All about Warsaw with Warsaw tour guide – On the move all day
#Guide in Warsaw #Local tour guide in Warszawa #Private tour guide in Warsaw #local guide in Warszawa #tourist guide in Warsaw
Tour 6 ### 8 hours with Warsaw tour guide – 1,100 zloty (25% Christmas discount – 825 zloty in December) + 15 zloty per participant for a 24-hour tram/metro ticket + lunch (around 40 zloty, but can be more expensive if you want something special) + coffee/beer at breaks. You can have up to 50 participants, but if we’re a large group, it’s more of a one-way speech from me. Smaller groups give better interaction and much more engagement. The smaller the group, the better I can cater for the individual participant. The optimal size is 5-15 people.
I offer two different versions of the full-day tour. One is four thematic blocks that have been combined into a full day – you can read about them in Old Town in Warsaw + Walk in the Jewish ghetto + Communism in Warsaw + The political system in Poland If You click at the title, the trip will come op in a new tab)
The second version is looser, but is described below. The purpose of the tour is to show you Warsaw from different sides without stress. We walk a lot, but we also sit down, take breaks and use public transport. We’ll stroll at a slow pace unless you feel like running, but you should be in reasonably good walking shape. After all, it’s a full day trip.
It depends on you how much we get to do and what we see – so every trip is individual. You can let me know in advance if you have something you particularly want to see or hear about, but otherwise I’ll talk to you when we meet and we’ll set the programme.
In any case, we will take a walk into the old city, hear about World War II and Jewish Warsaw and Warsaw under the Russians from 1815.
There is some history in the programme, but not so much that it is only a history trip, and there is no exam at the end of the day. Much of the trip revolves around seeing, feeling and soaking up the atmosphere of Warsaw.
Pick-up at the hotel at 10:00. An example of a tour is presented below, but the actual sequence depends on where we start. We can also customize the program to your wishes. In any case, you’ll always get a suggestion when I know where we start and how many we are. I’d also like to know if you’re on a tourist trip or a study trip… or something entirely different.
1. Palace of Culture and Science – the merger of capitalism and communism
We’ll walk around the Palace of Culture and Science and also take a look inside. Here we’re talking about Poland after World War II and how Stalin came to dominate post-war Poland. This includes the negotiations between the US, UK and the Soviet Union during World War II and the division of Europe. We look at the Palace of Culture as the symbol of Soviet domination and how it has become a symbol of modern day Warsaw.
It is possible to get up on the observation deck and look out over Warsaw. I’ll show you how to avoid queuing. Then you’ll have something to do for the coming days in Warsaw.
2. The Museum of Modern Art – most people love to hate it
We take a look inside Warsaw’s new Museum of Modern Art and get an impression of the 20,000 square metres and what you can see inside.
3. Warsaw’s high-rise buildings – everything within 30 years
A panorama of the high-rise buildings there are being built in the city centre and what they are used for. And also something about the development of high-rise construction over the last 30 years.
4. Buildings from before World War – there are much more of them, than you think II
We take a look at buildings that survived WWII. We talk about how Warsaw was destroyed in the Polish consciousness and how bad the devastation really was. We’re probably looking into a backyard too.
5. The first years after the war – architecture of power
The first headquarters of the Polish government after the war. Here we talk about the onset of the Cold War in the 1940s and look at the architectural movements that emerged and succeeded each other. This includes the Warsaw City Centre District Court and the Ministry of Agriculture.
6. Constitution Square – the communist paradise
The crown jewel of the socialist architecture Stalin was an exponent of. We talk about this specific type of architecture.
7. Technical University – You will want to become an engineer
We take a peek inside and look at several surviving houses from before WWII. Continuing with more Stalin architecture, we end up at the Technical University – a neo-baroque building from 1899 that makes us all want to become engineers, especially when we go inside and see the environment the students will be working in. At the Technical University, I also give an overview of the education system in Poland, and you are welcome to ask questions if you want me to elaborate.
8. Food hall in an old market hall – combination of old and new
We walk a short distance again and end up at an old market hall that has recently been converted into a food hall. Here we take a look at the old building and see how it has been modernised. It’s probably around 11.30 am, so it’s a perfect place to take a coffee break.
9. Metro Tour – don’r go to Warsaw without trying the metro
Around 12 noon we take the metro to the Old Town.
10. Thorvaldsen, Copernicus and Chopin’s heart in the same place
We start at Thorvaldsen’s statue of Copernicus. In the same place we have the Polish Academy of Sciences and next to it a famous church where the heart of Polish composer Chopin is carved into the wall.
