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Can see you need to soak more of Poland as your statements in my opinion as if now are quite superficial and you need to get to know more stuff about Poland, Europe as whole plus Warsaw haha
Tap water is not polluted, I drink straight from the tap for at least a decade or so and it's all fine. You'll get a different taste from it because it's 'hard water', which means it contains a lot of minerals, mainly calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate. You can notice it by the amount of limescale in kettles etc. For health it's completely neutral but yes, it can force you to use other cosmetics, I've heard complaints of dry hair. If it bothers you, you can always buy a filter. For the bathroom I'm not sure, but for drinking get a filtering jug of the "Brita" type, they're easy to get in a hypermarket and very affordable. In particular, they do get rid of the limescale effectively. People being friendly on the street is much more pronounced during summer. It's more common to strike up conversations with strangers in summer, I remember a few years ago I ended up talking to 3 random people on my (short) way to work about nothing in particular, it was a bit of a shock. Honestly, I haven't noticed "a lot" of interracial couples, not that I pay much attention. I think most people don't care so much about race once they get to know you. It's the US and to some extent the Latin American countries, and former European empires (Britain, France etc.) that have this divide according to race, which is strongly encoded in culture and a centuries-old tradition. In Poland people, especially in the small towns, can be wary of people who look or in general are very different to them, but it's not so much the case in Warsaw, because there are so many.
True about the water. It just has more minerals. Some tap water e.g. south of the country is even a healthier option than some mineral waters in other countries. As for the "jug filters" I recommend Dafi instead of Brita since it has great quality, better price and it is a polish company so it will come back to you in the infrastructure built for the taxes they pay in Poland🙂. All the best!
Vietnamese diaspora has indeed been in Poland for decades, since the communist times. They are very appreciated due to being hardworking and not causing any trouble. In the Włochy district in Warsaw, you have the Asian town, where tons of Asian restaurants and shops are. Warsaw is of course the most cosmopolitan city in Poland as it has the best job opportunities.
As a Lithuanian, i super love Warsaw. I come over to Poland in general at least once a year for the past 4 years, but this year alone inwas already there a few times, including Zakopane and obviously my favourite Warsaw. Nothing to compare with Vilnius at all :)
I do not think one needs to choose one city above the other. Vilnius is very charming, and being smaller - it is a "slowlier" city. Have nice memories from my visits there... Cheers!
Tap water in Warsaw is not polluted, it is simply harder than in other cities! You can safely drink it without filtering or cooking - it is 100% safe for people. If you have a problem with the feeling left by hard water, try for example, going to the Tatra or Bieszczady Mountains - the water there is phenomenal.
About the graffiti - you're right. Most of it appeared during the lockdown, but now the city authorities' indifference to this problem is annoying. About the tap water - what "pollutants" in it are you talking about? Warsaw's water treatment plant is ultramodern and effective, tap water here is perfectly clean and straight drinkable, some experts say that it's better than bottled water.
Yeah, I was taken back by that. Tap water in Poland is generally of very high quality. I think he's just going by taste- and it may be because the water in Poland is hard, it has a lot of calcium and other minerals, but it's not a bad thing.
@@WheresWes fun fact "the city of Warsaw gets its water from a river and the main water pump has 8 clams that have triggers attached to their shells. If the water gets too toxic, they close, and the triggers shut off the city's water supply automatically.”
