Poland, Europe (Point of interest)

This modern interactive museum commemorates the doomed 1944 rebellion to liberate the city from Nazi rule. The central Warsaw Rising Museum brings the uprising to life with a vast collection of artifacts, films, photographs and even reconstructed s... Continue reading →

Find works by Poland's leading contemporary artists at the Centre for Contemporary Art - CSW, housed inside a central castle. The multimedia installations and exhibitions are a frequent source of scandal making this one of the country's most talked... Continue reading →

Cepelia is a nationwide chain promoting traditional Polish handicrafts, so if it's souvenirs you seek, drop by for a browse. Products include lacework, carvings, pottery, jewellery and carpets. The helpful staff are happy to talk you through your p... Continue reading →

The Chopin Family Drawing-Room, housed in the Czapski Palace, belonged to the apartment where the famous composer lived before leaving Poland. The 19th-century furnishings, including a Buchholtz piano and portrait paintings, recreate an original dr... Continue reading →

Waclaw Szymanowski's imposing sculpture in honour of Poland's most famous musical son, Fryderyk Chopin, stands on the western edge of Warsaw's Royal Lazienki Park. It was erected in 1926 and restored in 1958 after damage during the Second World War... Continue reading →

Poland's most famous musical son, Fryderyk Chopin has his own Museum in Warsaw's Ostrogski Palace, re-opened in 2010, the bicentenary of Chopin's birth. Visitors can see letters and original manuscripts, personal gifts bestowed on him and his last ... Continue reading →

For an unusual souvenir, drop by the fascinating Galeria Plakatu gallery, which specialises in Polish poster art. The walls are covered in vintage and contemporary posters advertising movies, theatre, concerts and political messages. There are also... Continue reading →

The Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw was created in 1947. Housed in the Jewish Library building, it documents the life, history and culture of the Polish Jews who had lived in the country for centuries. After the Second World War, Warsaw stoo... Continue reading →

The 18th-century Lazienki Park and Palace complex close to the city centre features peacocks strutting around gardens, an amphitheatre modelled on Herculaneum and the royal residence of Poland's last monarch. Enjoy free weekend concerts in summer n... Continue reading →

The Market Square and Old Town should top any tourist itinerary. Rebuilt following total destruction in the Second World War, its network of cobbled alleyways houses numerous museums, churches and galleries, with the centrepiece being the fully res... Continue reading →

While the labyrinthine layout is baffling it also makes the experience more fun as visitors stumble across increasingly bizarre displays. Oddities housed in this city-centre Museum of Technology include a glass woman, Atari computers and a 1950s MI... Continue reading →

The central National Museum in Warsaw houses an impressive collection of art spanning more than three millennia. Its 11 galleries are home to Egyptian and Mesopotamian artefacts, medieval religious portraits, Venetian paintings and works by 19th- a... Continue reading →

Warsaw's old Jewish quarter is a must-see on any trip to the capital. The district became a derelict ghetto during the Second World War but has since proudly reclaimed its Jewish heritage with a synagogue, memorial, institute and theatre. Located ... Continue reading →

Gifted to Poland by Stalin, the 231-metre Palace of Culture & Science in Warsaw city centre is Poland's tallest building, and one of the world's finest examples of Socialist Realist architecture. A visit to the 30th-floor viewing platform is essent... Continue reading →

Pawiak Prison became synonymous with Nazi terror when the Gestapo turned it into a political prison. More than 37,000 people were murdered here and it is now a moving tribute to them, with reconstructed cells and personal effects on view.... Continue reading →

Rebuilt on the edge of the Old Town the Royal Castle offers a prescribed route through its immaculately reconstructed chambers. Of note are the Canaletto room, the throne room, royal chapel and the cellars - home to recently excavated treasures. I... Continue reading →

Warsaw's 18th-century Saxon Gardens are home to statues, fountains and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial erected in the wake of the First World War to those unknown men who died for their country.... Continue reading →

Destroyed during World War II, Warsaw's oldest church has been reconstructed in Gothic fashion. St John's Cathedral in the Old Town has works by Wit Stwosz, and eminent Poles buried in the crypt. Europe's first constitution was signed here in 1791.... Continue reading →

With the aid of a good map track down traces of Warsaw's Jewish past, including surviving elements of the Ghetto wall, the synagogue and Umschlagplatz - the spot where Jews were crammed into cattle wagons destined for Treblinka.... Continue reading →