Walking the Walk in Warsaw

Walking is the only way to see Warsaw. With hundreds of must-sees within this bustling city, the majority of sites are walking distance from the main city center. And even for the tourist who is averse to walking, Warsaw makes it easy. The 2.5 mile Royal Walk in the heart of the tourist district lines itself with the more notable sights and beautifully reconstructed architecture. The Old Town Square just north of the walk immediately brings you back to an age of renaissance. With performing minstrels, colorful architecture, and a European propensity for outdoor-eating venues, it has been so accurately reconstructed that UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site.

From here Castle Square provides a Royal Entrance to the Royal Walk. The red-brick facade and clock tower of the Royal Castle dominate the square during the day and at night is eerily illuminated. Once the seat of Polish monarchs, it now sees thousands of visitors every day and serves as a venue for governmental meetings and concerts. But perhaps its most impressive characteristic isn't its imposing structure; rather, it is the two Rembrandts hung side-by-side within its walls.

Leaving the castle and continuing to walk down Krakowskie Przedmieście, any Warsaw walker will immediately note the lack of cars....really, could Warsaw make this any easier? Not only are most sights within walking distance, but the street along which they reside is a cobblestone and brick pedestrian walkway.

While sights like St. Anne's Church, Hotel Bristol, University of Warsaw, and Staszic Palace please the eye, even the Royal Castle is not what's most notable about this walk. What is truly amazing is that only 60 years ago, the Royal Walk and Old Town were completely destroyed. The impeccably reconstructed city, along with it a reconstructed Polish pride, is a testament to the Varsovian people...a people who have truly walked the walk.