Guide to Warsaw

SHOP & PLAY

To market

Bazar Rozyckiego (54 Targowa) isn't one of the places that come to mind when people say they "just adore wandering around markets". Once the hub of capitalist enterprise in a communist system, it has now declined to the point where it's a depressing spot visited out of necessity. Kolo Bazar — a flea market held every Saturday and Sunday on Obozowa — is much more fun. It's all about the haggling and the goods on offer range from ceremonial weaponry and old vinyl records to nostalgic posters and silver-plated cutlery. It's as much about the characters as the goods.

Go shop

Warsaw's main shopping area is — very roughly — in the streets between Nowy Swiat and the Palace of Culture and Science. You'll find a good mix of chains, mini-malls and boutiques. For higher-end fashion shopping, head for Plac Trzech Krzyzy — designer labels such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada and Armani can be found either on the square or on the streets just off it. If you're after souvenirs, gifts and other knick-knacks of questionable craftsmanship, then it's best to head to the Old Town's cobbled streets. The Lapidarium (pictured, 15 Nowomiejska, 635 6828, lapidarium.pl) is the most engaging of the gift and souvenir shops — it's a shambolic jumble of amulets, troll-like plasticine models, military medals and Virgin Mary lockets.

Live music

Warszawska Opera Kameralna (76 Solidarnoski, 831 22 40, operakameralna.pl) is highly regarded in Europe for opera productions that are affordable for the masses without sacrificing quality. The range runs from mediaeval to modern via Mozart. Tygmont (6 Mazowiecka, 828 3409) is arguably the best of Warsaw's jazz clubs — it has something of a prohibition-era vibe and the musicians aren't afraid to lurch way beyond the standards. For big name pop and rock acts, the Congress Hall at the Palace of Culture and Science (1 Plac Defilad, 656 7741, pkin.pl) tends to draw the most impressive line-up.

Nightclubs

If you prefer your clubbing to be refreshingly attitude-free and with a good time energy, then Butiklub (2 Przeskok, 827 0283) is a great bet. It pulls in big names such as Grandmaster Flash and Hed Kandi, too. Club Capitol (115 Marszalkowska, 826 8570, clubcapitol.pl) has the moneyed-up Moscow kids vibe — the decor is completely OTT, you're dancing beneath chandeliers and the benefits of plastic surgery are regularly on display. 1500m2 (pictured, 18 Solec, 628 8412) is the latest hot spot — it's an enormous former warehouse that keeps the industrial vibe going and hosts big electro marathon events.

SEE + DO

Icons

Warsaw's Old Town is as pretty as any in Europe but the real marvel is that it was rebuilt from rubble after World War II. The Royal Castle (pictured, 4 Plac Zamkowy, 355 5170, amek-krolewski.pl) is the best example of this extraordinarily meticulous resurrection. It's more impressive inside than outside. Also built after the war was the widely hated Palace of Culture and Science. It's the tallest building in Warsaw and — whisper it quietly — it's actually rather impressive. Of the city's many grand monuments, the powerful Warsaw Uprising Monument at Plac Kransinskich tells the most vivid story.

Culture

The Warsaw Rising Museum (79 Grzybowska, 539 7905, 1944.pl) is the city's absolute must-see. It tells the tragic tale of Warsaw during World War II — the horrors of Nazi rule, the bravery of the local people in standing up to it and the Soviet betrayal that led to the destruction of 84 per cent of the city are explained with consistently creative displays. For art lovers, the John Paul II Collection (1 Plac Bankowy, 620 2725, muzeummalarstwa .pl) has a surprisingly high-quality hoard, including works by Rembrandt, van Gogh, Goya and Tintoretto. Less heavy, but worth a browse, is the Museum of Caricature (11 Kozia, 827 8895, muzeumkarykatury.pl).

On foot

Most visitors expect a grim mountain of concrete but Warsaw is a surprisingly green city. This is partly because many of the country's kings wanted a park in which they could build a palace for their families to use. The Lazienki Park, pictured, is the best example of this — it's a glorious part-wooded, part-manicured public space that contains several mildly absurd-looking buildings. If you're looking for a walking route, start at Plac Trzech Krzyzy before heading up Nowy Swiat and through the Old Town to the city walls. You'll pass many of Warsaw's highlights, including the National Museum, the Royal Castle and the Copernicus Monument.

