What to See in Warsaw in 1 Day – Travel Guide

Having been to Warsaw an uncountable number of times, I decided to create a travel guide to the capital of Poland with best things to do within 1 day.

Warsaw was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, but the city government of the 1950’s did really well at restoring the old historical buildings in their former look.

Now, Warsaw is one of the most popular cities to visit in Poland. In 2015, it was visited by almost 10 million tourists from all over the world.

So, here is my Warsaw travel guide with things to see and do in 1 day with prices and itinerary with a map in the end.

Disclaimer: This is an independent travel blog, where I publish stories of my trips and help you to plan yours. I might get small commission if you book your trip using some of the links in this article at no cost for you. All opinions and recommendations are unbiased and only reflect my opinion (or opinion of a guest writer).

Things to know about Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital of Poland and the largest city of the country with about 2 million people living there, and many people commuting there daily from outside of the capital.

It is located to the east of the center of Poland. It has a convenient location, from where you have a 2,5-3-hour train rides to other major touristic cities in Poland: Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk and Cracow (surprisingly, by car it can take 3-4 hours).

Warsaw is also one of the cheapest cities in Europe by Backpacker index.

More general information about Warsaw you can find on Wikipedia.

How to Plan a Perfect Trip to Warsaw

Planning a trip to Warsaw is relatively easy. There are two airports in the city, Chopin and Modlin. The first one is located within the city borders, and is easily reachable by bus or train. Check city transportation schedule.

Second one is located outside of the city, and low cost options are not very convenient (bus+bus or train+bus). I suggest you booking an airport transfer.

You can find cheapest and the most convenient flights to Warsaw here.

Rent a car to travel around Poland.

You can find a suitable hotel in Warsaw on Booking.com (register using this link and get 15 euro back), or a nice apartment using Airbnb (register using this link and et 23 euro back).

To make your trip planning around Poland more simple, find suitable tours around the country and its neighbors.

You can also find many interesting activities and city tours around Warsaw here.

Also, don’t forget about the travel insurance for your adventurous trip.

What to See in 1 Day in Warsaw

Further, I will cover all interesting places to visit in Warsaw, both typical and unusual and tell you about the prices of accommodation, food, attractions and transportation in the capital based on my own experience and statistics from Numbeo and PriceOfTravel websites. In the end, you can find a detailed Warsaw 1-day itinerary.

I also realized that in other posts of these series (like Madrid in 3 days), I missed two important parts of each trip, namely nightlife and entertainment. Here, I will cover them.

Price of Attractions in Warsaw

Here are the most interesting (both most popular and lesser known) attractions in Warsaw and their prices for adults and students. Notice that the prices are in Euros, not Polish zlotys. The currency rate used is 1 EUR = 4.25 PLN (16 October, 2017).

Warsaw Attraction	Adult(€)	Student(€)
Royal Castle	7	4,7
Observation deck on Palace of Culture and Science	4,7	3,5
National Museum	3,5	2,3
Frederic Chopin Museum	5,4	3,3
Palace in Łazienki Królewskie Park	5,9	0,25
Warsaw Uprising Museum	4,7	3,7
Copernicus Science Center	6,4	4,2
Warsaw Zoo	3,5-6	2,3-3,8
Polish Army Museum	3,5	1,9
Museum of Warsaw	4,7	3,5

If you visit all of these attractions in Warsaw (which is almost impossible to do in 1 day), you will spend 52 euros as an adult or 31 euros if you are a student (isn’t it great?). Well, you don’t need to visit all of them. Here are some comments on the most interesting places to visit in Warsaw:

• I personally like the Łazienki Królewskie Park, while the palace is not a must to visit there. There are many squirrels, peacocks and other animals walking around the park (so you can also skip the Warsaw zoo).
• If you like different riddles and puzzles, or you just want to feel like you’re 12 year old again, I recommend you to visit Copernicus Science Center. It has many interactive expositions, where you can feel like a scientist.
• You can also get up the deck on the Palace of Culture and Science (the only place, where you don’t see this ugly, yet tallest building in Poland). It is located not far from the old town, the most beautiful part of Warsaw.
• Another place to visit is the Royal Castle, which is located in the old town, so you won’t miss it. You can find it on the most picturesque square in the city, Castle square (plac Zamkowy), where you will definitely stop to take a picture or two.
• There is a big choice of Warsaw and Polish history museums in the capital. Not to spend an hour choosing one, I can tell you that the museum of Warsaw is more than enough. There, you will find out about the history of Warsaw, the Warsaw Uprising and the history of battles in the city and nearby territories (covered in Polish Army Museum).

