But perhaps this is the best symbol for the spirit of Warsaw, a modern city where the turbulent past is still visible, a city made up of a juxtaposition of architecture, from Soviet-era monoliths and rebuilt Gothic treasures to modern skyscrapers of glass and steel. Warsaw is certainly never boring.

It’s a city that keeps you on your toes and is a wonderfully cheap travel destination where your dollars will go a long way.

Related:
• More travel tips for Poland 
• A Budget guide to Krakow, Poland

A Budget travel guide to Warsaw, Poland

To help you get the most of your stay in Warsaw, as well as find even more ways to save, we’ve gathered together the following collection of budget tips.

Getting there

By plane

Warsaw’s main airport, Warszawa Lotnisko Chopina (Chopin Airport), is located about 16 miles south of the city center. From Chopin Airport, you can either take the subway system Szybka Kolej Miejska (SKM) into town or ride on a regular train (Koleje Mazowieckie) to Warszawa Centralna, Warsaw’s main train station.

You can also hop a bus into the city, but this sometimes takes longer, especially during rush hour. Bus 175 will take you directly to the center of the city and Bus 148 and 188 go across the river to the neighborhoods of Praga, Grochów, and Goclaw. Some bus lines, particularly the 175, are known for pickpocketing, so keep a close eye on your belongings.

Savings tip: Although both train tickets are cheap (under $2), the red SKM ticket is slightly cheaper. A 20-minute ticket from Chopin Airport to Warszawa Centralna will put you back only 3.40 zloty, which is less than a dollar. Purchase tickets at the ZTM counter in the arrivals hall or onboard.

In 2013, Warsaw opened Modlin Airport to service budget airlines, which is farther away from the city. Although you can take an express bus into the city for 33 zloty/(about $9), a train ride is the cheaper option. But please note this will take you twice as long (around two hours as opposed to 45 minutes by bus.)

Arriving by train or bus

Although you can take the train to Warsaw from many locations within Europe, you’ll likely get the best bang for your buck by taking the bus. The best two companies to check out are PolskiBus, a Polish express coach operator, which also offers service from Modlin Airport, or Flixbus. Rates can vary and are usually cheapest if you book at least several weeks in advance.

By car

Another cheap, as well as social option, is car sharing. Check out BlaBlaCar and hitch a ride at a nice price with someone who’s headed for Warsaw.

Tip

To find the cheapest travel options to Warsaw, check out the website omio.com, where you can compare prices for trains, buses, and flights to any destination within Europe.

Getting around Warsaw

Warsaw can be explored easily by foot, but if you need a rest or plan to cover more ground than you feel like walking, the city luckily also has an extensive public transportation network, with trams, buses, a metro system, and trains which will get you basically any place you need to go.

Subway fare & fines

A single fare transfer ticket costs 3.40 zloty/1.70 zloty (for 20 minutes after validation), 4.40/2.20 zloty (for 75 minutes) or 7 zloty/3.50 zloty (for 90 minutes after validation). You can check the Warsaw subway website for more information (in English).

Be sure to validate your ticket immediately after (bus and tram) or before (metro) boarding the vehicle because ticket inspection happens often, and Polish ticket inspectors are known to delight in handing out hefty fines to clueless tourists who didn’t follow the procedure quite right. The same goes for time limits. Fines are high, even if you’re only a minute or two over, so make sure and keep an eye on the time!

A market set up in Old Town Square. Photo: Krzysztof D

Things to do in Warsaw

Warsaw has a lot to offer when it comes to sightseeing, and luckily a lot of it is free.

Old Town

Take a stroll through Warsaw’s Old Town and check out the colorful, painstakingly restored burgher houses around the Old Town Square (Rynek Starego Miasta).

Old Town is also home to many churches and cathedrals, including St. John the Baptist Cathedral ( ul. Swietojanska 8). Hailing from the 14th century, this cathedral was reduced to a pile of rubble during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and was later rebuilt in a pseudo-gothic style. Be sure to check out the crypts of several Mazovian knights and famous Poles as well as the fragments of Goliath, a German remote-controlled tank used during the war.

