Poland is a city filled with history, charm and culture. While I was there I explored the charming old town market square, the new town, and so much more. We visited Warsaw the current capital of Poland and and we also visited Krakow, a Royal city the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. To learn more about Krakow just follow the link to the bottom of this blog.
Warsaw is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and it has a rich past, from its origins as a fishing village to it's iconic role in World war II, it offers insights into the Polish resilient spirit. During the WWII, the entire city was destroyed and only a few buildings survived; the Presidential Palace, and the Bristol hotel did survive intact. Also did you know that Pope John Paul II was from Poland? He made history in 1978 by becoming the first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years!
The mermaid statue that you see here in Old Town's market square is the city's symbol and is featured on Warsaw's coat of arms. More on that later when you see the Parade of the Mermaid's, Day in Warsaw to celebrate the mermaid.
Day 1
Arrive at hotel. Walk through the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and admire the architecture. Visit the Royal Castle and Market Square.
The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a national historical monument and a state museum, which served as the official Royal residence of several Polish monarchs.
The court dishes were a delight to see. So many patterns and styles. You can see a lot more at the National Museum in Warsaw if you love dishes, only a 20 minute walk from the Royal Castle.
This is the Queen's room.
Had to take a picture of these Famille Rose jars decorating the column, one of my favorite prints and I sell several items that I painted inspired by that print. On the main page, you will find collections then see that print on linens and stationary.
The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the royal court were located in the Castle from the 16th century until the final partition of Poland in 1795.
These rooms are absolutely fascinating, the details on the floor throughout the Castle are worthy of pictures by themselves and I kept quite the collection for inspiration.
Warsaw's Old Town and the Sigismund's Column, a significant landmark monument dedicated to King Sigismund III Vasa who moved the Polish capital from Kraków to Warsaw. The Column is located in the Castle's square and was eracted in 1644. On top of it you can see a bronze statue of the king in armor holding a cross and a sword.
The Throne Room Warsaw Royal Castle. In 2024 there was the conclusion of a 4 year celebration of the 50th anniversary of the reconstruction of the Royal Castle in Warsaw which was totally destroyed during the WWII. The Germans moved in the city on September 1st of 1939 and by the end of the month, they had the city under their control which blew up many times.
Below are the dishes used by the President of Poland.
There are lots of restaurants in Old Town's square!
Warsaw is a very walkable city, everything is close by so you can just walk or take a bike or even rollerblade.
The hotel Bristol was one of the buildings that did not get destroyed during the war and that is where we stayed. Only if walls could talk! The Germans used to host their military here and it was very convenient because the National Palace (which did not get destroyed either) was next door and that is where the Germans stayed as well, lots of history, beauty and great food there!
The floral arrangements at the hotel were absolutely mesmerizing!
Here is a coffee shop, so much charm. It looks really old but it's less than 70-80 years old!
Day 2
We had a private car tour of the city in the morning to get a feel for the city (your hotel can arrange that) and our guide showed us the most beautiful Royal Park. This beautiful palace by the water is located in the Royal Baths Park called "The Palace on the Isle" also known as the Baths Palace. It's a neoclassical palace situated on an island in the middle of a pond within the park. It was originally a baroque bathhouse but later was transformed to accommodate King Stanislay II August as his summer residence.
The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located on The Royal Route near the Castle, on one of the most popular areas of the city and it has survived every war intact.
Then in the afternoon, saw Marie Curie's House. She was one of the most groundbreaking scientists of all time. She discovered Polonium (named after her native country) and also radium. She developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals during World War I. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice. She launched the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes.She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris in 1906.
On June 7th, they celebrated Mermaid Day in Warsaw. She represents courage, spirit, and willingness to defend itself. The legend says she was living in the Vistula river, was captured by a merchant but freed by fishermen and in gratitude she vowed to protect Warsaw and its inhabitants., often depicted with a sword and shield. The mermaid is also a symbol of resistance, during times of war and uprising, the mermaid was seen as a symbol of victory and protection.
We saw the Chopin concert at 5:30p.m. at the Frederyk Concert Hall Warsaw. If you go there make sure you get VIP tickets to seat in the front row and go to the far left or you won't see the pianist play the piano. We were delighted to see Pawel Mazrkiewicz
Day 3
We went to the Chopin Museum and later we attended and outdoor concert.
Below you will see Chopins Piano.
We had lunch in the Old Town Market Square. I tried the classic Polish Soup with sausage.
Then later in the day we went to see an outdoor concert. Every Sunday the Royal Park has a Chopin concert, it's free to attend.
