Warsaw is a fairly inexpensive city for tourists, but you can save extra money if you want. In the Polish capital, most museums have free days, and several companies offer free tours. We tell you where to go in Warsaw without spending anything.
Excursions
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It’s worth starting your acquaintance with the city with a tour—you can choose one of several free ones. For example, the Orange Umbrella company offers to see the main attractions of Warsaw, stroll through the old town or attend excursions “Jewish Warsaw” and “Warsaw during the Second World War”. All tours are in English.
Another company, Free Walking Tour, also conducts free thematic tours – for example, in alternative and communist Warsaw, as well as Warsaw street art. Tours are offered in English, German and Spanish. There is no need to register for them in advance.
All excursions are free, but you can thank the guide with a tip.
Interesting excursions from local residents in Warsaw
Concerts and festivals
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Every Sunday from May 15 to September 25 in the Royal Lazienki Park at the monument to Frederic Chopin you can listen to the composer’s most famous works – they are performed by outstanding young pianists from different countries. Concerts take place twice a day – at 12.00 and at 16.00.
In July and August, the Old Town hosts the annual jazz festival Jazz Na Starówce. Concerts take place every Saturday in the open air. About four thousand people attend, so it’s better to come early to sit next to the stage.
If you are interested in Jewish culture, you can visit the Warszawa Singera festival, which takes place every year in late August – early September. The event includes concerts, films, theater performances, exhibitions, workshops and much more.
Museums
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Most museums in Warsaw have free admission days. For example, on Monday you can go to the Poster Museum or the New Railway Museum, and on Tuesday you can visit the Museum of Caricature or the National Museum, the largest art museum in the city. On Saturday, free admission to the Polish Army Museum and the Museum of Sports and Tourism, and on Sunday to the Royal Castle and the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
But the best choice is on Thursday – on this day you can get into a dozen museums for free. The most popular of them are the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, the Ethnographic Museum and the Palace in Wilanow. Also on this day, the Museum of Independence, the Pharmaceutical Museum, the Zachęta Art Gallery, the Warsaw Photoplasticon, the Warsaw Prague Museum and others are open free of charge.
In addition, on any day you can visit for free, for example, the Museum of Modern Art, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Museum, as well as many galleries.
Sights
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Like most European capitals, Warsaw’s Old Town is worth a visit. Here you can stroll along the narrow streets and look at ancient palaces, castles, churches and statues. By the way, in the summer the squares of the Old Town turn into a space for outdoor festivals and galleries.
Warsaw has one of the largest and most beautiful roof gardens in Europe. It is located in the library of the University of Warsaw and is divided into two sections: upper and lower, which are connected by a water cascade. In the lower garden there is a pond with fish, and in the upper garden there are many flowers of various types, ordered by shade. And from the roof there is a view of the Old Town and the Vistula River. You can get here any day from 9.00 to 20.00 from April to October.
You can also see the panorama of the city from another observation deck, which is located on Gnoya Gora. The hill received its name in the Middle Ages due to the fact that there was a landfill on it. In the 19th century, the place was cleared of debris, and now there is an observation deck from which you can admire the view of the Old Town and the right bank of Warsaw.
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To take a break from the bustle of the city, you can go to Lazienki Park – here it’s easy to forget that you are in one of the largest European cities. The park’s area is approximately the size of 120 football fields – it is the largest park in the city. Here you can look at palaces and greenhouses of the 18th century, see deer and squirrels, or just stroll along the alleys.
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Text author: Yana Kasatkina
