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Old Town Walking Tour
The Old Town
View of the Royal Castle from the Old Town Square, with frescos by Zofia Stryjeńska on the left.
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A labyrinth of winding cobblestone streets, ornate tenement facades and picturesque plazas, it’s easy to understand why the Old Town is Warsaw’s top tourist area.
A window into the ‘once-upon-a-time’ when Warsaw was a pearl of European architecture, the Old Town was actually entirely rebuilt after WWII. In the devastating aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising (p.58), 85% of the city’s left bank lay in ruin, half of its population had perished, and the Old Town was a smouldering wasteland. To their credit the Capital Reconstruction Bureau immediately started rebuilding the historic centre using pre-war sketches, paintings and photographs. The first phase of reconstruction was completed in 1953, but works continued in the following decades, finally concluding with the opening of the Royal Castle in 1984. Although what you see today is not strictly ‘original’ per say, it’s inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List speaks volumes of its authenticity and the effort required to recreate it. A stunning testament of the city’s rise from the ruins of WWII and of Varsovians’ great pride in their city, if you have only one day in Warsaw, you should spend part of it here.
WALKING TOUR
IYP’s Old Town Walking Tour leads you in and around the oldest part of the city, showing you its most important and interesting points, beginning and ending near Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) - the traditional entrance to the district. The prescribed route covers only about 1.5km. If you’re only interested in the exercise, it could take less than 30mins, but we reckon for most, an exploration of Warsaw’s Old Town will take several hours ‘if done correctly’ - that is, with a couple of short culture, food and coffee/ beer breaks. Make sure you’ve got a full charge on your smartphone or camera, some comfy shoes and off you go.
