1. Some very nice parks, like Royal Lazenki, Ogród Saski, Pole Mokotowkie, Skaryszewski
2. Good public transport
3. The ,,Stalinist baroque" buildings are so kitschy that they are terrific in their own way
4. Locals are friendly when not in busy, hurrying mode
5. The city is reasonably clean and safe
6. It is obvious that Warsaw is developing very fast
7. Amazing cakes at Odette Tea Room (Twarda 2/4)
8. A city of contrasts – you can find vestiges of the pre-communist, wartime and communist eras mixed with the more recent, modern style
9. Restaurants are not expensive
10. A lot of exciting street art
1. Not so
attractive if you get out the Old Town
2. The soulless broad avenues
w.n. photo
3. The grey housing estates from the communist era
4. The Praga district is still ugly, but the street art community has at least given it some color
5. Warsaw as a tourist destination can hardly compete with the nicer Prague, Budapest or Vienna
6. The food is dull
7. The streets can be so crowded it’s best to refrain from walking too much during morning and early evening peak times
8. A lot of drunken people around the main train and bus station
9. The city’s tragic history (war, occupation, destruction) is very saddening
10. We didn’t have time to go inside the Palace of Culture and Science, which locals call the “SovietEmpre State Building ” or the “Soviet gift”
