Warsaw - Βαρσοβία

^{Click here to see the map of the area in full screen}.

Warsaw: Click here to see a full screen map.

THE Warsaw is its capital Poland

At a glance

Today's Warsaw is a mixture of the old and the new

Ideal period of visit

Weather	Jan.	Feb	Mar.	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov.	Dec

Daily highs (° C)	-1	2	7	13	19	22	23	24	20	13	6	-1
Night low (° C)	-6	-5	-2	3	8	11	12	13	10	4	1	-3
Rainfall (mm)	21	25	24	33	44	62	73	63	42	37	38	33

How to get there

By air

Warsaw (code: WRW) has two airports: Chopin Airport (Model: IATA) (also known as "Okęcie") for major airlines and Modlin Airport (Model: IATA), opened in July 2012 to attract low cost airlines and is currently only used by Ryanair. Chopin Airport is located within the city limits, about 8 km south of the city center, while Modlin is in the Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, almost 40 km north of the center of Warsaw.

The Λοντζ Airport (Model: IATA) is a 90-minute drive from Warsaw.

The Chopin Airport has easy access and you will have no problem finding your way

Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport

The Chopin Airport (Model: IATA) is by far the largest airport in Poland, both in terms of volume, number of passengers, and number of flights or connections. It is located in its area Okęcie in West Warsaw, about 10 km. For many years the airport was simply called Okęcie, but this caused confusion and was reportedly renamed. When asking for directions or talking to a taxi driver, always ask about the airport (Latin in Polish) to avoid confusion.

Chopin Airport is extremely close to the city center compared to other airports serving European capitals, and also has a very efficient terminal that easily handles the 10 million passengers who use it each year. Therefore, you will probably find it easy and fast to navigate and the time required to get off to your destination in the city can be as little as 45 minutes - in the morning and late at night, the security queues increase more.

European connections

Warsaw Chopin Airport is considered one of the most connected airports in Europe, with direct connections to every EU capital, but Luxembourg and Valletta, as well as many non - EU capitals, ranging from Chisinau until and Reykjavik, and in many other cities across the continent. Chopin Airport is also served by almost every major European airline, be it airlines or low cost airlines.

The largest selection of connections is offered by LOT Polish Airlines, a member Airline Alliances # Star Alliance, who often share the Miles & More regular passenger rewards program with many other alliance partners. It is mostly business oriented travelers and tends to be expensive, but you can get a much lower rate if you book the return flight in advance with a stay that includes a weekend (night from Saturday to Sunday) or at least 3 nights in Warsaw. This also applies to flights with different origins and return destinations, as long as the above rules are followed. LOT faces direct competition from other carriers on their bases, and indirectly from low-cost carriers. Check prices using online comparison tools to get a better price.

LOT offers free water on European routes and a small snack, Prince Polo, which became something of a symbol of Poland abroad (something that became known as a mockery of in-flight amenities). Coffee and tea, as well as a range of hot and cold snacks, are sold on board at reasonable prices. Note that coffee and tea are not ready, and especially coffee is provided as an instant powder with a cup of hot water.

Major low-cost airlines operating Warsaw Chopin include Wizz Air, which has a base there and flies mainly to secondary airports across Europe (rarely competing with LOT at airports themselves), and Norwegian Air Shuttle , which has flights not only from Oslo, but also London and many destinations in Spain. Germanwings offers three daily flights to Düsseldorf, and Vueling flies daily to Barcelona.

Transatlantic connections

Transatlantic flights are mainly limited to North America, with LOT Polish Airlines offering direct flights to New York, Chicago, Toronto and Beijing with a brand new fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Two major Gulf airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways, fly to Chopin, Warsaw, from their hubs, where you can connect to their intercontinental network. Warsaw is about 2 hours from the most important airports in Europe, you can also easily connect to other countries' intercontinental networks.

Terminals

All passenger work at Chopin Airport has now been consolidated into one building, called Terminal A, which replaced the previous ones Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Please note that expansion work is underway at Terminal A, including a new hotel, and you may encounter minor traffic jams or be forced to make a detour on boarding or outside the terminal.

To get from the airport to other parts of the city, you have two options of public transport - local trains and buses, as well as taking a taxi.

To / from Chopin Airport by train

Entrance to the airport train station, in front of the terminal

The airport station, Warsaw Lotnisko Chopina, opened on June 1, 2012. Trains depart every 10-12 minutes during peak hours and every 15 minutes otherwise. Both Szybka Kolej Miejska (SKM, Warsaw Suburban Railway System) and Koleje Mazowieckie (Mazovian Railways or KML, The Provincial Local Train Operator) operates trains to and from the airport.

