Best things to do in Warsaw, Poland with teens
This post may contain affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission if items are purchased via the link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Are you planning a trip to Warsaw with teenagers? We recently visited Poland’s capital and had a blast exploring the city. While Kraków and Gdańsk might be more popular with the tourist crowds, Warsaw has a ton of attractions, restaurants and sites even the grumpiest of teens will enjoy. Here’s how to spend an unforgettable few days in Warsaw with teenagers.
Things to know when visiting Warsaw
- We didn’t have to take out any cash from the ATM at all, the entire city, including small shops, are cashless and Apple Pay was accepted everywhere.
- While Warsaw has a great public transportation service, Bolt was super cheap here so for convenience, we just used that. It was nice to walk for hours and then just get a car once we got tired.
- While English is spoken in many places, learn some basic Polish phrases. Things like: Dzień dobry (good day), Dziękuję (thank you), Proszę (please/you’re welcome). Polish is my first language and we did encounter spots where no English was spoken, particularly the more local shops and restaurants.
- Warsaw was nearly destroyed in WWII and most of the buildings in Old Town you see are replicas rebuilt after the war.
Where to stay in Warsaw with teens
There are many family friendly hotels and apartments in Warsaw. Since we use points, we prefer hotels. We stayed at the Moxy Warsaw Praga, which was in an exccellent location, the Centrum Praskie Koneser. We had a ton of shops, bakeries, supermarkets and restaurants within 5 minutes of the hotel. This whole area is intended to hang out in, with outdoor games and spots to sit outside. If you’re traveling with young kids, there’s a playground directly next to the hotel and an interactive children’s museum as well. We love the Moxy brand and their funky vibe and have stayed in them all over the world. They are always in the best, central locations and the price is much cheaper than other Marriott hotels. And the plus? We had ac, which came in useful in the summer. The rooms were hot without it even though the outside temp was in the low 70s.
Other family friendly Warsaw hotels you should consider are the InterContinental Warszawa by IHG and Sheraton Grand Warsaw.
Here are some other family friendly hotels and apartments in Warsaw:
Things to do in Warsaw with teens
There are so many things to do in Warsaw with teens, you most likely won’t get to do everything on your list. Whether your teen is into edgy street art, interactive museums, or the best places for bubble tea and selfies, Warsaw won’t disappoint. Here are some things to do in Warsaw with teens.
Explore Old Town
Did you know that Warsaw’s Old Town was completely destroyed in WWII? What you are seeing is the reconstruction and they did a really good job in maintaining the look. You can easily spend several hours just wandering around and exploring the beautiful alleyways, different shops and restaurants. This is one of the best things to do in Warsaw with teens.
Nowy Świat Street
One of the most popular streets in Warsaw is Nowy Świat Street, which translates to New World Street. Here you’ll find shopping, dining and lots of fun souvenir shops to explore. It’s fun to see this area compared to the Old Town and a great way to spend a couple of hours just wandering around.
Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum
Is it even a trip to Europe if you don’t force your teens to learn a bit of local history? Warsaw is home to many museums and one of our favorites was the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum. At less than $7USD for both of us, it’s a bargain. Here you’ll learn about the life of Marie Curie, it’s the only biographical museum in the world of the Nobel Prize winner.
Łazienki Park
The largest park in Poland, this is a very popular park with locals and tourists alike. Originally built as a bathing pavilion, the park was transformed into a royal residence by Poland’s last king. You can wander around and see lakes, gardens and peacocks. In the summer, you might even catch an outdoor concert.
Visit a local mall
Warsaw is home to multiple malls and we visited Złote Tarasy. The mall is beautiful and modern, with lots of shops and restaurants to choose from. If you’re coming with teens, some stores they may like here where Polish teenagers shop include Stradivarius, Pull & Bear and Bershka.
Visit a local museum
Warsaw is home to over 40 museums, covering many different topics from the city’s history to toy and game museums. Check out all their offerings and choose some that your family will enjoy.
Visit a local market
During the summer months, you will find lots of markets selling fresh produce. Redcurrants are one of the most popular fruits in Poland and you will find many desserts and drinks made with them. I remember eating these as a child and introduced my daughter to these sour tiny red berries.
Where to eat in Warsaw with teens
Milk Bars
Want to try some authentic, traditional Polish food without spending a lot? Head to a milk bar (bar mleczny). These have a long history in Poland dating back to 1896, when the first one opened up in Warsaw. Our favorite milk bar in Warsaw is Bar Ząbkowski. Keep in mind that the employees here do not speak much English but there is a translated menu you can point to.
The goal of milk bars was to offer simple, inexpensive meals to working class people and students. Milk bars really took off after WWII, during Poland’s Communist rule. The government wanted to provide cheap, nutritious meals to its citizens. After the fall of Communism, milk bars were seen as outdated and no longer cool and many closed down.
Today, milk bars are making a come back. If you want to try an authentic one, head to one in a local neighborhood where the menu is in Polish and the employees speak no English. Here you’ll see lots of locals and get to sample authentic Polish dishes at cheap prices. We visited several in the city and all of the food in each photo was less than $15 USD. This is one of the best places to eat with teens in Warsaw and one where you can try lots of traditional Polish dishes for a very low cost.
Gościniec Polskie Pierogi
Is it even a trip to Poland if you don’t eat pierogi at least once? Gościniec has locations all over the city, so look for one near where you are. We visited the Nowy Świat location and loved our meal here. My favorite pierogi are sauerkraut and mushroom, so that’s what I had. My daughter loves schnitzel so she opted for that and claimed it was the best she’s ever had, a title previously held by a random restaurant in Liechtenstein.
We also ordered sweet pierogi. You can mix and match the flavors, so we tried cherry, strawberry and blueberry (my favorite!). Fun fact: Pierogi is plural, no need to add an s. The singular form of pierogi is pieróg but you’ll never have to use that since nobody eats just one!
Try some traditional Polish street food
One of the most popular Polish street foods is the zapiekanka, a baguette with a mushroom base (you can get it without mushrooms at many places if you don’t like them but it’s one of Poland’s major food groups) and cheese. Then you can add toppings but I like mine with just the mushrooms, cheese and ketchup, the way it was made at home when I was a kid. My daughter hates mushrooms so she got hers with just cheese and ham. You’ll see stands all over the city selling them, so be sure to try one while in Warsaw!
Azia Restaurant
Located in the Koneser Center, right by our hotel, we came here for dumplings one day. If you’re at the point of your trip where you need some Asian food, this is a great spot. They had xia long bao, gyoza and many other dim sum options.
Chocolate Cafe E. Wedel
If you’re in the mood for dessert, check out Poland’s most famous chocolate cafe, E.Wedel. There are multiple locations throughout the city, each offering drinking chocolate, ice cream and all sorts of desserts. My daughter had the naleśniki (crepes) and I had the fondue. We also shared a hot chocolate drink with strawberries and everything was delicious. While here, be sure to pick up a box of ptasie mleczko to bring home! It’s one of Poland’s most famous candies and makes a great gift.
Żabka
If you’re coming to Poland, you must visit Żabka, the most famous convenience store in Poland. Żabka is to Poland what 7-11 is to Japan. Here, you will find lots of prepared foods, the most popular being their hot dogs. I even found a coke bottle with my name on it, something I’ve obviously never seen in the US. Yes, it came home (empty) with me!
As you can see, there are lots of things to do in Warsaw to fill up a few days. I know Kraków is usually the city of choice for tourists, but don’t skip Poland’s capital if you have the chance to visit! We loved walking around and exploring the different neighborhoods and eating lots of Polish food.
Want to read this later? Pin one of the images below.