@@olseneudezet1 true story. they have a lot of detectors though including the clamps that are electronically monitored. An innovative biological sensor, a bit Matrix style for the clamp itself ;-)
We, the people of Warsaw, who have lived here for generations, are understanding about opinions about our city. I am a 3rd generation resident of Warsaw, and my wife is probably 7th, her grandfather was even a Warsaw insurgent with the rank of lieutenant. The incumbents of Warsaw are quite proud and we don't really care about opinions - good or bad - about our city. Some will like it more, others less. But if you are rooted in a city that rose like a phoenix from the ashes, your strong attachment to the place is most important. Hence the common opinion that we are defiantly proud or even arrogant. However, Warsaw is an open city, a lot of people live here for career reasons, studies, etc. And Warsaw welcomes them, it does not take a lot of time for you to feel like you are at home. There is a joke about Krakow: "how long does it take for native Krakow residents to start treating you as their own? Well, after approximately 300 years of living in Krakow, you can count on it." But you also need to know that there is some cultural tension between Warsaw and Krakow and the inhabitants of both cities like to say typical Polish insults to each other :) You watched, as I can guess from the film, mainly the modern center and the Old Town. The phenomenon of Warsaw is that individual districts are very different from each other. If you were to immerse yourself in Żoliborz or Stary Mokotów, you would feel in these generally residential and quiet districts a bit like in some Swiss Bern, in numerous areas of Prague, located on the other bank of the river, you would encounter a somewhat "wild" city, but also artistic districts, such as for example Christiania in Copenhagen or Republika Užupis in Vilnius, Lithuania. These are, of course, quite distant and general comparisons, I mean some impressions. As for the tap water in Warsaw - it really is one of the cleanest among European cities. Which, of course, does not eliminate your individual impressions. Watch the YT material made by an English traveler on this topic - here is the link: innpoland.pl/186496,jak-sprawdzic-czystosc-wody-malze-warszawa
Only one, short visit to Warsaw and so many good observations. I live in Warsaw for over 20 years and I like it! The city develops so fast, you can be surprise every month by many changes on every level; transport, restaurants, cafes, skyscrapers, green areas, events, concerts, museums. And it is still very safe city with clean public transport. Krakow is lovely, but for me great for a weekend trip, more like holiday vibe. Warsaw is high energy and progress.
@@olseneudezet1 I mean... Wien is glamorous af. Well, its simply one of the most influential cities in the world. Truth be told Warsaw isnt even close. The best city to live in (imo) in our region (middle-eastern Europe) is Prague. Stunning architecture (again, in my opinion its the most beautiful city in Europe), a lot of leisure-time places, big money, cheap beer... But they also have a lot of junkies and scammers. Imo Warsaw isnt even in top 3 best cities to live in in Poland.
Hi. I am Polish. Born in west of Poland. Living outside of Poland at the moment. Going to Vietnam for vacations in December for 2nd time (last time 2023). I love Vietnam :). I am impressed how 'to the point' your observations are about Warsaw or Krakow. You come up with really good conclusions. Sometimes for a Pole they are not so obvious, but you are able to get the 'core' of the topic. I am impressed. I lived in Warsaw 3 years and I confirm it is a place to live in PL with most options to choose. I moved to Krakow though later and I also enjoyed it but not so much as in Warsaw. Krakow is still a small city, while Warsaw is a cosmopolitan city with so many opportunities and ways to live. Thanks for your video!
You can't compare it like that. The US is mainly suburban, few people live in the city itself, who commute every day by car. You should rather compare metro areas. For Warsaw it's 3.3 mln, and that gives 15-20 metro areas in the US that are larger.
@@piotrb4240 Well, I just did. And I will do it every time when people compare city's. He says city, not metro areas. Just listen again and stop bitching - kurwa.
@@piotrb4240 I mean the 15th biggest metro area in the US is the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area, and you wouldn't call San Diego a small city.
Hehe, most of my good friends from Kraków dislike Warsaw "just because" :D. They typically say Kraków is better without any particular reason. As someone who moved to Warsaw around a year ago (and I previously lived for many years in Lublin, which I find pretty much a perfect place for family life), I think it's an awesome place to live. It truly has plenty of layers to it and incredible venues to visit. :) Plus...nothing can replace a good night out with friends at Bulwary Wiślane or Pawilony. :D
This is my second video of yours (first one was 13 things you just don't do in Poland - I agree 100%). I must say you are very observant and your videos are interesting. I am Polish myself (born and raised in Warsaw but currently living in Wales). I laughed so much when you showed "the Polish smile", I loved it! I haven't realized it until now :D I do it very often. I hope you have a good day!
Hi Wes, as for tap water in Warsaw, you mention you smelled chemicals in it but it is not true. On the opposite: Warsaw's tap water is one of the best in whole Poland. See the movie about that (water is protected by clams:)): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i0RkEs3Xwf0.html
I don’t really feel there is a best pick of cities when it comes to finance people in Poland. It barely has any real finance jobs, 99.9% just back office work. Doesn’t help either that schools like SGH and UEK have a big catch up game to do to even come close to the bottom of top financial education in Europe.
