Things to Do in Warsaw

Join us on a journey through Warsaw’s Old Town, a place that rose from complete destruction after World War II, rebuilt with incredible precision using 18th-century paintings. This monumental effort, led by a united and heroic people, earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 1980.

Travel back in time as we explore Poland’s rich history: from its origins in the 10th century, through its golden age as the largest country in Europe in the 16th century, to its partitions, wartime devastation, and remarkable rebirth. Warsaw today stands as a proud symbol of resilience and national spirit.

On our tour, you'll see the Royal Castle, St. John’s Archcathedral, the Market Square with the iconic Mermaid of Warsaw, medieval city walls and the Barbican, scenic views of the Vistula River, the Wishing Bell, and much more.

This is more than just a walk; it's an inspiring story of survival, pride, and transformation. Come and discover the spirit of Warsaw with us!

We are Antek and Tomek and we would like to invite you on our very personal city tour through the Old Town.

We live on the right side of Warsaw, in the Praga district, and we are out and about on the left side every day. We would be thrilled if you would join us.

In addition to the classic sights, we also want to show you the many small, hidden gems:

- Castle Square with the Sigismund's Column
- The beautiful Royal Castle as seen from the Royal Gardens
- The viewing platform in the Old Town, where I will explain the uniqueness of the Vistula Valley in Warsaw
- The Market Square with the colorful reconstructed houses
- The city walls with the Barbican
- The birthplace of Marie Curie
- The Ghetto Wall Monument
- The Warsaw Uprising Monument

We have added "More" to the name of the tour so that you know it is more than just a simple walk through the Old Town.
Of course, we will talk about Polish cuisine and vodka. We will also give you many tips on where you can eat in peace and where to find the best traditional cakes.

We are both Warsaw natives who love this city like our own family. During our tours, we welcome every unexpected question. And once we have started a conversation, you too will come to love this city.

[Note] If you don’t see a tour scheduled on the only date available to you, please send me a message. With two or more walkers, I may be able to add an additional walk, for example in the afternoon.


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Warsaw was once home to Europe’s largest Jewish community. Today, you can walk those same streets and see almost none of that world. But it’s still here, buried under layers of rubble, denial, and silence. 

All walking tours through the Jewish Ghetto are somehow confusing - you can only spot small bits of usually insignificant buildings here and there. So how do you explain a lack of visible past in a city with a history so long and intense? How do you bring to life what’s gone and won’t come back? 

On this tour, we’ll trace what remains. With so little still here physically, I’ll be presenting carefully researched, unique pictures, memoirs, art, and other pieces we can use to reconstruct what was once here. 

We’ll visit the Jewish Historical Institute, the burned floor that hints at the Great Synagogue, the fragments of the ghetto wall hidden behind courtyards, the Umschlagplatz where thousands boarded trains to Treblinka, and the memorial mound where Anielewicz and the last uprising fighters made their final stand. 

We’ll also stop at the Szmul Zygielbojm Monument - a man who gave his life in London to protest the world’s silence. We’ll see the Ghetto Heroes Monument, Jan Karski’s bench, and the POLIN Museum, a museum dedicated to the history of Polish Jews that spans back to the 10th century. Its name means “Poland” in Hebrew. One of the questions we’ll ask is: why couldn’t it simply be called “The Jewish Museum” in the Polish language? 

 This is not just a tour of physical landmarks - we won't shy away from uncomfortable truths.

We’ll talk about how a city once full of Yiddish theatres, synagogues, newspapers, and political debates was turned to ash and never rebuilt. How antisemitism long preceded the Nazis and survived them too - sometimes even in the Polish parliament. 

We’ll confront myths that are still alive: that Polish Jews went meekly, that they didn’t fight back, that there were no choices - and we’ll see how these myths still shape uncomfortable conversations today. 

We’ll explore what made Warsaw’s Jewish community so vibrant - and why it became a target of such intense hatred. Through stories of life, resistance, and loss, we’ll dive into the roots of antisemitism: religious prejudice, political scapegoating, conspiracy theories, and cultural isolation.
 

We’ll ask the hard questions: 

- Why were Jews so often disliked - before the war, during it, and after? 

- Why wasn’t the Jewish community ever rebuilt, and why is it almost impossible to find Polish art or narratives expressing longing for that lost part of society? 

- What does it mean to be a Jew when you’re not religious? 

- Why is it still so hard to talk honestly about Jews in Poland today? 

My connection with this place always felt quite strong for someone born more than half a century after WWII. My grandmother was born in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942 and survived only because Polish neighbors hid her as their own child, risking death under Nazi law. Another part of my family was deported east by Soviet occupiers, living through hunger and Siberian exile. For me, Warsaw’s Jewish story isn't a distant history or school material, but fundamental roots of our identity that we unfortunately can only partly recover. 

This walk is for anyone who wants more than just names and dates. I combine careful research, family memories, and dedication to historical and scientific accuracy. Together, we’ll try to see how the past still echoes in Poland’s streets and politics - from the righteous who risked everything, to the neighbors who didn’t, to today’s arguments about how we tell this story at all. 

Discover the most bohemian and alternative part of Warsaw on this free tour through the Praga district. The perfect opportunity to get to know Polish culture!

