Castle Square

Warsaw


A natural spot from which to start exploring the Old Town is triangular Castle Sq. Attracting snap-happy tourists by the hundreds each day is the square's centrepiece, the Sigismund 's Column. Free entertainment is provided by buskers here in the evenings and on weekends.

The square is also the start of the Royal Route stretching 11km south to Wilanów Palace.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Warsaw attractions

1. Sigismund's Column

0.02 MILES

Piercing triangular Castle Sq, this 22m-high monument to Sigismund III Vasa, who moved the capital from Kraków to Warsaw, was erected by the king's son…

2. Royal Castle

0.04 MILES

This remarkable copy of the original castle blown up by the Germans in WWII is filled with authentic period furniture and original works of art…

3. St John's Cathedral

0.07 MILES

Considered the oldest of Warsaw’s churches, St John's was built at the beginning of the 15th century on the site of a wooden church, and subsequently…

4. Viewing Terrace

0.08 MILES

Climb the 148 steps of the bell tower of St Anne's Church to reach this viewing terrace providing superb panoramas over the Old Town and all around.

5. Warsaw Archdiocese Museum

0.08 MILES

Ecclesiastical art, including paintings by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929) and Wlastimil Hofman (1881–1970), as well as drawings, sculptures and metallic…

6. Tin-Roofed Palace

0.1 MILES

The official English name of this pretty and compact palace isn't entirely correct as it's roofed with copper and was one of the first such 17th-century…

7. St Anne's Church

0.1 MILES

Marking the start of the Royal Way, this is arguably Warsaw's most ornate church. It escaped major damage during WWII, which explains why it sports an…

8. Kubiki Arcades

0.11 MILES

Named after the architect Jakub Kubicki, these vaulted arcades were constructed between 1819 and 1821 on the Vistula embankment beneath the castle. As…