Layover in Warsaw

By Guest Blogger, Crispin Bottomley

For me Warsaw was a very quick visit…a 5-hour layover before my next flight. I found getting from Chopin International Airport to the City was very easy; a 20 minute train ride right to the central terminal. If you ever want a first impression of a city… Stalin delivered with the Arts and Culture Palace being the first thing you see when you exit the train station.

I hopped onto the Greyline double deck bus, which conveniently left 15 minutes after I arrived. I didn’t get to stay on the bus for too long but was able listen to the narrated guide of the central train station area, the Warsaw ghetto, the former merchant district, and hear about the Warsaw uprising and the occupation.

I hopped off the bus when I got to St. Sigismund’s column and the wall/moat to the old town, which was 70% destroyed during the German occupation.

A November 11th service and concert was in progress, making the area full of people, where WWI displays were setup outside the museum.

I carried on by foot through the old town checking out the old buildings noticing a lot of tourist shops, boutique hotels and restaurants. Some of these restaurants had outdoor patio space which leads me to believe that summer is the better time to visit Warsaw.

Then it was on to Bazylika Archikatedralna Warszawie – St. John’s Archcathedral in Warsaw – kings, presidents and generals are buried here.

Built in the 1300s, this cathedral was destroyed during WWII, and it was rebuilt to be the Archcathedral of Warsaw.

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Next, I headed out through the main square where an organ grinder was playing, balloons were being sold and people enjoying the open space, despite the lack of sun.

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If I go back to Poland I will make sure I make a reservation to visit here… “the most refreshingly civilized place to meet,” Podwale Bar and Books, which advertises whiskey, cocktails, and cigars.

On my way back to the train station (by taxi), my driver pointed out important sites like the Presidential mansion, the church where Chopin’s heart is, and the Warsaw University district.

The city has defiantly outgrown its pre-1990 past with many new office towers. Warsaw has a lot of space and a lot of room for infilling. All the fixings of a modern city with lots of history.

What a great way to spend a layover!

Crispin Bottomley currently resides in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, Canada, and is currently serving as National President of JCI Canada, a national organization of local chapters from coast to coast, which is part of Junior Chamber International (JCI), a global movement of motivated young professionals.