Museums
Frederic Chopin Museum
Displays in English and Polish. The museum's design favours interactivity at the expense of information, giving the impression it would best be suited to children with ADHD.
National Museum
The museum has a wonderful collection of paintings, sculptures, and depictions of the passion of the Christ. Several of Poland's most iconic paintings call this museum home. Be certain to catch Jan Matejko's StaÅczyk painting, which depicts a famous jester to the Polish royalty in dispair after Lithuania lost the city of Smolensk to Russia in 1514.
Asia-Pacific Museum
Marie Curie Museum
Etnographic Museum
Exhibitions that tell the stories of various societies and cultures.
Technology Museum
Polish Military Museum
Polish Emigration Museum
Religious buildings
Nożyk Synagogue
Warsaw's only Orthodox Jewish synagogue that is still in operation.
Jesuit Church
From the outside it seems like a large church, but step over the threshold and you'll see a rather modest and relatively small worship hall.
St. John's Cathedral
Highlights
Umschlagplatz
A contender for the most sinister place in Warsaw the Umschlagplatz was the location Nazi officials herded Jews into cattle cars to be murdered at the Treblinka extermination camp. Estimates place the total number of persons transported from the Umschlagplatz at 300,000 or more.
The Royal Castle
Tomb of The Unknown Soldier
Built in 1925, the tomb holds the remains of a Polish soldier who died in battle at Lwów, now Lviv, Ukraine. It also holds soil from 38 battlegrounds Poles fought at. During the period communists controlled the country's political structure, the authorities removed references to battles Poles fought against the Soviets. After Poland regained its independence in 1990 the references to the Polish-Soviet War were again added to the memorial.
Palace of Culture and Science
Built in the 1950s as a "gift" to the Polish people by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin the Palace of Culture and Science is Warsaw's most recognizable building. The building elicits mixed feelings from Poles - on one hand, the building has a controversially beautiful architectural style, however, the building was built by the man who helped Hitler rape the Polish countryside, then continued a campaign of senseless murders of the Poles when the Soviet-Nazi Germany relations soured. Today, the building is home to a movie theater, museum, restaurant, and college. Visitors can take an elevator to an observation deck, which provides a great view of Warsaw.
The Parliament
Sejm and Senat ul. Wiejska. Sejm is the name for the lower chamber of the Polish parliament the name has also been adopted by Lithuania and Latvia.The Palm Tree
(http://www.palma.art.pl/) at the intersection of Al. Jerozolimskie and ul. Nowy Świat, probably the only palm tree in the world that has its website.
Parks
Ujazdów Park
Ujazdów Park, another beautiful park, lies just north of Åazienki, but is far less known and visited by tourists. One of the big draws to the park is the Ujazdów Castle, which dates it orgins back to the 13th century. Over the centuries, the castles has housed princes, politicians, queens, kings, soldiers, and it's current resident - The Center for Contemporary Art.
Saski Garden
Ogród Saski is a lovely park in central Warsaw. It's small in comparison to Åazienki, but nonetheless relaxing with its forested landscape. Prior to WWII, it housed the Saski Palace, which like the rest of Warsaw was destroyed in the insane Nazi vengeance for the Warsaw Uprising. Plans to rebuild the palace have failed to materialize due to funding. Nowadays, one of the draws aside from the escape of the city is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is on the park grounds.
Åazienki Park
Åazienki Park was built and designed for a Polish politician, but became King StanisÅaw Poniatowski's, the last king of Poland, residence for much of later half of the 18th century. During Poniatowski's reign, much of the buildings on the park grounds were built. The most interesting buildings are the Åazienki Palace, Roman theater, and the so called Little White House, where the King sought the worldly comfort of mistresses. The park is a wonderful escape from hustle and bustle of the city streets that surround the park and can be the setting for a picnic or a wedding. Strangely, it's a great place to find peacocks and occasionally, a rat.
Galleries
ZachÄta Gallery
A cool little gallery that mixes graffiti, sculptures, experimental painting, and photography.
For sightseeing purposes, Śródmieście is divided here into these areas: Old Town, Royal Road, Contemporary Center and Jewish Quarter. The Highlights section below is to help you prioritize the sights - only the most important are listed there. More sights are listed in the itineraries for their respective areas. This does not apply to museums and parks, which are listed further below.