Trip Report: Reconstructed Warsaw
To continue our festive Christmas trip, we stayed in reconstructed Warsaw. Whilst the capital city, Warsaw was literally built perfectly, but entirely reconstructed. Plus, we failed to remember or realize the full extent that Poland shuts down during Christmas!
Logistics
I would hurry to read our overall travel planning post here to get some tips! Sofitel Victoria was just outside the Old Town so it was a 3 minute walk to main street then a 10-15 minute walk to the main square. Next time, I am not sure where would be best to stay as the city is much larger than I anticipated! Even when I use a Lime scooter, it would take me 15-20 minutes to go through empty streets from one side of town to another!
While the Christmas time is very festive and almost magical, similar to other cities, the entire city shuts down from ~12pm on Christmas Eve through 27 December. Thus, anything and everything we wanted to do in Warsaw was closed!
Warsaw Activities
Whilst there are plenty of museums in Warsaw, this section refers to the primary activities we would have done and that I would highly recommend, if they were open… and the Walkative Old Town walking tour!
As noted on TripAdvisor, the Walkative walking tours are number one in Poland. For our walking tour, head over to this post!
Next time in Warsaw, I really want to go to three museums:
- POLIN museum, which details the Polish people’s history throughout time
- Uprising Museum - As the name states, this museum is on the Warsaw Uprising and has a great historical perspective.
- Chopin Museum - I went to here with a small hope that it would be open but it was closed over Christmas and NYE. If one is a music fan, I would highly recommend!
Food and Drink
As previously mentioned, Warsaw was a ghost town when we visited over Christmas Eve and (First) Christmas Day. However, that did not stop me from compiling this list of tasty treats!
Tuesday (Christmas Eve)
Arrival in Warsaw
As I mentioned in the Krakow post, our train ride to Warsaw was incredibly easy - it was in English and very on time! The Warsaw Central station is in central Warsaw, as the name suggests, but is not that close to Old Town. Because it was really cold and we had luggage (and it was Christmas Eve after all!), I gifted MF a private Uber!
The Andrew Walking Tour
As we checked into the hotel, I quickly looked online and the afternoon walking tour was sold out. Thus, I ventured on my own and went on the Andrew Walking Tour!
Old Town
As I scooted / walked to Old Town, I had a big realization that no one was here. I mean, no one, was in Old Town. Whilst it was great for wandering through the city, it also meant all my preferred restaurants, cafes, or even super markets were closed!
Thankfully, with the Christmas markets, I was able to nab some tasty Polish hotdog and mulled wine before I continued on my adventure. Even the markets were closed today so it was me and a few other tourists wandering through the city today.
Reconstructed Buildings
Before our trip, it is a rather well-known fact that Warsaw was mostly destroyed in WW2. As I walked through Old Town, I did my best to withhold judgement and see if I could tell the capital had been reconstructed…
The buildings are perfect. Nearly, too perfect. From the paint to the perfectly designed facade, the buildings and squares look brand new! It is absolutely incredible how the Polish were able to rebuild everything to the exact look and feel from the medieval times. However, they were not able to replicate the charm as it is simply too perfect…
As I walked throughout the city from the “bottom” of old town to the new old town, I felt weird. Not only was I one of the few people out right now, but the buildings just lacked the historic charm that I found in Krakow. While it looks fantastic, it feels reconstructed.
Scootin’
They find me rolling, they find me scootin’ through the town. Because there is no one in Warsaw over Christmas, I felt perfectly safe to use a Lime scooter to get me to the famous Chopin museum. Whilst scooting through the city, this is when I realized that Warsaw is a massive city! It took me over 30 minutes to scooter from the top of old town to the very bottom.
However, as everything else in Warsaw, the Chopin Museum was closed. I made my way to McDonalds figuring the golden arches would be open, but I arrived just as they were closing as well! American stores even take a break in Europe!
Pro Travel Tip: Use this Lime code for a discount!
