Warsaw parks and gardens: discover green Warsaw and enjoy the beauty of nature

The Ujazdowski Park (city center)

• Location: Al. Ujazdowskie 6 Street, city center. Location on Google map.
• Free entrance.
• The park is closed at night. Opening hours 6 am – 9 pm.

The Royal Łazienki Park (city center)

The huge park surrounding the summer residence of the last Polish king. A must-see on your Warsaw bucket list! It can be crowded during weekends but it’s also big enough to have a quiet walk in less popular parts of the garden. Amazing during each season – kids can collect chestnuts and colorful leaves during fall, build a snowman and ride a sled during wintertime, observe squirrels in spring, and lie on the grass in summer. Animals that you can observe in the Łazienki Park include peacocks, squirrels, pigeons, ducks. And if it starts raining you can hide in one of the galleries and museums in Łazienki, eg. the Palace on the Isle. 

Click here to read our post about the new opening hours of the Łazienki park and the museums and about the visiting rules.

The Botanical Garden of the Warsaw University (city center)

Warsaw is lucky to have 2 botanical gardens. One is located in the city center (the Botanical Garden of the Warsaw University), and the other in the suburbs of Warsaw in Powsin.

The Botanical Garden of the Warsaw University in the city center is closed for the wintertime and is reopened on March 21.

The Botanical Garden of the Warsaw University – beautiful nature at your fingertips in the heart of Warsaw – sounds like a cheap advertising slogan, but the Garden is really wonderful. It is full of winding alleys, hills, paths among flower beds and hedges, pergolas, corners with fountains, and a pond. Secret garden like in a fairy tale.
In 1818, the Garden was separated from the Łazienki Royal Park. It is not large and during sunny weekends there are not as many visitors comparing to the neighboring Łazienki Park.

• Our tips in English on visiting the Garden (opening hours, ticket info, location, etc.).
• Our feature story about visiting the Garden with kids.

The Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Powsin)

Great destination, especially during weekends – for a longer trip – to recharge your batteries by experiencing nature. The Garden is located in Powsin, in the suburbs of Warsaw – between Wilanów and Konstancin. You will find there a vegetable garden and orchard – lots of fun for city people to see “live” pumpkin, beetroot, dill or an apple on a tree. Kids will enjoy the “Collection of Polish flora” which includes mountain plants and mini-mountains / hills. There are short trails (marked as in the real Polish mountains) and peaks with an interesting view for children. Climbing is not difficult, and the little hikers have great satisfaction. The Garden offers many photo opportunities (azaleas, roses, fruit trees blooming, colorful leaves during fall).

Click here to read our post about the new opening hours of the Powsin Garden and about the visiting rules.

The Gardens of the Royal Castle (city center)

It doesn’t happen often that a new garden appears on the city map, especially right in its heart. But Warsaw is special in many ways. And that’s the case of the Gardens of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Although the reconstruction of the Royal Castle was completed in 1984, it was only in 2015 that the Castle’s historical upper garden was open. May 2019 marked a significant milestone in the history of Polish capital – the lower garden of the Royal Castle was open to the public, finalizing the after-war reconstruction of Warsaw’s Old Town. The uniqueness of Warsaw has been recognized by UNESCO that placed the Historic Centre of Warsaw on its list of World Heritage Sites as “an outstanding example of a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century (…) after more than 85% of Warsaw’s historic center was destroyed by Nazi troops in August 1944“. During the winter season, only The Lower Garden is available.

Click here to read our post about the Gardens.

Photo source: City of Warsaw, Kids in the City

The Garden on the rooftop of the Copernicus Science Center (Powiśle)

A relatively small garden (more like a green viewing platform) on the rooftop of the Copernicus Science Centre (Powiśle district), overlooking the Vistula river and the Old Town. The Garden is open only during summer season. Opening hours of the Garden, May-August: 10 am – 8 pm. The Garden is closed on Mondays. Entrance through a ramp from the southern part of the building. Free entrance.

