Warsaw

Language

Compared to other areas of Poland, English is pretty widely-spoken in Warsaw. Any establishment that ever has any tourists will have somebody on the staff who can talk something that sounds like English. Outside of the tourist centre, and in dealing with officials such as the police, you are likely to find more trouble if you don't speak Polish. You are never far from an English speaker however, and most are more than willing to help translate. Bear in mind that Polish is a phonetically-spelled lanuage with somewhat different sounds to those normally found in English, so Polish English speakers often pronounce words strangely, and may have a little trouble understanding suprisingly common words when you speak. Just try a different word or pronunciation instead.

German and Russian are less widely spoken in Warsaw than in other parts of Poland, though they may be worth a try as a last resort.

Shop opening

Shops in Warsaw are open broadly western hours, from about 9 or 10am to between 6 and 8 at night. A wide range of shops is open at the weekend, although they tend to close a couple of hours earlier on Sundays.

Most of the large city centre shops are located between Nowy Swiat and the Palace of Culture. There are a range of bookstores, supermarkets and boutiques in this area. In particular Traffic, located in the dead centre of this area, has several floors of books, with international and Polish DVDs and music in the basement. The top floor of Traffic is a stylish club with live music most nights of the week.

There are a number of out-of-town shopping centres. In particular Arkadia is a favourite amongst the ex-pat community. This has the usual range of shops you would expect at any out-of-town mall.

Crime and punishment

Crime.

Poland has a not-wholly undeserved reputation for violence. Warsaw is fairly typical in this respect. In terms of robbery, there are a large number of genuinely poor people begging or hanging around in the city centre. The risk of being robbed or otherwise attacked is probably much the same as in Britain, which is to say fairly low, but it is always best to keep one eye on the people around you and the area you are wondering into, particularly if you are alone after dark.

Police.

The policia in Warsaw are augmented by a massive number of patrols by the Straz Miasto (town guard), and on the transport system by a plain clothes "Control" officers checking tickets. Most of the time all of these people will find it easier to leave foreigners alone, but they do occasionally bug people for ID or pick on minor offences for the hell of it. Carry a photocopy of your passport to show them.

Basic laws.

Drinking in public appears to be illegal in certain zones in central Warsaw, and is certainly not allowed on public transport. The general population could not care less, but it may be best to hide your alcohol from the authorities.