Warsaw - Old Town

We arrive in Warsaw Centrale Station before 1pm after a good train journey from Krakow. Luckily our room at Hotel Ibis is ready and we set off for the Old Town on bus 106 to Mariensztat with a street map and the "Warsaw - In Your Pocket" guide provided by the hotel to start our 2km walking tour of the Old Town (Stare Miasto). This was founded at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, but was almost completely destroyed during WWII and has been rebuilt.

We start at Plac Zamkowy and see Zygmunt's Column, the oldest secular monument in Warsaw; this king moved the capital here from Krakow. Opposite is the Royal Castle, a symbol of Polish independence. We enter the Cathedral of St John and see the Jesuit Church next door, before visiting Ulice Piwna (Beer Street). We walk along the defensive city walls, Podwale, past the Jan Kilinski and Little Insurgent monuments to reach the Warsaw Barbican, guarding the North entrance to the Old Town.

We walk back to the Old Town Market Square, with its beautiful and colourful town houses; there was originally the town hall in the centre, but following its demolition in 1817, a statue of the Warsaw Mermaid, the protector of the city, takes its place. There are museums here; we enjoy a view over the River Vistula from Gnojna Gora (what was the old dung mound for human and domestic waste!) before making a wish at the nearby Wishing Bell.Read more