To spend an incredible August in Warsaw, the key is getting outdoors

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It’s 5 p.m. on Aug. 1, and the entire area around Warsaw’s Rondo Dmowskiego roundabout has come to a halt. Sirens sound; hordes of motorcyclists begin revving their engines. Head bowed, locals hold up smoke sticks, creating a “fog of war” effect. This is a celebration of “W” Hour, a one-minute remembrance of the heroes of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, a 63-day act of military resistance to Nazi occupation that ended with much of the city being destroyed. It’s also a compelling reminder that Warsaw is a city still finding ways to embrace the future while honouring its past.

I’ve spent every summer in Warsaw for the past decade. While my primary motivation for the repeated visits is seeing the friends I’ve made over the years, I’ve also fallen in love with the city’s rapid evolution. And while locals leaving the city to take one last vacation before the return of autumn weather will disagree with me, August is the best time to visit Warsaw.

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The unofficial theme of the month is getting outdoors. It isn’t just the café owners dragging their tables onto the sidewalks (although spots in Savior Square could certainly give Paris a run for its money). There are simply more opportunities for outdoor socialization during the summer. Once summer is over, Warsaw buttons back up.

I am not a morning person, but I will start my August weekends by dragging myself out of bed for the breakfast market Targ Śniadaniowy, a summer event which sets up shop in the Żoliborz neighbourhood on Saturdays, and the Mokotów area on Sundays. Evening owls will appreciate Nocny Market, a night market that repurposes the abandoned platforms of Warszawa Gtowna train station on the weekends. Both events showcase Warsaw’s ever-expanding bench of international food options, art and music.

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A caveat on visiting Warsaw’s Old Town: The neighbourhood was fully destroyed in the Second World War. While the buildings that stand there now are beautiful, they’re a recreation of what it looked like – one that comes with overpriced restaurants. But I’ll make an exception for Jazz na Starowce, a summer-long jazz festival that’s taken residence in the colourful square for the past 32 years.

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But if you’re looking for more local-approved food and culture, grab bowls at Bar Pacyfik and bring them to LOT’s Summer Cinema series, an outdoor movie showing held in the shadow of the Palace of Culture on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Or picnic in Lazienki Park on Sundays with the accompaniment of a live Chopin piano concert series. One of Warsaw’s most famous creatives may have passed more than 170 years ago, but the long shadow of Chopin’s legacy can also be felt at Pardon, To Tu, a bar that often books local free jazz, classical and improvisational artists.

The area around the Vistula River isn’t excessively built out, and that’s exactly why I like it. Along the Praga side, the banks are largely left as is, acting as an ad hoc nature preserve. (Translation: Bring bug spray.) However, on the Warsaw side, the Vistula Boulevards, a six-kilometre strip running along the river, populated by skaters, walkers and joggers, can be a particularly enjoyable place to sit in the sun during the day. This is especially true if you take up residence on one of Warsaw’s many artificial beaches.

But the area comes alive at night. Floating establishments – like the aptly named BarKa – offer both drinks and evening concerts, turning the area into a shockingly well-behaved open-air bar. (Just don’t try to drink in other parts of the city – consuming alcohol in parks and streets will result in a fine.) The city has continued to pour money into this area, including opening the Ktadka walking bridge in 2024, which has become one of my favourite spots to watch the sunset.

I’m a walker regardless of location, but on Sundays in the summer, Nowy Swiat and Krakowskie Przedmiescie – two streets that wind through Warsaw’s high-end shopping district and into Castle Square – go car-free. Here, the experience of strolling the streets, or just stopping for a traditional Polish doughnut (with twists such as Nutella and passion fruit) at Dobra Pączkarnia Warszawa, becomes all the more inviting.

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Public transit sightseers, the city has you as well – on the weekends during the summer, special trams from the 1940s and 1950s run along Line T. It’s delightful enough to see the candy-coloured cars rattle by, but passengers are also taken on a route that includes Filtrowa Street, the Warsaw Uprising Museum and Wola cemeteries – considered to be some of the most compelling points of interest in the city. Unlike their more modern tram car relatives, these don’t have ticket machines on board, so be sure to purchase a ticket at a nearby subway station or on a mobile app, or risk being that North American unsuccessfully trying to talk your way out of a stiff fine. (Trust me, it doesn’t work.)

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August in Warsaw may start with a sombre remembrance, but the month is ultimately a celebration. The Polish capital is still in the middle of a decades-long rebuilding process, but they’ve found a balance – one that allows for both memory and progress. Just be sure to take it all in before the mercury drops.

If you go

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Poland’s national carrier LOT is the only airline that offers regular non-stop flights between Toronto and Warsaw. If you choose to add Warsaw on to a larger European trip, be sure to book your flights into Warsaw Chopin (WAW) rather than Warsaw Modlin (WMI), to save transit times into the city.

Embrace the city’s past and modernist future by staying at Hotel Warszawa, a formal Second World War target turned five-star hotel. It celebrates Warsaw’s past with a modernist design that showcases the building’s original materials and scars. The location also provides an incredible view of the Palace of Culture.

Poland uses Polish ztoty. While most stores and restaurants across Warsaw accept credit cards and Apple Pay, it’s worth keeping cash handy. You’ll want funds for park ice-cream vendors and milk bars – low-cost kitchens serving traditional Polish food.

Because August is a month of remembrance, the Warsaw Uprising Museum often sells out weeks in advance and requires advance reservations. Likewise, the award-winning POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, regularly considered one of the best museums in Europe, is worth booking ahead if you have a preferred time of visit. The majority of museums in Warsaw also offer one free day every week.

The writer’s hotel stay was complimentary and it did not review or approve this article. Stories are based on merit; The Globe does not guarantee coverage.