SKM has the following connections from Warszawa Lotnisko Chopina:

Line S2 via Warszawa Zachodnia, Warszawa óródmieście (walking distance from Warszawa Centralna), Warszawa Stadion and Warszawa Wschodnia to Sulejówek Miłosna
S3S line via Warszawa Zachodnia, Warszawa Śródmieście (walking distance from Warszawa Centralna), Warszawa Stadion and Warszawa Wschodnia to Legionowo Piaski
S3C line via Warszawa Zachodnia, Warszawa Centralna and Warsaw Wschodnia to Legionowo Piaski. This is an express train that does not stop at local train stations between Warszawa Zachodnia and Warszawa Wschodnia, including Warszawa Stadion.

Koleje Mazowieckie offers connections ending in Warszawa Wschodnia, with stops in Warszawa Zachodnia and Warszawa Centralna. These trains are less common than SKM trains.

Please note that due to construction work on Terminal A, the entrance to the train station is not directly accessible from the terminal. Follow the signs for the airport areas to find it you should choose to use the train.

To / from Chopin Airport by bus

Four bus lines run to and from the airport from 04:40 am to 23:00. The rest of the night, the night bus N32 connects the city center and the airport.

Bus 148 operates between the airport and Rondo Wiatraczna in Prague, on the east side of Warsaw. This bus passes by Imielin metro station.

Bus 175 operates between the airport and Plac Piłsudskiego near the Old Town, crossing downtown and stopping at Warszawa Centralna Train Station and the Centrum Metro, including Nowy Świat and the University of Warsaw. The whole journey takes 30-45 minutes, depending on traffic, and buses depart every ten minutes. Be careful because pickpockets act.

Bus 188 operates between the airport and Gocławek Wschodni in Prague, passing south of the city center, stopping at Politechnika metro station.

Bus 331 operates during rush hour only between the airport and Wilanowska Metro Station in South Warsaw (Mokotów), where many intercity buses stop.

To / from Chopin Airport by taxi

Avoid taxi drivers trying to attract customers inside the terminal as they overcharge. Instead, use one of the preferred airlines (Merc Taxi, MPT Radio Taxi, Ele, or Sawa Taxi). It is slightly above the market average in terms of prices. You can also order a taxi from another company by phone (no extra charge). The cost of the trip to a hotel near Warszawa Centralna station is about 40 zł at night, less during the day.

In any case, the highest charge should be 3.00 zł (up to 4.50 zł on Sundays), but usually not more than 2.40 zł per km during the day plus an initial fee not exceeding 8 zł . The Polish word for receipt is rachunek. There is no obligation to leave a tip to taxi drivers, but most will not refuse if you offer them. Watch this Cab section for a more detailed explanation of taxi fares.

Warsaw Modlin International Airport

Modlin Airport - modern and efficient, but without luxuries and a little in the middle of nowhere

The Modlin Airport (Template: IATA) opened in June 2012, but was closed for corridor repairs in December 2012 and reopened in July 2013, with the Ryanair be the only operator to decide to return to Modlin on 30 September 2013 (all Ryanair flights from that date operate to and from Modlin Airport, regardless of how they were sold).

While Modlin Airport was closed, Ryanair and Wizzair low cost flights were operated from Chopin Airport. Ryanair has chosen to relocate to Modlin, the only airline to operate the airport. Wizzair and all other operators, including other low-cost airlines and charter airlines, continued to use Chopin Airport.

Modlin Airport is located in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, about 40 km north of Warsaw, and is neither as close nor as easily accessible as Chopin Airport. When choosing your flight, make sure you check which airport you are flying to and take into account the increase in time and transfer costs between Warsaw and Modlin when choosing a flight.

From / to Modlin Airport (WMI)

By train

Mazowieckie College connects Modlin with Warszawa Centralna. From the airport terminal you should take the bus to the train station and take the train to Warsaw. A combined bus and train ticket costs PLN 15. The combined travel time can be up to 1.5 hours between the airport and the city center, including the waiting time at the airport and train station.

By bus

Modlinbus with stops at Młociny Metro and Centrum Metro and Ryanair flights. The bus takes 60 minutes to get from Modlin to Metro Centrum or back, and the normal price is 33 PLN when you buy the ticket on the bus, and can be much lower when you buy it online in advance.

By train

The gloomy 1970s building of Warszawa Centralna may not be the warm and welcoming welcome one would expect, but then anything else you come across will undoubtedly be better.

