Warsaw, Poland: The Perfect 3 Day Itinerary
Warsaw, Poland: The Perfect 3 Day Itinerary
If you’ve followed my travels for awhile, you know I have something of a love affair with the country of Poland. I lived there for 6 weeks in 2019 while working on pub crawl and became obsessed with all things pierogi, war history, charming old towns, beautiful mountain landscapes and affordable prices. Poland was the perfect European country for me to live in during my early travels!
And while it’s unlikely that most of you will pack up and head to Poland for 6 weeks, I still highly suggest a visit. Especially to Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz and Zakopane.
And here’s the perfect 3 day itinerary to kick off your time in Warsaw, a city that is both historic and heartbreaking yet hip and modern.
Warsaw 3 Day Itinerary Overview
Day 1 Overview:
- Check into NYX Hotel Warsaw
- Walking tour of Old Town
- Old Town Viewing Platform: Taras Widokowy
- POLIN Museum Of The History Of Polish Jews
- Dinner in Old Town
- Chopin Concert at Fryderyk Concert Hall
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Day 2 Overview:
- Breakfast at NYX Hotel Warsaw
- Pierogi and More cooking class for lunch
- Warsaw Uprising Museum
- Observation deck on the 30th floor of the Palace of Culture and Science building
- Bars/Clubs on Mazowiecka street
Day 3 Overview:
- Breakfast at NYC Hotel
- Day pass to hot tub with views of the Palace of Culture and Science building at Intercontinental Hotel
- If there during winter, ice skate in Old Town. If summer, visit the zoo where the true story of the Zookeeper’s Wife took place.
For my full guide to Poland: THE COMPLETE TRAVEL GUIDE TO POLAND
Where to stay: NYX HOTEL WARSAW
NYX Hotel : this luxurious hotel has floor to ceiling windows with amazing views over the city in every room and often just 80 euros a night.
We also stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel one day to use their hot tub but overall, I much preferred the rooms, restaurant, breakfast and bar at NYX!
Warsaw Day 1
Walking tour of Old Town
Warsaw’s historic Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a great place to start your trip.
Sadly, 85 percent of it was reduced to rubble during the Second World War when Hitler ordered the entire city to be razed to the ground.
The destruction not only claimed the lives hundreds of thousands of Polish civilians but also the vast majority of museums, art galleries, theaters, castles, palaces, churches, parks, and historical buildings. Warsaw’s cultural heritage was deliberately destroyed, dismantled and reduced to ash.
Following the war, the city was rebuilt according to pre-war plans and historical documents. A walking tour of the city will bring this historical area to life!
Old Town Viewing Platform: Taras Widokowy
After your walking tour, head up to the viewing platform that overlooks Old Town. It’s a great spot for photos and you can see a birds eye view of the most famous view of Warsaw.
Tip: There is a very small admission fee and it’s cash only to climb to the top.
POLIN Museum Of The History Of Polish Jews
This heartbreaking museum is a must-see for those interested in Holocaust history or Jewish history in general.
There are many personal and heartbreaking accounts of the Warsaw Ghetto and life during the war that 90% of Polish Jews did not survive. The museum also details the history of Jews in Poland long before the Holocaust. In addition to a really important topic and a well displayed museum, the building itself it beautiful.
Dinner in Old Town: Gospoda Kwiaty Polskie
There is no shortage of cute restaurants in old town. Many right off the main square have enticing decorations and traditional polish cuisine.
We liked Gospoda Kwiaty Polskie which is just a few streets off the main square.
Chopin Concert at Fryderyk Concert Hall
The infamous Fryderyk Chopin was a Polish-born pianist and composer of genius ability who spent his childhood and early years in Warsaw.
Despite only performing 30 shows in his whole career, Chopin was held in worldwide renown and considered the leading musician of his era.
There is a wildly popular museum in Warsaw dedicated to his life, legacy and music.
I also highly recommend seeing some of his music played live while in Warsaw! We loved the shows at Chopin Concert at Fryderyk Concert Hall.
Warsaw Day 2
Pierogi and More cooking class for lunch
Pierogies are a Polish classic but it’s even more fun to make them yourself, check out Pierogies & More to join a cooking class.
