The Genius Idea of Stopovers in Warsaw

Normally I aim to spend anywhere from two to three hours between connecting flights at international airports before moving on promptly to my final destination. In the adventure my wife and I undertook, we had a stopover in Warsaw of a whopping seven-and-a-half hours **during the day**. There is no way any airport is so good to spend that much time there during the day, so we were definitely going to see the city. But was it worth it? Could we see something and get back to our connecting flight without being frazzled?

Even if you need a short-term visa, get one. Warsaw is fairly easy to get around, even on a weekend, and the sites are lovely. So the question is, what can you do in that amount of time?

A lil math to calculate play time

On the front end, it will take you an hour to go through passport control, get a sim card (or activate your e-sim if your phone allows), and go to the pickup point for your preferred mode of transportation. It takes about a half hour one-way for travel between the airport and the train station in the city centre via bus (public transit). You can add a few minutes to that and take the metro (although I wouldn't bother). You can halve that time (15 mins) and pay ten times as much by taking a cab - it's up to you.

On the back end, you should aim to be at the airport two hours before your connecting flight to go through security and passport control again and arrive at the departure gate without being winded. For us, we didn't need to worry about luggage since those were already routed through to our final destination (one less thing to worry about).

So, that's a total of four hours gone for simple transportation logistics (1 hour for customs to enter Poland, 1 hour for round-trip buses, and 2 hours for airport stuff coming back). What to do with the rest? Enjoy life in Warsaw.

Assuming you are in the city between the hours of 9am and 8pm local time, a few hours is all you need. With a solid three hours, you can take in at least one place of interest and eat a full meal. Doing more is definitely pushing it, so why frazzle yourself? If you have more than three spare hours net of the above logistics calculation, then sure, consider seeing more. The point is, pick in advance so you know the time spent walking and soaking up the city will be enjoyable.

We opted for the Chopin museum and then a pierogi restaurant after we soaked up a near-aerial view of the city from atop the Palace of Culture and Science. Honestly, all turned out to be great choices, including the walk.

The museum was a true delight on our ears following a trans-Atlantic flight. The music massaged our ears to the point where we had to set an alarm to remind ourselves to leave in time to find a place to eat! Had we had an extra hour, we would have stayed for a live performance. Still, the museum's artefacts weren't overly impressive, but the design of it was - as were all the places you could listen to various masterpieces of his. Also, the inscriptions did justice to his life and I walked away feeling I knew a good, honest piece of Fryderyck Chopin.

About half way between the station and the Chopin museum is Nowy Swiat - a pedestrian-friendly street loaded with restaurants. I had aimed for Gosciniec, but we opted for the place right next door, Croque Madame, for the huge cost savings, great service, and equally impressive dishes.

We walked back to the main square and hopped on a bus back to the airport well in time to catch our connecting flight. If you need a connecting bus, google maps is your friend. That said, I do need to point out two things about getting bus tickets.

Where to buy bus tickets?

Yes, they cost 4.4 Polish zlotys per person per ride. To get them, you can check YouTube videos to find the row of three machines between the bus station and metro station, but everything else in the videos I found were just wrong.

Here's how to do it. Use the machine in the middle or on the right that looks like it's one from a private company. Do NOT use the boring-looking machine on the left that seems to attract a line-up. Select your language. Then, select the type of busfare you want. In our case it was two regular adult fares for 75 minutes for zone 1 - which is plenty to take one adult from the airport to downtown one-way (ditto for return). Most bus stops throughout the city have a ticket machine next to it to buy your return ticket, making it easy to get them on the way back. Finally, slide in enough Polish zlotys and voilà. It will spit out tickets the size of your thumb (kinda small, actually).

The bus between the airport and downtown is route 175 (as of Sept. 2024). When you enter the bus (front or rear door), look for a machine the size of a super-thick smartphone to scan your ticket. That device will only have one function. Do not confuse it with another much larger machine that deals with transit passes - although they are usually right next to each other.

In all, round trip busfare, good eats, and a museum cost us, an adult couple, about $90 (Canadian). We actually crammed in the cultural palace observation deck and a cab ride in (since the ticket machines at the airport threw us off) for an additional $45 (Canadian). Everything was paid for in cash in Polish zlotys I had bought prior to our trip, which I recommend doing.

To be honest, we were disappointed we didn't have enough time to do a stint in the city on our return trip to North America. Still, kudos to whomever is responsible for planning more than six hours between connecting flights in Warsaw! I mean, there are also tons of tour companies out there that will pick you up and drop you off at the airport, but those can get pricey.

2 Surprises Aboard LOT Airlines

First, we bought economy class tickets, which gave us the opportunity to bid on upgrading our seats. That's the first airline I have encountered that does that and basically, they send you an email enticing you to submit a bid (in increment options they impose) to upgrade your seat for any leg of your flight. We bid the lowest increment option available on one of our trans-Atlantic flights where we knew we would be sleeping and the extra $530 (CAD) per person was worth it. Better food, comfier pillow, plusher blanket, nicer seat...in premium economy at less than the full price of premium economy!

The second surprise was classless. Most airlines will offer a pre-packaged wet wipe to wash your hands when they come around with a meal or snacks. Well, the ones on LOT airlines have a distinct smell. For about thirty minutes after people start opening them, the entire cabin smelled like vodka. A pleasant smell for those who like to drink and...noticeable to those such as myself who don't. Every airline appeals to its primary culture, I s'pose.

Note: This was based on a trip taken in September 2024. While buildings don't move, do check the Internet for the latest on city transportation options.

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