4 hour walking tour in Warsaw with a guide
#Guide in Warsaw #Local tour guide in Warszawa #Private tour guide in Warsaw #local guide in Warszawa #tourist guide in Warsaw
It’s impossible to create a fixed formula for what such a trip includes, because it depends on your interests and whether you want to stroll or run. A group never moves faster than the slowest, and I often have guests with walkers or wheelchairs. They also need to be taken into account. A group of high school students, on the other hand, can move at an astonishing speed.
Usually, the tour also starts at your hotel, which means that the tour will be planned according to where we start and where you might want to end.
Here is an example of a tour that starts at Novotel Warszawa Centrum, Hotel Metropol or Polonia palace Hotel.
Palace of Culture and Science – next to modern Warsaw’s high rise buildings
We start at the Palace of Culture in Warsaw. Here we’re talking about Poland during WW2. World War II, the destruction of Warsaw and the reconstruction after WWII. I focus on Stalin’s socialist architecture and the structure of communist society after the war.
2. Socialist architecture and surviving buildings – the mix creates a city of contrasts
We see a number of examples of magnificent socialist “power architecture” from just after the end of World War II as we stroll towards Plac Konstytucji (Constitution Square). Here we also see a number of examples of buildings that survived WW2. And we are reminded, that the city was destroyed during World War II, but there were also many buildings, that were still standing after the war.
3. Constitution Square – the working people in palaces
The prestige project of Stalin and communist Poland. Here we see palaces for the working people. And I’ll tell you how it’s built.
4. Metro ride to the Ministry of Finance – the communist Miniplenty
If you want to try the metro (it’s faster), we’ll take a metro back (the ticket costs 3.4 zlotys per person) and land at the Polish Ministry of Finance, a huge building in Warsaw’s old financial district.
5. Polish Academy of Sciences – is the world the centre of the universe?
A statue of Thorvaldsen presenting the medieval astronomer Copernicus – and a lot of other exciting things.
6. Church of the Holy Cross – holds secrets in it’s walls
Here it is time to talk about the Polish composer, Chopin.
7. The Presidential Palace has seen ups and downs in Poland
– about the Polish president and something about the political situation in Poland. Here we also see the second Thorvaldsen statue in Warsaw. We’ll probably also hear about Poland in the 1970s, 1980s and the Round Table in 1989.
8. Castle Square – where you enter the rebuilt Old Town
Warsaw city walls, the Royal Castle, the large column in the centre of the square and the Wasa King standing tall on it. We learn how Poland introduced a system of elective kings around 1570 and how the system weakened the central power in Poland and developed a system dominated by the nobility.
9. The cathedral from the outside – inside it’s even more exciting
We spend some time talking about the Cathedral and the importance of the church in Poland.
10. Market Square – this is (maybe) the Polish national character
Here is the Mermaid guarding Warsaw. And here you’ll find rebuilt renaissance houses, life and great atmosphere. In the summer there are jazz concerts. Market square – in Polish: Rynek
11. The New Town – it’s just a name. It is actually quite old
The New Town was built about 100 years after the Old Town, when the Old Town simply became too small. Here we walk around a bit, and although it’s actually the same city, there are crucial differences.
12. Monumentet for the Warsaw uprising – Good or bad?
Here I talk about the uprising in 1944 and its political background and consequences for Polish society and Poland. We’re also talking about Second world war in Warsaw general.
13. Museum of the History of the Jewish People in Poland (POLIN) – it is NOT a museum dedicated to suffering!
Here we see the monument to the uprising in the Jewish ghetto in 1943 – which I will be talking about. Then we look at Willy Brandt, who in 1970 tried to soften West Germany’s relationship with Poland. Finally, we take a look at the Mila18 bunker, immortalised by American author Leon Uris.
14. Last visit – Zoliborz or Lazienki?
If there is still time, we can either head to Zoliborz to see the old Russian fortress or to Lazienki Park to see the old royal park.
So we’re unlikely to get more in 4 hours, and I can’t guarantee we’ll make it all. But you will have got a good impression of Warsaw and I will answer questions. If there’s something you just HAVE to see, let me know and I’ll make sure it becomes a part of the tour.
If you think walking for 4 hours is a long way, we can also stop somewhere for a coffee. We’ll have to cut the trip a bit short, but You are supposed to enjoy the trip.
When you book the tour, you’ll get an individual plan based on where we start the tour, how many of us there are, and if there are any things you particularly want to include. I would also like to know if there is anyone who has problems with walking – for example, walking frames; then I will plan the trip accordingly.
Write to me at m@hardenfelt.pl to arrange a guided tour in Warsaw