Entertainment in Warsaw

There is a lot of great activities that you can do in Warsaw. Here I list some of the best of them. There are over 20 escape rooms around the city. I included just 4.

I could also write about the cinemas and theaters in Warsaw, but then the post would be too long. Still, if you are interested, here is a list of cinemas in Warsaw and theatres of the capital with their addresses and specialization.

Here is a list of 24 great activities to spend an amazing day in Warsaw (I don’t think you will manage to do all, but you can try!):

Miejsce Chwila

Music club with live concerts, movies, workshops and much more

Rating on Facebook: 4.5

Address: Ul. Ogrodowa 31/35

Link: https://www.facebook.com/miejsceChwila

A1Karting

Carting

Rating on Facebook: 4.5

Address: ul. Jagiellonska 82

Link: https://www.facebook.com/A1Karting/

Park Linowy Bielany (Bielany Rope Park)

Outdoor rope park

Rating on Facebook: 4.7

Address: Gwiazdzista 79 A

Link: https://www.facebook.com/ParkLinowyBielany/

Crimeplace

Game to investigate the crime and find the murderer.

Rating on Facebook: no data, maybe not working at the moment

Address: Ul. 14 Wernyhory

Link: http://www.playexitgames.com/listing/crime-place/

Stacja Grawitacja Warszawa

Jump arena with basketball baskets, hanging ‘bridges’ and platforms, a rope park and a climbing wall.

Rating on Facebook: 4.6

Address: Bohaterow Wrzesnia 12

Link: https://www.facebook.com/StacjaGrawitacjaWarszawa/

Disco:VR

Big VR Room with great atmosphere, cars, big chess, computers and other objects for the maximum VR immersion.

Rating on Facebook: 4.8

Address: Ul. Garażowa 4

Link: https://www.facebook.com/discovr360/

New World 22 Escape Room

Escape and investigation room

Rating on Facebook: 4.9

Address: Ul. Nowy Swiat 22/4

Link: https://www.facebook.com/newworld22escaperoom/

Pif Paf Paintball

Outdoor paintball, indoor laser tag, indoor archery tag, bumper ball

Rating on Facebook: 4.7

Address: Ul. Trakt Lubelski 158

Link: https://www.facebook.com/PifPafPaintball/

Warszawskie Gry Miejskie Warsawalk (Warsawalk Warsaw City Games)

City guides and urban games

Rating on Facebook: 5

Address: Ul. Podczaszynskiego 18/23

Link: https://www.facebook.com/GryMiejskieWarszawa/

Laser Strike

Laser tag

Rating on Facebook: 4.6

Address: ul. Zlota 72

Link: http://laserstrike.pl/

Room Escape Warszawa

Escape Room

Rating on Facebook: 5

Address: Ul. Jana I Jedrzeja Sniadeckich 1/15 | II. Inżynierska 1

Link: https://www.facebook.com/RoomEscapePoland/

Horror House — Interactive Fear Museum

Horror house

Rating on Facebook: 4.9

Address: Ul. Wąski Dunaj 12/18

Link: https://www.facebook.com/horrorhouse.warszawa/

Enigma Room — Escape room game

Escape room

Rating on Facebook: 5

Address: Ul. Pulawska 33/7

Link: https://www.facebook.com/enigmaroomwarszawa/

Invisible Exhibition

Dark room, where you can imagine how the blind people feel like in their daily life.

Rating on Facebook: 4.9

Address: Ul. Aleje Jerozolimskie 123a

Link: https://www.facebook.com/niewidzialnawystawa/

PM Shooter Shooting Range

The best equipped shooting Range in Eastern Europe (at least, they say so)

Rating on Facebook: —

Address: Ul. Wojnicka 2

Link: https://www.facebook.com/PMShooterPoland/

Fear Zone Haunted House

Interactive Horror Museum

Rating on Facebook: 5

Address: Ul. Dowcip 4

Link: https://www.facebook.com/Fearzone/

Bubble Football Warszawa by Gmoods

Bubble football (big bubbles that you can fit in)

Rating on Facebook: 5

Address: Ul. Smolenska 82/45

Link: https://www.facebook.com/GmoodsBall/

Hangar 646

Jump arena with basketball baskets  and big airbags

Rating on Facebook: — (but 100,000 likes)

