Praga

Crossing the Vistula from the Old Town into Praga, Warsaw's eastern suburb, is like entering another city. Clean, level streets and renovated buildings are replaced by broken roads and crumbling façades, and much of the populace is working class and poor. Despite the grit, Praga is the place to be. The area is slowly being gentrified as artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs move in, attracted by its pre-WWII buildings (as it was not directly involved in the battles of 1944, Praga didn't suffer much damage) and cheap rent. Ventures open and close on a regular basis but the list of established places grows steadily longer.

InfoPraga (www.infopraga.com.pl; ul Ząbkowska 36 ), the suburb's tourist and cultural information office, is handy for keeping pace with Praga developments. Note that Praga is not safe to wander at night; it's best to travel from A to B by taxi.