Low-cost traveling in Warsaw
So, you bought a lot of fancy presents for Christmas and now your pockets are empty but you would like to visit Warsaw anyway? It's still possible! Take a look at our guidebook and find out how to organize a low-cost trip to Warsaw!
1. Getting to Warsaw
First, you'll definitely need to somehow get to Warsaw. Fortunately, you have several different options to choose from. Of course, you can hunt for some promotions and cheap flights. If you do it well in advance, there is a chance you'll be lucky. However, if you haven't thought about it until the last moment, some other options may be a better choice for you.
If you're traveling within Europe, consider taking FlixBus. They offer connections with a lot of European cities such as Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Tallinn, Lviv, Paris, Riga, Hamburg, Vilnius, Bratislava, or Amsterdam. It offers regular connection buses and the tickets should be much more affordable than flights. Of course, the earlier you book, the better price you get. Bear in mind, though, that the trip will be much longer and a bit less comfortable than a flight.
There is also a third option. Warsaw has a good train connection with Budapest, Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Lviv, Kiev. Train travel may not be the shortest, but it can help you save some money and the comfort will be better than in a bus, as you can always get up, stretch your legs or grab a bite to eat. The information on train connections can be found on www.pkp.pl
2. Getting around Warsaw
This is probably the easiest way to save some money during your trip to Warsaw. Forget about taxis, Uber, Bolt, FreeNow or any other taxi-like services. Warsaw has a great public transport system! Two metro lines, a lot of buses, trams, and even trains will take you wherever you need to go! Tickets can be bought at every metro station, on some bus and tram stops, and in most buses and trains. The process of buying a ticket is very straightforward, the ticket machines operate not only in Polish, but also in English, German, Russian, and Ukrainian and you can pay for your ticket by card! The single 20-minute fare costs 3,4 PLN, the 75-minute one: 4,4 PLN. Remember that foreigners can only use full price tickets. The ticket has to be validated on the bus or tram, or before entering the metro station. Once validated, can be used for the indicated amount of time, regardless of the number of means of transport you're using.
If you would like to plan your itinerary in real time, download the jakdojade app or use their website: jakdojade.pl
3. Eating
Your traveling experience won't be complete if you don’t eat something typical for the place you visit. It’s no different in Warsaw. If you're looking for some great restaurants, check out my article on the 10 Best Restaurants in Warsaw. But those of you who would like to eat good, typical Polish food without spending too much money, should mostly focus on milk bars. No, these are not bars that serve you shots of milk instead of vodka. These are typical, very affordable restaurants, serving typical Polish food, that became extremely popular during the times of communism in Poland. Now, they are becoming popular once again and still offer the cheapest food in the country. Imagine that you can have a full lunch dish (e.g. chicken, potatoes, and a salad) for less than 5 EUR. Impossible? Not in a milk bar! To find the one that is located near you, take a look at my Milk Bars google map!
4. Visiting the museums for free
In Warsaw, there are a lot of very interesting museums that can help you understand the history of the Polish capital even better and deep-dive into the subjects you're most interested in. However, the entrance tickets may be quite pricey so to avoid this additional cost, be smart! All of the most important Warsaw museums offer a free entrance one day a week. And the good news is that with a little bit of luck and planning, you will be able to see almost all of them as the free days are spread across the whole week.
Take a look at the list below where I gathered some information about the most popular Warsaw museums and days when you can enter them for free.
Please remember that this article is updated regularly, but before going to a chosen museum, I recommend double checking the free day on their website anyway, as it can change from day to day. After clicking on the name of each museum, you will be redirected to its website.
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday
If you are traveling in November, remember that you can visit the Royal Residences for free for the whole month:
Royal Castle in Warsaw
Royal Łazienki Museum
Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów
However, be ready to stand in a line for a bit, especially if you are planning to visit them during the weekend because Polish people love free stuff ;)
5. Visiting the city for free
Not in a mood to plan your whole trip in such detail or to plan when to do what? You can still see some places in the capital of Poland for free. What's the best part? The entrance to these places is free every day!
Parks - you may have not thought about it but it's worth knowing that around 40% of the city is covered with green areas. And some of them are absolutely spectacular! Did you know that one of the Warsaw parks is twice as big as the Vatican? Or that we have a couple of forests inside the city? Visiting green areas in Warsaw is a great idea for those who travel during spring or summer time and love nature. To choose the place that will suit you best check out my article on Green Areas in Warsaw.
Palace of Culture and Science - I would be very surprised if you told me that you have never heard of this building. A huge symbol of Warsaw from the communist times is really hard to miss. And while you need to pay a bit if you want to go up to the viewing terrace, the entrance to the building is totally free. So why not do that? Walk around it, admire all the decorations, and then take a look at the monumental architecture inside.
NBP Money Center - it may not sound extremely interesting but believe me, it really is! This multimedia exhibition will guide you through the fascinating world of finance. In the 16 rooms you will learn about the history of money against the background of the social and economic history of the world and Poland, play the role of a broker, enter a safe and see what an ATM looks like inside, and much more!
Museum of Legia Warszawa - this museum is a real treat for sport enthusiasts! It presents the history of one of the best Polish football clubs. The museum is located next to the Legia stadium (keep in mind that it'll be closed on match days) and presents several hundred exhibits related to the club.
Geological Museum - fancy a little bit of learning? Visit the Geological Museum in Warsaw, the only museum of this kind in the whole country. What can you find there? Skeletons of animals from the ice age, minerals, crystals, fossils, meteorites, and much more!
6. Visiting the city with a tour guide
Last but not least, I would like to suggest you take part in a guided tour, as sometimes it may be difficult to understand Warsaw without having the context of the specific place. You can book a private walking tour and thanks to that get a tailor-made trip, with unlimited access to the guide and the possibility to ask as many questions as you want. However, those of you who don't want a personalized, one-to-one tour, should think about joining one of the Warsaw walking tours organized in the "pay-as-you-wish" formula. How does this work? You just need to sign up online, show up at a given time and place, and at the end of the tour pay the tour guide the amount that you think is relevant. This may be a cheaper option than a standard, guided walking tour, however, please bear in mind that the guides providing the "pay-as-you-wish" tours are professional tour guides who make their living thanks to these tours. So, while you may pay less than you would for a private tour, pay your tour guide fairly for their work. To find the tours offered in Warsaw, check out the website of the Walkative company and book your spot!
Travelling on a budget can be tricky, so I hope this article comes in handy, and now you'll be able to plan your low-cost holidays easier. If you have any other tips on how to save some money while traveling to Warsaw, please leave a comment below!