Below you can see the Chopin Bench. If you follow me on Instagram @diga_linda, you will be able to see videos of it playing and the detailed locations where Chopin left an impact while living in Warsaw. When he was only 20 years old he left to live in Paris, his father was French.
Day 4
There are many museums closed on Monday, so we planned to visited the only 2 that were open and those were the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Rising Museum. In the POLIN Museum we went on a journey across 1000 years of the history of Polish Jews. We learned about everyday traditions, customs and people. The Warsaw Rising Museum is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, the museum opened in July 31, 2004 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Upsrising.
We also saw the Ghetto which was established in October of 1940 by German Authorities. The ghetto was enclosed by a wall that was very high topped with barbed wire. Warsaw had the largest Jewish population. Extreme overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and minimal rations lead to disease and death of many Jews. The Warsaw Jewish community was the largest in both Poland and Europe, the only other area which was bigger was New York City.
The Germans troops invaded on September 1 of 1939, beginning World Ward II. Then they seized Warsaw on September 27, 1939.
Day 5
We visited the beautiful Wilanow Palace in the morning, after that we had lunch at the Milanovo Cafe.
Below is a painting of the palace (which is hanging inside the palace) but this is the view from the back of it with the stairs leading to the lake, picture will follow.
The palace has beautiful gardens all around and is filled with flowers and fountains.
All so very beautiful!
These are the stairs leading to the lake.
Beautiful view from the back of the palace.
The Museum of Wilanow is a Museum of King Jan III's.A masterpiece of baroque where culture and nature come together. You can experience history, beautiful architecture and lovely gardens.
Below is the front of the Palace.
Hallway filled with Frescos leads to the outdoor gardens.
Blue and White (my passion) is always right! I just had to share all the details of this room with you!
On the stairs going down to the lake from the Palace, you will find lots of fountains from both sides on the stairs. I took a picture of one side which is identical on the other side, can you count all the fountains?
The Vistula lake flooded several areas and it changed course creating this lake now known as Lake Wilanów.
Then in the afternoon, we went to the Arkadia Mall and got Jackets and Pants, it was cold and rainy for most of our time there.
At night we ate dinner in Old Town market place square again.
Day 6
We Took a walking tour for 2.5 hours from Trip advisor with Andre in the morning, then ate lunch at Pod Samsonem, a jewish and Polish restaurant from 1958.
We rested then went to see the Warsaw museum and the Holy Cross Church which has the preserved heart of Chopin.
This is where the heart of Chopin is.
Day 7
We took a Uber to the central train station and there bought tickets to Krakow, the former capital of Poland and a beautiful medieval city. Also avoid buying the ticket on the train or you will pay almost double of your ticket! As soon as we got there we visited the Wavel Castle, a royal residence and one of the most stunning Castles that I have ever seen and I have seen many. From leather painted walls to all the details in the woodwork, ceilings - it was absolutely amazing.
At the bottom of the blog there will a link to the Krakow blog as soon as I am done with it.
On another subject, did you know why the sidewalks are so wide in Warsaw? It's so that tanks could fit!
Day 8
We visited the National Museum in the morning which had a lot of "Court dishes".
Blue and White, glassware and more porcelain, enjoy!
This was the last day of our trip, thank you for reading. Let me know in comments if you plan to go or if you have already visited before, I would love to know.
The blog about Krakow Poland is coming. We took the train there in the morning and came back late in the day so we had time to see the entire town all in one day. Keep posted to find out how.
💐 Have a lovely day and remember to go on my instagram @diga_linda to get your positive floral quote of the day. I do these everyday there in stories, what a great day to start your day, don't you think?
My hair for this trip (I do hair once a week), was done by the talented Dona Encarnação @escabeleireiro She is also looking for a helper, go see the details on her instagram.
😍 One more thing and an important one: It's Summer Season Party Time and I have a treat for you. Subscribe to my newsletter to get the FREE "Party Planning Guide" which could be on your inbox as early as Next Week! I designed this package so that you can use it whenever you host any event and feel stress free.
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💙 The table runner is part of the Blue Watercolor Hydrangeas Collection. I initially taught a watercolor class with these hydrangeas and they became so popular that I turned it into a collection, you can see more of that print HERE
ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Ceci! I'm a Portuguese American Table Top Designer and Floral Artist who has lived in the US for almost 30 years. I'm a lover of flowers, travel, photography, entertaining, art and home decor. I also enjoy getting to know new cultures which inspire my new design prints. Read more
Happy Summer and safe travels! :-)
xoxo Ceci Mason
