Warsaw

Warsaw is a city that was almost erased and then chose to come back. Walk through the Old Town and everything you see was rebuilt after the Second World War, brick by brick, using old paintings and photographs as guides. Then cross to the modern side of town, with its glass towers, its Soviet-era Palace of Culture and a fast-growing café and food scene. Add royal parks and palaces, a Jewish history museum and the story of the 1944 Uprising, and Warsaw becomes a city of resilience that rewards a couple of unhurried days.

Talking points

• The Old Town was rebuilt after the war and later earned a place on the World Heritage list.
• Warsaw mixes royal palaces, Soviet-era landmarks and modern glass skyscrapers within a few kilometres.
• Its museums on Jewish history and the 1944 Uprising are among the most powerful in Europe.