We absolutely loved this activity and it made for the perfect indoor activity when we had extra cold weather one day of our trip! The host is so kind and accommodating for all food allergies. And it was fun to learn all about the art of pierogi making. A lot more goes into it than I realized, so many different ways to roll and design the little dumplings!
Come to class hungry, you will be eating about 50x the normal serving size of pierogi. It is all things delicious, fun and you really get your money’s worth!
While Warsaw has countless museums and tours to learn about it’s tragic history, make sure you include some more fun, light-hearted activities in your itinerary. This one is ideal 🙂
Warsaw Uprising Museum
Warsaw is home to a number of powerful, educational museums but make sure to include the Warsaw Rising Museum on your itinerary.
The museum is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 which was the single largest military effort taken by any European resistance movement during the Second World War. The Uprising was fought for a grueling 63 days with nearly no outside assistance.
It is estimated that 16,000 members of the Polish resistance were killed while 150,000 to 200,000 Polish civilians died in mass executions during WWII.
The museum gives haunting but informative insight to this dark period of history.
Observation deck on the 30th floor of the Palace of Culture and Science building
For fantastic views over Warsaw, head up to the 30th floor of this iconic landmark.
Arguably one of the most recognizable buildings in the city, this impressive structure was a gift from Joseph Stalin in 1955. It was built by Russian workers but today is home to theaters, museums, a cinema, pubs, the Warsaw tourist office and the observation deck.
Bars/Clubs on Mazowiecka Street
If you’re looking for a fun night out, you must head over to the row of bars and clubs on Mazowiecka Street. Poland has a thriving nightlife both in Warsaw and in Krakow.
It’s an extra fun country for nightlife given the Polish affinity for vodka and cheap drinks! Poland is incredibly affordable compared to other European countries so even if you rack up a bar tab in Warsaw, you’ve got nothing to worry about. And Mazowiecka Street is an easy place to walk from club to club. Have a fun and safe night out!
Read: NIGHTLIFE IN KRAKOW, POLAND
Warsaw Day 3
Breakfast at NYX Hotel
NYX Hotel has a fantastic breakfast (even a pour-your-own-mimosa bar!) So take advantage of that before heading out for the day!
Day pass to hot tub with views of the Palace of Culture and Science building at Intercontinental Hotel
We spent 2 nights at NYX and 1 night at the Intercontinental Hotel so we could access their hot tub with a spectacular view of the Palace of Culture and Science. I had seen pictures of it online and knew I needed to visit!
Overall, we much preferred the stay at NYX due it’s astonishing views from the bed but if you’d like to visit the hot tub on a day pass, you can also do that!
Because this spot is so “instagrammable” it has gotten to be quite popular.
If you can visit the hot tub on weekdays, you’ll have better luck with it not being crowded! It’s actually a rather small hot tub so it can be tricky to snag a spot.
Pro tip: If you plan to visit it on a weekday just for the spa, call ahead and ask if the hot tub is open. We planned to take photos on Monday morning from the hot tub and it was closed for cleaning.
If there during winter, ice skate in Old Town. For summer, visit the zoo where the true story of the Zookeeper’s Wife took place.
I highly suggest reading or watching The Zoo Keeper’s Wife before your trip to Warsaw.
It tells the incredible but true story of how Jan and Antonina Żabiński rescued hundreds of Polish Jews from the Nazis by hiding them in the Warsaw zoo.
The zoo is still open to this very day. You can read more about it or plan your visit here.
We visited the zoo during the winter months and saw almost no other guests. During the summer, it is reportedly much busier.
While the zoo itself was slightly underwhelming in the winter months, you may be interested in seeing the actual site where Jan and Antonina bravely defied the Nazis and successfully saved 300 Jewish people.
WHEN TO VISIT POLAND
Poland is stunning to visit any time of the year. However the best time to visit is probably spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) because summers are hot and winters are cold.
And if you’re there in the summer, not to worry! Polish people LOVE ice cream. You can cool off on almost every street corner with a cone.
Tips:
1. Poland is a totally underrated country and has so much to offer!
2. Traveling in Poland is really cheap. You can stay in 5 star hotels for $90 and take Ubers across town for $1-$2.
3. While Poland has a devastating history with the war and Holocaust, it also has a hip, modern vibe with trendy restaurants, chic hotels and buzzing nightlife!
Warsaw 3 day itinerary
Shop my Poland favorites:
