Autumn in Warsaw: things to do in Warsaw in September, October & November
The autumn months in Warsaw and Poland are very different in terms of weather – usually very pleasant September, October with mixed weather, and finally November, the quintessence of what is least enjoyable in autumn – increasingly shorter days, a lot of rain, and nature ready to hibernate.
Those who live in Warsaw know to take advantage of every ray of sunlight to go for walks, enjoy and observe colorful leaves, falling chestnuts (btw, chestnuts in Poland are inedible), and appreciate going outside without hats and gloves:)
For those who plan to visit Warsaw in autumn, we definitely recommend September and October. There are no longer crowds of summer holiday tourists, local residents are at work and at school. You can easily explore Warsaw’s attractions. Here, everyone will find something for themselves – something for those who appreciate nature, for those interested in history, and certainly for gourmets – regardless of whether you want to try Polish traditional cuisine, are looking for vegan options or cuisine from around the world – Warsaw will not disappoint you!
The peak of the most intense fall foliage colors in Poland is the second half of September and the first half of October. The queen of Warsaw parks – the Łazienki Garden – does not disappoint in autumn The huge park surrounding the summer residence of the last Polish king. A must-see on your Warsaw bucket list, every season of the year. The photos speak for themselves! Our tips in English on visiting the Łazienki Garden. Admission is free. Seasonal roof garden – located on the roof of the Warsaw University Library, open until the end of October The Garden is located on the roof of a building of the University of Warsaw Library (in the Powiśle district of Warsaw) and is one of the largest roof gardens in Europe. From the top, you will have a wonderful view of Warsaw, including the Vistula River and the Palace of Culture and Science. The library Garden has two parts: the upper garden on the roof and the lower garden where you will find the ponds, the fountain, and the granite sculptures. The Lower Garden is open all year, and the Roof Garden is open from April 1 until the end of October. Our tips on visiting the Roof Garden of the Warsaw University Library. Admission is free. A huge landscape park in Wilanów The Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów in Warsaw was a baroque summer residence of King Jan III Sobieski. Not everyone knows that the area next to the Wilanów Palace is huge – 45 hectares! You will find there not only modeled palace gardens in the baroque style but also a river and a huge landscape park. Our tips on visiting the Wilanów Palace Garden. Admission is paid. The Saxon Garden / Ogród Saski – an oasis in the city center Just a few steps from busy Marszałkowska Street and the Old Town. You can visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in the Garden with a 24-hour guard post. The Garden dates back to the early 18th century (some of the trees are 250 years old!). Our tips in English on visiting the Saxon Garden. Admission is free. Most pumpkin farms and pumpkin festivals take place in Warsaw in October. However, in September you can already find some pumpkin spots in Warsaw. Pumpkin farm ‘Dyniolandia’ in northwestern Warsaw Pumpkin festival in Wilanów/Zawady Pumpkin farm in Powsin, south of Warsaw Pumpkin farm ‘Dynioland’ in Wieliszew, north of Warsaw Pumpkin Garden in Białołęka – pumpkin scenography for taking photos and having a walk Illumination festivals are usually associated with winter but in Warsaw, the first light exhibitions start already in autumn – in October and November. Traditionally, Christmas illuminations on the streets of Warsaw and a Christmas tree in the Old Town are lit in the first week of December but in Warsaw, for several years there have been light exhibitions with paid admission which start before the winter season. Illumination festivals and light exhibitions in Warsaw with PAID admission: Illumination festivals and light exhibitions in Warsaw with FREE admission: For more things to do INDOOR in Warsaw, please read our post that includes the list of ideas for fun (indoor!) activities for a bad weather day in Warsaw: Indoor things