Central Europe Heritage Tour: Warsaw, Krakow, Prague & Budapest

Take a pleasant walk in the former moat beneath the old city walls.

A long red brick section of the old city walls rings the Old Town. The split-level fortifications, ramparts, and rebuilt watchtowers stand alongside a grassy, apple-tree lined moat, where a path runs beneath the outer walls. If you follow the walls along this path, known as Podwale, you may see fresh flowers laid on the ground which mark the places where the Nazis carried out wartime executions. The 16th-century Barbakan, a large fortified gate standing in the middle of the moat, is the most impressive part of the old city's fortifications. Beyond the first line of walls, you'll also discover a wide cobblestoned lane that runs between the first and second line of fortifications.

Be sure to wander just a bit outside the old city walls to this delightful tree-lined square.

Often missed by visitors who stick within the Old Town, Warsaw's New Town lies just to the north of the Old Town, starting just after the Barbakan. It is actually not so "new" since it dates back to the 15th century, and is well worth visiting, especially since it has all of the atmosphere of the Old Town without as many crowds. You'll discover the birhplace of Marie Curie, several historic churches, as well as numerous cafes, restaurants, and shops. The highlight is the New Town Square. This very tranquil and relaxing setting is one of the most lovely public settings in Warsaw. It's the perfect place to stop for refreshments surrounded by elegantly reconstructed 18th century facades.

Take a moment at this poignant memorial to the child soldiers of the Warsaw Rising.

Little Insurgent (Mały Powstaniec), is a bronze figure of a small boy with an oversized helmet carrying a machine gun. It commemorates the many children killed fighting in the Warsaw Rising. When the Warsaw Rising was launched against the Nazi occupiers, the situation quickly became desperate. Children were used to ferry messages and supplies between the fighters. Some of the German forces sent to crush the rebellion were units specifically chosen for their reputations for cruelty, such as the Dirlewanger Brigade, a unit composed of violent convicted criminals. The German forces, who already used civilians as human shields and conducted mass executions of the population, had no compunction about killing these unfortunate child soldiers. This is perhaps Warsaw's most honored monument to the uprising, as it evokes both pathos and admiration for the incredible bravery against impossible odds.

See one of Warsaw's oldest churches as well as a statue honoring Marie Curie.

The Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a brick Gothic church built in the 15th century. Consecrated in 1411, it is one of the oldest churches in Warsaw and one of the few surviving Gothic structures left in the city. Largely destroyed by German forces during the war, it was rebuilt after the war. The square in front of the church sometimes hosts impromptu concerts and performances. Behind the church, just outside its gate, you'll discover a wonderful statue of Marie Curie staring across the Vistula River. The renowned scientist and native of Warsaw discovered radium and polonium, and made a incalcuable contribution to the treatment of cancer.

Royal Castle & Old Town

Almost completely razed to the ground during WWII, the Polish capital, Warsaw, has undergone astonishing change and renewal over the past 70 years with the painstaking rebuilding of its old town and castle from virtual scratch. The extensive renovation and development that came with Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004 have left Warsaw looking better than at any time since the end of the war. The Old Town's inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is no accident - although smaller than the historic centers of Prague and Vienna or even Krakow, it's still stunning and the story of its rebirth is truly awe-inspiring. The adjacent 15th century New Town also features beautifully reconstructed cobbled streets and the birthplace of double Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Skłodowska-Curie.

See for yourself just how well the magic of Old Warsaw was reconstructed in the Market Square.

Dating back to the 1200's the square is the oldest part of the city, and for most of the Warsaw's history, it was the very heart of the town as well. Originally surrounded by Gothic style buildings, over time they were reconstructed in the Renaissance and Baroque styles you see today. There's a gurgling fountain in the middle of the square overseen by a statue of the Warsaw Mermaid (Syrena), the city's symbol. You can also often see the square "keeper" wandering the precinct - a man in traditional dress, consisting of a red suit and a curved sword. Today it is lined by cafes, filled with tourists, and seems just as picture-postcard pretty as the other great city squares of Europe. But in some respects it is an illusion. The buildings of the original market square were systematically blown up by the Germans during the Warsaw Rising and painstaking rebulit after the war, with the exteriors exactly matching pre-uprising photos. The photos were taken with just this end in mind, as the Poles knew what was in store for them once the fighting began. It is one of the most remarkable bits of postwar reconstruction anywhere in Europe and truly deserves its UNESCO status.

Tour the impressive Royal Castle for an entertaining crash course in Warsaw and Polish history.

Like everything else in central Warsaw, the Royal Castle was heavily damaged during the German bombing campaign that sparked WWII in September 1939 and was then completely and literally reduced to smoldering dust in 1944 in revenge for the failed Warsaw Uprising. What you see today is a carbon copy built in the 1970s when the Communist authorities became desperate to position themselves as 'socialist patriots' following decades of delay in the building schedule. Opened to the public in 1984, the Castle today is filled with period furniture and works of art. Highlights of the castle tour include the Great Apartment and its magnificent Great Assembly Hall, which has been restored to its 18th-century decor of dazzling gilded stucco and golden columns. The neighboring National Hall was conceived as a national pantheon; the six huge canvases (surviving originals) depict pivotal scenes from Polish history. Further on from the National Hall is the lavishly decorated Throne Room. Connected by a short corridor is the King’s Apartment, the highlight of which is the Canaletto Room at the far end. An impressive array of 23 paintings by Bernardo Bellotto, better known in Poland as Canaletto, captures Warsaw's mid-18th-century heyday in great detail. The works were of immense help in reconstructing the city’s historic facades.

Take a pleasant walk in the former moat beneath the old city walls.

A long red brick section of the old city walls rings the Old Town. The split-level fortifications, ramparts, and rebuilt watchtowers stand alongside a grassy, apple-tree lined moat, where a path runs beneath the outer walls. If you follow the walls along this path, known as Podwale, you may see fresh flowers laid on the ground which mark the places where the Nazis carried out wartime executions. The 16th-century Barbakan, a large fortified gate standing in the middle of the moat, is the most impressive part of the old city's fortifications. Beyond the first line of walls, you'll also discover a wide cobblestoned lane that runs between the first and second line of fortifications.