Destination: Warsaw, Poland (Part 2)

While planning my “epic trip” following the semester’s end this May, I didn’t think of revisiting Warsaw. True, I enjoyed seeing the city when I went over two years ago, but I’d considered that to be it. Little did I expect that I would be returning to the Polish capital for two nights, and I was actually looking forward to it.

The reason why I chose to go back was essentially due to costs– I was planning on hitting up the Baltic countries (Latvia and Lithuania), but flights from Lyon to Vilnius or Riga were quite expensive. Warsaw is more touristy, and it naturally has more flights (and cheaper ones) from Lyon. That said, I decided to save money by booking the flight to Warsaw– a mere 28€!– and make my way up to Lithuania and Latvia afterwards.

A few days after my students completed their final exams, I jetted off to the Polish capital. It was a short, two-hour flight, and I arrived at Warsaw Chopin Airport in the early evening. I took the train (L3, which is like the RER in Paris) into the city center, getting off at Centralna, the main train station, and walking about 20 minutes to my hostel. Compared with my visit to Warsaw in 2017, I chose to fly into the main airport and stay closer to the Old Town this time, which was much better.

Although I’d booked for an eight or ten-bed dorm, I was surprisingly upgraded for free to a four-bed dorm. Perhaps there were few travelers in at the time, but I wasn’t complaining! It also featured an en-suite bathroom, which I much-prefer than common showers.

I didn’t do much that evening, as I’d gotten in towards 20:00 (and was tired from traveling)– I did go out, however, for dinner, setting on a chain restaurant specializing in pierogi. I actually had eaten at this place, Zapiecek, last time I was in Warsaw: even though it’s pricier than other pierogi places in town, it was still only 35 złoty (8€) for pierogi and beer.

I spent my first full (and only) day in Warsaw doing a lot of walking. Not to say I was visiting so many places, but rather the city itself is massive. I didn’t want to pay for public transport, and I decided to get some exercise to counterbalance the Polish food I ate (seriously, Polish food is so good).

With the exception of the Old Town, I visited a few new places that I didn’t see the last time I visited. I started my day at the Warsaw University Library, just a 20-minute walk from my hostel. You might wonder why I would visit a library in town, but basically, I went for its roof garden– constructed in 2002, not only is it teaming with greenery, but also decent views of the city from above. Even better, it’s free!

Next stop was to the Old Town, where its colorful, reconstructed buildings are a popular meeting spot for locals and tourists. Considering that the former Old Town had been destroyed during WWII, it’s pretty amazing how it was entirely rebuilt and even more beautiful than before. I was at its square merely for photos, and I also paid 6 złoty (1,50€) to climb up St. Anne’s Tower again for views from above. Not only do you get the best views of the Old Town, but also those from the modern part of Warsaw, near the Palace of Culture and Science (which can be seen just about anywhere in the city).

I wandered a bit of Old Town, passed the Barbican (old castle defense wall), and eventually got lunch at a random restaurant nearby. It was no milk bar (bar mleczny, a cafeteria-style restaurant with very-cheap local food), but I still got to have gołąbki (stuffed cabbage rolls) and flaki (tripe soup). Two delicious dishes, along with a cup of mead, for 50 złoty (11-12€).

Full from lunch, I walked it off by heading to the Praga district. Located east across the Vistula River, Praga had been considered just a few years ago as a “dangerous” part of Warsaw– however, it has since become gentrified, with plenty of artists and hipsters using the neighborhood for their art works. I could get the industrial vibe from Praga while walking past its train station and factories, but I didn’t feel unsafe.

The main reason for visiting Praga was for the Neon Museum. As the name implies, it’s a museum dedicated to neon signs, particularly those left over post-WWII. It’s a colorful museum, to say the least, and it’s popular among young locals and visitors for photo opportunities (Instagram, anyone?). It was 10 złoty (2-3€) for a visit, and I spent about 30-40 minutes inside admiring the dozens of signs, advertisements for libraries, bars, and cinemas. The museum itself isn’t very large, only three rows of neon signs, but stocked with so many to look at– it’s a bit out of the way for a visit, but worth it all the same!

I returned to the city center, back to my hostel where I rested for the afternoon before I headed out to grab a zapiekanka, a popular Polish street food that’s an open-faced sandwich with various toppings (e.g. cheese, mushrooms, pickles…). I got one with cheese, sausage, pickles, and fried onions, which was absolutely delicious. I love fried onions, and it made my supper a tasty one.

There happened to be a pub crawl at my hostel that night, so I decided to join. It was a small group of three Americans (including myself) and a Canadian. It actually turned out to be an underwhelming time, as it was a Tuesday night and nothing was really going on at the bars and clubs we went to. I ended up returning by midnight to shower and sleep, since I wasn’t really into it and had to leave the next morning for my next destination.

Altogether, my second time in Warsaw was pleasant, even if I didn’t do too much in town. Considering that I’d already seen the major attractions the first time I visited, it was just a matter of finding a few new places that interested me (e.g. the roof garden of the Warsaw University Library, the Neon Museum) and otherwise eating good Polish food. Even if Warsaw was just a “transitioning” destination this time to the Baltic countries, it was a solid transition all the same.

Stay tuned for the recap of my time in Vilnius, Lithuania!

 

— Rebecca