a day in Varsaw

First of all, warsaw is nt a dangerous place, so the question you should ask is more how to travel with three children without getting anoyed of them :-) .. Anyways, I think the best thing that you can do is got to one of the bigger shopping centres, they everything kids like and they have everything moms like (shopping + mcdonalds .. etc) If you come from the airport and you will go back the same day I recommend galeria mokotow as it is quite close to the airport) .. If you change some PLN at the airport you can pay the cab driver in local currency, please to not react to the cab drivers they try to get within the arrival hall, they will charge you an unofficial price. Prices vom the airport will be something between 15 and 20 PLN (max!), that means is about 5 EURs, then you enjoy your day there with some shopping and some eating, pick up a cab in front of galeria mokotow and go back to the airport .. its gonna be easy .. you will see. have fun in wawa ..

- Posted by gobeyond from Poland on May 23rd, 2011

This is what I would recommend. Take a taxi from the taxi rank and ask for the Old Town (Stare Miasto). Make sure you go to the taxi rank outside where the taxi's can be trusted and are much cheaper than if someone approaches you in the terminal. The Old Town should keep you busy for a couple of hours or so, browsing shops, the art in the Old Town Square, various nice buildings and architecture to look at that really gives you a flavour of traditional Poland. Also, lots of places to eat, have a drink or ice cream, and lots of opportunities for nice photos etc. Once you have explored the Old Town I would suggest you follow the main route south that takes you past the Presidential Palace, various churches, the Bristol Hotel and into a well known street called Nowy Swiat - Lots more cafes and shops. Once you get to the bottom of Nowy Swiat you'll find a palm tree in the middle of a roundabout and nearby a statue of Charles De Gaul and empik (shop) I would suggest taking a left and a short walk to the National Museum, depending on what you like, to see the tanks/communist and WWII aircraft and artillery etc. You can see these for free - to the left of the National Museum - if you and your children want a quick look at Polish style art there is a good selection in the National Gallery. If art is not a good idea, I suggest getting a taxi to the Zoo -which is really excellent, spacious and good conditions for the animals etc and then/or get a taxi to the Palace Of Culture where you can pay to go all the way to the top and get the best view of Warsaw. There is another museum that is good, which is all about the Warsaw Uprising, but another place you could go that allows you to stay outside is Lazienki Park. If you take a look at the map for this site you should get an idea of your bearings before you come. Taxi's are pretty cheap here by the way, so the taxi rides I suggest are not expensive. Enjoy your 12 hour visit!

- Posted by Warsaw-Life from Poland on May 24th, 2011