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Central district of Warsaw, Poland
Photo: Emptywords, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Śródmieście is the central district of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It hosts the most tourist attractions, cultural institutions, and restaurants, and is the hub of the city's nightlife. Most visitors to Warsaw will visit the area, if not spend most of their time there, as it also offers extensive accommodation choice. Today's city centre is a mixture of brand-new, 21st-century development and remains and reconstructions of historic heritage. The oldest parts of Śródmieście, the Old and New Town of Warsaw have a separate guide on Wikivoyage.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Pałac Kultury i Nauki
Warsaw's most recognizable landmark has a controversial history: it was constructed in the 1950s ostensibly as a "gift" from the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The gargantuan building is home to various institutions, including three theatres, a multiplex cinema, the Museum of Technology and the Congress Hall (built for Communist Party congresses, but mostly used for entertainment purposes now). An observation deck in the top floor provides (windy) views in all directions, accessible via express elevators.
Grób Nieznanego Żołnierza
The castle in Ujazdów became a secondary royal residence, and today hosts the contemporary art museum (see below).
Pałac Saski
The Saxon Kings of Poland have afforded themselves an imposing baroque palace, but sadly it was completely destroyed during Second World War. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the only remaining piece of the palace. Discussions are ongoing if the palace is to be rebuilt.
Pałac Na Wyspie
Poland's last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, preferred the relaxed and artsy atmosphere of the Łazienki Park and built himself a secondary residence there to meet with the contemporary statesmen, thinkers and artists.
The Parliament
Sejm is the name for the lower chamber of the Polish parliament, which since the 1930s meets in a peculiar circus-shaped building. The upper chamber, named Senat, occupies a rectangular building behind it. They are surrounded by a nice park.
Presidential Palace
The impressive palace a few steps from the historic Old Town has served many functions in its long history, but now houses the offices of the President of Poland
Prime Minister's Chancellery
The offices of the Prime Minister are the hub of the administrative branch of the government. Most important ministries are also housed in the immediate vicinity
Designed by Sir Norman Foster and erected in 2003, the Metropolitan office building blends in with the surrounding historic buildings while standing out as an architectural masterpiece. The fountain in the freely accessible courtyard remains a photo favourite with tourists and locals.
Biblioteka Uniwersytecka w Warszawie
Built in 1999, the new home of the Warsaw University Library is a postmodernist building blending raw concrete with patinated copper. The building also features freely accessible extensive rooftop gardens providing interesting views over Warsaw. The building housing the Linguistics Faculty of the university opposite the library is also an interesting piece of modern architecture.
Ściana Wschodnia
The "Eastern Wall" is a complex of buildings designed to flank the eastern side of the Palace of Culture and form a buffer between it and the rebuilt historic part further east. There are three highrise residential towers, a string of department stores and a restored pedestrian passage with a number of retail and gastronomic outlets. A part of Warsaw where the grey communist past meets the bustling colourful present in a particularly striking way.
The round building was erected to house a bank branch, which it still does, but quickly became much more than that due to its very central location and large expanse of pavement around it, which makes it a favourite meeting spot for locals. The striking 1960s building suffered a tragedy in 1979, when a gas main exploded right below it, killing 49 people. This event is still remembered in Warsaw, making the rebuilt Rotunda even more symbolic.
The luxury department store caused a huge stir when its facade clad in black stone debuted to the chagrin of inhabitants of a neighbouring residential building.
Synagoga Nożyków
Warsaw's only Orthodox Jewish synagogue in operation.
The Umschlagplatz was the location Nazi officials herded Jews into cattle cars to be murdered at the Treblinka extermination camp. Estimates place the total number of persons transported from the Umschlagplatz at 300,000 or more.
Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich
New building opened in April 2013 awaits permanent exhibition.
Center for Contemporary Art
An influential and popular exhibition space for contemporary art in the historic Zamek Ujazdowski, a former royal residence picturesquely situated on the escarpment between Park Ujazdowski and Łazienki Park.
A cool little gallery that mixes graffiti, sculptures, experimental painting, and photography.
Muzeum Narodowe
The museum (really an art gallery) has a wonderful collection of paintings, sculptures, and depictions of the passion of the Christ. It houses several of Poland's most known paintings. Jan Matejko's Stańczyk painting depicts a famous jester to the Polish royalty in despair after Lithuania lost the city of Smolensk to Russia in 1514. The highlight is a gallery devoted to 1961–1964 excavations from Faras (previously Pachoras), modern Sudan.
