COURTYARD

Kraken

Rydygiera 9

If Quint from Jaws designed a bar, it would probably look a lot like Kraken: filled with fishing nets, lanterns, shark fangs and octopus-themed wall art. In summer, however, it’s the courtyard that’s the talking point. Sharing space with SAM and Pa Ta Thai this lively space has become an anchoring point for Żoliborz nightlife.

Ale Wino

Mokotowska 48

At first, you suspect you’re walking into a shabby car park. And then, it hits you –an inner-city sanctum with wooden decking, a slanted sail shielding the sun, and funky chairs sourced from Studio Rygalik. Long-known as one of the best wine bars in Warsaw, the seasonally adjusted menu also gets consistently strong reviews.

Bibenda

Nowogrodzka 10

With no reservations accepted, Bibenda’s enduring popularity ensures that queues often build at the entrance. The hassle is worth it to enjoy bio wines, craft cocktails and an interesting meat-free menu in a warm, busy interior that retains the building’s pre-war heritage. Delve deeper for a courtyard featuring a slanted canopy, crates of flowering herbs and a twisty tree.

Gemba

Chmielna 21

Sprinkled with palms, deckchairs and plastic pelicans and flamingos, Gemba’s courtyard is an exercise in kitschy fun. The hip undercurrent of this bar is furthered by its neighbours, they being a vintage store, vinyl shop and barber’s. But it’s cause is also helped by a winter garden whose glass doors fling open to create an open-air living room effect. It’s a hidden gem(ba)!

Column Bar

Krakowskie Przedmieście 42/44 (Bristol Hotel)

Looking like Jay Gatsby’s ballroom, the epic Column Bar instantly wows with its indulgent Art Deco touches. You can well imagine girls in flapper dresses drinking from pyramids of champagne. The courtyard is also a masterpiece, scattered as it is with carefully tended greenery. The sense of affluent serenity is unmatched.

Wozownia

Pl. Trzech Krzyży 16

Set through a pinkish neon lit passageway, find yourself squeezing past the crowds to pass over little alcoves and different steps. Filled with waifish girls knocking back the Prosecco and tanned city boys in tight-fitting trousers, the courtyard is festooned with herby plants and leads to a 200-year-old carriage house that houses a bar selling classic summer cocktails.

Młodsza Siostra

Dobra 14/16

Known for its alternative music policy, and a crowd sourced straight from the local Academy of Fine Arts, Młodsza Siostra is quite an adventure. With temperatures rising, sit on the wooden decking outside. Now the trees and vegetation are in bloom, the scrappy backdrop of bike repair garages softens to take on the vibe found in the shadowy courtyards of Berlin and Budapest.

The Tourist Tram

Running until September, those wishing to see the most Warsaw has to offer have a choice of transport options that will take them past the city’s key attractions. Of these, best-known is the No. 36 vintage-style tram that rattles each Saturday and Sunday from Pl. Narutowicza to Metro Marymont – in the process, you’ll pass many key historical sights such as the former Ghetto area.

Chopin In The Park

Since 1959, it’s been a Warsaw rite of passage to gather on the lawns around the Chopin monument for free Sunday piano recitals in the rose-fringed gardens of Łazienki Park. Drawing some of the biggest piano talents in the world, performances take place each Sunday at noon and 4 p.m. and often attract thousands. It’s vital you add ‘piano in the park’ to any summer bucket list.