One perfect day in Warsaw: Old Town, Royal Route, Lazienki and a sunset view

Warsaw rewards a simple plan: begin where the city began and follow the royal axis south. This itinerary strings together stops we have covered in detail, with links to each guide.

Morning: the Old Town

Start at Castle Square by Sigismund's Column. If it is a Wednesday, step into the Royal Castle first thing - its permanent exhibitions are free that day. Then wander the Old Town: the Market Square with its mermaid, the city walls and the cathedral. The fifth floor of the Museum of Warsaw gives a lovely panorama over the square's painted townhouses.

Midday: the Royal Route

Leave the square down Krakowskie Przedmiescie, the opening stretch of the Royal Route: St Anne's Church (climb the 150 steps of its bell tower if you skipped the museum view), the Presidential Palace with Chopin's first-concert address, and the university's Kazimierzowski Palace. Turn onto Nowy Swiat for lunch - a milk bar keeps it cheap, fast and very Warsaw. If you prefer a green pause, the Saxon Garden and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sit five minutes away.

Afternoon: a park or a museum

Choose one anchor. Garden weather argues for Royal Lazienki Park with its Palace on the Island and peacocks; in summer, free Sunday Chopin concerts play at the composer's monument. Museum weather argues for the POLIN Museum or the Warsaw Rising Museum - and on a Thursday both POLIN's core exhibition and several other museums are free (see the full free museum days schedule).

Evening: Vistula and a sunset view

Drop down to the Vistula Boulevards for golden hour on the river, then finish above the city: the 30th-floor terrace of the Palace of Culture stays open into the evening, and our viewpoints guide lists a dozen alternatives, including the EU's highest deck in Varso Tower. Dinner in Praga across the river - around the Koneser complex - closes the loop.

Practical notes

Everything before Lazienki is walkable; use the metro or a tram for the jumps to POLIN, Praga or the palace terrace - our public transport guide covers tickets. Comfortable shoes are non-negotiable: this route easily tops 15,000 steps.