Hi everyone ♡
I recently went to Warsaw for a long weekend so I thought it might be fun to write a post about my experience. Before I went, I actually didn't know that much about the city so it was nice to get to know a bit more about Warsaw and its history.
Warsaw is the capital of Poland. The city was founded around the 14th century and since then has had quite a tumultuous history. During World War II around 85% of the city was destroyed and millions of people died. The current nickname for the city is Phoenix city because of its extensive history and the complete reconstruction of the city.
These days, Warsaw is actually considered one of Europe’s most dynamically developing metropolitan cities. Many global companies are currently building branches, offices and headquarters in Warsaw and the unemployment rate is very low. The city has several universities, shopping malls and green areas like the Saxon Garden (Ogród Saski), Krasinski Park (Ogród Krasinskich) and Praga Park (Praski Park). There is a mixture of architectural styles; from Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic to Soviet architecture and nowadays modern skyscrapers are starting to dominate the skyline. My personal favourite part of the city was the historical old town, which has even been inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage list.
While I was in Warsaw I went to two museums; Polin and the Warsaw Rising Museum. After visiting these museums I felt like I'd learned a lot more about the history of Poland (especially during World War II) and also about the bravery and resilience of the Polish people. I've also seen a few boundary markers of the Warsaw Ghetto while walking around the city which shows you where the Ghetto used to be. This has been done in order to preserve the memory of the Jewish quarter and in the memory of the people that have lost their lives during that horrible time.
Travelling around the city of Warsaw is very easy. Personally, when visiting a new place I love exploring the city on foot, but you could also easily take the metro, the bus, a taxi or a tram everywhere. There were also a lot of electric scooters on the streets that you could rent through an app.
Last but not least, I was very pleasantly surprised by how vegan-friendly Warsaw is! There are quite a few restaurants that are actually 100% vegan. Most of them are also located in the same area. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to try them all out, but I was very impressed with the places I did go to such as Tel Aviv Urban Food, Mango Vegan Street Food, Krowarzywa, Lokal dela Krem, Momencik Vegan Burritos & Tacos and Leonardo Verde. It's great that there are so many different kinds of vegan restaurants to choose from. From traditional Polish food made vegan to vegan burritos, pizzas and cakes; they have a vegan version of (almost) everything in Warsaw. I could honestly say that some of the best (vegan) food I've ever had, I've had in Warsaw. So if you love travelling and you're vegan, Warsaw should definitely be on your bucket list!
Have you ever been to Warsaw? If so, how was your experience?
With love,
Lysanne