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Capital · Poland

WarsawWarszawa

Give Warsaw 2–3 nights: Old Town and Royal Route on foot, two museums, one Praga evening. Skip it only if you have 4 days and want Kraków alone.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
PLN
Best months
May–Sep; also late Nov–Dec for the Christmas market
avoid Jan–Feb (cold, dark, sometimes below -10 °C)
Airports
WAW · WMI
Nights
2–3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
  • Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
  • Poland ↗Poland is in the EU and the Schengen area: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
  • Poland ↗The currency is the Polish złoty (PLN), not the euro: decline dynamic currency conversion.
  • Poland ↗Most shops close on most Sundays under the trading law; small convenience stores and station shops are the exception.
  • Poland ↗The border areas with Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad region have restricted zones; follow your own government's advice before travelling near them.

Warsaw is Poland's capital and largest city, about 1.75 million people, rebuilt from rubble after 1944 and now a fast-changing mix of reconstructed Old Town, communist-era landmarks and new towers. Sights cluster in Śródmieście and the Old Town, so two full days cover the core; three let you add Praga, Wilanów or a museum afternoon. Public transport is cheap and dense, and the city is easy to walk between the Royal Route stops.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Warsaw, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffeezł 10–18
  • Sit-down mealRestaurant main coursezł 40–80
  • Beerdraught / shopzł 12–20zł 4–8
  • Metro or bus rideSingle public transport ticket (20 min)zł 3.40–4.40 (check)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekzł 30–60
  • Museum or sight ticketMuseum entryzł 20–60
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per personzł 70
  • Mid-range bedDouble room, mid hotel, a night, per roomzł 400
  • High-end bedDouble room, mid hotel, a night, per roomzł 800

A day, not counting the bed: Budget zł 150 · Mid zł 300 · High zł 600

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Old Town, rebuilt and UNESCO-listedRoyal Route and Royal CastlePOLIN Museum of the History of Polish JewsWarsaw Uprising MuseumPalace of Culture and ScienceChopin and milk bars (bar mleczny)
Airports
WAW Warsaw Chopin (About 10 km south-west of the centre; bus 175 and the S2/S3 train lines reach the centre in 25–40 min.) · WMI Warsaw Modlin (About 35 km north-west; mainly low-cost carriers, with a shuttle bus to Modlin station then train to the centre.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Warsaw: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

1°C

−3°C

8 rd

Feb

3°C

−3°C

7 rd

Mar

8°C

0°C

7 rd

Apr

15°C

5°C

7 rd

May

20°C

9°C

9 rd

Jun

24°C

13°C

9 rd

Jul

26°C

15°C

10 rd

Aug

25°C

15°C

9 rd

Sep

20°C

10°C

8 rd

Oct

13°C

6°C

8 rd

Nov

7°C

2°C

9 rd

Dec

3°C

−2°C

9 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Trams, buses and two metro lines cover the city; buy time tickets (20/75/90 min) or a 24 h/72 h pass from machines and validate on boarding. The centre is walkable: Old Town to the Palace of Culture is about 25 min on foot. Ride-hailing apps and taxis work well; night buses run after trams stop.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Żelazowa Wola (Chopin's birthplace)

go

Door to door: About 2 h

Train or bus to Sochaczew, then a local bus or taxi

House and park; combine with a stop in Sochaczew.

Płock

caution

Door to door: About 2 h

Bus or car, about 2 h

Cathedral and Vistula views; a long half-day.

Sulejówek

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Suburban train from Warszawa Wschodnia, about 30 min

Piłsudski's house museum; easy half-day.

Radom

caution

Door to door: About 2 h

Train from Warszawa Centralna, about 1 h 30 min

Only worth it for the museum or as a stop south.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Śródmieście

Most central: walking distance to the Royal Route, Palace of Culture and main transport hubs. Best for a first visit.

Old and New Town

Cobbled streets, small hotels and apartments; quiet at night, 15–20 min walk from the centre.

Western Centre (Wola, Ochota)

Business towers, newer hotels, good value; metro and tram lines run into the centre.

Praga

East bank, cheaper, more local feel; 10–15 min by tram or metro from the centre.

South (Mokotów, Ursynów)

Residential and quieter, near Chopin airport and Wilanów; use the metro for the centre.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
zł 150–250 excl. bed
Mid
zł 250–450 excl. bed
High
zł 450+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Double room, mid hotel1 × 3 nights × zł 400zł 1,200
Food, local transport, entries2 × 3 days × zł 300zł 1,800
Airport train or bus, both ways2 × zł 12 · checkzł 24
24 h public transport pass2 × zł 15 · checkzł 30
eSIM, about a week of data2 × zł 40zł 80
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgezł 313
Trip total≈ zł 575 per person per day, bed includedzł 3,447≈ US$950

2026 estimate in złoty; flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffeezł 10–18
Milk bar (bar mleczny) main dishzł 15–30
Restaurant main coursezł 40–80
Beer: draught / shopzł 12–20 / zł 4–8
Single public transport ticket (20 min)zł 3.40–4.40 (check)
Museum entryzł 20–60
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekzł 30–60

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Warsaw is generally safe for tourists by day and night in the centre. The real risks are pickpockets on trams and in the Old Town, unclear bar bills, and winter ice on pavements.
  • Pickpockets on trams, in the Old Town and around the central stations.
  • Some bars and clubs add unclear charges; ask the total before you order.
  • Ticket machines rarely take cards on older trams; keep small change or use the app.
  • Winter snow can slow buses and trams badly; allow extra time.
  • Do not confuse the 1943 Ghetto Uprising with the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.

Emergency numbers

All emergencies
112
Ambulance
999
Police
997
Fire
998

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

WarsawWarszawa

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Na ten adres, proszęTo this address, please

Emergency

  • All emergencies112
  • Ambulance999
  • Police997
  • Fire998

Embassy

The US embassy is on Aleje Ujazdowskie in Śródmieście; the UK embassy is on ulica Kawalerii. Check current addresses and opening hours before you go.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Chopin airport → centre, train or bus: about zł 4.40–6, 25–40 min (check)
  • Taxi Chopin airport → centre: zł 50–80 (check)
  • 24 h public transport pass: about zł 15 (check)

Say or show

  • Dzień dobry — Hello (jane DOH-brih)
  • Dziękuję — Thank you (jen-KOO-yeh)
  • Proszę — Please (PRO-sheh)
  • Ile to kosztuje? — How much is it? (EE-leh toh kosh-TOO-yeh)
  • Czy mogę zapłacić kartą? — Can I pay by card? (chih MOH-geh zah-PWA-cheech KAR-tah)
  • Gdzie jest toaleta? — Where is the toilet? (gjeh yest toh-ah-LEH-tah)

112 works from any phone, including foreign SIMs.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Warsaw. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Sep; also late Nov–Dec for the Christmas market · avoid Jan–Feb (cold, dark, sometimes below -10 °C) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 5 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for WAW and WMI: last train and bus times, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: Old Town and New Town, Royal Route and Śródmieście, Wola museums, Praga.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Royal Castle, POLIN, Warsaw Uprising Museum, Wilanów) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Golden and hostile arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Poland

Sources