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*PRICES QUOTED ARE FOR A RETURN TICKET IN B.LIGHT ECONOMY FROM OR TO BRUSSELS, ALL TAXES AND FEES INCLUDED, IF BOOKED ON BRUSSELSAIRLINES.COM. TICKETS ARE NOT CHANGEABLE, NOR REFUNDABLE. PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE †PER COUNTRY PER CAPITA<br />
POLAND Population 38,441,588 Currency Złoty (PLN) GDP<br />
WARSAW<br />
† €13,285 Dialling code +48<br />
Airport code WAW Flight frequency Twice daily Average temp (Aug) 18°C<br />
Green abounds in<br />
Warsaw’s parks in August<br />
and its outdoor cafés and<br />
bars are in full swing. Even<br />
the city’s culture moves<br />
outdoors; every Sunday<br />
world-renowned pianists<br />
perform free concerts<br />
next to the Chopin<br />
Monument, and Łazienki<br />
Park’s gates become a<br />
backdrop for photo and<br />
art exhibitions. Michelle<br />
Smith is our city guide<br />
CENTRUM<br />
Once a major eyesore, Warsaw’s<br />
centre has benefitted from a major<br />
face lift in recent years.<br />
SLEEP Polonia Palace Hotel (45 Aleje<br />
Jerozolimskie, tel. (0)22 318 2800,<br />
poloniapalace.com, rooms from €120/<br />
PLN 485) is a glittering hotel in a prime<br />
location that also serves great brunches.<br />
CULTURE Łazienki Park is a massive<br />
green space that runs along Ulica Agrykoli<br />
and Ulica Belwederska. At the park’s<br />
Chopin Monument there are free piano<br />
concerts every Sunday, at noon and 4pm.<br />
Afterwards, grab an ice cream and<br />
stroll along the park gates to view the<br />
temporary art and photography exhibits.<br />
LATER Pub Lolek (20 Ulica Rokitnicka),<br />
sitting smack in the middle of Pole<br />
Mokotowskie park, has a huge outdoor<br />
patio, live music and beer on tap. The<br />
industrial-vintage Time Café (40 Ulica<br />
Smolna) is well-hidden in a courtyard,<br />
but is worth seeking out.<br />
TIP The ‘pavilion bars’ hidden in the<br />
alleys of Ulica Foksal and Nowy Swiat<br />
are a backstreet, boozy treasure trove.<br />
Unmarked, unsophisticated and very cool<br />
Sounds of summer: free<br />
classical concerts come to<br />
Łazienki Park this month<br />
INFO<br />
Frederic Chopin<br />
Airport is 10km<br />
from the centre.<br />
Bus The no. 175<br />
runs to the main<br />
train station every<br />
10-20 minutes<br />
between 4.58am<br />
and 10.35pm, and<br />
every 30 minutes<br />
after that. Buy<br />
a ticket from<br />
the airport RUCH<br />
shop – a single<br />
costs less than €1.<br />
Taxi About €13/<br />
PLN 50 will get<br />
you from the<br />
airport to the city<br />
centre. Beware<br />
of the ‘mafi a taxis’,<br />
which don’t have<br />
a sticker of the<br />
Warsaw mermaid<br />
on their doors.<br />
Tourist offi ce<br />
There are offi ces<br />
at the airport, train<br />
station and 15/17<br />
Ulica Krakowskie<br />
Przedmieście<br />
(tel. (0)22 194 31,<br />
warsawtour.pl).<br />
– to find them, head through the gateway<br />
at 26 Ulica Nowy Swiat. A few worth<br />
checking out are Klepsydra, Femme<br />
Fatale and Klaps.<br />
OLD TOWN/ RYNEK<br />
In the summer months the central<br />
square area really comes to life,<br />
with wine bars and elegant<br />
restaurants moving outdoors.<br />
SLEEP Kanonia (2 Ulica Jezuicka, tel.<br />
(0)22 635 0676, kanonia.pl, dorm beds<br />
from €14/PLN 57, private rooms from<br />
€42.50/PLN 171) is one of the few<br />
hostels in the area, and great value.<br />
Old Town Apartments (12/14 Ulica<br />
Rynek Starego Miasta, tel. (0)22 820<br />
9227, warsawshotel.com, studios from<br />
€25/PLN 100) has something for every<br />
budget, from smart single-bedroom<br />
flats to sprawling studios.<br />
SHOP At Café Gallery Belle Epoque<br />
(18 Ulica Freta), everything you see –<br />
IMAGE PIOTR WIERZBOWSKI<br />
statues, lamps, paintings – is for sale,<br />
so antique- and art-lovers can mix<br />
their shopping with a coffee break.<br />
LATER Piwna Kompania (25 Ulica<br />
Podwale) is a beer garden perfect for<br />
big groups, as is Harenda (4/6 Ulica<br />
Krakowskie Przedmiescie). Honoratka<br />
(14 Ulica Miodowa) has live music from<br />
6pm, while beer fanatics must visit<br />
Browarmia (1 Ulica Królewska) to sample<br />
the brewed-on-the-premises golden ale.<br />
PRAGA<br />
Once Warsaw’s most notorious<br />
‘no go’ zone, the other side of the<br />
river now offers cool culture, hip<br />
clubs and reasonably-priced hotels.<br />
SLEEP Hotel Hit (33 Ulica Kłopotowskiego,<br />
tel. (0)22 618 9470, hithotel.pl, rooms<br />
from €60/PLN 240) is a cheerful two-star.<br />
EAT Fabryka Trzciny (14 Ulica Otwocka,<br />
tel. (0)22 619 0513) is the heart of art<br />
in Praga; set in a beat-up former factory,<br />
the bar offers good wine and cocktails,<br />
while the restaurant serves ‘industrial<br />
fusion’ – consisting of such dishes as<br />
grilled feta cheese rolled in bacon.<br />
LATER W Oparach Absurdu (6 Ulica<br />
Zabkowska) is hard to miss due to the<br />
giant tarantula above its entrance.<br />
You’ll descend into a surreal world, with<br />
many labyrinth-like levels and passages.<br />
Po Drugiej Stronie Lustra (5 Ulica<br />
Zabkowska) is slightly less strange. It’s<br />
reminiscent of a bazaar, with mirrors,<br />
dangling flowers and old suitcases.<br />
TIP Koneser Vodka Factory (27/31 Ulica<br />
Zabkowska) runs tours (including free<br />
samples) every day during the summer<br />
months, from 8am to 1pm.<br />
€119 *<br />
FROM JUST<br />
RETURN,<br />
TAXES INCLUDED<br />
Fly to Warsaw from just<br />
€119* return, taxes included.<br />
brusselsairlines.com<br />
b.there! magazine is now free to download as an<br />
app for your iPhone/iPad from iTunes
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