Word of advice: don't ask people in Kraków about Warszawa 😂. They have a ginormous chip on their shoulders about our city and constantly talk 💩 about us (because in the 17th century, Polish king moved the capital from Kraków to Warszawa and yes, they still smart about it). Funnily, we don't care about Kraków, except to say "beautiful city, you must visit". Other than that Kraków is not a topic in Warszawa 😅
You got the distinction between Krakow and Warsaw perfectly. Warsaw is by far the best city in PL to make money and spend money, Krakow on the other hand is the most laid back place to live in in Poland, super walkable, and the cultural capital of Poland.
If you want to raise family in Warsaw, you do that in Wawrzyszew / Stary Bielany / Żoliborz district. Actually i have it a bit backwards, since i live just next to central railway station next to NYX, opposite side of street from Varso Place, yet i work just next to Wawrzyszew metro station and spend my whole free time here strolling through forest, fishing, reading books at parks, having fun in Gniazdo Piratów and treating home more like a hotel just to take a bath and sleep. :D
Greetings from Kraków, one of the most beautiful places in the world :) ps. Tap water in our city is high - quality. You can drink it for sure without filtering.
As a resident, one of the things I really like about Warsaw is the relative abundance of green areas. This is paricularly visible when compared to some large cities in Western Europe but also to other Polish cities. And as the summer heat waves inevitably get worse, this will certainly grow in importance. As for the views about Warsowians as people, one really shouldn't rely on Cracow residents for an unbiased opinion. Cracow being the former capital and Warsaw being the current one, we have a bit of a "friendly competition" ;) Though obviously you will find some jackasses with a superiority complex, like in every capital city. Regarding infranstructure, the moment that many things began change for the better really fast, not just in Warsaw but everywhere in Poland, was when we entered the EU in 2004. I was fresh out of secondary school that year, and it was interesting to watch things change in real time, both in terms of infrastructure and the standard of living.
i recommend gdansk, its my home city and i feel like its often overlooked by foreigners (most tourists are swedish or german from my experience) but every time i hear opinions about it from foreigners they always say theyve fallen in love with it (although friend from egypt said that polish smile is the most common in gdansk and hes been to few big cities here HAHA but he said that even though we look like we want to die we are wery welcoming once you talk to us) its next to sopot and gdynia and we call it "tricity" which are also great cities to visit and you can travel to all of them by skm train also we have kaszuby region which is really picturesque and there are many lakes if you want to drive out of the city and spend a peaceful day in the countryside mazury region is also great for that but its a bit further
During the Second World War, the Germans destroyed 97% and maybe even more. Warsaw was a great debris. This means that what you see now was completely reconstructed from scratch. Krakow, Wroclaw were cities that the Germans did not destroy in this way like Warsaw and that's why you have a different vibe there
The water is very safe to drink but it's harsh on the skin. I never use it on my face as it dries it instantly. When it comes to immigrants, my neighborhood (Wilanów) is chock-full of them, especially rich Ukrainians. But you don't hear Ukrainian on the street, only Russian, which is unfortunate as I had to learn the language in school and came to despise it as a result (under communist rule, all kids were required to take Russian from 5th grade until college). We also have a large Vietnamese diaspora, many Vietnamese businesses but they cause no trouble and are often quite involved in the local communities. Incredibly talented population and very hard working, learn Polish language in a flash, so impressive! 👏👏👏
Regarding tap water: the quality varies even within different parts of Warsaw. However, there are places in Poland where tap water is exceptionally good, comparable to bottled water, as long as the water source is from deep wells, especially those in limestone formations. For example, the area around Nałęczów, Kazimierz Dolny, Puławy (in the Lublin region) has tap water that tastes similar to the well-known bottled waters Nałęczowianka and Cisowianka, which are sourced from this region.
Interesting fact about the water in Warsaw's taps. It is not poluted, only mineral, like from a bottle. The point is that it can be drunk from the tap and is healthy. The minerals contained may influence the sensations during bathing, for example.
