Three days in Warsaw

There is a large flea market type event that happens on the "other side" of the river in Warsaw that we found very interesting. I got the info in my LP guidebook, so you should be able to find the days/times easily. April is still pretty cold, but we wished we would have rented bicycles and just cruised around the city as it's fairly spread out and I get tired of taking the bus everywhere and trying to figure out the schedules.

Lazienki park with its palaces is lovely in spring (perhaps more so in May), and Wilanow palace on the outskirts (plus the quirky poster museum next to it) is also worth a look.

vanve - Bikes are for rent at the OkiDoki hostel in the city centre and a few other places - a very good way to get around. Get a good map and avoid the main boulevards.

I was impressed with the Warsaw Uprising museum, I can recommend it.

I'm guessing you have been round the Old Town because you said you had visited before. If not that is well worth a stroll around. Hard to believe nothing is older than 65 years!!

I think the flea market Poster 1 refers to is the Russian market at the old stadium on the eastern side. I believe the stadium was to have been knocked down for re-development ready for the Euro 2012 football so perhaps it has found a new venue.

I also agree with Poster 2 about Lasienski Park - its the only place I have seen a red squirrel. I live in a country where all the squirrels you see are grey.

Polish train website: http://rozklad-pkp.pl/?q=en/node/143

Also use the German train website: www.bahn.de for pan European train coverage.

#3 is right about the market - it has been shut down due to construction of the new stadium. Some of the stalls moved to Marywilska street, on the northern outskirts of Warsaw. I haven't been there yet, but I wouldn't expect the new location to have the same 'climate' as the old one.

A true flea market takes place every Sunday morning in Koło neighbourhood (Ciołka/Obozowa streets), easily accesible by tram from the city center.

If you like the idea of the Warsaw Uprising you might l;ike to do the walk that I did based on the LP suggestion for the histor of the Warsaw Ghetto, going past Pawiak, the Jewish Cemnetary, Ghetto walls, the Umschlagplatz etc.

'on the "other side" of the river " - if this takes you past Park Praski/the zoo (Aleja Solidamosci), you must make sure to see the bear pit RIGHT BY THE footpath. Quite bizarre.

Thanks so much for the replies. I have done the Old Town the last time I was there and am really looking forward to the Warsaw Uprising museum.

Hadn't thought about bikes, but it's a good thought. Would get me around a bit quicker than walking and still let me see everything.

I guess you saw the Palace of Culture last time - it's hard to visit Warsaw without at least passing it.

My tip for an interesting bit of Warsaw that most guidebooks ignore is to take a tram or pedal down Marszalkowska, starting by the Palace of Culture and heading south, to Plac Konstitucji and Plac Zbawiciela (hope I've spelt that right) to see the impressive early 1950s monumental Soviet-inspired architecture, in the neo-classical style that is usually refered to as Stalinist. Despite its pedigree in an unpleasant regime, to my mind it is great stuff, especially Plac Konstitucji. Look out for all the arcades and archways, the stone reliefs of busy workers (eg. above the windows of KFC), and the 4 sets of huge socialist realist statues of workers and soldiers set into the arcades on Marszalkowska south of the square.
Even if you don't like the styles, it's a fascinating insight into the ideological concerns of the new communist regimes in Eastern Europe, as well as their slavish following of their masters in Moscow - similar things exist in a number of cities but this is a particularly large and coherent ensemble.

Trams 4, 18 and 35 will take you there but I agree that cycling is an excellent way of getting around.

Good thing about Warsaw cycling is that it will be rather safer than other places due top wide roads, less traffic, lots of parks etc

Thanks, everyone.

I hate to do this, now, but despite all the good advice, now I'm headed to Rome, instead. I decided that, after spending a month in Russia, I wanted to take in some slightly warmer temperatures. I guess my Polish trip will have to wait for my next adventure.