The Old Town is also home to the Royal Castle, where you can see artworks, paintings, and period furniture.

Museums and parks

Two great museums focusing on Warsaw’s (sometimes very grim history) are The Museum of the History of Polish Jews (admission: 25/15 zloty (around $4-7) and the Museum of Neon Lights (admission: 10/8 zloty, around $2-3) which exhibits Soviet-era signs.

Pack a picnic and get a bit of fresh air with locals and tourists alike at Lazienki Park, Warsaw’s largest park.

A must-see in Warsaw: The Palace of Culture and Science. Photo: Giuseppe Milo

Palace of Culture and Science

Last but not least, no visit to Warsaw is complete without a visit to the Palace of Culture and Science, Poland’s tallest building and one of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe. At 778 feet tall, the building looks a bit like a stunted Empire State Building with a touch of Big Ben added in. Originally dedicated to Josef Stalin, many Poles resented the building, which they saw as a symbol of Soviet domination. However, the skyscraper has since become a symbol for Warsaw.

The best views

Although you’ll get a great view over the city from the viewing deck at the Palace of Culture and Science, it will cost you 20 zloty/$5.25, and will likely be crowded with tourists. Head instead to the Tower of St. Anne’s Church, which is a steal at 6/5 zloty, or Gdanski Bridge, a charming double-decker bridge with a (free view) of Warsaw’s skyline.

Tours

Don’t shell out the bucks for a bus tour, opt for a free walking tour instead. The free tours available include Communist Warsaw, Jewish Warsaw, Alternative Warsaw and Warsaw Street Art. Be sure to tip well!

Cheap eats and drink in Warsaw

Warsaw has a thriving culinary scene and a vibrant nightlife, and many bargains are to be had. If you want to save on dining in Warsaw, avoid most restaurants around Old Town, as they tend to be overpriced and touristy. For lunch, pick up something small at a bakery or a kielbasa from a street vendor.

Here are a couple of our favorites places to eat and drink for less in Warsaw:

Gosciniec
multiple locations

Classic pierogies and hearty Polish fare at a good price await at these restaurants where the staff dresses in traditional folk attire.

Beef‘n’Roll
Nowy Swiat 36

This popular food truck serves up burgers, fries, and beer.

Same Krafty
ul. Nowomiejska 10

The bar in Old Town is great for sipping Polish craft beers. They also have good pizza, burgers and some vegetarian options.

Manekin
ul. Marszalkowska 140

Trendy but still nicely priced, Manekin serves up Polish specialties as well as crepes and pancakes. This restaurant is popular, so you may have to wait for a table — but it’s worth it!

Vege Miasto
al. Solidarnosc 60A

Although traditional Polish food is definitely heavy on the meat, Warsaw also has many great offers for vegans and vegetarians, including this gem.

Miss Kimchi
ul. Zelazna 58/62

If you need a break from pierogi and bigos and like spicy Asian food, Miss Kimchi is the place for you.

Stay central with a room at Oki Doki Old Town Hostel.

Cheap hotels in Warsaw

You won’t have to worry about spending a fortune to sleep well in Warsaw. That said, as a more modern city with a number of business travelers (thanks to a booming economy), you do have to be careful about choosing the right place to stay. If you don’t mind sharing a bathroom, hostels are an excellent option in the center of the city.

Search all hotels in Warsaw or check out a few of our favorite budget hotels in Warsaw:

Oki Doki Old Town Hostel
Private rooms from $44

Smack dab in the center of Old Town, Oki Doki is a fun place to relax after a busy day of sightseeing. Take a seat in the outdoor beer garden or make dinner in the fully-equipped communal kitchen.

Affordable hotel “splurges”!

For a bit of splurge,  you can stay in the center of the city at the 4-star Mercure Warszawa Grand (around $95 per night) with perks like free breakfast and sauna or the 3-star Hotel Metropol (around $80 per night), where all rooms have private bathrooms and flat-screen TVs.

Your Warsaw tips

Have you been to Warsaw? Tell us your best tips for visiting in the comments section below.