I was last in Warsaw in 1989. I loved it. Lazienki Park was fabulous and I loved the community gardens which I hope are still there. I loved how they adored Chopin then and I hope that hasn't changed!
I think 2-3 days if you like museums, but I think you should combine in with another place like Gdańsk or Kraków, because they are more touristically aesthetic, but Warsaw is still worth seeing.
I would say a week because what that guy doesn't tell is that each district has a VERY distinct vibe, yet all he does is stroll in one, central district, instead of checking out what is around different metro stations and i know since i lived here 43 years and there are some districts that i hate - like the central [where i live] and some that i REALLY love like Wawrzyszew / Stare Bielany / Żoliborz / Mokotów. But to be hones there are people that find the "vibe" they are looking for at Praga, Wilanów, Wola. Besides the same ticket that you use for transport inside the city is used to travel via trains in a Warsaw Metropolitan Zone, so you can actually travel really far to various forests, lakes that WArsaw is surrounded by. You can on google maps how totally different each district is. In Wawrzyszew, where i'm now at work we have EU Nature 2000 preserve just 15 minute walk from metro station. :D
The population of Warsaw is not growing up as people move to the suburbs. You work in Warsaw but you live outside. As you Wes correctly stated, living in the business areas of Warsaw is not pleasant. There are several quarters of Warsaw such as, e.g., Mokotów or Żoliborz or Ochota or Wilanów or Ursynów or Bielany, which are residential areas. Also, the part of Warsaw on the eastern bank of the Vistula is very different, as it was not destroyed during WW2.
Tap water is excellent quality here. It's safe to drink straight from the tap. If you happen to live in an old building however, you may receive more minerals than usual. I live in Kabaty neighborhood, the water here is soft. We run it through the filtering pot and drink without boiling
If you have allergies the worst time to be in Poland is from april/may to late august. There is lot's of pollen, dust and all that coming from trees, flowers, grass, etc.
Hello from Finland. I was just in Riga and that city was so beautiful, NO graffiti. And super beautiful old buildings. No trash on the ground. I loved it. Never been to Poland. Would you recommend Warsaw of Krakow?
I"m looking for my old friends his name is Pawell he is from Poland and he is steel structure engineer I met him about 20 years ago in Skhaline in Russia If someone inform me his contact point. Im very much appreciate. My name is Lim and living in South Korea.
Actually I have very similar thoughts about Warsaw. I'm also living in Krakow and thinking should I relocate to Warsaw or not. The main things that keep me in Krakow are more natural places like mountains, lakes, fast rivers, rocks near Krakow and a bit better weather, more sunny days and higher temperature during the summer + more snow on winter. Did you make decision?
I will tell you about my city because I live here. Living in Gdańsk, you can get to know this city anew every few years, new museums, new places, new pubs, restaurants, new parks, whole new parts of the city, various new conveniences like city bikes, agglomeration railways, new tram lines. Even though I have lived here since birth, every now and then I discover some part of the city again and I feel like a tourist ;) I am afraid that this crazy development has to end someday. And by the way, if you are also looking for clean tap water (you mentioned ;) ) and clean air also, visit the Tri-City.
Tap water is very clean all over Poland (except Zakopane and the surrounding area), I don't really understand this criticism. The water is controlled, and you can always get information about its composition on a given day (actually since 1998). It may not be very tasty because it contains calcium (which, however, supplies calcium to the body) and not everyone likes it. I like it, and like many Poles, I drink water straight from the tap. In Warsaw, water is purified in very modern treatment plants, and one of the purification stages includes a special set of gravel and other natural layers, so technically it is like spring water.
The graffiti is an issue - they keep repainting the buildings and new graffiti popes up almost immediately. Also visit Silesia! It's an agglomeration - there is a lot of small cities around and they kind of make a one massive interconnected place, a lot of greenery and it's been developing like crazy. Katowice is the biggest around Silesia, but there is also Glwice, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Chorzów (with amazing park which is massive, also a zoo) : D
I keep advocating corporal punishment for graffiti offenders but it still needs some time to catch up. BTW Warsaw tap water is really good. Probably it's just harder than what you're used to because of the minerals.