Established 1905, it is an IMAX one hundred years ago; a collection of unique 3D stereoscopic images from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Muzeum Fryderyka Chopina
Displays in English and Polish. The museum's design favours interactivity at the expense of information. Concerts on weekends.
Technology Museum
A bit of a meta-museum, because it did not quite keep in with the times and became a fossizilied monument to old-style museums where you are not expected to experience or touch anything and just read the descriptions on the boards. That said, their collections of artifacts of all kinds of technologies are impressive, ranging from planes and cars to fully-functional scale models of steel mills and coal mines. Plus the purpose-built wing of the socialist Palace of Culture and Science is a splendid locale.
Muzeum Wychodźstwa Polskiego
Salonik Chopinów, Chopin Family Parlor
Muzeum Wojska Polskiego
Muzeum Niepodległości
Państwowe Muzeum Etnograficzne
Exhibitions that tell the stories of various societies and cultures. The bank building it is housed in is an interesting piece of 19th-century architecture.
Dom Spotkań z Historią
Muzeum Łowiectwa i Jeździectwa
Centrum Nauki Kopernik
An exploration centre that brings together various branches of science and demonstrates their key principles and modern advances via interactive exhibits and experiments. There is plenty to interact with for visitors of all ages, although the centre was designed mainly with families with children in mind. There is also a planetarium, requiring a separate ticket
Saxon Garden
Ogród Saski is a lovely park in central Warsaw. It's small in comparison to Łazienki, but nonetheless relaxing with its forested landscape. Prior to World War II, it housed the Saxon Palace, which like the rest of Warsaw was destroyed in the insane Nazi vengeance for the Warsaw Uprising. Plans to rebuild the palace have failed to materialize due to funding. One of the draws aside from the escape of the city is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is on the park grounds.
Park Łazienkowski
Łazienki Park was built and designed for a Polish politician, but became King Stanisław Poniatowski's, the last king of Poland, residence for much of later half of the 18th century. During Poniatowski's reign, many of the buildings on the park grounds were built. The most interesting buildings are the Łazienki Palace, Roman theater, and the so called Little White House, where the King sought the worldly comfort of mistresses. The park is a wonderful escape from hustle and bustle of the city streets that surround the park and can be the setting for a picnic or a wedding. It's a great place to find peacocks and occasionally, a rat.
Park Ujazdowski
Ujazdów Park, another beautiful park, lies just north of Łazienki, but is far less known and visited by tourists. One of the big draws to the park is the Ujazdów Castle, which dates its origins back to the 13th century. Over the centuries, the castles has housed princes, politicians, queens, kings, soldiers, and its current resident - the Center for Contemporary Art.
A nondescript street in central Warsaw, whose claim to fame is that it's named after the children's book character Winnie the Pooh.
Pozdrowienia z Alej Jerozolimskich
An artistic installation of an artificial palm tree (made of plastic and preserved imported palm tree leaves, periodically replaced), it was inspired by the artist's visit to Israel and the fact that Aleje Jerozolimskie, where it is placed, is named after New Jerusalem, a large pre-war Jewish settlement in Warsaw that does not exist anymore. It started as a very controversial landmark on one of the city's busiest roundabouts, and grew to become a much-loved fixture. It is probably the only palm tree in the world that had its own website.
Filharmonia Narodowa
Teatr Wielki - Opera Narodowa
Warszawska Opera Kameralna
Chopin concerts in Łazienki park, every Sunday at 12:00 and 16:00, from May to September.
For children.
Every production of this theatre founded by Polish stage and screen legend Krystyna Janda meets with huge publicity and has a long run.
A legendary institution showing mostly Polish and international classics. Many great names of Polish theatre have been calling this theatre home.
Unorthodox.
A musical theatre showing Polish versions of internationally acclaimed shows.
Unrelated to the one above.
Unorthodox.
Teatr Żydowski
Jewish theatre located adjacent to the Nożyk Synagogue. Teatr Żydowski is the only theatre in the world that regularly performs plays in Yiddish.
Comfortable cinema in the heart of the city.
Your usual multiplex in a shopping centre, but the central location makes it very convenient to visit. There is an exquisitely appointed bar for pre- or post-show drinks. It can get obnoxiously crowded in the evenings or on the weekends.
This cinema's marquee displays a wide variety of films from Polish films to Hollywood productions to other more independent and "foreign", that is to Poland, films. On Thursdays, the films are shown with English subtitles.