Address: Ul. Wal Miedzeszynski 646

Link: https://www.facebook.com/Hangar646/

Cryptex

Escape Room

Rating on Facebook: 4.9

Address: Ul. Wilcza 25 | Suite 1A

Link: https://www.facebook.com/cryptexpl/

3D Archery Path

Archery path with animal dummies as targets

Rating on Facebook: 5

Address: Fort Blizne | Lazurowa 185A

Link: https://www.facebook.com/sciezka3D/

VR Project

Virtual reality center

Rating on Facebook: 4.9

Address: M1 Metro Line, «Świętokrzyska» Station, room 1000F

Link: https://www.facebook.com/vrprojekt/

Ale Zebra Entertainment center

Entertainment center with different attractions and games

Rating on Facebook: 4.8

Address: Ul. Kolumbijska 9

Link: https://www.facebook.com/alezebrawarszawa/

Fabryka Trzciny

Alternative art gallery organizing concerts and other events

Rating on Facebook: —

Address: ul. Otwocka 14

Link: https://www.facebook.com/FabrykaTrzciny/ 

Stodoła

Concert venue

Rating on Facebook: 4.2

Address: ul. Batorego 10

Link: https://www.facebook.com/klub.stodola/

It was an overview of best activities in Warsaw. I didn’t mention prices, as they can change in time, the final price depends on many factors (length, your age and much more). Still, most of those activities cost from 3 to 10 euros. Next will be the nightlife and best nightclubs in the capital.

Nightlife in Warsaw: Top 8 Nightclubs

Warsaw is great for its nightlife. The city never sleeps, you can go partying any day of the week.

My favorite place with a wide choice of bars are Pawilony, small bars in a yard near the Nowy świat street in the city center. They all are very different, and you can make just 5 steps to enter the next one. You can find out what bars are there on Pawilony official website. They are located in the inside yard by the address ul. Nowy Świat 22/28.

There is a large number of diverse nightclubs in Warsaw for everyone. The prices are slightly higher than in most other Polish cities, but much lower than in major European capitals (nightlife in Minsk might be little bit cheaper). Average entry prices are 10-25 zlotys (2-6 euros).

Hybrydy Club

One of the oldest clubs in Warsaw, best for students.

Address: ul. Złota 7/9

Link: https://www.facebook.com/Klub-Hybrydy-107245695961020/

Tygmont Live Club

Big club with many cyclical parties

Address: ul. Mazowiecka 6/8

Link: https://www.facebook.com/TygmontClub/

Dekada

One of the oldest nightclubs in Warsaw with many big events

Address: ul. Grójecka 19/25

Link:  https://www.facebook.com/KlubDekadaWarszawa/

 Room 13

Nice, but not big student club

Address: ul. Mazowiecka 13

Link:  https://www.facebook.com/room13club

Club Stereo

New and modern nightclub in the city center

Address: Nowy świat 21

Link: https://www.facebook.com/clubstereo/

Level 27 Bar & Club

More luxury club on the top of a high-rise building

Address: ul. Aleje Jerozolimskie 123A

Link: https://www.facebook.com/level27warsaw

Skład Butelek

Nice place for live concerts and jams

Address:  ul. 11 Listopada 22

Link: https://www.facebook.com/skladbutelekwarszawa/

Smolna Club

Club in the center with many events organized

Address: ul. Smolna 38

Link:  https://www.facebook.com/smolna38/

Now, let’s check the prices for food in Warsaw.

Food Prices in Warsaw

As always, I review the prices of the most typical products in local restaurants and supermarkets based on the data from Numbeo and PriceOfTravel. Here they are.

Food	Price (€)
Restaurants
Budget breakfast	2
Budget lunch	3,5
3-course meal for 2 in a mid-range restaurant	24
Local Beer (0,5L)	2,1
Cappuccino (regular)	2,1
Supermarket
Chicken Breast (kg)	3,7
Milk (1L)	0,6
Eggs (12)	1,7
Local Cheese (kg)	5,5
Apples, oranges (kg)	0,6-1,1
Beer (0,5)	0,75

If you want to save money, you can buy even cheaper products, but these are the prices of the average quality food in average shops/restaurants.

Next are the transportation prices.

Transportation Prices

Here are the prices of transportation in Warsaw. They are extremely low. Remember, if you are a student, you can buy even 50% cheaper tickets.

Tranportation	Price (€)
Bus from airport to central Warsaw	1 (Chopin) — 7 (Modlin)
Public transportation, single ticket	0,8
3 km taxi ride	5
24-hour transport card	3,5

Now, let’s move to the expense that you can feel in your pocket, accommodation in Warsaw

Accommodation Prices in Warsaw

Prices checked on Booking.com (get 15 euros discount off your first booking!) in 2 months after the post publication on the night from Friday to Saturday.

