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Warsaw, Poland
Photo: Warszawa_Bielany.png Kuba_G derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The districts of Warsaw south of Śródmieście have enjoyed a measurable growth in population numbers and importance in recent decades thanks to their proximity to the airport and the fact that the stretch of the Metro line first completed was one connecting Ursynów and Mokotów with Śródmieście. While primarily residential and filled with mostly 20th century developments, they contain their fair shares of historic buildings. There are also many parks that are lesser-known to tourists, and many leisure facilities serving the area's dense residential neighbourhoods.
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The Królikarnia park is named after a pretence to being a rabbit warren for the King Augustus II in the 18th century, but in reality it served as a leisure residence and a place for meetings of the arts community. Those took place in the classicist palace, modelled after the renaissance Villa Rotonda outside Vicenza by the royal architect Domenico Merlini. The palace is situated right on the slope of the Warsaw escarpment, providing idyllic views of the greenery (and by now - low-rise residential areas) towards the Vistula river. Today, the park is open to the public and the palace hosts the sculpture department of the National Museum, dedicated to famous 20th-century sculptor Xawery Dunikowski, with several works scattered around the park. The park and palace come alive with cultural and social events in the summer months, so check the schedule in its website.
Pałac Szustra
A neogothic palace, once a remote park residence, now nestled between residential buildings. A reconstructed "mauretanian house" signifies the entry to the vestigial park from Puławska street. The palace is home to a musical company and not open to visitors except concert nights.
St. Catherine's is the oldest continually existing parish within Warsaw, founded in 1238. This may be a bit misleading, as the current church building is much younger, dating in its present form from 1848, but still well-worth a visit for its elegant form, picturesque hilltop location and quite pristine condition. The churchyard contains the Monument to the Victims of Communist Terror of 1944-1956.
Biblioteka Narodowa
Not a major architectural draw or a typical tourist attraction, but a massive vault of knowledge and artistic work in print and other media. If this is of interest to you, you can easily schedule hours if not days for visiting the National Library.
Pałac w Wilanowie
Wilanów Palace is tucked away in the romantic surroundings of the royal gardens. It's an ideal place to take a date or just to relax, but be forewarned that there are a few ponds and lakes along the walking paths that are infested with mosquitoes, so be wise and protect yourself or your date with bug repellent. The interior of the palace has been converted into an art museum.
Muzeum Plakatu
The Poster Museum is for you if you're interested in seeing cool posters by the likes of Rafał Oblinski, a Polish artisan who made a big splash around the world by making posters for the New York Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and numerous American magazines.
Ogród Botaniczny
Actually, next to the Park of Culture, although there is another bus terminus (see above). No pets allowed.
Muzeum Historii Polskiego Ruchu Ludowego
The building in which it is situated, called The Yellow Inn (Żółta Karczma) is probably a lot more interesting than the museum itself.
A decent cinema in Galeria Mokotów. The upside of the theater is that the mall's food court allows you to grub out before or after the movie.
Warszawskie Towarzystwo Muzyczne
Classical music.
Open when the temperature falls below 10°C.
One of a chain of pizzerias.
Great place to go for a kebab.
A cool little pizzeria in the Sadyba neighborhood of Mokotów. The pizza is superb and there is a number of varying pizza themes. The desserts only improve the experience. In the summer, dining upstairs is nice and the restaurant has an outdoor balcony. In the winter, it's warmer to eat downstairs than upstairs.
Zielnik is a really cozy restaurant where couples and close friends could go for lunch, dinner, and a cup of coffee or tea. Worth a visit, if you like to get a sense of having some alone time with a friend or date. Quite expensive.
Park is like Russian roulette; you may have your head blown off, or possibly have a great time. The door is relaxed, which means a lot of fools and the fashion-challenged can usually get in. Alcohol is cheap with a shot of Wyborowa only costing 5 zł. The only real problem is likely to be a concern for women. The men who go to this club often act like they have never seen a woman before, which may be due to the alcohol-induced state of mind they are in, and may touch women who obviously don't want to be bothered. If any woman decides to go to this club, be sure to bring along friends or a guy friend to ward off drunk advances. Also, be sure not to upset the bouncers – let's just say, they don't take too kindly to being upset.
Cool little café, where you can stop in for a cup of tea or grab some tea leaves for home.
You may feel smarter if you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night and the breakfast and WiFi are free obviously, but the hotel is a bit in the middle of nowhere next to an office park and in front of a busy turnpike leading to the airport. There is a shuttle to the airport at scheduled times. Parking costs 20 zł a night.
A large shopping mall serving the adjacent office area and most of the South of Warsaw. The main draw is the selection of upscale and luxury brands, for some of which this is the only location in Warsaw or even Poland. Otherwise the usual chain stores with mostly fashion, a Carrefour supermarket, services like hairdresser's and dry cleaning, fitness club, a large cinema and a quite nice food court in the top floor, with fast food choices ranging from McDonald's to fancy upscale fare. Can get very crowded at times, and arriving by car and parking can be an issue at peak times (around 09:00 & 19:00 on workdays + whole days before major holidays)
By comparison to other malls in Warsaw, this one is pretty small, but it comes equipped with a cinema, food court, and interestingly enough - a bowling alley, which is a one-up on most malls in Warsaw. Its cinema is also one of only a few IMAX theaters in Poland.
A smallish and dated shopping gallery whose main draw is being right at the entrance of Metro Służew. Mostly small, non-chain stores with a variety of merchandise, including some specialist stores not usually found elsewhere. No major supermarket on location, a Biedronka discount grocery store is nearby.
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Warsaw · International · WAW
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