A place with high ambitions and lots of history to back it up, a unique location on the Royal Route and a nice cafe/restaurant with a garden. The choice of movies shown is a bit broader than everywhere else, with a high content of independent international cinema, with Polish and Central European films in particular.
Uniquely located in elegant 1950s arcades of the socrealist building ensemble, it has a special atmosphere and is known for frequent themed weeks devoted to cinematography of a particular country or genre.
A vegetarian restaurant
Vietnamese
Israeli cuisine
An Asian restaurant
A South East Asian restaurant
A Turkish restaurant
Prasowy is a staple milk bar, reinvented. Facing imminent closure, it was taken over a creative team who mixed together the traditional elements of the milk bar (cheap, homely cuisine and simple, simple decor) with trendy cultural and social events. A unique place, worth a visit.
A chain of eateries scattered around the city, mostly in the Old and New Town, focusing on pierogi and other traditional Polish dishes, such as soups, pierogi, and pancakes. A fairly fixed menu with seasonal variations in alcohols - they tend to have seasonal selection – only mulled wine and hot beer in winter, for example. Other than that, the place is great, and in addition to the food you will certainly enjoy the service by charming waitresses.
A small, cozy pizzeria, Casa Mia is a great little restaurant to seek refuge and satisfy your hunger. Somewhat appallingly, Casa Mia doesn't serve alcoholic beverages, though they have non-alcoholic beer.
A chain of restaurants from Kraków, literally: "peasant's food". Good place to taste traditional Polish fare and enjoy wooden rustic environment. Soups are served in bread, while complementary smalec (lard) is free, so that you have no choice but trying it here.
Podwale
Located 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 sauercraut, 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.
Socjal restaurant features an enormous, continuous table that can seat dozens and is good for, you guessed it, socializing. In warmer months, this is complemented by an outdoor garden. The menu is updated everyday as it is being prepared from whatever the chefs purchase fresh in the morning, and the restaurant stays open until late in the night - or even early in the morning. The menu mostly includes pizzas, pastas and salads made of simple ingredients but actually quite refined and tasty.
Flagship outlet of the TV-famed restaurateur Magda Gessler, blending traditional Polish culinary traditions with cosmopolitan and modern inspirations. One invites guests there to impress with food, sumptuous decor and ability to foot the bill.
Hosted by the historic Sobański Palace and serving as the posh canteen for the business elite congregating at the co-located Polish Council of Business, Amber Room has become something of a paragon of haute cuisine. The location is ideal for tourists wanting to enjoy a meal in the most beautiful part of Warsaw, but frequently-organised events may get in the way, so reservations are recommended, even if to check if guests will be served on your chosen night.
Located in the historic palm house in the Łazienki Park, it offers a very unique ambience - and charges for that accordingly.
Chinese.
Instagramey, Italian splurge restaurant with pasta and wine
Splurge Tex-Mex location with wine.
Lebanese.
Japanese and Thai.
In the Zamek Ujazdowski castle, which also houses the Centre for Contemporary Art, this artist-themed restaurant offers a suitably contemporary take on fine dining and splendid views from the escarpment from its summer terrace.
Japanese, sushi.
Polish and International.
Nestled in the corner of the Saxon Garden in a historic building, St. Antonio is where one takes out-of-town relatives, who may not appreciate more modern culinary inventions. The photo gallery of celebrities of bygone decades who had frequented the restaurant complements the retro decor.
Indian restaurant with great food, augmented by unashamedly garish and tacky decor you would expect. The location is a bit out of the way, but well worth the tram ride.
The Blikle family has been running this café and confisserie for two centuries now, turning it into a nationwide business with many locations across Poland - but this is the original one. Stepping inside elicits memories of a turn-of-the-nineteenth-century café, which is more than charming in Warsaw, where a well-made coffee has been replaced by iced mochas and in-and-out coffee shops. This particulabuilding is divided into two parts: the café/restaurant and the confection shop. Walking into the confection shop may stun your senses with the wonderful smells of delicious sugary treats.
Pijalnia Czekolady Wedel
The best hot chocolate in Warsaw. The interior is old style and reminds you of pre-war Warsaw. Wedel's shop with stylish sweets is adjacent to the cafe.
This inconspicuous place with a tiny sign above the door is a true paradise for coffee-lovers. Here, you don't choose the type of coffee. You first select the type of beans, and then decide whether you want it espresso, cappuccino, or perhaps as Turkish-style coffee cooked on hot sand and flavored with cinnamon, ginger, or other spices of your choice. They also have a good selection of cakes and pastries, not to mention coffee beans and coffee-making tools sold in the adjacent store. Prices are a bit high by Polish standards, but the coffee is well worth it. Also at 62 Krakowskie Przedmieście.
