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The most beautiful Parks and Gardens in Warsaw

In Warsaw there are several famous parks that often date back several centuries. Some are on the outskirts of the city but two of them the Saxon Garden and Krasinski Park are in the heart of the city.

The most beautiful ones Lazienki and Wilanow in the southern part of Warsaw can still be reached easily by public transport.

Saxon Garden (Ogród Saski)

The Saxon Garden was built under the order of the Saxon King August II in the early 18th century inspired by Versailles. It’s style changed was changed to an English appearance later.

In 1727 it became one of the world’s first parks open to the public. In World War II the Saxon Palace (Pałac Saski) and a wooden theater were destroyed. There are currently plans to rebuild the palace.

In 1926 the Alexander Nevski Orthodox Cathedral (built from 1894 till 1912) was demolished by the Pilsudski administration. Today you can find a monument of Jozef Pilsudski here.

The most interesting part is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier who died in a battle 1920 defending the city of Lviv. He was eventually buried here in November 1925.

The tomb is observed by soldiers until today.
Inside the park you will discover many baroque statues although lots of them have been brought to St. Petersburg.

Directly behind the tomb you will see a fountain designed by Henryk Marconi in 1855.

Around the perimeter of the fountain are places to sit and at the four cardinal directions: North, south, east and west are statues dedicated to the historical elements of Warsaw. The fountain lights up at night and the park is open 24/7.

It’s a perfect park to take in the spring flowers which adorn the entire fountain area. Apart from the central fountain and the sculptures are pristine walkways that are taken very good care of by the municipalities.

There is a man-made lake with a fountain in the middle of it. The area around the giant man-made pond is perfect for relaxing and of course having a picnic. Enjoy the swans as they swim by and if they’re lucky you and yours will feed them! Do not miss the water tower close to the lake on your way through the park.

If it’s particularly hot on the day that you visit the park there are plenty of shade trees to keep you cooled off.

Also lots of benches are there to take a rest and the kids will be delighted to find out that a playing ground is waiting for them.

The Saxon Garden (Ogród Saski) is situated between Metro Ratusz Arsenal and Świętokrzyska at uł. Marszalkowska directly in the city center.

Krasinski Park (Ogród Krasińskich) and Krasinski Palace (Pałac Krasińskich)

Krasinski Park is situated only about 600 meters from Saxon Garden and the Old Town.

This garden is especially popular by locals as it is not so crowded.

You will find  Krasinski Palace located directly at Krasinski Place (Plac Krasińskich) where the must see Warsaw Uprising Monument can be found.

Here you will also see the Cathedral of the Polish Army and Court building.

The palace was built for the Krasinski familiy between 1677 and 1700. It is situated near the palace of the family that once owned it on Dluga street.

It belongs to the polish state since 1764 and currently hosts the Polish National Library.

Having a rich history about it the park saw tough battles during World War II. Most of the building surrounding the garden were completely burnt to the ground and were never rebuilt. Thus the park expanded its territory. The outdoor walkways through the gardens are breath taking. The amount of care taken to keep the gardens pristine is paramount.

To the back of the Krasinski Palace you will find the beautiful garden, the Krasinski Park.
It has been redesigned several times and is great to visit when everything is blooming.
You can find lots of colourful flowers, benches and a small lake.

The Krasinski Park (Ogród Krasińskich) is located almost directly at Metro Ratusz Arsenal. The Krasinski Palace (Pałac Krasińskich) is just a 5 minute walk from the park entrance.

Roof Garden on top of the Warsaw University Library (Ogród na dachu Biblioteki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego)

This rooftop garden is one of the more amazing gardens in Warsaw. The garden is much bigger than one would expect as it covers the whole roof of the library.

Being a non-conventional garden it has a long walkway leading to the roof at a slight incline. It’s open from 8am to 8pm from May 1^st through September 30^th and from 8am to 6pm in April and October.

The UW Library Garden design was created by Irena Bajerska and it can be enjoyed since its opening date on June 12th 2002. So this is one of the newer additions to the public parks projects in Warsaw.

It is actually recognized to be one of the largest rooftop gardens on the European continent. It covers an area of more than 10,000 square meters and plants covering 5,111 square meters. It is actually made up of two gardens, an upper one and a lower one. It also has a beautiful water cascade that is both practical for the garden and sensual to the eyes.

From the top you have a great view of the the Wisla river and major buildings like the Palace of Culture or the Royal Castle.

Pole Mokotowskie

Pole Mokotowskie Park is a long drawn out meadow with perfectly placed planted trees and flower beds. This park is mainly for playing games, relaxing, rollerblading and getting away from the chaos of the urban world for a while. This park is amazingly colorful in autumn and is open all year.

The park is quite large with over 160 acres (65 hectares) to stroll about. There is easy public access to the park (metro stop or several buses and trams) and the activity in the park is usually always happening. People selling food and drinks, local performers, musicians, people playing frisbee, or soccer. You will find two great beer gardens or you can enjoy a cocktail next to a swimming pool.

Also a great park to go to if you want to meet and make friends with some of the locals. This park is one of the people’s favorite parks in Warsaw. Hard to believe, but here used to be an airport and the cities race track. A must see before you leave Warsaw, especially in summertime.

Praga Park (Praski Park)

Praga Park has a modern age amphitheater outside with plenty of seating for spectators watching a live play on stage.

There are various monuments dedicated to the Polish First Army whom the park was built to honor.

The parks location is on the eastern side of the Wisla River and there is beach accessible nearby. In the summer there are hundreds who flock to the park to relax and then catch some sun on i’s beach. The park is well maintained by the municipalities and crime free.

The park is quite large and is connected to Warsaw Zoo which was added in 1927.

Amidst the numerous attractions at the park rests a statue featuring polish writer Eliza Orzeszkowa it can be found here since 1938, but the huge sculpture of a giraffe is probably the most famous part about the park dating back to as early as 1981. This park is well worth your time! And a real must see if you plan to see the Zoo anyways.

Skaryszewski Park

Skaryszewski Park is one of the more wilderness based parks. If your up for a good hike along some very well maintained hiking trails than this is the park for you.

The waterfall and the long stretching lake are the main attractions here as well as the wild life and the trails themselves.

This park is very quiet and a great place to get away from the urban areas.

It’s a real touch of the wilderness right there in Warsaw and located just next to the National Stadium, so take your chance for a walk if you are in this part of town.

 

Ujazdowski Park

Ujazdowski Park is one of the more picturesque parks of Warsaw. This is the place that you are going to want to take a selfie at. The grounds are maintained with amazing precision. The municipalities who garden this park take tedious care of it.

There are several statues documenting the historical elements of Warsaw’s past. Although the park dates back to the late middle ages the area had been occupied by a village several miles south of Warsaw’s Old Town. In the early 1600s the palace and garden were built by Giovanni Battista Trevano for King Sigismund III Vasa.

The park should be on any serious tourists to visit list. Amazing artistry is captured by the park planners and strolling through this park is a true delight.

It is also located very close by to some amazing restaurants, the Parliament and Warsaw’s biggest park. So it is advised to combine your vist to Lazienki Park (which is a must) with Ujazdowski Park as they are next to each other.