Booking fee
The booking fee includes the costs of booking your tickets such as charges for payment processing. It also covers the provision of our customer care center for processing your order, and all charges imposed by our suppliers.
* This tour requires at least one of the following per booking: Adult, Senior
Discover the authentic Warsaw and feel the spark of the excitement thanks to the retro minibus on this 3 hours small group tour. From the early XXth Century, through WWII and communism to the present, Warsaw is a fascinating place if you give it a try!
Jump into a unique communist-made minibus called Żuk and experience the less touristy parts of Warsaw. Start with a quick historical briefing, then move deeper into the history of Warsaw. Learn about WWII times - Jewish Ghetto, two uprisings and the arrival of the Red Army in 1945; all this happens at Muranów district. Next, take a picturesque ride across the Vistula river to Praga, the only section of Warsaw that survived the apocalypse of the last World War. Compare the pre-WWII city with tremendous projects that the communist government brought into life between 1945 and 1989. Finally, see how the city has changed during the last 30 years of freedom and democracy, and get to know the real Warsaw.
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Professional local guide
Communist retro minibus Żuk
Departure Point
Traveler pickup is offered
Pick-up and drop off service is available only for hotels listed above. If your hotel is not listed, please contact us to sep ut the most comfortable pick-up point.
After booking the tour, the tour operator will contact you through the Viator message system to confirm the exact pickup time (since we collect our travellers from various hotels).
Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland After the hotel pick-up, your guide introduces you to Warsaw and Poland - this quick historical briefing helps you understand the present through interesting facts from the past. 10 minutes
Muranów, Warsaw, Polen Next is the Muranów district - the witness of the tragedy of the Jewish Ghetto, created by Nazis in 1940. The first impression is that it is just a regular neighbourhood filled with squared blocks of flats. But there is much more from the past to be discovered with the help of your guide. 20 minutes
Chlodna Street, Warsaw, Poland Have you seen the Pianist movie? If yes, you must remember the place portrayed in the film: the wooden bridge built near the intersection of Chłodna and Żelazna streets to link two separated parts of the Ghetto. As we can see in photographs, it reached the third floor of the buildings, which allowed the “Aryan” trams, German military transports, and cars to pass beneath it. With the help of the guide and your imagination, find the remains of the scene and compare them with archival photographs. 15 minutes
Nowolipki, Warsaw, Polen In the year 1943, when the last part of the Jewish community was about to be deported to the extermination camp, they created the underground resistance and started the insurrection aimed against their oppressors. This fight took three weeks and resulted in the complete demolition of the Jewish district in Warsaw. Today, the guide will uncover the covered layers from the past for you. 15 minutes
Bielańska, Warszawa, Poland Later in World War II, an agreement was reached between the Western Allies and the dictator of the USSR, Stalin; as a result, post-war Poland was about to become a country subordinate to the Soviet Union. The last attempt to avoid this fate was the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, which resulted in the Nazis destroying 85% of Warsaw. Red Army captured the empty city three months after the fall of the insurrection, in January 1945. 15 minutes
Praga Polnoc, Warsaw, Poland The next part is the enigmatic Praga district, located on the Eastern side of the Vistula river. When the minibus crosses the river, one can see picturesque views of the wild riverside. Praga is the only district of Warsaw that survived the apocalypse of WWII - that's why it represents the picture of the pre-WWII city filled with belle-epoque buildings with small and noisy courtyards. Once neglected, it becomes a hip and artistic part of Warsaw, still not affected by commercial tourism. 30 minutes
Śródmieście, Warsaw, Poland Back in the central district, your Żuk minibus parks near ex Polish Communist Party headquarters. This regime, settled up in 1945, had a challenging task to cope with - reconstructing Poland's capital city. What's more, since it seemed to be the only chance ever in time, architects decided to remodel Warsaw and make it a more comfortable place to live and work. But unfortunately, they had to cope with the Party, which opted for a Soviet-style city filled with overwhelming buildings and a happy proletariat. Did they make a compromise? Let's check it out! 30 minutes
Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland When workers from "Solidarność" and John Paul II kicked out the communist regime from Poland in 1989, we stepped into the new era of our history - democracy and capitalism. Life has changed completely, and so did the city. Is it possible to link the past and the future? We hope that thanks to our trip you will form your own opinion. 15 minutes
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The minimum number of persons needed to launch the tour is 2. A single traveler can join the tour if another booking for at least 2 persons exists.
Tours with retro minibuses are available only for persons taller than 150 cm (4,9 ft).
Cars are used mainly for transfers between locations where guests have walks with their guide.
Retro minibuses are not equipped with air conditioning, they are equipped with an efficient heating system for wintertime.
Some of the retro minibuses are not equipped with seatbelts (which is legal with classic vintage cars).
Please contact us before booking the tour if you have health issues such as mobility limitations.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
306chriso
29 Oct 2024
Karol was our guide and he was passionate and well informed - a joy to be with. We learned so much from him. Would highly recommend
AnneMarie_B
18 Oct 2024
Learning about the war and seeing parts of Warsaw impacted by the war was impactful. Getting a general sense of Warsaw was important as it was my first day in the city. It helped orient me,
Ellen M
27 Sep 2024
Kurt was fantastic! His English is perfect and he is very knowledgeable. He gave us lots of information and knew the answers to our questions. He definitely tailored our tour to our requests and needs. We were delighted to have him all to ourselves.
This tour in
Warsaw
is organized by
Warsaw Behind the Scenes
We always double-check the availability with our local partners for each booking. Even though this is usually a swift process, it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process is completed you will receive your voucher or ticket by email. If our local partner is not able to confirm your booking we will offer you the best possible alternative. If the new date and/or time doesn’t fit your itinerary, we will reimburse the full amount paid.
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