About Warsaw

Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa) is Poland's capital and largest city. Warsaw is a bustling metropolis and one of the European Union's fastest-developing capitals and the Union's ninth most populous urban centre. It has a mixture of new and old in its eclectic architectural mix, and is constantly changing. There is a large variety of museums, galleries and other tourist attractions, and there is always something happening throughout the year. While sprawling, it is quite easy to navigate for tourists thanks to a good public transit system, and most important sights are quite close to each other. There is no shortage of accommodation options and a wide choice of restaurants and bars. Warsaw's nightlife is also on the rebound, and a reborn cafe culture has taken over the city.

Source: Wikipedia

Essential Information

Currency

Polish złoty (PLN)

Symbol: zł

Language

Polish

Phone Code

+48

International dialing code for Poland

Driving

Drive on the right

Standard for Poland

Region

Europe

Central Europe

Connectivity

Free wi-fi is widespread in Warsaw. Municipal hot-spots (freewifi.waw.pl) are free of charge and available in over 150 localities throughout the city. Those include the Old Town, most public parks, major city squares, the vicinity of most public buildings and museums. They are all marked by blue or purple "HOT SPOT UM-Warszawa" plaques hanging on street lamps. It is also available in over 300 city buses and some tramways (marked with a white and blue wi-fi icon at the doors).

How to Get to Warsaw

Transportation options and arrival information

Warsaw has two airports: Chopin (WAWIATA) is the main one 8 km south, and Modlin (WMIIATA) 40 km north is only used by Ryanair.

Getting Around Warsaw

Local transportation and navigation tips

The public transport system in Warsaw is generally well-developed, with some200 bus routesand30 tram lines. The route descriptions on the tram stops are easy to follow (although bus stop notices are more complex), but it can last longer, however, to travel between destinations far from the city center. Warsaw has two underground metro lines, one going from south to north on the left bank, and the other from the east to the west. There are also some regional urban rail services (Polish:Szybka Kol

Safety in Warsaw

High Safety (Global Peace Index: 1.552)

About the Global Peace Index: Global Peace Index measures peacefulness on a scale of 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful)

Warsaw is a safe city overall. The city center has a strong police presence and is generally a very safe area. The Praga districts used to be dangerous, but this is generally more hype than reality. Of course, it would be wise to exercise a little extra caution if you're in an area you do not know well. The bus and rail stations can be a magnet for homeless and drunkards, who, for the most part, will leave you alone.

Source: Institute for Economics & Peace (2022)

Where to Stay in Warsaw

Accommodation tips and recommendations

There are plenty of accommodation options in Warsaw at all budget levels. The most accommodation options are inŚródmieście,Wola, andMokotów. There are also many business travel hotels inWłochy, near the airport.