The Royal Route — One Loop, No Backtracking

Arrival from Vilnius on LTG Link 31/145. Lockers in central mezzanine (north end, 25–30 PLN, ~$7). Larger bags at BagStorage.pl in same passage. Metro M1 north to Ratusz Arsenał (2 stops) once bags are stashed.

Sixteenth-century semicircular fortification, the main entrance to the Old Town walls. The whole Stare Miasto was leveled in 1944 and rebuilt brick-by-brick from Canaletto's paintings — UNESCO listed the reconstruction itself. Free to walk through.

The heart of the rebuilt Old Town — pastel merchant houses, mermaid statue (Warsaw's symbol), ice-cream vendors, accordion players. Take 10 minutes to circle and photograph. Museum of Warsaw is on the north side if you want interior context, but the square itself is the show.

Royal Castle exterior (interior skippable on a layover). Sigismund's Column (1644) — Warsaw's oldest secular monument, dedicated to the king who moved the capital here from Kraków. Viewpoint over the Vistula, then head down the slope to the water.

Five minutes from Castle Square down to the water — modern concrete banks lined with seasonal open-air bars (BarKa boat-bar, Cud nad Wisłą). This is lunch: order a Polish vodka lemonade, grab a deck chair, watch the Vistula. Low-commitment — leave the moment you're done, then ~10 min back up the slope to Krakowskie Przedmieście to continue south. Carry a little cash.

Back up the slope and straight onto the Royal Route. Stately neoclassical palace, home of the Polish president — outside only on this trip; the architecture and the walk past the Prime Minister's Chancellery are the point. Chopin's first concerts happened in the building across the street.

Baroque church, free entry. Chopin's heart is interred in a pillar — plaque on the left nave. His body is in Père Lachaise, but his heart was smuggled home in a jar of cognac by his sister. Interior closes ~16:00, so don't dawdle after lunch.

Quick photo stop as Krakowskie Przedmieście becomes Nowy Świat — café-lined and busier here, near the junction with Świętokrzyska. Five-minute pause, then continue down Nowy Świat toward the station (or turn off for pierogi).

Optional pre-train pierogi at Pierogarnia Mandu (Bracka 25) — right on the walk west from Nowy Świat, done by 18:45. Then collect bag from mezzanine locker. Platform by ~19:25 — Polish sleeper conductors lock cabins promptly. Missing this train is the expensive mistake. EN10407 dep 19:52 → Praha hl.n. arr 07:46+1.