Season guide · Warsaw · Poland
Warsaw in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Chris Olszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Cold and sometimes snowy, with Christmas lights in December and the lowest prices after New Year. Expect highs up to 2°C (36°F) and lows around -5°C (23°F), with about 23 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- -5°C (23°F) to 2°C (36°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 23
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C (32°F) | -5°C (23°F) | 8 | 8.2 h | 1/5 |
| February | 2°C (36°F) | -4°C (25°F) | 7 | 9.8 h | 1/5 |
| December | 2°C (36°F) | -3°C (27°F) | 8 | 7.7 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 1°C (34°F) against a yearly 13°C (55°F), and 23 of the year's roughly 96 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Wilanów's illuminated Royal Garden of Light (usually on winter evenings)
- February: Fat Thursday — doughnut queues at every bakery (the Thursday before Lent, February or early March)
- December: Christmas market by the Old Town walls (usually December)
- December: Royal Garden of Light at Wilanów (usually on winter evenings)
Good choices for winter
Museum · Old Town and New Town
Museum of Warsaw
Head up to the viewing terrace at the end for a view over the Market Square's rooftops.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Views
Museum · Śródmieście
National Museum in Warsaw
Poland's main art museum displays Jan Matejko's enormous Battle of Grunwald, a strong collection of Polish painting and the Faras Gallery of early Christian wall paintings rescued from a Nubian cathedral in Sudan before the Aswan Dam flooded the site.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Castle · Old Town and New Town
Royal Castle
Spend time in the Canaletto Room comparing the paintings with the streets outside; they guided the city's reconstruction.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · Muranów
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Built on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto, opposite the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, POLIN tells a thousand years of Jewish life in Poland in a core exhibition that includes a reconstructed painted wooden synagogue ceiling.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Iconic
Museum · Wola
Warsaw Rising Museum
Arrive early to avoid school groups, and climb the observation tower at the end for a view over Wola.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Day trips in winter
- Kazimierz Dolny (About 2–2.5 hours by car or bus) — A small Renaissance town on the Vistula with a market square of ornate merchants' houses, castle ruins, loess ravines to walk through and a long tradition as an artists' retreat.
- Toruń (About 2.5–3 hours by train) — Copernicus's birthplace is a UNESCO-listed Gothic brick town on the Vistula, famous for its gingerbread, which you can learn to bake at a gingerbread museum.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Warsaw?
It is a trade-off: Cold and sometimes snowy, with Christmas lights in December and the lowest prices after New Year. The best months overall are May–June and September.
+What is the weather like in Warsaw in winter?
Highs of up to 2°C (36°F) and lows around -5°C (23°F), with about 23 rainy days over the season.