@@WheresWes That's the problem of finding the right balance. Soft water is better for washing but harder water is better for your health when you drink it.
You can't compare Warsaw to any city in Ukraine. Warsaw is way cleaner, more modern and a lot more advanced. All the Ukrainians are shocked by the drastic difference. It's like stepping into a "New World" for them.. Colombia is a cesspool of a country. Unsafe and dirty. Doesn't even come close to Warsaw. And Polish food is much much better and you have a lot more variety.
You can take a metro train, ride 15 minutes to Stare Bielany and you have much quieter place than Kraków but you are in bigger city. I don't want to say anything bad about Kraków it's beautiful but Warsaw have its advantages too.
Warsaw is this kind of a city that you don't like or have mixed feelings if you've never lived there. However, if you decide to live there, you will love this city and you won't change it to any other city in Poland. Both Krakow and Warsaw are beautiful cities, however I prefer to live in Warsaw, Krakow is nice just for visiting but I know Asian people love it because of the architecture :) once I was in Japan and met this girl who was a clothes designer, she told me she was planning to visit Krakow with her husband for their honey moon because it's so beautiful :) About beautiful girls- in Warsaw there are many model agencies so no surprise you see many gorgeous girls :)
When it comes to real estate, there could be a bubble, but who knows. I don't think the Ukrainians and Belarusians that are here will leave to their home countries, these won't get that better in the near future. My Warsaw flat's value went by 50%(!) according to the current market rates, since when I bought it in 2022, two weeks before the war, so the prices are expected to fall, but not dramatically. People have been waiting for the bubble to burst for a long time now and it never happened. Those who waited to buy property (for their own use, not investments) until the bubble bursts, now can't afford it any longer. It slowly starts to look like in the West, where many young people can't afford to have their own property.
Warto zobaczyć jeszcze Wrocław. Lublin, Toruń, Zamość, Gdańsk, spływ tratwami w Pieninach, kopalnia soli w Wieliczce😮 i wiele innych miejsc mniej znanych . Bieszczady, Karpaty i wiele innych miejsc
@whereswes as far as I know Cracow tap water is the cleanest and best mineralised in the world according to one ranking I've seen. I need to find it...
Cost of living in Poland constantly going up. Warsaw is the most expensive city to live in. Also is good keep in mind that Poland was divided into poor, and rich side. German side is much richer then Russian side. You can clearly see that in mentality in people. Warsaw has mix of people from all the parts of Poland. It’s good to keep this in mind
That's true, results of partitions from more a 100 years ago linger to this day. They are hoping, that pouring all this money into revitalization of Łódź will eventually change it from a shithole that it's been for decades, but it will take generations, if ever.
Eastern Poland is more patriotic. Western part is antipolish and likes to be a slave to Germans. Western part is also antidemocratic. Thanks to Russia whole Europe has high inflation.
@@ch36799 Absolutnie się zgadzam. Na Zachodzie jest dużo przesiedleńców, także ukraińskich. A Polska Centralna i Wschodnia to ludność rdzenna. Pamiętać należy, że przed wojną to, co teraz nazywamy Polską Wschodnią było centrum , sercem Polski
Also Poland introduced a 10 year lump sum tax regime? Pay a fixed amount of tax every year. Looks like Poland is being quite aggressive in attracting entrepreneurs and capital as you said, rather than some other places where the policy just attracts people speculating on property.
Dude speaks about Warsaw being relatively cheap... for a Westerner. My man, the rent prices in the past 5 years have easily tripled and they are still going up on a quarterly basis. I have lived in Warsaw all my life, born and bred, but I'm seriously debating moving out to the countryside and renting my apparent out, because it gets to the point of becoming unaffordable for the common person. Rent alone for a commie-block flat is now almost 1000PLN for a single person, and that is without electricity bills taken into account. It used to be less than half that in 2019 and it was even less in throughout whole 2010 and kept on a stable level rising only slightly in that whole period. It started to climb during pandemic and now, after the full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the prices are in almost constant rise month by month.
