Visited in 2004. Very interesting, and the people were very nice and helpful.

A beautiful city that is full of history and modern change. You can find yourself hundreds of years ago and in minutes as you turn the corner, the modern architecture brings you back to reality if not the future.

Polska rules, yaa!!

Warsaw was a surprise in many ways. Comments based upon one visit in 1998. The language barrier was daunting, although even in '98 plenty of people in service industries spoke good English. Warsaw was pretty much destroyed (about 80%)by the Germans in WW II, and was rebuilt mostly to Communist standards, such as they were (drab apartment blocks). However, the Poles did an amazing job of recreating the Old Town to what it looked like before the war. You have to see it to believe it. One thing I found interesting is that it's tough to go anywhere where you cannot see at least one church or church steeple, or if you're in the country, see a small wayside shrine; the Poles take (or at least used to take) their Catholicism very seriously. Likewise, there were plenty of soldiers around, just as there were little pre-teen boys running around in somewhat military looking uniforms (I was told that they were Boy Scouts). On a more somber note, the memorial in what used to be the Warsaw Ghetto is moving. Lazienki Park is beutiful. For those interested in military things, there is a first-rate military museum righ behind the Hilton (which is a really great hotel - I think the breakfast there is the best I have ever had in a hotel, anywhere!). Prises were very reasonable for food, and the food was surprisingly (I didn't know what to expect before I went there) good; there's a fair amount of wild game meat available. I'd suggest getting a hot chocolate at Wedel's coffee house (service there was the worst I encounterd in Warsaw - some cranky old lady at the front counter, but she was compensated for by the waitress and by the quality of the drink). Surprising to see how well dressed the Warsaw folks were, especially the young women, many of whom were just plain stunning. Although Warsaw might not be at the top of my travel list, it is far from the bottom. Worth a trip if you are inclined to go to that part of the world.

I made the mistake of seeing Krakow first so this was just a big blah. Best public toilets, ever. The classical music, the chandeliers, the suffocating perfume, the pleasant old ladies that run the place, what's not to like ? Warsaw is so neat and clean its almost hard to breathe there.