IN PICTURES: LAZIENKI PARK & PALACE, WARSAW

Anyone who still thinks Warsaw is a city of concrete and cement has clearly never been to the city’s lung, the breathtaking Lazienki Park. The residence of the last king of Poland is one of the most attractive park-and-palace complexes in Europe. It’s name comes from the bath house rebuilt into a palace. The park comprises three gardens: the Royal Garden, the Belvedere Garden and the Modernist Garden, altogether taking 76 hectares of land! Numerous sculptures embellish the park. Turquoise-green ducks, beautiful peacocks and friendly, adorable squirrels – all call it home. Today, the palace serves as a museum housing the royal collection of paintings.

Poles love to spend their summer Sundays here. Fear not though, for so big is Lazienki that it never gives the impression of being crowded, and even on the busiest of days, you will be able to find a quiet, shady corner somewhere!

Let me take you on a virtual tour:

Going around:
Orientation around the park is relatively easy given the prominent placement of maps and signs – in Polish as well as English – in key locations. A good idea would be to pick up a complex map for free from the Palace on the Water or any of the museums in the park. If you enter the park via any of the entrances on Al. Ujazdowskie, chances are you will end up, willingly or not, via some surprisingly hilly paths set with tall trees, at the vast artificial lake in the park’s centre, straddled by the magnificent Palace on the Island. In doing so, you risk missing out on a few treasures, so try to circumnavigate the park instead.

Tip:
Instead of buying tickets for each Lazienki attraction individually, purchase a one-day ticket that offers single access to a chunk of attractions.