to do in Warsaw. Explore Warsaw with our list of museums and galleries in Warsaw by district – there’s one to suit every interest and many of them are free to visit. Bowling in Warsaw Swimming in “Wodny Park Warszawianka” – an indoor water park in Mokotów Museums to visit with teenagers who love Instagram Copernicus Science Center The exhibition of live spiders and scorpions Indoor mini zoo/petting zoo Indoor go-karting indoor tracks in the Warsaw area Smart Kids Planet – an edutainment center with playing zones dedicated to children aged 0-10 Chopin music piano recitals Horse Racing at Służewiec Racetrack Warsaw Zoo Apple picking in the Warsaw area Harvesting potatoes and other attractions at the Educational Eco Farm (the owners speak English) DINOWORLD – a playground with an exhibition of animatronic dinosaurs Famous outdoor piano recitals in the Łazienki Royal Park Multimedia fountain shows at Multimedia Fountain Park Jewish Culture Festival “Singer’s Warsaw” (Warszawa Singera) International Festival of Street Puppet Theaters “Puppet on the Stage” The Cross Culture Festival (Festiwal Skrzyżowanie Kultur) Warsaw Autumn Festival (Warszawska Jesień) – International Festival of Contemporary Classical Music Festival of classical music (Szalone Dni Muzyki, La Folle Journee de Varsovie) Warsaw Marathon Warsaw Gallery Weekend International Festival of Circus Arts – shows by the largest and the oldest circus group in Poland and artists from around the world 39th International Warsaw Film Festival (Warszawski Festiwal Filmowy) Jazz Jamboree – one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe Warsaw Jewish Film Festival Asian Film Festival “Five Flavors” The Fryderyk Chopin Polish National Piano Competition To help you plan and enjoy your time in Warsaw, we publish our ‘What’s on in Warsaw’ post every month. These posts include a list of interesting events in Warsaw in a given month, e.g. concerts, fairs, exhibitions, festivals, guided tours. You will also find there some new ideas for things to do in autumn in Warsaw, for one-day trips around Warsaw, or news and updates from the life of the capital. Please note that these posts are updated before the start of the given month to ensure that the information is as up-to-date as possible. Subscribe to the Kids in the City’s weekly newsletter in English. The newsletter called What’s on in Warsaw for Kids & Families is emailed every Thursday and covers things to do in Warsaw with children and all kinds of family matters – information, tips, resources in English.
The best places in Warsaw to admire autumn leaves and fall foliage
Pumpkin farms in the Warsaw area
Festive illuminations and light displays in Warsaw
You will find detailed information about Warsaw illuminations festivals in our post: Light displays in Warsaw: festive illuminations, lights festivals, and Christmas decorations in Warsaw.
Ideas for things to do in Warsaw in autumn – INDOOR
Try to pronounce bowling in Polish: kręgle! Bowling is relatively new entertainment in Poland, but many Poles – children and adults – have come to love it. Selected bowling alleys in Warsaw include Hulakula in Praga (website in English), MK Bowling in Galeria Młociny shopping center in Bielany (website in Polish), 7 Club in Praga (website in Polish), Arco in Ochota (website in Polish), Kręgielnia TB in Ursynów (website in Polish), Kręgielnia TB in Włochy (website in Polish), Kręgielnia TB in Ochota (website in Polish), Kręgielnia TB in Gocław/Praga (website in Polish), Kręgielnia TB in Saska Kępa (website in Polish), Bowl Pub in Mokotów – Warszawianka water park (website in Polish).
Location: Wodny Park Warszawianka, Dominika Merliniego 4 Street, 02-511 Warszawa (location on Google map). 4 km from the city center (in the Mokotów district). The recreational part of the Water Park includes a recreational and swimming pool with a maximum depth of 1.40 m, a paddling pool for children with an elephant-shaped slide, an artificial river, pipe-shaped slides (45 and 72 meters long) with separate landing pads, an open slide inside the swimming pool hall (15 meters long), outdoor year-round heated pool, connected to the main pool hall. The sports part of the Water Park includes a 50-meter “Olympic” swimming pool with 10 lanes. Website in English. Facebook page.