A city that suffered tremendous losses over the last 100 years. Come and see how it rose like a phoenix from the ashes: experience the invincible spirit of Warsaw and learn about the heroism of its people. 

Today’s Warsaw is a like a patchwork quilt. A few original, grand pre-war buildings; the fully reconstructed and colourful Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; hulking communist architecture and modern skyscrapers. It is different than any other place you’ve seen. The architectural fabric of the city reflects its unique, and often tumultuous, history. Over the centuries, Warsaw has been the setting for many extraordinary events and people: the adoption of the world’s second-oldest democratic constitution in 1791, one of the most decisive battles in history, the music and life of Chopin, and the birth of Marie Skłodowska-Curie, the only person to receive the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. The wartime deeds of Hitler and Stalin left an indelible mark on the city. 

During our tour we’ll discover both the past and the present. We’ll start at Krakowskie Przedmieście at the monument of Nicolaus Copernicus to see one of the most beautiful and lively streets of the city with its astonishing buildings, wide pedestrian areas, restaurants, shops, and greenery, and we’ll finish in the Old Town – the historical heart of Warsaw.

But Warsaw is not only about the past. The thriving cultural scene, theater, music, fascinating museums, world-class restaurants and shops make visit to this city a stimulating experience.

Come and join our tour to understand Warsaw, Poles and Poland’s role in world history.

On this 2h 30 minutes’ FREE Walkative! TOUR you will see:

• Copernicus Monument on Krakowskie Przedmieście Street

• Royal Castle

• University of Warsaw

• The presidential palace

• Sigmund Column

• Old town Market Square

• St. John Cathedral

• and much more…! 

The last stop is near the Zygmunt’s Column.

ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules

Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.

If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (18 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.                                  

Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.

This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors. 

Please respect our rules.     

 There is Warsaw you know. The Old Town, the modern centre, rich shops, and restaurants. But there is also another side. Neglected, dark, and forbidden. Are you ready to play Alice in Wonderland and adventure into the unknown? Let us take you to Praga, the thrilling right bank district of Warsaw.

For many years, the other side of the river was a separate city. Some would say the two sides of Warsaw are still completely different worlds. The architecture of Praga stands out from the rest of the city as it was mostly unharmed during the Second World War. For decades it was considered a no-go zone in Warsaw. Today, things have changed.

With our guides, you will see the multicultural and alternative Praga. Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish places of worship standing next to each other, dilapidated buildings and backyards, street art, and street trade. The so-called “Hollywood ghetto”, an area so run down that it could be used as a set in a Holocaust movie almost with no scenography. The only wild bank of a big European river, the bears (yes, bears), and much, much more! Are you ready to follow the white rabbit?

During this tour you will see:

• The infamous Praga district
• Architecture that survived WWII
• Courtyard shrines and places of worship
• The heart of Old Praga 

ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules

Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.

If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (18 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.                                  

Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.

This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors. 

Please respect our rules.     

Cold War Warsaw: Spies, Communism & Hidden Resistance Tour

 Step into a world of secrets, shadows, and silent resistance. This immersive journey through Warsaw takes you deep into the heart of Cold War Europe—where spies whispered, ideologies clashed, and freedom fought to rise. 

Start at the monumental Hotel MDM, built to impress and control, a showcase of socialist realism. Discover the House of Writers, where writers secretly nurtured rebellion under the radar and smuggled books into Poland from the west. 

Then fast-forward to 1992: the first McDonald’s in Poland drew over 13,000 customers on opening day—a dramatic symbol of the Iron Curtain’s collapse and discuss Ryszard Kukliński the most important spy in Polish history. 

Marvel at the Palace of Culture and Science, a Stalinist “gift” towering over Warsaw—loved, hated, unforgettable and potentially used by the Polish secret service. Head to  the Communist Party HQ, where power once plotted, now eerily silent. 

Finish at St. Alexander’s Church and  hear how John Paul II, a Polish Pope with a powerful voice, sparked a peaceful revolution, and Ronald Regan, the President of the United states, made a deal to work together. This tour blends espionage, architecture, resistance, and transformation—perfect for lovers of history, politics, and hidden stories. 

Imagine a city that had almost 1,4 million people before World War II. Six years later, its ruins were inhabited by only several thousand survivors. Imagine a city that fought against the occupiers from the very first till the very last day. Imagine a city where every street, every corner, and every courtyard has a wartime story to tell. 

First, there was 1939 and the German and Soviet invasions. Then, years of occupation. In 1940, the Germans created the largest ghetto in occupied Europe here, which was razed to the ground in 1943 after the crushing of the Jewish uprising. A year later, the city was again in flames– this time because of the Polish national uprising of 1944. After 63 days of heavy urban fighting, it was crushed while the Red Army stood idle on the other side of the Vistula River. When they finally crossed over, the city and its people were no more.

Enter a world of unimaginable terror and brutality. Understand people’s eagerness to fight back. Feel the grave meaning of the decisions they had to make. Listen to stories of bravery and cowardice, loyalty and betrayal, but also of daily life under the occupation. Enter a different world – the world of Warsaw at war.

 

ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules

Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.

If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (18 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.                                  

Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.

This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors. 

Please respect our rules.