Warsaw Christmas Market
After a relaxing afternoon in the Sofitel hotel, we ventured back into Old Town for the food and Christmas market. Sadly, we somehow forgot last year’s lesson and failed to buy anything ahead of the Christmas holidays! However, once we arrived at the main market surrounding Old Town, it was even closed!
Thankfully, the same market inside the Old Town square was still open and there was a long line for the few sausage stalls. We would feast tonight!!
After our grand feast, we walked back to the hotel up the main boulevard. It is beautiful decorated for the holidays and it really put us in the Christmas spirit - despite the lack of people! We were even able to find one cafe open and I was able to get a fresh baguette and a chimney cake! Christmas miracle, indeed!
Christmas Travel Tip: Never forget to stock up on food and drinks on 23 December before the super markets close for 2-3 days.
Christmas Day in Warsaw
Today, on one of the most cherished holidays of the year, we spent Christmas day in Warsaw!
Not A Creature Was Stirring…
Similar to Christmas Eve, not a creature was stirring in Warsaw, including in our hotel room! After we quickly opened our presents to ourselves, we went into Old Town to go on a walking tour with other lonely tourists… As our kind guide said about us!
Head over to this post for the Warsaw Walking Tour!
Christmas Day Feast
Remembering last year’s grand Christmas feast of mashed potatoes and chacterurie, we were well prepared and reserved a table at the Christmas Day Brunch at the Sofitel. Thanks to staying at this classy hotel, we had several options from special breakfast to dinners, but we went with the brunch because it was an all you can eat and drink feast - meaning we could probably stay there for hours!
The layout of Christmas Brunch appeared fantastic! There were over 4 tables of appetizers, two tables of desserts, and a long row of mains! We would have plenty to choose from and the food looked good compared to other buffets we visited…
The Appetizer Round
As every buffet person knows, one must pace in order to beat the odds. We went the exact opposite route and feasted early on the yummy appetizers! We went back for seconds because we really enjoyed the couscous salad and cheese!
Mains and Desserts
Whilst I could have separated these two monster categories, one of us had dessert for dinner and the other had mains and dessert. Most people would think I had the desserts for dinner; alas, it was MF. And people wonder why we are so compatible…
With the mains, I started to remember it was a buffet. I selected a variety of meats with veggies and potatoes and found most of them disappointing. Most of the meat was dry while the sides were cold. It was a good attempt - but nothing beats home cooking!
However, the biggest travesty was the dessert. Turns out we shouldn’t have judged a book by its cover! While the desserts’ presentation was great, the taste was… well, I know why the Polish stick to meat, potatoes, and piergoi!
Christmas Afternoon
The rest of our Christmas afternoon was spent with family via FaceTime before we watched Christmas classics such as Elf and Home Alone. Because we planned ahead by staying in a hotel, we enjoyed the heat, a Christmas feast, and freshly cleaned sheets!
Onto Wroclaw
Early in the morning, we made our way to Wroclaw - a small city in western Poland. We slowly made our way onto Wroclaw!
Early Train
During my planning, we either had two choices - a 740am or 1pm train to Wroclaw. Either train meant misery as we would be missing a good chunk of the day so I ultimately decided on the 740am train!
For once, MF was actually on time! It was fantastic and we were able to get fresh Starbucks before our long train journey. Similar to our journey to Krakow, our train to Wroclaw was extremely easy and all in English!
The UnChartered Summary
Warsaw is such an interesting city! From food, cafes, museums, and a reconstructed Old Town, there is plenty to do and see! Plus, there is a fascinating Polish history and pride within Warsaw! While I came with a questionable attitude, I would be happy to go back - although when places are open!
- Warsaw appears lovely, if it was open!
- Prepare yourself for recontructed city! Unlike the beautiful Western cities that are mostly untouched by WW2, we definitely could tell the city had been rebuilt. It is both a testament to the citizens, but also an eye opener!
- Sofitel is a terrific hotel for the Christmas times! We definitely enjoyed our stay as it was really close to Old Town, yet close to the other (closed) museums.