a history so long and intense? How do you bring to life what’s gone and won’t come back?
On this tour, we’ll trace what remains. With so little still here physically, I’ll be presenting carefully researched, unique pictures, memoirs, art, and other pieces we can use to reconstruct what was once here.
We’ll visit the Jewish Historical Institute, the burned floor that hints at the Great Synagogue, the fragments of the ghetto wall hidden behind courtyards, the Umschlagplatz where thousands boarded trains to Treblinka, and the memorial mound where Anielewicz and the last uprising fighters made their final stand.
We’ll also stop at the Szmul Zygielbojm Monument - a man who gave his life in London to protest the world’s silence. We’ll see the Ghetto Heroes Monument, Jan Karski’s bench, and the POLIN Museum, a museum dedicated to the history of Polish Jews that spans back to the 10th century. Its name means “Poland” in Hebrew. One of the questions we’ll ask is: why couldn’t it simply be called “The Jewish Museum” in the Polish language?
This is not just a tour of physical landmarks - we won't shy away from uncomfortable truths.
We’ll talk about how a city once full of Yiddish theatres, synagogues, newspapers, and political debates was turned to ash and never rebuilt. How antisemitism long preceded the Nazis and survived them too - sometimes even in the Polish parliament.
We’ll confront myths that are still alive: that Polish Jews went meekly, that they didn’t fight back, that there were no choices - and we’ll see how these myths still shape uncomfortable conversations today.
We’ll explore what made Warsaw’s Jewish community so vibrant - and why it became a target of such intense hatred. Through stories of life, resistance, and loss, we’ll dive into the roots of antisemitism: religious prejudice, political scapegoating, conspiracy theories, and cultural isolation.
We’ll ask the hard questions:
- Why were Jews so often disliked - before the war, during it, and after?
- Why wasn’t the Jewish community ever rebuilt, and why is it almost impossible to find Polish art or narratives expressing longing for that lost part of society?
- What does it mean to be a Jew when you’re not religious?
- Why is it still so hard to talk honestly about Jews in Poland today?
My connection with this place always felt quite strong for someone born more than half a century after WWII. My grandmother was born in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942 and survived only because Polish neighbors hid her as their own child, risking death under Nazi law. Another part of my family was deported east by Soviet occupiers, living through hunger and Siberian exile. For me, Warsaw’s Jewish story isn't a distant history or school material, but fundamental roots of our identity that we unfortunately can only partly recover.
This walk is for anyone who wants more than just names and dates. I combine careful research, family memories, and dedication to historical and scientific accuracy. Together, we’ll try to see how the past still echoes in Poland’s streets and politics - from the righteous who risked everything, to the neighbors who didn’t, to today’s arguments about how we tell this story at all.
• Save money as you indulge in delicious Polish cuisine on food tours, explore the city on guided tours, or stay at premium hotels with special discounts.
• See artworks like *Madonna and Child* by Botticelli at the National Museum and journey through space at the Copernicus Science Centre.
• Sample drinks at the Polish Vodka Museum and ascend to a viewing deck 114m above ground at the Palace of Culture and Science.
• Did you know? Warsaw is often referred to as the ‘Phoenix City’ because it was rebuilt from the ashes after World War II.
Imagine a city that had almost 1,4 million people before World War II. Six years later, its ruins were inhabited by only several thousand survivors. Imagine a city that fought against the occupiers from the very first till the very last day. Imagine a city where every street, every corner, and every courtyard has a wartime story to tell.
First, there was 1939 and the German and Soviet invasions. Then, years of occupation. In 1940, the Germans created the largest ghetto in occupied Europe here, which was razed to the ground in 1943 after the crushing of the Jewish uprising. A year later, the city was again in flames– this time because of the Polish national uprising of 1944. After 63 days of heavy urban fighting, it was crushed while the Red Army stood idle on the other side of the Vistula River. When they finally crossed over, the city and its people were no more.
Enter a world of unimaginable terror and brutality. Understand people’s eagerness to fight back. Feel the grave meaning of the decisions they had to make. Listen to stories of bravery and cowardice, loyalty and betrayal, but also of daily life under the occupation. Enter a different world – the world of Warsaw at war.
ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules
Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.
If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (18 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.
Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.
This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors.
Please respect our rules.
• Absorb the history of the largest concentration camp complex and its role in the Holocaust through your licensed tour guide.
• Spot the original roads, fences, watch towers, and gas chambers.
• Visit Auschwitz II- Birkenau initially served as a detention center for political prisoners.
• Get picked up and dropped off from your accommodation for an effortless trip.
Just arrived in Warsaw and trying to find out whether you can hang out with your partner in a gay friendly environment? Get hosted by a guide belonging to Warsaw’s LGBT+ community who will introduce you to the city and its rainbow side like no one else.
First, you'll find out where and what was the brights side to be locked up by the “Milicja” (the police back in Communist Poland) and as we continue our walk from the meeting point, through Plac Bankowy and Saski Park you'll learn why Warsaw Pride is called the Equality Parade or how far right groups and nationalists hatefully shout slogans which commemorate a lesbian writer (without probably realizing).
The tour will end in Plac Trzech Krzyży that used to be one of the hottest points for the gay community in the comunism.
Of course, you’ll get from me a list of places worth visiting, eg. restaurants, bars and clubs. Follow QUEERSZAWA on Instagram to find the best events in Warsaw.
So don’t hesitate any longer and book some rainbow time with me 🌈