To be honest, tap water in Krakow is one of the healthiest (unless you are a washing machine). The taste comes from a large amount of minerals that are healthy for the heart ;)
One thing I can appriciate about your channel I think you are creating a channel not to please Polish people. You give hoemst opinions, although some will definitely disagree. I was born in Poland in the Tricity area and I still believe its extremely beautiful and miss it daily - you have yhe beach front , thr beautiful forest , even dough the concept of Zoos is controversial I think Gdańsk zoo has beautigul location in the valley surrounded by forst. Also its so close to Kashubian region with all the beautiful lakes. Alo lots of cool places and museums and restaurants and the historic Długa Street with the medival (restored) town houses and if you love biking a lot of infrastructure is avaible invluding thr routes alongside the shore of all three cities (well technically Sopot is more like a village but does have its city rights) and of course the whole metropolitan area is constantly growing and incorporating thr smaller villages.
Considering moving to Poland. Godo thing is, as a European, and Poland being in Schenghen space, it's a easy as just packing my things and moving there, no need for visa or anything. It's godo to be European 😁
Beside 1 % of extreme rich ukrainians or belarussians who stayed in their countries, these richest are already in Poland and they will not leave cause there is nowhere to leave for them where they could stay better
Urodziłam i wychowałam się w Warszawie i kocham to miasto. Jest dużo stereotypów o warszawiakach, jednak w dużej mierze uważam, że to nie prawda. Wszyscy moi znajomi urodzeni również w Warszawie i jak ja mające kilka pokoleń wstecz urodzinych w Warszawie, są mili, życzliwi i bardzo przyjacielscy. Jednak mieszkając przez jakiś czas w innych miastach Polski, słyszałam same negatywne opinie o warszawiakach, jednak szybko okazywało się że mieli oni doczynienia z osobami przyjezdnymi. Jednak prawdą jest to, że jeśli nie urodziłeś się w bardzo dużym mieście to Warszawa będzie dla Ciebie przytłaczająca. A z takich ciekawostek, to warszawiacy nie lubią się z krakusami. W Polsce mamy kilka miast, które nie lubią się ze sobą nawzajem 😅 i toczą małe wojenki.
Wes you need to check out łodz - yes the one city all poles tell you "don't go " to . I'm an English native speaker, lived and worked in krakow for 8 years. Currently paying 1600zl rent on an apartment- size - 26 m2 approx - 30 min walk from centre. 15 by tram. Łodz will be the new polish Berlin. #englishmatters42 #esl #nativespeaker
You must decide what type of vibe you like. If you like the old town vibe - Krakow will speak to you more. If you enjoy a mix of older and new with a bit of crazy chaos ;) - Warsaw is better. I lived in Krakow and didn't like it, but I do not like medieval cities in general. With time Warsaw grew on me -- For example - Old Zoliborz or Bielany remind me a bit of "Berlin-vibe" :)
11:25 come to Gdynia all new buildings have the same style they look good but its like in video games when you try to optimize your game by using same prop instead of making new one Chyba jednak żyjemy w symulacji
You got me thinking Wes… You said that you wouldn’t want to raise your children in Poland, but you didn’t mention which countries you personally think would be best for raising kids? Which countries would you say are your top three in that regard?
@@WheresWes I started watching your channel today. I like your opinions about Poland. You don't exaggerate, and this is appreciated in Poland. I lived outside Poland for 21 years and I came back last year. I have visited over 80 countries around the world and one thing I can say when it comes to raising children and attractions for children, I think that Poland is a great place to start a family. Safety is also a plus to starting a family in Poland.
Hope I have time. I went to Wroclaw, Gdansk and I am going to Berlin tomorrow. I love the borscht, hope I can make it to Warsaw and krakow. One girl asking me until when I gonna stay here I only here for two weeks. Sometimes I say hi to the pretty girl in elevator and she hi back. In Gdansk I am only Asian guy here. Not a lot of Asian. The girl from Ukrain I meet online She said go to Gdansk and also you can stop by at the beach 🏖️ or stogi beach and drink beer. I have a good time. But you need to learn some Polish basic expressions and they love it. D