A cafe-cum-boulangerie, it was one of the first in Warsaw to bake their own breads and pastries on premises and offer wine to accompany simple, Parisian-inspired snacks. Thanks to its popularity with the media and celebrities, as well as the prime location on the Plac Zbawiciela, it became a sustained favourite - you may find yourself unable to get a table at any given time of day. The pretentious and slow service got to be accepted as part of the flair by the clientele.
A really cool bar in the Palace of Culture and Science. A DJ spins the beats which is occasionally enhanced by a drummer and keyboard player. They also host live music on occasion. Kulturalna attracts the college aged intelligentsia type, but can bring in the elderly, but hip too who all end up grooving on the dance floor or chill out on chairs all night.
Good restaurant in the city centre, near the US Embassy and comes equipped with free Wi-Fi access. The restaurants hosts live musicians several times a week. The only downside to the restaurant is a side door, which leads into an office building. Bright lights from the office building shine into the restaurant, which somewhat diminishes the atmosphere of the restaurant and its music.
A trendy bar that serves up good food and has a wide variety of elaborately created drinks.
The cult joint is in the process of moving from its erstwhile prime location in Krakowskie Przedmieście to a new one in the city centre and operates in a temporary tent smack in the middle of Warsaw, continuing to draw crowds all day and night long. The main draw are obviously reasonably-priced alcoholic drinks and many cheap bites, but the menu was expanded to include more elaborate dishes prepared by the chefs from sister restaurant "U Kucharzy".
The mother of all hipster places in Warsaw operates in the former ticket sales office of the Powiśle train station, which afforded them splendid modernist architecture and a recognizable name spelled out on the impressive neon sign above the building. The cool factor of Powiśle lies in the fact that it's essentially an outdoor bar. There are no tables inside and most people either grab up the limited number of chairs that sit on the sidewalk or they straggle around underneath the nearby bridge, on the staircase leading up to the train station above, or off on a side street. Powiśle attracts huge crowds nearly every night.
Tygmont is Warsaw's best known jazz club and for good reason – the musicians it hosts are good, however, there are a few caveats. On occasion, Tygmont has a weird atmosphere and can be disappointing. There are nights when one floor will be dedicated to hip hop, which seems completely out of place, while the other is dedicated to musicians playing obscenely loud music. If the club brought the decibels down, it would be near perfect.
Hostel named after Emma Goldman (anarcho-feminist activist) is run by a cooperative according to ecofriendly, sustainable rules. Five dorms and several doubles on two storeys in a historic tenement house, communal bathrooms, kitchen, free fair-trade tea, coffee and breakfast. Pets welcome. Discounts apply to NGO workers, activists, students and persons aged 55+ (do not apply to persons using on-line booking portals). As of November 2019, Google Maps indicates that this place may have closed permanently.
Helvetia is a cool hostel, a stone's throw away from the University of Warsaw's main campus, Nowy Swiat, and a ten minute walk to the Old Town. The staff are pleasant and helpful and the hostel occasionally hosts vodka and beer parties for its guests. Dorm 39/55 zł (Sunday-Thursday/Friday-Saturday).
HI Hostel.
HI Hostel.
An educational institution, mainly used by Polish pupils, students, teachers and education workers. Foreign students and teachers are also welcomed. If a room is available, they can accommodate people who are not connected with education.
This hostel has a cable TV room, and free laundry service, however, since they do not have a dryer it may take a day or two for clothes to dry. The manager will sometimes take guests to clubs. This hostel is open all day and is located only a few blocks from the city center.
From the outside this big grey, ugly building doesn't look promising, but once inside you are greeted by a friendly, chatty member of staff on the 24-hr reception. Directly opposite is the bar/café/breakfast room which serves some very cheap drinks. Each room has been individually decorated by a different artist and they are given names such as 'House of the Maiden'. Also equipped with kitchen, free Internet access, car/bicycle rental and a little shop.
Tamka Hostel
formerly Etap Hotel
The ibis budget is a bare minimum, every-expense-spared budget hotel chain. Don't expect the door to manned all night and if you will arrive after the check-in deadline, you better arrange to be let into your room, because ibis Budget hotels may or may not have anyone on duty to let you in after a certain time.
