Warsaw

Arriving in Warsaw during the span of this February/March guide means you’re getting an inside glimpse of Warsaw in the home stretch before its foray onto the national stage: The Euro2012 football tournament kicks off here in June, and every restaurant, bar, hotel and attraction is scrubbing up for the influx of fans. And you? You get to be a guinea pig of sorts, testing the waters well before the crowds arrive.

One area in which Warsaw has needed no assistance is the nightlife scene. Seemingly overnight the city has churned out so many must-visit hot spots that our dance card is filled almost every weekend. Just when Beirut and neighbouring Bar Tektura set the standard for laid back cool, in comes Znajomi Znajomych to steal the title. The two-level bar has everything you could want in a night out: late night eats (pizza!), live DJs (playing keytars!) and a smoking room (no going outside in the wintery weather for a puff!).

Of course man cannot exist on booze and cigarettes alone (we’ve tried), and our culinary wanderings have brought us to some can’t-miss spots that will surely be packed even in the lead up to the tourist season. One standout is Słony, local celebrity chef Magda Gessler’s seemingly billionth contribution to Warsaw dining. But unlike some of her more staid ventures Słony breaks new ground by being a snack bar geared towards adults. Gessler offers up Polish-style canapés and a boatload of wine choices, and the homemade white sausage with onion jam is not to be missed.

After you’ve filled your belly check out our feature, which takes an in-depth look at one of Warsaw’s newest and biggest tourist attraction in the Copernicus Science Centre. We’re pretty sure we tried every experiment and contraption in the modern building on the Vistula, all in the name of research. Put our efforts to good use by checking out the CSC and the attached Heavens of Copernicus Planetarium yourself and we promise you won’t find a more enlightening experience anywhere else in the city.

As always we sincerely hope you enjoy your time in Warsaw and the guide we have put together, and we welcome your feedback at editor_poland@inyourpocket.com

Euro2012

With the Euro 2012 football championships coming up in June there has never been a better time to check out In Your Pocket’s guides to the host cities. With over 20 years of experience in writing guides to the rapidly changing central European region we have all the most important information you might need to plan your trip. As the tournament approaches we will continually update all our information and keep you up to date on what’s happening in each of the host cities – Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw in Poland, and Kiev, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lviv in Ukraine via our colleagues there.

The tournament promises to be a landmark event in the history of both nations while the visiting fan is promised a fascinating experience quite different from those you may have had at previous tournaments. In Your Pocket knows these countries like no other travel guide publisher. Let us help to make your visit as simple to organise and as enjoyable as possible once you’re here.

The full Warsaw In Your Pocket guide can be downloaded in PDF format for free and there is also an iPhone app available via the AppStore.

Warsaw In Your Pocket is also active on Twitter (@WarsawIYP) or ‘like’ our Warsaw In Your Pocket Facebook page for all the latest on what’s happening in the capital. Feel free to ask us any questions you have about Warsaw, too!

A little about Warsaw to start with

The story of Warsaw can be divided in two: before August 1, 1944, and after. That was the day of the start of the Warsaw Uprising, a battle which has come to define the spirit of the city and its people. Brutalized and butchered it was effectively wiped from the map – blown to smithereens by the Nazis. The city has gone to pains to rebuild itself, but even so, the reminders are visible – from the execution memorials on every street corner, to the 50’s tenements slowly sinking into the rubble they were built on.

Always destined to do the right thing, and pay the price for it, it’s easy to see Warsaw as the doomed hero in a romantic tragedy. It’s a remarkable city; and not just for its ability to commonly find itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. For all the sushi bars and designer hotels Warsaw still has its own distinct flavour. The brothel flyers that clog up the drains, and the concrete bins filled with broken glass, are as much part of the city as the Bond girls and lounge bars. Always loud, vaguely seedy, and often glamorous, this is an addictive town built on hardship and history. On these pages you’ll find the most comprehensive guide to Warsaw’s restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and tourist attractions. Enjoy your trip.