Nightlife

Warsaw is a great after-dark town. The city's opera and classical music offerings are some of the best in the country, and the availability of relatively cheap tickets means the performances are accessible to just about anyone. The main opera venue is the Teatr Wielki-Opera Narodowa, Plac Teatralny 1 (tel. 022/826-32-88; www.teatrwielki.pl). Here you'll find everything from the Italian classics to occasionally bolder works featuring Polish avant-garde composers. The theater box office is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 7pm. For classical music, the first address is the Filharmonia Narodowa, the home of the National Philharmonic, Jasna 5 (tel. 022/551-71-49; www.filharmonia.pl; tickets: bilety@filharmonia.pl). The box office is located at Sienkiewicza 10 and is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 2pm and 3 to 7pm. Try timing your arrival just before showtime to get cheaper last-minutes tickets.

There's no shortage of cafes, bars, and dance clubs. For cafes and little cocktail bars, try the strip along Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Nowy Swiat, and south of Al. Jerozolimskie to the area around Plac Trzech Krzyzy. For clubs, most of the action is still in the central city, Sródmiescie, though some of the trendier places are pioneering areas farther afield, like the still-somewhat-dingy (but getting cooler) suburb of Praga.