Accommodation	Price (Euros)
Cheapest option for 1 person	7
Cheapest option for 1 person with central location and 9+ rating	8
Cheapest 3-star hotel room for 2 with central location and 8+ rating	38
Cheapest 5-star hotel room for 2 with central location and 9+ rating	73

The prices here are much lower even than in Madrid. Having 50 euros per person per day, you can even afford a 5-star hotel in the city center with a 9+ rating.

One-Day Warsaw Itinerary with Prices

Below, you will find the Warsaw itinerary for 1 day to visit most of the city’s attractions and spend a great time in the capital:

Backpacker Option

Option for those who travel with a low budget and try to experience the best of the city as cheap as possible.

Attractions: Copernicus Science Center + Museum of Warsaw. The rest of the city you can explore for free. 11,1

Entertainment and nightlife: Hard to choose just one activity. It can be 1 from ‘entertainment’ and one from ‘nightlife’ section 15.

Transportation: Everything is close, so you might only need a bus to get to Łazienki Królewskie Park. 1,6

Food: It’s cheap here. Food from the shop and some nice burger for dinner would cost not more than 7 euros in total

Accommodation: Choosing the party hostel with 9.1 Booking rating in the city center for 8 euros is the best option.

Total costs for 1 day in Warsaw: 11,1+15+1,6+7+8 = 42,7 euros. Of course, it is possible to spend a day even for 20 euros if you don’t use trams, only cook on your own, don’t visit museums and find some club with a free entry, but for 43 euros, you will have a day in Warsaw full of events that you will remember for a long time.

Read this post with 50 tips from 15 experienced travel bloggers to find out, how to travel the world cheap.

So, here is your 1-day itinerary around the city.

Warsaw 1-Day Backpacker Itinerary

Here is a link to the map of this 1-day Warsaw itinerary that you can see above (hopefully, it will work).

Here is what you do during your day in Warsaw:

Start with the city center. It is not big, you can cross it in 30 minutes, but don’t hurry, enjoy your time. Visit the museum of Warsaw on the Old Town Square. Your visit shouldn’t take more than an hour.

On the way through the center, you will be tempted by different smells of traditional Polish and other dishes. You can try gofry (Polish waffles usually with fruit, whipped cream or jam) or pierogi (dumplings filled with meat, jam vegetables or anything else).

Stop on the picturesque Castle Square (plac Zamkowy), where you can also see the Royal Castle. Keep on going along the Krakowskie Przedmieście street and you will see the President Palace and the University of Warsaw on the left.

Turn left and move closer to the river. You will see the University Library that you can enter and get on the roof with extensive gardens and nice views of Warsaw free of charge (one of the secret attractions of the city that only locals know about – now you too).

Next, you can go to the Copernicus Science Center, which is located very close to the library. You can spend a whole day there, but 2-3 hours may be enough for you.

Next stop is over 3 km away from it, so I suggest using the bus. Google maps might work to check transportation in Warsaw, while the most reliable app and website for that in Poland is JakDojade.pl. Next stop is Łazienki Królewskie Park. There is also Legia Warszawa Football Stadium near it. The park is probably the best place to rest and spend time in tranquility.

Fortunately, our 8-euro hostel is located not far from the park, so you can walk there by foot. Take a rest and cook the food that you bought in a supermarket on the way from the park and move.

Next place to visit in Warsaw is the Palace of Culture and Science, one of the characteristic buildings of the Polish capital that was built in Soviet style in 1955, and is still the tallest building in Poland. Nearby is the main train station connected with the Złote Tarasy Shopping Center (which is always full of people).

Enough of sightseeing. Time to relax in the New World (English for Nowy Świat street). The street is full of bars and restaurants. You can choose any, but for something authentic, I recommend Pawilony (Nowy Świat 22/28) and a chain of cheap bars in Soviet Poland style called Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa.

If you want to finish your day with a nightclub, there is a bunch of them in the neighborhood, and a couple on Mazowiecka street.

This time, I’m not posting the ‘comfortable’ and ‘visit the most’ 1-day itineraries, because they will be similar, but a bit less or more dense in activities and places to visit in Warsaw. As you see, the Polish capital has a great choice of things to do and very low prices, which makes it clear, why the city is so popular among tourists.

It was a full 1-day Warsaw travel guide with a list of the best activities, nightclubs and attractions with their prices. Also, check my guide to Gdansk and 20 things to do in Poznan. Have a great time in Warsaw!

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