The area of the city around Solidarity Avenue is at Warsaw's commercial and cultural centre. In addition to modern buildings, it features palaces, churches and monasteries, as well as historic parks and gardens.

From the end of the 18th century to the mid 19th, Solidarity Avenue (Aleja Solidarnosci) and Plac Teatrainy (Theatre Square) was the heart of Warsaw's commercial and cultural activity. The grand neo-classical buildings of the area, with their impressive colonnades, were constructed in the 1820s. These include the Grand Theatre (Teatr Wielki), which is one of the largest buildings of its kind in Europe.

The most famous palaces, not to be missed, are Przebendowski-Radziwill Palace on the avenue and the magnificent Krasinski Palace on Bonifaterska Street. Worth seeing also are the Basilian Church on Miodowa Street, Jan Kilinski Monument on Podwale Street as well as Krasinkis Gardens around Swietojerska Street and Saxons Gardens around Krolewska Street.

Just as it was throughout much of the nineteenth century, this is also the commercial hub of the city and many leading businesses and banks are established here. Behind the facades of former noble palaces you are now more likely to find an international business firm than a museum tour.

Senatorska street, which runs west from Castle Square, has some interesting buildings along the way. At its start you will find the elegant Borch Palace, which has been the seat of the Primate of Poland since 1843. The Cardinal remains a powerful figure in this overwhelmingly Catholic country.

The appropriately named Grand Theatre is another major building in the area that has been returned to its former glory. It was assiduously reconstructed after war-time damage. The square it stands on, Plac Teatralny, was the heart of fashionable Warsaw until 1939, boasting a host of shops and restaurants.

On the other side of Plac Teatralny, continuing along Senatorska street, lies the so-called Blue Palace. The somewhat unprepossessing facade belies a rich history. Before the war it was owned by Count Jan Zamoyski (1912-2002), one of the last grandees of old Warsaw. A young pianist named Frederic Chopin played his first concert here in 1812.

At the end of Senatorska you will arrive at the now radically altered Plac Bankowy. The rebuilt Ratusz (Town Hall) still stands proudly amidst a number of new developments.

Away from the hubbub of the commercial district you can go for a stroll through the Krasinski and Saxon gardens. The two parks mirror each other on either side of Solidarnosci.

Official state functions are held at Pilsuduski Square where, since 1925, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with its famous guard of honour and eternal flame is located.

Churches, parks and gardens, monasteries, monuments, and modern skyscrapers can all be found here. Solidarity Avenue is still the cultural and commercial hub of modern Warsaw, a mix of modernity and tradition.