When I arrived in Warsaw it was nearly midnight. The city was lit up beautifully with skyscrapers glimmering in the distance and the opera house and old cathedrals floodlit in white. I thought about everything I’d heard about Warsaw before I left- that it was industrial, spread out, ugly, and boring- and felt like everyone must have been lying. I was going to prove them wrong. I was going to discover that Warsaw was a hidden gem of Central Europe.
Except that never happened.
The next morning I woke up to clear skies and a delicious hostel breakfast. I made my way down to Castle Square to join a free walking tour. The guide, Beata, was gregarious and extremely knowledgeable about Poland.
We walked around Warsaw’s Old Town area as she told stories of the city’s 63 day uprising against the Nazis in the final stages of World War II and of Marie Curie, one of the most well known Warsawians. We stopped for mid-morning vodka shots and traditional Polish drinking snacks.
All the colorful buildings in the Old Town looked lovely contrasted against the deep blue sky. I spent the afternoon after the tour sipping on a beer, reading, and people watching in the Market Square.
I should have loved the city.
But for some reason I just couldn’t connect.
Like Adventurous Kate wrote about recently, Warsaw may have been a victim of timing. I had just come from Berlin, a city I absolutely loved and didn’t want to leave. I think I wouldn’t have been impressed with ANY city straight after.
I also think my less than wonderful feelings about Warsaw may have stemmed from the fact that I there wasn’t really much of interest to see. After my tour around Old Town, a visit to the Neon Museum, and taking in the view at The Palace of Culture and Science, I was stumped for things to do.
Then there was the fact that I was alone. This usually isn’t a problem but the only other people at my hostel were big groups of friends who weren’t interested in hanging out with solo me. The city was filled with cute cafes and restaurants, and even a riverside beach, that would have been perfect for enjoying the beautiful weather, but by myself I began to feel bored after a while.
Did Warsaw get a fair shot?
I don’t know.
I went in with the best of intentions, but maybe time and circumstance got in the way of me truly seeing the city with clear eyes.
Have you ever been to a place you just couldn’t connect with?
I hear ya. Had it just the same with Paris when I went early this mont.. Just could not get the Love this city feeling at all. Left me a bit disappointed actually
I think high expectations can sometimes leave us disappointed. There have been a few places I’ve read so much about and everyone loves and then I get there and feel let down for some reason. Such is life, I guess!
I felt exactly the same when I went to Brisbane, Amanda. I’d already lived in Sydney and Melbourne, so when I ‘moved’ there (I actually didn’t end up moving there, I left 2 weeks later and went back to Sydney but in the beginning I had intended to live there for a bit) I was severely underwhelmed; even though I really like walking around the gardens and visiting the city-beach, and we found a couple of nice places to eat and did some shopping, I honestly couldn’t connect with the city. Something was missing for me. Warsaw looks lovely, I’ve never been but I would totally go, having been to Gdansk. But you’re right – sometimes that feeling of absolutely loving a place on your travels just doesn’t happen, and it’s totally OK.
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Yeah, Warsaw wasn’t horribly by any means. There were many parts I liked and I would never tell someone not to go there, but it just wasn’t my favorite. And that’s fine. Lucky, you were able to not move to Brisbane and go back to Sydney! Living somewhere you can’t connect with is not fun at all…
I think you just needed the company of someone *cough cough me* to have a few too many beers with and get into some good, hearty Polish trouble.
“Good, hearty Polish trouble” is ambiguous. I think you get the point though.
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Obviously. A beer drinking partner would have made it a different city
And good, hearty Polish trouble sounds like something I’m not sure I want to experience lol
I haven’t been, but I know timing has been a factor for me not connecting with other countries as well. Maybe you should go back in a year or so!
Rachel of Hippie in Heels recently posted..Lost on the Dangerous Roads of Himachal Pradesh: Sarahan
Yeah, I’d love to go back (with some friends) and give it another chance!
That happened to me in Montevideo. After traveling through Argentina and Chile, Uruguay just didn’t have the wow factor. I felt bad about it too, but I guess it just happens with traveling sometimes.
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Yeah, when you are on the road for a long period or do a lot of traveling you are bound to hit a place that just doesn’t completely do it for you every now and then. Sometimes to no fault of the place!