Location: Centrum Nauki Kopernik, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 20 Street (Powiśle).

Photo source: www.kopernik.org.pl

The Saxon Garden – Ogród Saski (city center)

A green oasis in the heart of Warsaw, some of the trees are 250-years-old! 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. There is a 24-hour guard post (2 soldiers who change every hour – children will love it!).

The Saxon Garden (Ogród Saski) dates back to the early 18th century. It was a baroque garden in the French style, a first public park in Warsaw, located next to the royal Saxon Palace (Pałac Saski). The Palace was blown up by the Nazis in 1944. The Garden was renovated, and now you can admire 21 baroque statues along the main avenue of the Garden, the fountain from the middle of the nineteenth century, and a sundial.

Click here to read our post about the Saxon Garden.

The Roof Garden of the Warsaw University Library (Powiśle)

The Garden is located on the roof of the University of Warsaw Library (Powiśle district) 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.

Click here to read our post about the opening hours of the Garden and the visiting rules.

The Park of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace (Wilanów)

The Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów in Warsaw is a baroque summer residence of King Jan III Sobieski and his wife, Queen Maria Kazimiera. It’s a huge park (45 hectares!) with gardens of different styles (Baroque, English landscape garden, rose garden, Anglo-Chinese garden) as well as Wilanowskie Lake, and lots of beautiful nature.

Click here to read our post about the opening hours of the Park and the visiting rules.

Photos by Julia Dobrzańska, The Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów

The Skaryszewski Park (Praga)

The Skaryszewski Park is located in the Praga district. It was created in 1905. It’s one of the largest parks in Warsaw (smaller than Łazienki Garden and Pole Mokotowskie). The Park is unique because of a beautiful Kamionkowskie lake (kayak rentals are available). The Kamionkowskie Lake used to be a part of the Vistula river (today’s area of Skaryszewski Park and Saska Kępa used to be an island, and then a peninsula). In the Park, it is allowed to have a picnic or play on the grass. The Park alleys are suitable for biking or roller skating.

Click here to read our post about the Park.

The Park in the birthplace of Frederic Chopin (Żelazowa Wola, 55 km from Warsaw)

Whether you love classical music and Frederic Chopin compositions or not, the Żelazowa Wola village is the must on your “to visit list” in Poland (it’s just 55 km from Warsaw). And it is because of the most beautiful park that surrounds the birthplace and the Museum of Frederic Chopin. The most fabulous and delightful park. In Poland, there are for sure bigger parks, but the one in Żelazowa Wola seems just perfect. The park was developed in 1932-1939 and renovated for the 2010 Chopin Year Celebrations (200th birth anniversary). Is has new paths, benches, bridges (the Utrata river flows through the park), ponds, pergolas – everything very elegant and modern, but modern in a good way – that brings comfort and is visually unobtrusive. Also, this is not a regular park – everywhere you can hear Chopin’s music, played quietly from BOSE speakers hidden all over the park in bushes, grass or ivy.

Read our featured story: Birthplace of Frederic Chopin: the perfect destination for a weekend trip.

The Park in Powsin – Park Kultury w Powsinie (Powsin)

The Park in Powsin (Park Kultury w Powsinie) is a popular place for rest and recreation in the southern part of Warsaw (not to be confused with the botanical garden in Powsin which is adjacent to the Park). The Park together with the Kabaty Forest (Las Kabacki) has been a great place for family weekend trips for years.
Within the Park, on an area of 50 hectares, there is an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, sports equipment rental, cross-country ski rental, playing fields, amphitheater, tourist houses to rent, sauna, the gym, billiards, bowling alley, outdoor gyms, playgrounds.

Outdoor swimming pool in the Powsin Park – usually open from July. Opening hours: 10 am – 8 pm. Attractions include the main pool (25 m x 12.5 m) equipped with a spiral slide 25 m long, paddling pool for children, a water playground with water attractions, playground in the shape of a ship.

