On one side of the city there is the historic Old Town, the Baroque Royal Castle and many other monuments of its glorious past; on the other side of Warsaw modern sky-scrapers glitter and somewhere in between you will come across numerous reminders of the Communist state. Warsaw is a city of contrasts.

The Old Town (Stare Miasto) was completely destroyed during the Second World War. Rebuilt in the 1950's, it has now become the major tourist attraction in Warsaw.

The centre of the Old Town is Market Square (Rynek Starego Miasta) with its colourful town houses. It is usually full of people lisiting it for its famous cafes, pubs and restaurants. From late April till September you will find it even more crowded because the square is filled with cafe tables, artists at work and horse-drawn carts.

The Old Town and the New Town (in reality it was built soon after the Old Town) which is situated north of the Market Square, are great examples of 18th century Polish architecture. Both towns have charming little streets and nicely decorated houses.

Completely different is the area around the Central Railway Station (Dworzec Centralny) which is the best example of Warsaw's contrasts. The Palace of Culture and Science, the greatest masterpiece of Stalinist architecture, is surrounded by gleaming sky-scrapers, sophisticated shopping malls and hotels.

Walking around Warsaw you will find it beautiful as well as overwhelmingly different.

Other attractions of interest:

• Royal Castle (Zamek Krolewski)
• The Royal Route
• Lazienki Park and Palace
• Wilanow Palace

Beyond the city:

• Kazimierz Dolny
• Puszcza Kampinowska
• Zelazowa Wola (Fryderyk Chopin's birth place)