Museum of the History of Polish Jews

Warsaw holds a deep significance for Jewish people, having served as a crucial cultural capital for centuries. At its peak, the Jewish population of the city was one of the largest in the world, with a vast network of Jewish schools, businesses, newspapers, and cultural institutions. Our expert-led private walking offers a comprehensive look at Warsaw’s Jewish communities past and present, from the earliest Jewish residents to the devastating affects of Nazi occupation, the incredible events of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to the facets of Jewish life that have re-emerged in the Polish capital since the end of the war.

On this 3-hour private walking tour, you will:

• Explore the rich Jewish history of Warsaw with a passionate local expert guide;
• Enjoy the personalised attention of your private guide, and learn the stories behind the poignant landmarks;
• See the Nożyk Synagogue, the only remaining pre-war synagogue in the city;
• Visit Grzybowski Square, once a vibrant hub of Jewish life in Warsaw;
• Learn about the devastating effects of the German occupation of Poland on the Jewish population while you uncover the traces of the former Warsaw Ghetto;
• Hear the incredible story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the largest Jewish revolt against the Nazis during World War II;
• Discover the bullet-ridden facade of a building at the forefront of the fighting;
• Make your way to the Umschlagplatz Memorial commemorating the site where hundreds of thousands of Jews were deported to the Treblinka extermination camp in 1942;
• Walk around the Muranów neighbourhood, built upon the rubble of the Ghetto in the 1950s;
• Pause at the Ghetto Heroes Monument, where your guide can share incredible stories of the Jewish resistance fighters;
• End your tour with a self-guided visit to POLIN - a remarkable museum dedicated to the history of Polish Jews.

Step into the soul of Jewish Warsaw on this intimate private tour that traces the footsteps of one of Europe’s most vibrant communities, from its cultural heights to its tragic destruction and enduring legacy. Your experience begins a stone’s throw away from the Nożyk Synagogue, the only pre-war synagogue still standing in the city, where you'll meet your expert local guide for an in-depth exploration of Jewish life, memory, and resilience in the Polish capital. Your guide can set the scene explaining what life was like for Jews in Warsaw when the synagogue was built at the turn of the 20th Century, as you admire its ornate brick facade, and should your tour take place at a time when visits are allowed, you will step inside its beautiful interior.

Your route will continue with a stroll through Grzybowski Square, once a bustling centre of Jewish daily life, where synagogues, markets, and cultural institutions were seamlessly woven into the fabric of the city. As your guide shares vivid stories from before the war, you’ll gain a sense of the rich tapestry of Jewish Warsaw that once was. Moving through the city’s streets, your journey turns to the dark years of the German occupation, as you uncover the chilling boundaries and surviving fragments of the Warsaw Ghetto, where hundreds of thousands were confined.

You will find out about the unimaginable hardship endured by the people forced to live in Europe’s most notorious Ghetto, and see a historic building with a façade still scarred with bullet holes. Your guide will reveal that this striking structure is a remnant of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the largest act of Jewish resistance during World War II. You will discover the key events of the uprising and the extraordinary people who led the underground Jewish groups who took the Nazis by surprise as they began their final assault on the Ghetto.

You’ll make a solemn stop at the Umschlagplatz Memorial located at the site where hundreds of thousands of Jews were deported to the Treblinka extermination camp in 1942, and pass by the nearby Ghetto Heroes Monument, where the bravery of those who fought for dignity and freedom against impossible odds is immortalised in bronze. You will also have the chance to see the Muranów neighbourhood, a residential district built atop the ruins of the Ghetto. 

As your time together draws to a close, your guide will take you to the acclaimed POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, where you can spend as much time as you like exploring a beautifully curated self-guided exhibition tracing a millennium of Jewish life in Poland. You’ll be left with a much deeper understanding of Warsaw’s Jewish Heritage and how it continues to shape the city to this day.