Most eastern European cities have a beautiful town square tucked away somewhere, but Warsaw's Old Town Market Place (Rynek Starego Miasta) is unique. The old town was completely flattened in World WarII - one of Warsaw's 'sister' cities is Coventry. Between 1946 and 1980 this square, and the rest of the old centre, was painstakingly re-built, using as many of the existing bricks and detail as could be salvaged from the rubble. Warsaw is truly a phoenix city.
The whole area is now a World Heritage site and there is a castle, cobbles and horse-drawn carriages to beat the best of them. The Warsaw Historical Museum is in the square if you want to find out more. Afterwards, watch the world go by at one of the square's restaurants - try some serious Polish food such as pork knuckle with sauerkraut.

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The Nozyk Synagogue is the only synagogue in Warsaw that survived the war. It is located in an area of Warsaw that was originally inside the Little Ghetto in 1940, but was later outside the Ghetto after it was made smaller, following deportations.

Out of thousands of synagogues in Poland, there are only about 245 remaining. All of the unique wooden synagogues were destroyed, although some 17th century wooden Catholic churches remain to this day. The Nozyk synagogue was named for the man who founded it in 1900, Zalman ben Menasze Nozyk, and his wife Rywka bat Mosze (some guidebooks say it was founded in 1902).

Today services are held here every Friday night and every Saturday. Inside, you will see the interior of a moderately wealthy synagogue from turn-of-the-century Warsaw, with the cabinet containing the Torah scrolls and the bema (or pulpit) in the nave. The upper galleries are set aside for women.

6 Twarda St, Warschau 00-104, Polen
Tel.: 48-22-620 3496

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In a city where even the “Old Town” dates back only about 30 years, it’s no surprise that the fairly unremarkable house and grounds at Wilanow should be singled out by Warsaw tourism bods as for special praise. It is a pleasant area for a stroll, both inside and out, but take a bus to get there. It’s not really worth an overpriced taxi ride to see it.

Getting there: Lots of buses go from Nowy Swiat or the Central Station.

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A towering glass structure in the Wola district of Warsaw. It is a beautiful symbol of how Warsaw is becoming a thriving, cosmopolitan capital city to rival Berlin or Moscow. A futuristic building for a new Poland.

Ul. Chlodna 51, Wola;
tel: 22 528 22 22;
www.wtt.pl

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This is the tallest skyscraper in central Europe and is the symbol of Warsaw. It was built as a “proof of friendship” of Russia to the Polish people. It is one of Poland's most modern buildings. Inside are art galleries, theatres and shops.

Plac Defilad 1, in the very centre of Warsaw, next to Centrum metro station;
www.pkin.pl

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It's not easy to find what was once the largest ghetto in Europe as it was completely obliterated by the Nazis in 1943. What you see in films such as The Pianist or Schindler's List was filmed in the
old town or in Krakow.

Now there are only rather poor looking housing blocks but nevertheless, it's interesting to walk around these streets as there seeems to be a sense of the past there.

The monument to the ghetto heroes is impressive in Soviet style and the remains of the gruesome Pawiak Prison are very moving. From there, you can easily walk back to the old town.

ul Dzielna 24/26

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You can't miss it, it dominates the city even though there are plenty of skyscrapers competing. It's the kind of building that King Kong
would climb. A weird mixture of Stalinist and American architecture, it's worth going up to the viewing platform.

Inside it's pompous socialism, but there's a rather nice cafe on the
ground floor with good cakes and coffee and a passable cup of tea if you are prepared to deal with separate hot water and tea bags. Good toilets in the basement.

Pl Defilad 1

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Completely rebuilt after 1945 and very beautiful. I think it must be
very busy in spring and summer, quite peaceful in freezing February.

The History Museum on the square shows a film every week day at 12 o'clock about the destruction of the city, it's very moving if a bit wobbly in parts. The museum also takes you through the history
of Warsaw from stone age to modern. Closed on Mondays, free on Sundays but they don't show the film.

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The district of Nalewki was home to Warsaw's large Jewish community before World War II. In 1940 the Nazi occupying forces turned this district into the Jewish Ghetto.

The inhabitants - hundreds and thousands of Jews from Warsaw and surrounding areas - were forced to live in appalling, over-crowded conditions. Over 100,000 died from starvation and disease and a further 300,000 were deported to extermination camps.

In early 1943 members of the Jewish Fighters Organisation and the ghetto rose up against the Nazi occupiers, planned less as a bid for physical freedom than to show that acts of independence, defiance and will are a freedom in themselves. The Ghetto Uprising was violently suppressed and the whole of the ghetto demolished.

Today at the centre of the former ghetto is the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, erected in 1948 as a tribute to those who fought and died in the ghetto. It is a very moving piece of sculpture and a sombre starting point to the Path of Remembrances – a walk through the former ghetto marked by 16 granite blocks commemorating those who lived and died in the ghetto and the extermination camps. Along the walk is the Bunker Monument marking the spot from were the rebellion was co-ordinator and the walk ends at the very moving Umschlagplatz Monument, at the site of the railway siding from where so many Jews were transported to their deaths.

The monuments are simple and very effecting, not only by reminding you of the suffering that occurred during that time but also of the spirit which allowed people to demonstrate their freedom even in the face of death.

Zamenhofa ( Monument to the Ghetto Heroes)

The Path of Remembrance runs from the Monument to Ghetto Heros on Zamenhofa to the Umschlagplatz Monument on Stawki.
the Bunker Monument is on Dzielna

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