Day 1: Old Town, History & Vodka in a Day
Old Town & Royal Castle
Start at the meticulously reconstructed Old Town — a UNESCO World Heritage Site rebuilt from rubble after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Walk through the Barbican gate to the Rynek Starego Miasta (Old Town Market Square) with its colourful merchant houses. Visit the Royal Castle (30 PLN) — rebuilt from scratch using original plans and salvaged fragments. The Canaletto Room houses the 18th-century vedute paintings that guided the reconstruction.
Warsaw Uprising Museum & Złote Tarasy
Tram or metro to the Warsaw Uprising Museum (25 PLN) in the Wola district — an immersive, deeply moving experience chronicling the 63-day 1944 uprising against Nazi occupation. A replica B-24 Liberator hangs from the ceiling, and the 3D film about the city's destruction is devastating. Allow 2–3 hours. Then head to the modern city centre — the Palace of Culture and Science (20 PLN for observation deck) dominates the skyline, a Stalinist "gift" from the Soviet Union.
Praga District & Vodka Tasting
Cross the Vistula to the Praga district — Warsaw's edgy, artsy right-bank neighbourhood with street art, pre-war buildings, and craft beer bars. Dinner at Ząbkowska 25 (mains 25–40 PLN) — the street is Praga's social spine. Then to the Polish Vodka Museum (30 PLN including tasting) in the former Koneser Vodka Factory, or simply bar-hop along Ząbkowska — try Woda Ognista for flights of Polish craft vodkas.