11. Pilsudski Square – it looks big and it is big
A short trip to Piłsudski Square, where I talk about the square itself, but more about its political significance. Here we have a statue of Piłsudski – Poland’s hero of independence in 1918. We talk about what happened in the years before and after The first world war, that ended in 1918. At the statue of Kaczynski, we talk about the 2010 plane crash that killed the president and the political climate in Poland after the crash.
12. Presidential Palace – The president lives here, but the building will tell you much more!
We continue to the Presidential Palace. This is where the president lives and where the 1989 round table talks took place that led to the dismantling of communism in Central Europe. It’s a great place to talk about Poland from 1970 to 1989 – i.e. Solidarity, the strikes, the military intervention and the state of emergency.
13. Castle Square – the greatest place in Warsaw
We arrive at the Castle Square and quickly walk through the Old Town. On the way we hear about Chopin and the church in Poland.
14. Warsaw Uprising 1944 – the story of heroism and destruction
We stop at the Warsaw Uprising Monument. Here we’re talking about uprisings in Poland during World War II and the collaboration between Hitler and Stalin. We also take a broader look at WWII in Poland.
15. The Supreme Court – supreme justise?
Next door is the Supreme Court. It’s a magnificent building that gives you the opportunity to talk about the legal reforms Poland has undergone in recent years. I talk about the different points of view that can be found in Poland, the EU’s position on the case and the future of the Polish legal system.
16. History of Jews in Poland – it is not just about the holocaust
Museum of the History of the Jewish People in Poland (POLIN). It is now 2:00 or 2:30 pm. I recommend we have lunch in their canteen (kosher, food according to Jewish rituals). It’s excellent, efficient and cheap. There is a weapons check to enter the museum, so you are not allowed to carry knives. If you got hungry earlier, there are various options around the old town.
17. Around the Jewish ghetto – this is mainly about the holocaust
We talk about the Jewish ghetto, the history of the Jewish people in Poland, and the Jewish ghetto revolt in 1943. We also visit the bunker, which some will recognise from Leon Uri’s novel Mila18. Finally, we’ll talk about the attitude towards Jews in Poland – both after independence in 1918, after WW2 and after World War II and today.
The time can now be anywhere between 3 pm and 5 pm. It depends on the pace we walk at, and it depends on how inquisitive you are. I like questions and often give long answers, but that also means we don’t move as fast. It also depends on how many people we are, because if we are 50 people it will definitely be 17.00. In other words, we now have between one and three hours left.
Depending on how much time we have and what you want to do, we’ll take one or more of the suggestions below. We’ll talk about it and decide together when the time comes.
The river bank – Poles are getting rich and relaxed
a. The metro to the riverside, where we see the university library roof garden (1 April-30 October), the Copernicus Centre and how to enjoy life by the riverside.
The other river bank – a story from once upon a time
b. Metro to Praga on the other side of the river, which was largely undamaged during On the other hand, the area was allowed to fall into disrepair in the following decades, but within the last 5 years the area has been renovated and is now a vibrant neighbourhood with a completely different atmosphere than the one you find in the city centre or Old Town.
The fairytale town Mariensztat – You will be loving it
c. A walk to Mariensztat, the first neighbourhood to be rebuilt after WW2. WWII. It is built as a Renaissance provincial town, but is only a 10-minute walk from the Castle Square. Here we talk about how the architecture had to convey the socialist vision, but also give the impression of a safe national home.
Wilson Square – back to communist times
d. Metro to Plac Wilsona (Zoliborz). Here we see a famous modernist church with conservative views. It will provide an opportunity to go a little deeper into the church in Poland. We will also talk about the priest Jerzy Popieluszki, who was affiliated with Solidarity and in 1984 was abducted and murdered by agents of the Polish Security Service – and the impact it had on Polish society. Finally, we also have the opportunity to see parts of the old Russian fort, the Citadel.
The Royal Park Lazienki – Poland’s last king, Chopin and a lot more
e. Lazienki Royal Park. There’s a stunning 19th-century park and a host of important state institutions, including the Prime Minister’s chancery.
The above programme is just one example. When you tell me which hotel you’re staying at, how many of you there are and if there’s anything we need to pay special attention to, I’ll make a concrete proposal for a route based on this.
Write to me at m@hardenfelt.pl to arrange a guided tour in Warsaw