Location of the Park: Park Kultury w Powsinie, Maślaków 1 Street (location on Google map). Website in Polish. Facebook page. The Park’s map. The Park can be reached by bike or Veturilo bike, bus number 519 (from Dworzec Centralny / Railway Central Station) or by car. Free entrance to the Park, you need to buy tickets to a swimming pool, tennis courts, etc.

Photo source: Park Kultury w Powsinie

The Szczęśliwicki Park (Ochota)

Park Szczęśliwicki – the biggest (30 ha) park in the Ochota district. In addition to playgrounds and an outdoor swimming pool, you’ll find something completely special there – in the center of the park, there is the highest hill in Warsaw, a 152 m slope with all the ski facilities! This is the only year-round ski slope in Warsaw and the Mazowieckie Voivodeship (the ski slop is expected to be re-opened in September).
During the spring-summer season, on Górka Szczęśliwicka, you can use “Alpine Coaster” (gravity slide / zjeżdżalnia grawitacyjna / kolejka górska). It’s open every day 10 am – 8 pm, tickets: 8 PLN, location in the park: Drawska 22 Street (Facebook page).

Outdoor swimming pool in the Szczęśliwicki Park

• The pool is opened usually from July. Attractions include 25.04 m x 12.52 m sports swimming pool, recreation pool with hydromassage, paddling pool for children, tube slide.
• Location: Park Śzczęśliwicki, Usypiskowa 18 Street (location on Google map). Website in Polish.
• Opening hours of the swimming pool: 9 am – 7 pm (until August 31), 10 am – 6 pm (September 1-15).
• Regular ticket 22 PLN, reduced ticket 11 PLN, family ticket 1+2 35 PLN, family ticket 2+2 45 PLN (children up to 4 free entrance).
• In case of bad weather, the pool will be closed.

Photos source: www.osir-ochota.home.pl, www.aktywnawarszawa.waw.pl, Kids in the City

The Pole Mokotowskie park (Mokotów)

The huge park (73 ha!) near the center of Warsaw (metro stop Pole Mokotowskie), located in 3 Warsaw districts: Mokotów, Ochota, and Śródmieście (location on Google map). A bicycle route runs through the Park, connecting Mokotów with Ochota. In the 19th century, there was a military training ground here; at the beginning of the 20th century, an airport was built (moved later to Okęcie).

Within the Pole Mokotowskie park there is a small Sakura Park, where in April you can admire blooming Japanese cherries (location on Google map). The first sakura trees were planted there in 2009.

The Ogród Krasińskich Park (city center)

A historic park located in the center of Warsaw, just 700 meters from the Royal Castle (location on Google map). The park is a step away from the metro, bus, and tram stations. It can also be easily reached by car or bicycle. Park was founded in 1676 in baroque style, meticulously restored in 2014. The name of the garden is related to the baroque palace located in the park, the first owner of which was Jan Krasiński. Currently, the palace houses the special collections of the National Library (manuscripts and old prints).

The oldest trees in the park come from the end of the 19th century. There is a 2200 m² playground, a pond, numerous alleys and park benches, a historic fountain, 2 fenced dog runs.

In the western part of the par, there is a partially preserved baroque gate and a fragment of a fence, on the eastern side, the Krasiński Palace (currently owned by the National Library) and the building of the Supreme Court. On the west side, there is the building of the Royal Arsenal with the Archaeological Museum.

During World War II, the area of the park was outside the Jewish ghetto (its border ran from Świętojerska Street and today’s Bohaterów Getta Street). In the area of Świętojerska Street, there is a monument to the ghetto borders.

The park is closed at night. Opening hours from April 1 to October 31: 5 am – 12 am, from November 1 to March 31: 6 am – 10 pm.

The best places in the Warsaw area to admire magnolias, Japanese sakura cherries, rhododendrons blossom (usually in April)