Warsaw/Old and New Town
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Both the Old and New Town were almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, and were reconstructed after the war. While, due to the meticulous and painstaking efforts, the impression one gets is that of authentic historic places, it is a 20th-century reinterpretation of the history of this area, and is actually a mixture of buildings that existed in different periods, and in many cases a rather creative faux. Warsaw's Old and New Towns are charming, compact and very walkable. It is hardly apparent when you walk around today that the buildings around you are little more than 60, rather than 600, years old.
Get in
The Old and New Town are in Śródmieście, so arriving from there is not a problem by public transit or on foot. You can also arrive from Praga across the river by bus or tram. There are no train or Metro stations within or near the Old and New Town. To get there, you need to change to a different means of public transit.
By bus
Several buses stop at Plac Zamkowy, which is right in front of the eponymous Castle Square. For tourists, the most important ones would be the sightseeing line 180 going down the Royal Road to/from Wilanów, the 116 line which goes pretty much the same way, and the 175, going to the Chopin Airport (please note that the 175 only stops at Pl. Zamkowy on its way to the airport, it terminates farther away at Plac Piłsudskiego when coming from the airport).By tram
The tram and bus stop right under the Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) is called Stare Miasto. Trams serving this stop as 4, 13, 20, 23 and 26. All of them continue through a tunnel under the Old Town to Metro Ratusz/Arsenał, and over the Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge to Dworzec Wileński in Praga. From the stop, the best way to get to the Plac Zamkowy is to take Warsaw's oldest functioning escalator, which is located next to the tunnel entrance, on the side closer to the Royal Castle. A lift for those with limited mobility is provided there as well.By bike
It is quite impractical to try to ride a bike to the Old Town due to the uneven road surfaces on the way, sketchy bike path network and the fact that it is forbidden to ride a bike in the Old and New Towns.On foot
Walking from either Ratusz/Arsenał or Świętokrzyska Metro stations is also possible and the routes can be interesting and picturesque.See
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phone: +48 22 355 51 70address: pl. Zamkowy 4
Old Town Market Square
New Town Market Square
The Barbican
Multimedia Fountain Park
Arkady Kubickiego
Kamienne Schodki
View over Vistula
Monument to Jan Kiliński
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Monument to the Polish People Murdered in the East
address: ul. Muranowska"East" means "in the Soviet Union".
Noble residences
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Pałac Raczyńskich
address: ul. Długa 7 -
Pałac Radziwiłłowej
address: ul. Długa 26 -
Pałac pod Czterema Wiatrami
address: ul. Długa 38/40 -
Pałac Branickich
address: ul. Miodowa 6 -
Pałac Paca
address: ul. Miodowa 15 -
Pałac Borchów
address: ul Miodowa 17 -
Pałac Krasińskich
address: pl. Krasińskich 5
Churches
St. John's CathedralThe Warsaw's cathedral was an opulent neogothic church before World War II, but following its destruction it was rebuilt in a sombre, masovian gothic style resembling what is presumed to be its original form.
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Jesuit Church
phone: +48 22 831 16 75address: ul. Świętojańska 10From the outside it seems like a large church, but step over the threshold and you'll see a rather modest and relatively small worship hall. -
Kościół Kapucynów Przemienienia Pańskiego
address: ul. Miodowa 13 -
Kościół Garnizonowy NMP
address: ul. Długa 13/15 -
Kościół Bonifratrów Św. Jana Bożego
address: ul. Bonifraterska 12 -
Kościół Bazylianów
address: ul. Miodowa 16
Galleries
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phone: +48 22 831 23 39address: pl. Zamkowy 8
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phone: +48 22 831 03 86address: pl. Zamkowy 8
Museums
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address: Rynek Starego Miasta 20
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Muzeum Literatury im. Adama Mickiewicza
address: Rynek Starego Miasta 28/42 -
phone: +48 22 635 28 11address: ul. Freta 5
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phone: +48 22 831 80 92address: ul. Freta 16
Do
- Explore on foot by yourselves or take an organized tour.
Buy
- Souvenirs
Eat
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Freta 33
address: ul. Freta 33/35Partly Italian. -
address: ul. Podwale 25Located on the border between the Old and New Town, this pub serves king-size portions of traditional Polish fare. Meals are accompanied by a free dish of pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut, while the bill comes with a shot of Polish cherry liquor. Beer is more average and solely pilsner, but it is drinkable and quite cheap. Free Wi-Fi connection. A bit noisy, but this is how a good pub should be.
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phone: +48 22 831 46 16address: Ul. Freta 7/9Polish mead.
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phone: +48 22 831 10 13address: Rynek Starego Miasta 27
Sleep
There are not many hotels in either Old or New Town, mostly due to their small size and the historic nature of the buildings there not leaving much room for proper hotels. That said, staying in Śródmieście you should have no problems getting to the Old Town comfortably and quickly, and there are plenty of places to stay there.
- Castle Inn
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Ibis Warszawa Stare Miasto
phone: +48 22 310 10 12address: ul. Muranowska 2 -
phone: +48 22 531 60 00address: Kościelna 12Very comfortable hotel, that wants to go out of its way to make its guests comfortable. The hotel is located in the Old Town, but can be a little confusing to find, so be sure to take a cab or have the front desk to arrange for you to be picked up.
Connect
Much of the area of the Old and New Town is covered by free WiFi provided by the City of Warsaw. All you need to log in is provide your email each time you want to use it (no pre-registration required).