A very simple hotel in Powiśle - the cheapest rooms do not even have ensuite bathrooms. That said, at their prices you will probably be able to get a nicer room in other, better-equipped hotels across Warsaw.
Nice hostel, friendly staff. Self-serve coffee machine (coffee grounds provided). Very basic kitchen. Common area in back of kitchen. Can get noisy on Saturday nights.
The Grand Hotel is a part of the Mercure chain. It's in a relatively peaceful location among government offices, but close to most areas of tourist interest.
formerly Holiday Inn
It is very close to the Dworzec Centralny, separated from it only by the Złote Tarasy shopping centre, which provides for an almost entirely covered walkway between the two.
Don't expect much of a view, unless you consider an intersection and the Novotel a view.
Comfortable rooms. If you ask for room one of the higher floors, you are more than likely going have an amazing view in any direction.
The Bristol is a Warsaw landmark in its own right, imbued in history. Heads of state, royalty and various celebrities of different eras stayed here during its many decades in operation. It is also directly on the Royal Route, a short walk from Old Town and not far from many other historic attractions.
formerly Hyatt Regency Warsaw
Outside of the city centre and on the border of the Mokotów district, it requires a bus or taxi ride to get to most attractions. The Regent nevertheless remains a firm favourite with frequent travellers due to a combination of lush comfort, large bathrooms and a location at the doorstep of the Łazienki Park.
The 5-star InterContinental is one of Warsaw's tallest, best designed, and most luxurious hotels. The hotel optimizes its commanding height by using wide windows to provide breathtaking panorama views of Warsaw. Be sure to stop by the fitness center for the best view. All rooms have at least 32 m2 of space, spacious bathrooms that come equipped with a bath and a separate shower, and minibars. High speed internet connection is available for a fee for those staying in the standard rooms. Each of the three restaurants have welcoming atmospheres and the E. Wedel cafe on the ground floor would be a great place to kick back to a coffee and some chocolates.
If you want a room with a view, you can't go wrong here, because the building is one of the tallest in Warsaw. Depending on the location of your room, you may have a view of the Palace of Culture and Science. The Panorama cocktail bar at the top floor provides great views of the city to the patrons, accompanied by steep drink prices.
Hotel Polonia Palace
4-star luxury hotel in the centre of Warsaw. The hotel first opened in 1913 and was the best surviving hotel in Warsaw during the Second World War, hosting the embassies of several countries including the USA, UK and the Netherlands in the difficult postwar years. Eisenhower, de Gaulle and several other notable figures have been guests. The Polonia was made a protected monument in 1965.
The hotel is in the heart of the business district and tourist quarter of the city. It is close to the Palace of Culture and Science and Warsaw Central Station. There is another Radisson BLU (Sobieski) in Warsaw, not far away but in the opposite direction.
Located a short distance from Nowy Świat, the Sofitel Victoria Warsaw Hotel is the prime real estate for visitors who would like to tour the Old Town on a whim. Rooms facing Plac Piłsudskiego have a really nice view.
This large shopping mall sprawls over four levels and is covered by a unique glass roof. It is located right next to the Dworzec Centralny and is accessible from its underground level. It may be convenient for some last-minute shopping if you are departing Warsaw by train.
Arkadia has an interesting collection of shops, plus a much better selection of restaurants in its food court than Złote Tarasy. Arkadia also has several restaurants on its outside, at its main entrance.
The three former 1970s department stores form the so-called "Eastern Wall" (Ściana Wschodnia) of Marszałkowska Street between Aleje Jerozolimskie and Jasna Street, facing the Palace of Culture and Science. They buildings have now been broken up into separate retail spaces, housing popular local and international chain stores.
By subway
M1 – from Mokotów, the last subway before entering Śródmieście is Pole Mokotowskie. The first stop in Śródmieście from this direction is Politechnika.
From the Warsaw Chopin Airport
To get to Śródmieście from Chopin Airport, you can take a local train, a bus or a taxi to get to Śródmieście.
By foot
Considering that the strict city center is a flat area whose sides measure only some 2 km, it is a good idea to take a stroll through it.
By car
By bus
Dworzec Centralny is also a big bus terminus. The stops are named either Dw. Centralny or Emilii Plater (the street which runs in front of the train station), but they are next to each other.
By tram
You can use as well smaller routes between main stretches. For more details use tram map on ZTM site
By metro
Within Śródmieście, there are eight subway stations that more-or-less cut through the midsection of the district from north to south and west to east.
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