Follow the leader

Warsaw City-Tour (+48 500 033 414, city-tour.com.pl) operates a half-day tour that takes in the Belvedere Palace, Lazienki Park, the area of the former Jewish ghetto and World War II sites before finishing at the Old Town. It's a good way of covering non-central areas without juggling public-transport timetables). If you prefer going on foot than by bus, then SlowWarsaw's (+48 662 390 815, slowwarsaw.com) three-hour walking tour should be just the ticket. City Discovery (+1866 988 8687, city-discovery.com) offers a range of trips further afield, including to the Majdanek concentration camp and the monastery at Czestochowa.

EAT + DRINK

Cafe culture

On the up-and-coming Plac Zbawiciela, Charlotte (18 Wyzwolenia, 628 4459), straddles the line between cafe and wine bar. It's full of young, trendy types on MacBooks throwing back espressos and watching the bread being made in the open kitchen. Podwale Piwna Kompania (25 Podwale, 635 6314, podwale25.pl) offers a Bavarian-style courtyard by the Old Town and gigantic portions of hearty Polish classics. Most loveable, however, is Kafka (3 Obozna, 826 0822, kawiarnia-kafka.pl), where patrons pluck books from the shelves, play Scrabble or lounge on the sunflower-patterned deckchairs while making pasta and a coffee last all afternoon.

Snack attack

The Poles who flocked to Britain for work in the late 1990s and early 2000s are beginning to return. And they're bringing the British chippy with them. Fish and Chips (30 Koszykowa, +48 692 240 804, fishandchips.pl) sells chocs and crisps from Blighty as well as a classic battered cod. Warsaw's bakeries generally aren't up to much but Saint Honore (20 Krakowskie Przedmiescie, +48 508 143 987) is an honourable exception. Expect cracking sandwiches, quiches and pastries. MG Eat (32 Chmielna, 403 5091) is one of celeb chef Magda Gessler's many outlets but it's designed for on-the-go eats, with sandwiches, cakes and a salad bar.

Top of the town

U Fukier (27 Rynek Starego Miasta, 831 1013, ufukiera.pl) is the one with the atmosphere to match the food quality in the Old Town. Cuisine leans towards the gamy but the establishment's a fantasy world of carvings, tapestries, vaulted ceilings and a flower-strewn courtyard. Restaurant Michel Moran (9 Pilsudskiego, 826 0107, restaurantbistrodeparis.com) is the place to go to for quality French food in an atmosphere that's not too stuffy. Unlike many star-chef restaurants, the man himself actually works there. If you're taking someone somewhere in a bid to impress,
99 (23 Aleja Jana Pawla, 620 1999, restaurant99.com) does the trick for either business power lunches or seductive evening dining.

By the glass

Zubrowka bison grass vodka with apple juice is apple pie and cinnamon in a glass. Sense (19 Nowy Swiat, 826 6570, sensecafe.com.pl) is a sleek bar in which to try it, then plough through the rest of the cocktail menu. The food's excellent, too. Poland does rather good beers and Bierhalle (64 Nowy Swiat, 827 6177, bierhalle.pl) serves many of them, while brewing a few of its own on the premises. For a bar hop, head into the maze of backstreets and courtyards through 26 Nowy Swiat. Colloquially known as the "Secret Garden", this is a laid-back, slightly grungy hive of tiny bars.

Hot tip

Warsaw is a strong candidate for being Europe's most underrated city. The Old Town's lovely, it's amazingly green and there are numerous museums, churches and monuments worth checking out. In other words, it deserves more than a cursory day on a European tour. Try to get there at the weekend when the city's party-hard ethos is most evident. Accommodation rates are also cheaper at the weekends, due to the suits having gone home.

Getting there

There are no one-stop routes to Warsaw from Sydney. Best prices — sometimes below $2000 — are often available with KLM (www.klm.com.au). This means a Malaysia Airlines codeshare to Kuala Lumpur, an onward flight to Amsterdam, then a connection to Warsaw.

Visas and currency

Australians don't require a visa to enter Poland, unless planning to work while there. The currency is the zloty. $1 equals 3 zloty.

Calling Poland

Poland's international dialling code is +48 and Warsaw's city code is 22. Add +48 22 to any seven-digit numbers listed here if calling from Australia. Other numbers are listed in full.

More information

inyourpocket.com/poland/warsaw and warsaw-life.com.

The writer was a guest of Accor Hotels.