I’m off to Warsaw - recommendations please.

[Regulator]

I’m off to Warsaw at the end of August for a week and I’m taking Boudicca the Brompton with me.  I’ve rented a place via Air BnB in the city centre (near the university). 

I know most of the touristy things to do but am looking for recommendations from the YACF Massive for less well known things to do/places to see/places to eat...

Over to you all.

[Torslanda]

Paging Cudzo. Cudzoziemiec to the white courtesy telephone, please . . .

[Cudzoziemiec]

The white and red courtesy telephone with an eagle?  It's quite a long time since I've been to or in Warsaw and it's changed a bit since then. Places I used to eat are either closed, thoroughly disreputable, or were my/friends' kitchens. Warsaw is TBH not a beautiful city but the old city is well worth seeing, as are the western bank of the river and you should have a look at the Praga district (just east of the Wisła) for its "atmosphere". Powiśle has nice buildings and park-type areas (and you can wave at my old flat). Oh, and you can play spot the bullet holes in the old buildings. I'll have a think... 

[Kim]

Top tip:  Don't go to Walsall by mistake.

[Torslanda]

Kim: You owe me a laptop!

Unless you can get coffee out of the keyboard . . .

[Torslanda]

The white and red courtesy telephone with an eagle?

I was trying to avoid stereotypes . . .

[Cudzoziemiec]

A touristy thing that's definitely worth doing is visiting PKiN, the Palace of Culture, and going up to the viewing platform on the ~32nd floor.

If you're flying to Modlin and have an interest in military history, you could try to compensate for the horrendous airport – it's a bit like Luton but half the size, four times as cramped, eight times as far away from the city it's supposed to serve – by visiting the Napoleonic fort. But you'd do better flying to Chopin, which is a pretty good airport – still an airport though!

[Regulator]

I had hoped to fly to Chopin (there's now a cycle path from the airport right into the city centre) but things conspired against me and I'm now flying RyanAir to Modlin.  Which means I'll have to get the train or bus into Warsaw.

I'm staying in Stanislawa Noakowskiego, right next to the University of Technology.  It's only a short ride south from the Central Station.

I ordered my Polish zloty yesterday.  I ended up getting them from Tesco Bank as they were giving the best rate - and I can pick them up from our local Tesco as well.

[Martin]

Wot Cudzo said, there's not a lot of the old city left thanks to a Mr Hitler. Definitely go to the Stare Misto, and ONLY after admiring it take a look at the photos of what it used to look like.

I like the big Soviet style TV building by the railway station but I think most locals hate it. That's all I saw as I was just passing through.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Well there's a thing! I looked at "Stanisława Noakowskiego" and thought "Reg has made a typo, it's Nowakowskiego." But no, it's just a somewhat unusual name one letter away from a very common one. You'll be near Łazienki, which is nice, and Pole Mokotowskie (literally "Mokotow Fields"). Shame about Modlin, it really is awful, and Chopin, compared to most airports, is in the centre of the city. In fact, I used to work very near it and a couple of occasions walked all the way home, it's that near.

I like the big Soviet style TV building by the railway station but I think most locals hate it. That's all I saw as I was just passing through.

I can't think what building you mean, but most locals hate the Palace of Culture too. It's an ideologically based hate, not aesthetic.

[Oscar's dad]

Top tip:  Don't go to Walsall by mistake.

   You have robbed me of doing my Warsaw / Walsall gag.  Hurt I am