Starry Nights, Christmas Lights in Warsaw’s Old Town

Strolling through the decked out streets of Warsaw’s Old Town feels magical during the Christmas season.

The city transforms its historically-restored Old Town into a Christmas wonderland complete with an ice skating rink guarded by a mermaid, a decent Christmas market (finally!) and plenty of stalls selling hot chocolate and mulled wine to keep you warm.

Before we traveled for the recent holidays, I grabbed my camera and visited the Old Town a couple of times in Warsaw. Pretty much, any time, after 3 p.m. is a good time as the sun sets and the twinkling lights start to light up the dark skies. It’s a pretty sight to behold, but I’ll let my photos mainly do the talking.

This year’s Christmas Market, located near the Royal Castle, will be open daily through January 6^th, which is celebrated as a national, religious holiday here known as Święto Trzech Króli to honor the Three Wise Men. There’s another market being held at the National Stadium, but I haven’t been there because this location seems like an odd choice and lacks the charm that the Old Town has.

I picked up several handmade Christmas decorations, a wooden cheese plate made by a Lithuanian craftsman and some of the infamous Zakopane cheese at the Old Town’s market.

It’s worth stopping by in you’re visiting Warsaw or if you live here and haven’t made it by yet. The Christmas lights seem to stay up well through January which help brighten the long, dark days of the Polish winter.

If you don’t speak Polish, good luck trying to pronounce Wesołych Świąt (Season’s Greetings or Merry Christmas). I still have a difficult time trying to say this!