Praga Północ (north)
Gritty. Bo-ho. Up-and-coming. There are a lot of terms being tossed around to describe Praga, the eastern district of Warsaw that hugs the Vistula River, and they’re all fairly apt. Praga has long been regarded as off-limits to Western visitors thanks to its criminal underclass and imposing tower blocks, but a revival of sorts now makes this section of town worthy of emphasising – especially if you prefer to see the city’s artsy underbelly and get away from the well-trodden tourist path. Today working-class Praga is the standard-bearer for cool, especially among those who find the tourist-heavy Old Town too Disneyfied and the sterile clubs in Warsaw's city centre as distasteful. Folks here prefer their bars dark and their fun improvised. Visitors can now easily hop on the new second line of the metro and shoot over to Praga to spend a day checking out the sights and an evening enjoying the ever expansive nightlife. The area is still a few years away from being hipster-soaked Brooklyn or boho Montmartre, but that’s exactly why now is the time to go: a visit will mean you can say you saw the evolution in progress.
Praga Południe (south)
Go South on Warsaw’s right bank to find Praga Południe, which is a beautiful and mostly residential area of the city, but with some really great must-see attractions. The northern section of "South Praga" is home to the gorgous Skaryszewski Park as well as the National Stadium where you'll definitely want to take in a match (or a concert - some big acts have played here like Metallica, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Beyonce!). The southern part of this neighborhood is home to the residential area of Gocław, which has tons of little quiet restaurants and cafes.
But in our humble opinion, the crowning jewel of Praga Południe is the small neighborhood of Saska Kępa. It's one of Warsaw’s coolest districts and a great example of how the status of an area can change. Up until not so long ago, despite its plethora of well-established foreign embassies, Saska was generally considered a ‘no go’ part of the city. Boy, how things have changed over the past two decades! Now returning to the glow of its pre-war, pre-communist glamour, Saska is one of the most desirable districts of Warsaw; with property prices staunchly holding their ground in these recession hit times, the neighbourhood has become home to the nouveaux riche, the intelligentsia and much of the capital’s arts community. With its host of trendy bars, cafes, restaurants and mix of boutique and old-school shops, Saska Kępa is is as close as Warsaw gets to some of the ‘Little Village’ areas of London or Paris.
For more on what to see and do in Saska, read our full Saska Kępa feature.
