Vistula Boulevards

The Vistula Boulevards are Warsaw's riverfront promenade, a long paved walk along the left bank of the river through the centre of the city. The banks are a study in contrast. The left side, on the city centre, is built up with viewing decks, food pavilions and bars; the right side, facing it, is left wild, a protected stretch of woods and sandy beaches.

This is where Warsaw comes to the water, especially in warm weather. The promenade is free, open at all hours and level for walking, running or cycling. In the evening the food pavilions and bars fill up, and the view across to the untouched far bank is unusual for a capital city. It links several central sights along the water, so it doubles as a walking route.

Along the left-bank promenade you can:

• Walk, run or cycle the paved path between the bridges.
• Eat and drink at the riverside pavilions and seasonal bars.
• Sit on the viewing terraces and the small city beach.
• Cross to the right bank, a Natura 2000 protected area with woods and open sandy beaches, reached by bridges or a seasonal ferry.

The contrast is the point. The left bank is the developed, social side, with the promenade, terraces and bars below the Old Town and the centre. The right bank, on the Praga side, is kept as a natural zone: it is part of the Natura 2000 network, with willow woods, sandbanks and birdlife, and its wild beaches face the city skyline across the water.

An hour for a stretch of the promenade, longer if you stop for food or a drink. A full walk between several bridges, with a break, easily fills an evening.

Late spring through early autumn is the season, when the bars and pavilions are open and the promenade is busy after dark. Sunset is the best hour, with the light on the river and the far bank. In winter it is quiet and many of the pavilions close.

The boulevards run below the Old Town and the centre, and you can drop down to them from several points along the river. The M2 metro station Centrum Nauki Kopernik brings you out right by the promenade. For getting around the city, see the Warsaw guide.

The promenade threads past several central sights:

• The Copernicus Science Centre, right on the boulevards.
• Warsaw's Old Town, up the slope from the river.
• The Old Town Market Square and the Mermaid, a short climb above the water.

The river has strong currents and is not a safe place to swim. People use the sandy beaches on the right bank to sit and sunbathe rather than to swim. Stick to the shore.

Cross one of the bridges on foot or by bike, or take a seasonal ferry when it runs. The far bank is a protected natural area with woods and open beaches facing the skyline.