Warsaw has three stations for long distance trains:

Dworzec Centralny the Warsaw Central (Warsaw Central) ul. Emilii Plater
Dworzec Wschodni the Warsaw West (Warsaw East) between ul. Kijowska and ul. Lubelska (on the right bank)
Dworzec Zachodni the Warsaw West (Warsaw West) Al. Jerozolimskie close Rondo Zesłańców Syberyjskich

If you do not know where to go, the best option is Dworzec Centralny station (Warsaw Central), which has better connections to all parts of the city. All long-distance trains pass through this station and everything stops there. It is the only metro station for transfer to the train It is not the last stop on the route!

Trains moving east start from Warsaw West, with a stop at Warsaw Central and then to Warsaw West, while trains to the west make the same journey in the opposite direction (except that they do not always stop at Warsaw West). The same goes for train arrivals. Tourists are often confused by the fact that the main train station ( Warsaw Central ) is not the last stop of the route.

The Berlin-Warsaw Express runs from Berlin to Warsaw daily and is quite cheap if you book in advance. Students are entitled to discounts. It's a pretty comfortable six hour journey. Itinerary is available for Intercity on the website You can book tickets through Polrail service or at Deutsche Bahn web page.

One train per day runs on Kaunas and Βίλνιους in Lithuania, by changing trains near the border.

There are also trains to Russia - Moscow, Saint Petersburg and even direct trains for Saratov the Irkutsk, Belarus - Minsk, Ukraine - Kiev and direct train to Simferopol or in Kazakhstan - Astana. There are many direct connections to Central and Western European cities too.

On domestic trains, the reservation is mandatory only for EC, EKP or Ex trains. In the most popular TLK (cheap, sometimes only a little slower than expensive EKP) reservation is possible (but not required!) Only in the 1st category.

There are also some IR (InterRegio) trains operated by Przewozy Regionalne. These are cheap, but often not very comfortable, while being late. Only IR Warsaw-Stetino-Warsaw (called "Mewa") and Warsaw-Rzeszów-Warsaw (called "WOŚP") are equipped with air conditioning, CCTV, sockets for each seat and free Wi-Fi, and the price Reservation is possible, but only when purchasing the ticket online via the website [1].

If you do not have a reservation, you can get a better seat when boarding the train at the starting point. During the peak season, you may not even find a place.

By road

Apartments

Areas of Warsaw

Ρονródmieście
Srodmieski is the most central district of Warsaw. Most guests will spend most of their time here, as it includes most attractions and most hotels.

Old and New Town
The Old Town is the historic center of Warsaw and was within the city walls when it was still a small town, before becoming the capital in the late 16th century. The New Town, north of the Old Town, was the first extension of Warsaw beyond the walls, or which complemented the historic center with 16th / 17th century buildings. Both areas were almost completely destroyed during World War II and rebuilt after the war.

West Center (Wola, Ochota, Żoliborz)
The areas west of Srodmieski include many historic buildings and landmarks. Most of Wola has an industrial past, while it was the largest part of the Jewish ghetto during World War II, and includes Warsaw cemeteries. The iboliborz and Ochota areas have a more residential character, however they also have their attractions.

Prague (Prague North, South Prague)
The east bank of the river was a separate city until the 19th century, and it also contains historical monuments and sights. Historically it was less important, but it began to transform into a trendy part of the city in the 21st century.

South Warsaw (Mokotów, Ursynów, Wilanów)
The southern part of Warsaw developed strongly after the Second World War until today.The densely populated but quiet areas of Mokotów and Ursynów contain some surprises between the apartment buildings. At the southern end of Royal Road, Wilanów is home to Wilanów Palace.

North Warsaw (Bielany, Białołęka, Targówek)
The northern districts of Warsaw are the residential "bedrooms" of the city, with few reasons for a traveler to visit.

West Warsaw (Bemowo, Włochy, Ursus)
Apart from Warsaw Chopin Airport, there is not much interest for a tourist to visit this area.

East Warsaw (Rembertów, Wawer, and Wesoła)
The green residential area is in contrast to the other densely populated areas of the apartment buildings, but contains few tourist attractions.

How to move

Building number plate with direction to larger numbers displayed

Street signs at an intersection indicating building numbers to be found in the nearest block
Direction table at a road in Ochota
A pylon with the map of the Royal Road
A transparent info board on a historic building
A fingerpost in the historic area (Old Town / Royal Road)
A small sign indicating the street you are in is perpendicular to the Vistula and you are heading away from the river