Wow, I have to say I was a little shocked to read that you were stumped for things to do. I spent 10 days in Warsaw and was busy almost every day. I can’t believe you didn’t go to the Warsaw Uprising museum – I spent a few hours there and consider it an absolute must. I also visited the Jewish Cemetery, the Pawiak Prison, the palace that is in the Old Town, a fortress/castle just outside of the Old Town, the bohemian part of town across the river, another large park with a palace and large pond and did a self-guided walking tour of Holocaust/Jewish Ghetto related sites. Granted, not all of that is for everyone and I can understand if a certain city just doesn’t do it for you, but I don’t think it’s fair to say there just wasn’t much to see/do in Warsaw.
Here’s what I wrote about my time there: http://katieaune.com/warsaw-somber-and-inspiring/
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The Warsaw Uprising Museum was actually on my to-do list and then after spending some time in the bohemian part across the river, getting lost for a while, and eating lunch I’d nearly run out of time to get there and make it worth it. Again, mostly my fault. I guess I should have clarified that according to me, there wasn’t much to do. I really think it just had a lot to do with where I’d come form and where I was going. Your post is lovely and did capture the spirit of the city that I did like, but overall for me it just wasn’t a favorite. Thanks for your comment, Katie!
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t connect. Warsaw is one of my favourite cities in Poland, but I have a lot of friends there and they always make my stay there! You should definitely come back in summer as the city is full of life, it’s charming and colorful!
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I would definitely like to give it another chance sometime. Hopefully with friends!
As travelers and bloggers, I think we’re determined to find a new city to love and share with others. But that’s not always the case and that’s okay. I also believe that some cities don’t have any charm for tourists, but they are wonderful to live in (I actually feel this way about where I live – Madrid). And something we sometimes forget is that people have different tastes and different ways of traveling, so obviously we’re all going to prefer some cities over others.
But hey, you can always give it a second shot like others have said! And maybe you just need a few more midmorning vodkas to make the day a little interesting
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That’s a really good point. I felt that way about Korea as a whole. I loved living there, but I’m not sure it is a great country for the casual traveler who doesn’t know much about the place or language.
And like you said, not liking a place that much is always a great reason to go back
I’m glad I found your blog — it’s great! Also, I completely agree that timing is a huge factor. Berlin is a huge city with lots to do, so like you said, any city might have paled in comparison. I imagine the US equivalent would be going to NYC and then a smaller, less lively city immediately afterwards. I felt very underwhelmed by Copenhagen after visiting Berlin, as well.
Thanks, Valerie! Yeah, timing can be killer. And apparently Berlin should only be visited when you aren’t going somewhere else immediately after
I’d agree that timing is a factor and sometimes it definitely depends on whose company you’re in. When I visited Oaxaca, my first few days were kind of ‘meh’ because I was alone and got kind of bored after a while. I was ready to leave early. Then I met a group of 3 girls who were also all travelling alone and joined them for the rest of the week. Now I have the most amazing memories of Oaxaca that I’ll never forget!
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I totally agree! People can make a huge difference as well as timing.
Well, maybe it’s the timing. Except, I was born in Warsaw and the way I feel about this place is pretty much similar to what you wrote. I know Warsaw has a lot of fans, a lot of people love it. I just never happened to and that’s okay.
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Yeah, everyone loves different places because they find different things appealing. Such is life!
I told you to contact me before your arrival, I would have showed you around a real Warsaw (and so far I have a good record of making people fall in love with the city, ask Hecktic Travels, Amanda from Dangerous Business or Backpacker Becki;)) From what I can see from your post you just saw a very basics of what the city has to offer and I’m actually not that surprised you didn’t like it all that much. It’s an unique city and you need to dig deeper to find its real charm. Well, you should come back here to see the real Warsaw, I’m sure you’d enjoy it then!
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I AM KICKING MYSELF RIGHT NOW. I totally forgot
I definitely only scratched the surface, which is unfortunately all I had time to do on this trip.
Sometimes it just doesn’t click… I really liked Warsaw, even though it was freezing. But then unlike you; I did have company to do things with. That can really make a difference in some places.
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It really can. There are just some cities that are better with company!