There are three museums (or rather a selfie exhibition?) in Warsaw that every teenager (and adult) who has an Instagram account will love. Be Happy Museum – Selfie Point. Location: Atrium Reduta shopping center, al. Jerozolimskie 148 Street (Ochota). Dozens of scenes to take photos and rooms with the illusion (e.g. a pool with Marshmallow foams, a banana swing, magical unicorns). More in English about the Museum, online tickets. Selfie Museum Warsaw. Location: Grzybowska 80/82 Street (city center). Facebook, Instagram. The Museum “World of Illusion”.Location: Świat Iluzji, Rynek Starego Miasta 21 (the Old Town Market Square), online tickets. More in English about the Museum.
Location: Centrum Nauki Kopernik, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 20 Street (Powiśle). The largest science center in Poland. A great idea to spend time indoors for both children and adults. When planning your visit, remember that 2-3 hours at the Copernicus Center is a minimum! You can visit the Copernicus Center also with little kids – there is the Buzzz! gallery – a separate playing area dedicated to children up to 5. Our tips in English on visiting the Center.
Location: the Palace of Culture and Science, pl. Defilad 1, entrance from Marszałkowska Street, open every day, 10 am – 7 pm, online tickets, children up to 4 free entrance. Each weekend (every hour on the hour), the visitors can hold a spider (the most gentle tarantula) in their hand and take close photographs with the assistance of an exhibition employee. More in Polish about the Exhibition.
Location: Mini Zoo, Kolorowa 19/156 Street, poziom/level -1 (Ursus), Monday – Friday 11 am – 7 pm, Saturday – Sunday 10 am – 6 pm. At the Mini Zoo, you can feed and stroke the animals. The visits take place in the company of a Mini ZOO employee who will show and teach how to deal with animals. The Mini Zoo is located in the indoor heated room; tickets are available for purchase on-site, no reservation is required. Facebook page. Website in Polish.
There are 4 indoor karting tracks in and around Warsaw – open all year round. They offer go-karts for both adults and children. Click here to read our post featuring karting tracks in the Warsaw area.
Location: Smart Kids Planet, Fabryka Norblina, level -1, Żelazna 51/53 Street (Wola/city center). Smart Kids Planet is open daily. It is recommended to buy tickets online – to avoid crowds, Smart Kids Planet has entry limits per hour. When you buy a ticket online, you can be sure that you will enter at the selected time. Workshops, birthday parties, trips for schools and kindergartens, cheerful and smart fun in 9 innovative and interactive zones for smart play. All in Polish and English. We are excited to be the media partner of this amazing place. Website in Polish, website in English, Facebook, Instagram.
Location: Fryderyk Concert Hall, Podwale 15 Street (the old town), every day at 5.30 pm and 7 pm, online tickets. The recitals feature Fryderyk Chopin’s most famous compositions. Facebook page in English and Polish. Website in English.Ideas for things to do in Warsaw in autumn – OUTDOOR
Selected weekends in September, October & November. Location: Tor Wyścigów Konnych Służewiec, Puławska 266 Street (Ursynów), more in Polish and online tickets (visitors up to 18 years old free entrance). The Służewiec Horse Racetrack is not only a horse race but also an important monument in Warsaw – the track was opened in June 1939, and at that time it was the most modern and largest horse racing track in Europe. Of course, you don’t have to play sports betting if you don’t want to. It’s fun to watch the horses (sometimes you can even get up close), the children can play on the playground, you can eat something, and the race area itself is a huge green space! It is also worth paying attention to the kilometer-long wall separating the area of the Racing Track from Puławska Street, which has become a street gallery of Polish graffiti artists. Horse racing in Warsaw takes place almost every weekend, from end-April to mid-November. How to get there? By car, through the main gate at Puławska Street, where there is a large parking lot. You can also take tram no. 4 or 10 to the terminus. Website in English.
Location: Ratuszowa 1/3 Street (Praga). Online tickets. The Zoo is open every day, including all public holidays! Website in English.
Location: You will find some options for apple picking in the Mazowieckie region on this website (myzbieramy.pl). In addition to apples, you will also find options for picking e.g. plums, pears, vegetables. The season for apple picking in Poland lasts usually from September until mid-October. Please note that you need to contact a selected orchard/garden/farm to book a slot in most cases.