The post Poland: A Budget travel guide to Warsaw appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Prussia meets Poland

If you are looking for another Kraków, think again. Szczecin offers something very different. No great Italianate piazzas. The Prussian imprint is evident in the Szczecin streetscape with some bold 19th-century buildings akin to those you might expect to find in Berlin. Throw in some superb examples of brick Gothic – of the kind you’ll run across throughout the Baltic region – and Szczecin makes for an appealing mix.

Key sights

One of our favorite Szczecin corners is the museum on the history of the city housed in the old town hall. It traces the story of the city’s early development and recounts how German Stettin morphed into Polish Szczecin. You’ll find green parkland aplenty, especially north of the city center. For riverside strolls head for the esplanade above the River Odra, where you will find the impressive nautical academy and a clutch of decent cafés.

Top choice: the Hotel Focus

The top overnight spot is undoubtedly the Hotel Focus (just a stone’s throw from the nautical college) where contemporary chic comes at budget-friendly prices. Double or twin rooms from about 200 Polish zloty (€50 or US$68). The Focus offers modern rooms, free Wi-Fi, free sauna, and a superb breakfast spread. Watch your eggs cooked to order just the way you like them. The Focus also has a first-class restaurant, where tasty regional dishes are served with great panache. Starters for just 12 zloty (€3), while mains are typically 24 zloty (€6).

Hotel manager Dominika Dulat appreciates that many travelers work to tight budgets, so it’s a nice touch that a free pack lunch is there for the taking as guests leave the breakfast buffet. “Don’t forget to take your lunch,” reads the big sign.  The Focus also offers an all-inclusive overnight rate where the cost of dinner is bundled in with the overall accommodation charge.

Cafés and bars

Szczecin is not just a place to see, but a place to be. Expect modest prices and a great range of city center bars and restaurants. There is a good quartet of cafés on Jan Pawel II Boulevard (recently renamed in honor of the late Polish Pope). Other restaurants we rate are the Bombay, which dishes up some of the tastiest Indian food in Poland, and the Chata, where you’ll find pierogi aplenty in a folksy vaulted cellar.

Getting there

Szczecin’s quaysides no longer buzz with passenger ships the way they did of old. Direct ferries from Denmark and Sweden nowadays dock at Swinoujscie, from where there is a good rail link to Szczecin, complemented by a seasonal hydrofoil service called the Bosman Express.

There are excellent train connections with half a dozen direct trains each day to Lübeck, Warsaw and Kraków. Szczecin has a very comfortable once-daily direct Czech train to Prague, and great connections with Berlin, which is just two hours away. The one-way fare from Berlin to Szczecin is just €10 – one of those wonderful cross-border deals that you cannot buy online. Just buy the ticket from the machines on the platform in Berlinbefore hopping on the train. German regional rail tickets (so-called Länder Tickets) can be used across the border to Szczecin, so there are real opportunities for budget rail travel to this corner of Poland.

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Discontinued services

First the bad news. A number of services have been axed, notably:

1. The overnight trains or through carriages from Munich to Copenhagen, Warsaw and Moscow.

2. The overnight services from Prague to Zagreb and Zürich via Linz (although the long established City Night line service from Prague via Dresden to Zürich continues just as now).

3. The once daily direct train from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Szczecin in Poland.

New links and improvements

But in a Europe where rail travel is becoming ever more popular, there were many notable improvements to services that came with the introduction of the 2011 schedules last Sunday. Some of the highlights include:

1. Dramatic improvements to services between St. Petersburg and Helsinki using sleek new Allegro trains that trim about 90 minutes off the journey times between the two cities.

2. More trains and faster journey times between Paris and Geneva, as the Haut-Bugey high-speed link through the Jura came into operation.

3. Increased frequency and faster travel times on daytime services linking Warsaw with Berlin.

4. More frequent direct services between Brussels and Calais on the French coast.

5. An additional daily service on the busy Paris to Amsterdam route.

6. Entirely new services linking Prague and Dresden with Szczecin in Poland.

7. New direct trans-Alpine trains from Venice to Basel (via the Gotthard route) and to Munich (via the Brenner Pass).

8. Better links from Hamburg with a new overnight train to Paris, and a new daytime service from Hamburg to Vienna via Hannover and Passau (complementing the existing daytime service via Berlin and Prague which continues just as in 2010).

