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Old Town Market Square, Warsaw

No. 78 Top 100 City Destinations 2025

Warsaw

Poland

Poland's energetic capital: a pastel Old Town, royal parks, Chopin and a skyline of new towers.

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Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Warsaw is No. 78 in Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025. Poland's capital and largest city lies on the Vistula River.

Its Old Town, carefully rebuilt in the second half of the 20th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Around it, the city mixes royal palaces and parks with modern skyscrapers, lively food halls and the riverside boulevards.

The Royal Castle, Warsaw
The Royal Castle, Warsaw. Photo: Chris Olszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Best time to go

May to September is warm and green, with free Chopin piano concerts in Łazienki Park on summer Sundays.

Winters are cold, but the Old Town Christmas market and lights are a draw in December.

Top sights

  • 1

    Old Town Market Square

    Colourful merchants' houses around the square and its mermaid statue, the symbol of Warsaw.

  • 2

    Royal Castle

    The former residence of Polish kings, with state rooms and paintings by Canaletto's nephew Bernardo Bellotto.

  • 3

    Royal Route

    Krakowskie Przedmieście and Nowy Świat, elegant streets of churches, palaces and cafés leading south from the Old Town.

  • 4

    Łazienki Park

    A large landscaped park with the Palace on the Isle and the Chopin Monument.

  • 5

    Wilanów Palace

    A baroque royal summer residence with formal gardens, in the south of the city.

  • 6

    Copernicus Science Centre

    A hands-on science museum on the Vistula, popular with families.

Getting there

Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) is about 10 km south of the centre; trains and the 175 bus reach the city centre in about 20 to 30 minutes.

Fast trains link Warszawa Centralna with Kraków and Gdańsk in under three hours, and there are direct trains to Berlin, Prague and Vienna.

Getting around

Two metro lines, trams and buses cover the city on one ticket; you can pay by contactless card on board or with the official app.

Practical tips

Currency
Polish złoty (PLN). Cards and contactless payments are accepted almost everywhere.
Language
Polish. English is widely spoken, especially by younger people.
Safety
Warsaw is generally safe; watch for pickpockets on busy trams and around the central station. The emergency number is 112.
Visa & entry
Poland is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.
Power
230 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and E.

Official information: Warsaw Tourist Office (official website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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