If the bears piqued your interest in animals then head to the nearby Warsaw Zoo, which was opened in 1928 and covers an area of 40 hectares. More than 5,000 species call it home and that includes all the biggies you’d expect: lions, gorillas, giraffes and elephants to name a few. As with every major Warsaw landmark, the zoo has plenty of war stories. It was bombed at the beginning of the conflict and by 1945 all the animals had either been killed, deported to the Third Reich, eaten by locals or escaped into the wild. Zoo director, Jan Żabiński, became something of a hero; wounded during the 1944 Uprising, Żabiński helped save countless lives by sheltering Jewish orphans inside the grounds of the zoo. The zoo officially re-opened in 1949. 

Admission 18/13zł. Children under 3 years free.