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City Guide - Warsaw - Nightlife | ||
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Nightlife Warsaw comes across very much as a lad's town in terms of the nightlife that is marketed at visiting businessmen. Away from things like the hotel pick-up joints and the clubs advertising mud wrestling, the city actually has a pretty decent club scene and a lot of interesting chilled-out venues. With some 200,000 resident students to entertain, much of Warsaw's nightlife is geared to suit a young crowd. The best place to start is around Nowy Swiat. The minimum age for purchasing alcohol is 18 years. Bars: For the homesick, there is Morgan's Irish Pub, which is Irish-owned and operated and a lively, crowded place at ulica Okolnik 1 (the entrance is on ulica Tamka). A more rarified atmosphere can be found at the Column Bar in the Hotel Bristol. Elegant Art Deco styling adds to the lofty ceilings held up by the eponymous columns, with no shortage of comfortable leather sofas. Be prepared to splash out though - a gin and tonic goes for Z32. The Sheraton's Someplace Else is probably the most inviting of the major hotel bars, drawing a mix of international and local clientele. For a change of pace from the usual Old Town Square venues, check out the Metal Bar, Rynek Starego Miasta 8. The stylish perch on glass seats and funky barstools, while listening to acid jazz and other cool tunes. Busiest around 2100-2200, the bar stays open until midnight (until 0200 at the weekend). Casinos: Warsaw's casinos have a fairly strict dress code and passports are required. Many of the major hotels have some type of casino, including Casinos Poland, the Marriott, 65/69 Jerozolimskie Street, and Orbis Casino, the Victoria, ulica Krolewska 11. One of the more unusual locations for a casino is underneath the Palace of Culture and Science - the Queen's Casino is reached from ulica Emilii Plater. Clubs: Tickets to clubs tend to cost between Z10-40. The one-off nights in the outer districts of the city are probably the best club nights. For these it is advisable to seek some local advice, although Planeta, ulica Fort Wola 22, is reputedly the hottest, with a massive sound system and theme nights. Aware of the gap in the market, new clubs are springing up all the time in the city centre. Quo Vadis, recently opened in the cellars of the Palace of Culture has a kitsch décor, intended to evoke Roman times, that serves as a backdrop for a dressed-up crowd to get down to rap, soul, dance, retro or hip-hop. Another big new venue, Wektor X, located on the top floor of the Polna Market building, ulica Polna 9/11, plays salsa on Wednesday to a packed house. There are also a cluster of more established clubs around Nowy Swiat, such as the studenty Klub Stereo, ulica Nowy Swiat 23/25, and on the nearby ulica Foksal, where Tam Tam (house, funk, soul and live acts, depending on the night) and Cul de Sac (pop and disco) are at numbers 18 and 2 respectively. In the Old Town Market Square, check out the labyrinthine cellar restaurant-club Loch, number 29/31 on a Friday or Saturday for mainstream disco nights. Dress up and join the young and beautiful at Ground Zero, ulica Wspolna 62, for mainstream dance tunes with a sprinkling of happy house numbers or dress down in preparation for the scruffy Hades, Al. Niepdleglosci 162, where the beer is cheap and the dance floor pumping. Techno kids should aim for the Underground Music Café, ulica Marszakkowska 126/134, near McDonalds, gay and lesbian night is on Fridays. For a different vibe altogether, head for the vast Labirynt, ulica Smolna 12, whose bars, dance floors and bowling alley stretch over three floors. In addition to a laser show and exclusive VIP rooms, there is regular live jazz from 2100 onwards. Smart dress is advised at Labirynt, and at the popular club venue - Scena 2000, 3/5 Armii Ludowej Avenue. Live music: Although rare, when big names come to Warsaw, they play at Gwardia Stadium. The Jazz Club Rynek on the Old Town Square has regular performances. Check out one of the listings magazines for dates and times. The Bristol Hotel's Column Bar has jazz from 1900 on Friday night. The Akwarium Jazz Club, ulica Emilii Plater 49, has mainly Polish musicians playing classic jazz tunes. The Empik Pub, beneath the Empik Megastore on the corner of aleja Jerozolimskie and Novy Swiat, is a great little bar that draws a younger crowd to live band performances and impromptu jazz sessions. New on the scene, is the Cotton Club Café, Al. Jana Pawla II 52. With friendly English-speaking staff, cocktails and live jazz on Monday (standards), Wednesday (jam sessions) and Friday (themed evenings), this looks set to become a popular venue. Other fashionable venues for domestic rock and lesser-known foreign bands include nightclubs Stodola, ulica Batorego 10 and the vast Proxima, ulica Zwirki I Wigury 99A. |