Selected weekends. Location: Ekologiczna
Location: Dinoworld Warszawa, Wał Miedzeszyński 407 Street (Saska Kępa), near the beach on the Vistula River. Location on Google Maps. There you will find realistic sculptures of 20 species of dinosaurs that make sounds and move their bodies. Children can ride on one of the dinosaurs. Other attractions include a playground – slides with dinosaurs, swings, trampolines, a sandbox, and an inflatable trampoline. Opening hours: 10 am – 8 pm (Monday – Sunday). Tickets: Monday-Friday: visitors aged 12+ 40 PLN, children aged 3-12 35 PLN, family ticket 2+1 105 PLN, family ticket 2+2 140 PLN. Weekends: visitors aged 12+ 50 PLN, children aged 3-12 40 PLN, family ticket 2+1 120 PLN, family ticket 2+2 160 PLN. Children up to 3 years old have free entrance. Online tickets. Website in English. Website in Polish, Facebook. Instagram. Check the photos in our post on Kids in the City’s Instagram.
Until the end of September. Location: Royal Łazienki Garden, the area next to the Chopin Monument, closer entrance – from Aleje Ujazdowskie Street. The exact location of recitals on Google Maps. Outdoor piano recitals of Chopin music in the Łazienki Royal Park are usually back from mid-May. Next to the monument of Fryderyk Chopin, in the park, there is a piano on which Chopin’s music is played by award-winning pianists from Poland and abroad. Every Sunday, 2 concerts: 12 pm and 4 pm. Free entrance. Our tips in English on visiting the Łazienki Royal Park.
Until the end of September. Location: Multimedia Events in Warsaw in autumn – concerts, festivals, a marathon
The turn of August and September. The Jewish culture festival dedicated to Isaac Bashevis Singer: music, theater, film, dance, exhibitions, meetings. Different locations in Warsaw. More in English. Facebook page.
Early September. Location: New Town Market Place / Rynek Nowego Miasta (city center, the area of the old town), free entrance. Facebook. Website in Polish.
Mid-September. Location: Teatr Dramatyczny Theater, the Palace of Culture and Science. The Festival features world culture and music. Artists from Armenia, Georgia, Mali, Algeria, Niger, France, Portugal, and Cuba. Website in Polish.
The second half of September. Location: different venues all over Warsaw. The largest international festival of contemporary classical music in Poland. The Festival includes events dedicated to children. More in English.
The second half of September. Three locations in Warsaw: Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera, Plac Teatralny 1 (city center); the pavilion in front of the Teatr Wielki; The Church of Art Communities, Senatorska 18b Street (city center). The Festival includes events dedicated to children. The Festival’s website in English.
The second half of September. Many streets in Warsaw will be closed to car traffic. Website in English.
The turn of September and August. An annual festival (exhibitions and special events) of contemporary art, put together by private galleries in Warsaw, free entrance to 30+ galleries in Warsaw. Website in English.
October. Location: circus tent next to Wola Park shopping center, Górczewska 124 Street (Wola). The program includes motorbikes and “a death ball”, Clown Rico, Strongman, a hula-hoop show, illusion shows, bungee jumping, gymnastics, Sky Wheel, acrobatics on chairs, and famous characters from cartoons and games. Website in Polish.
The first half of October. Location: Atlantic Movie Theater (in the city center) and Multikino Złote Tarasy Movie Theater (located in the Złote Tarasy shopping center). The biggest international film festival in Poland. All films will be screened with Polish and English subtitles. More in English, including the detailed agenda.
The second half of October. Location: Klub Stodoła, Batorego 10 Street (Mokotów). More in Polish.
The end of October. Location: The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (Anielewicza 6 Street), Kinogram cinema, Muranów cinema. More in English.
The second half of November. Location: Kino Muranów (Andersa 5 Street), Kinoteka (the Palace of Culture and Science). Films will be screened in the original language with Polish and English subtitles. More in English.
The turn of November and December. Location: Concert Hall of The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Okólnik 2 Street (city center). More in English.Our monthly ‘What’s on in Warsaw’ posts with detailed info on events and things to do in Warsaw in September, October, and November
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