9. An extra daily fast train on the Budapest to Bratislava route.

10. A new direct daytime train between Warsaw and Budapest (complementing the existing overnight service which continues as in the past).

In the weeks ahead

While most of the 2011 schedules came into effect this week, there are a small number of outstanding changes that will be introduced  in the weeks ahead. They include:

Effective December 19: An entire new Spanish high-speed route opens linking Madrid with both Valencia and Albacete. This will dramatically transform travel in eastern Spain, slashing the travel time from Madrid to Valencia by more than half.

On the same date a new high-speed link across the French-Spanish border will open, initially with just twice daily TGV trains from Paris to Figueres, where passengers must change for onward travel to Barcelona. With much reduced journey times, the new link will give much improved daytime connections between Catalunya and cities such as Geneva and London.

Effective January 7: New direct ski season services from Belgium and Luxembourg to the Tarentaise region in the French Alps and to resorts in both the Tyrol and the Salzburg regions of Austria.

You can review all the main 2011 rail schedules in each monthly edition of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable.  The December edition, which is already available, contains over 500 pages of the 2011 schedules.  The January edition (published next week) includes the full schedules (including late changes which were not available when the December issue went to press) and a useful fares supplement.  That comes as standard fare in each January edition of the timetable, and we find it especially useful as it gives indicative costs for journeys within most European countries as well as for international routes.

The post European Train Update: 2011 rail changes appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

UNESCO honors

The two cities share a common history, both having been part of the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. And both have that same Italianate flair in their central squares and some of the surrounding courtyards. The center of Kraków was the very first place in Poland to be inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites. That was back in 1978. Lviv had to wait another 20 years to receive the same accolade.

What to see

The main square of Lviv

Lviv boasts a galaxy of fine churches and civic buildings. Must-sees include the Armenian Cathedral and the over-the-top baroque St. George’s Cathedral. The latter has served as the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which dominates religious affairs in western Ukraine. Its followers, often called Uniates, use Orthodox liturgies but are in union with Rome. It’s a detail that underlines the west European orientation of this part of Ukraine.

Above all, Lviv is a fine place just to wander. The Italian Yard, a sublime piece of Renaissance architecture with its balconies, is a spot to linger over coffee. Or head to Vysoky Zamok (Castle Hill) for sunset, when the view of the city takes on a dreamy quality. For a more macabre take on life (or death), don’t miss Lychakivsky Cemetery, a magnificent wooded parkland east of the city full of crumbling memorials to poets, philosophers and soldiers.

Where to stay

Lviv is happily very cheap. Get a place in a six-bed dorm at the Central Hostel, in a plum spot on the main square, for just 120 Ukrainian hryvnia. That’s about €12. Off-season is much cheaper. Or trade up to the George Hotel where the cheapest rooms are just €35 (including breakfast). The best of the hotels is definitely the Zamek Lewa (Lion’s Castle) in a leafy compound a 20-minute walk south of the center, which has doubles for €70 (including breakfast).

Beyond Lviv

The city is blessed with a great hinterland that is well worth exploring. Lviv Ecotour organizes day trips and longer tours for English-speaking visitors. Apart from nearby spots like the handsome town of Zhovka, the Carpathian wilderness beckons.

Ukraine is open for business. Holders of passports from CIS or EU States need no visa. Nor do US, Swiss, Canadian or Japanese citizens. You can fly directly into Lviv airport from Vienna, Venice, Warsaw, Munich and Dortmund. Or take the daily overnight train from Kraków.

The post Ukraine’s Sleeping Lion: The City of Lviv appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

France has no low-cost airlines of note, but there are several budget airlines that serve Paris. Here is an airport-by-airport examination of which low-cost airlines serve which destinations from the three airports of Paris.

This list of destinations reachable by budget airlines from Paris is notable for its geographic range. For many tourists, these links facilitate travel between Paris and other corners of Europe at a price point far lower than anticipated.

1. Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle, the big daddy (Grande Dame?) of airports in France, sees traffic from several budget airlines (Air Baltic, Blue1, Bmibaby, easyJet, Flybe, Iceland Express, Jet2, Niki, and Vueling) to over four dozen destinations across Europe and northern Africa.

* Air Baltic flies to Riga and Tallinn.

* Blue1 flies to Helsinki.

* Bmibaby flies to East Midlands.

* EasyJet flies to Agadir, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Bastia, Belfast, Biarritz, Brest, Bristol, Casablanca, Catania, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Helsinki, Ibiza, Krakow, Lisbon, Liverpool, Ljubljana, London Luton, Madrid, Mallorca, Malaga, Marrakech, Milan Malpensa, Newcastle, Nice, Porto, Prague, Split, Tangier, Toulouse, Venice, and Zagreb.

* Flybe flies to Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Jersey, and Manchester.

* Iceland Express connects Charles de Gaulle to Reykjavík.

* Jet2 flies to Leeds Bradford.

* Niki flies to Vienna.

* Vueling connects Charles de Gaulle to Alicante, Granada, Lleida, Madrid, and Santiago de Compostela.

2. Orly

Five budget airlines (Air Berlin, easyJet, Norwegian, Transavia, and Vueling) connect Orly to around 50 destinations.

* Air Berlin flies to Berlin and Dusseldorf.

* EasyJet flies to Athens, Berlin, Budapest, Dubrovnik, Faro, Geneva, Milan Linate, Mykonos, Naples, Nice, Olbia, Palermo, Pisa, Rome Ciampino, Toulouse, and Venice.

* Norwegian connects Paris-Orly to Aalborg, Bergen, Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stavanger.

* Transavia France flies to Agadir, Antalya, Arrecife, Catania, Djerba, Féz, Funchal, Heraklion, Hurgada, Izmir, Krakow, Las Palmas, Luxor, Marrakech, Monastir, Oujda, Palermo, Porto, Reykjavík, Rhodes, Seville, Tenerife South, and Tozeur.

* Veuling connects Paris-Orly to Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga, Rome Fiumicino, Seville, and Valencia.

3. Beauvais

To and from the all-budget airport of Beauvais, three airlines (Blue Air, Ryanair, and Wizzair) connect to over 40 destinations.

* Blue Air flies to Bacau and Bucharest.

* Ryanair flies to Alicante, Barcelona, Bari, Bologna, Bratislava, Cagliari, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Girona, Glasgow Prestwick, Kaunas, Madrid, Malaga, Marseille, Milan Bergamo, Oslo Rygge, Pau, Pisa, Porto, Reus, Rome Ciampino, Shannon, Stockholm Skavsta, Trapani, Treviso, Valencia, and Zaragoza.

* Wizzair connects Beauvais to Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Gdansk, Katowice, Poznan, Prague, Sofia, Timosoara, Warsaw, and Wroclaw.

More information

For more information about airports in Paris, including ground transportation into Paris’ city center, please see the profiles of Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Beauvais Tille in our flights section.

The post Finding budget flights to and from Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Introducing zapiekanka!

Such is the case in Poland, where zapiekanka is an everyday, street food favorite. The tasty treats are made by slicing a baguette in half, adding vegetables and meats, topping with cheese, and then toasting to melt the cheese. Lastly, ketchup (and sometimes mayonnaise) is liberally applied.

The name “zapiekanka” is derived from the Polish word for “to bake,” and the food is sometimes considered the Polish equivalent of pizza. These cheapies are found both in restaurants and fast food booths, where the ingredients range from simple to more gourmet offerings.

Endzior, a zapiekanka stall in Krakow’s Plac Nowy, is a standby for lovers of this Polish treat, both locals and tourists alike. Expect to spend around 3-7 PLN (.70-1.60 €).

Tell us!

Have you had a zapiekanka experience? Do you have another favorite Polish snack food? Tell us about it in the comments section!

Also see: Our list of recommended budget hotels in Krakow.

The post Krakow Cheap Eats: Zapiekanka! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.