Life in Warsaw

The capital of Poland is home to about 1.78 million people, with an additional 3.1 million residing in the greater metropolitan area. That makes Warsaw the sixth most populous capital city in the European Union.

More than 85% of Warsaw was destroyed during the Second World War. Reconstruction under Communism was slow and uneven, which means that even today, the city continues to grow in new and exciting ways. The Frontex headquarters is a good example of this: it’s one of the new office developments built in a post-industrial area of the city.

Warsaw boasts an extensive and affordable public transport system, including buses, trams and suburban trains. The Metro consists of only two lines, but continues to expand (the Frontex office is located next to one of the newest stations, Rondo Daszyńskiego). A 90-day ticket for Warsaw residents, valid in all zones and at any time of day and night, costs just under EUR 140, and Frontex staff are reimbursed for this expense.

Warsaw also offers plenty for nature lovers. Besides the parks you’d expect in any city, there’s the Vistula river, with a new boardwalk on the left bank, while the right bank remains largely wild, featuring a bike trail through the woods and a small colony of beavers that returned to the river in the past decade. The 900-acre Kabaty Woods, easily accessible at the end of Metro Line 1, is a favourite spot for joggers and cyclists. In fact, 15% of the city’s area is covered by parks or forests. To the west, the city borders the Kampinos National Park, which invites visitors for hikes or bike rides.

These days, most international food products can be found somewhere in Warsaw, and the city offers a wide range of international dining options. To mention just one example, the HappyCow Vegan Guide ranked Warsaw among the top 10 world’s most vegan-friendly cities in 2022.

Apart from the slopes leading down to the Vistula River, Warsaw is as flat as a pancake. True, if you’re after views of hills and valleys, that may sound boring. But if you’re a cyclist, it’s fantastic! Warsaw’s network of bike paths is well-developed, much better enforced than in many European cities, and still growing. The Frontex headquarters is also easily accessible by bike.

As the capital city, Warsaw is the hub of Poland’s road and rail transport networks; the country is also large enough that domestic air travel makes sense on several routes.

Locations for getaways in Poland include:

• The Mazury district of 2 000 lakes, with stunning landscapes showcased in the Roman Polanski film Knife in the Water

•  The Baltic seaside, featuring a number of beach resorts

•  Białowieża forest, on the Belarusian border, one of the last remaining primeval forests in Europe, home to the European bison.

•  The mountains on the southern border – several distinct ranges including the Sudety by the borders with the Czech Republic and Germany, the high Tatras including Poland’s highest point at 2 499 metres, and the wild Bieszczady in the southeast, home to wolves, bears and more of the European bison.

•  Historic cities including Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań and many more.

Warsaw’s Chopin Airport is close to the city centre – reachable in as little as 20 minutes from Frontex headquarters,

depending on traffic. National carrier LOT has been growing in recent years, seeking to position itself as the major

carrier for the Central European region, at the centre of an expanding long-haul network to destinations in Asia and North America. Warsaw also offers plenty of connections via other full-service and budget airlines.

Regional capitals such as Berlin, Budapest, Prague, Stockholm and Vienna can be reached by plane in less than 1.5 hours; add another 30-60 minutes for Amsterdam, Brussels or Paris. Destinations to the east of Poland include the Baltic states and Belarus.

The second airport most used by Warsaw citizens is Modlin airport.

Modlin Airport is situated less than fifty kilometres from Warsaw and has excellent connections to the city.

It offers mostly low-cost flights to such cities as London, Rome, Dublin, Milan, Oslo, Stockholm, Vienna, Paris, Barcelona, Riga, Alicante, Brussels and Bologna.

In addition to the Expatriate Services Team, Frontex, in liaison with our building’s management, also has concierge service, which offers services such as:

• ordering tickets to sporting and cultural events;

• organising services such as laundry, carpet cleaning, shoemakers and tailors;

• organising trips, tickets and holidays, including the purchase of airline tickets and transfers to the airport;  booking the services of plumbers, fitters and handymen;

• delivering and collecting packages;

•  ordering flowers and bouquets;

• preparing surprise gifts, and assisting in purchasing or buying them;  taking care of cars (washing, tyre changes, delivery).

You will be charged for the cost of the products or services themselves (not the concierge service).

If your contract is concluded for a period of at least one year, you will be entitled to the reimbursement of expenses for removal of furniture and personal effects, including the cost of insurance. Detailed conditions will be provided once you receive an offer of employment.

You may be entitled to a flat-rate payment corresponding to the cost of travel for you and your family (living in your household) from your place of recruitment to the place of employment. The flat-rate payment is based on an allowance per kilometre of geographical distance between those places plus an additional flat-rate supplement, if the distance is at least 600 km.

Poland’s currency is the złoty (PLN) and is used both for everyday transactions and for larger items such as purchase or rental of housing. Even if rental prices are agreed in euros or another currency, payments will often be made in złoty.

Poland’s banking system is well-run and competitive; visitors from many other countries will be pleased to find branches open until 8 pm, and some operating on Saturdays. Credit cards are widely accepted, and ATMs can be found on almost every corner.

Warsaw has a broad range of expatriate communities, including sports teams, language-exchange clubs, business networking organisations and play groups for children in various languages.

Information is available via social media (Facebook), school platforms or through your embassy – or just ask around at Frontex! You’re sure to find what you’re looking for...and if you don’t, you’ll probably find others who will help you get it started.

In recent years, Poland has become a hub for business services, ranking third in absolute number of jobs in the sector, behind India and the Philippines. The biggest European and international companies have set up operations in Warsaw – some of them are Frontex neighbours – offering high-quality jobs in areas ranging from finance, through

IT and supply-chain management, to human resources and services. Many of these roles don’t require Polish-language skills, and knowledge of other European languages is desirable for positions serving operations in other countries. Poland’s nationwide unemployment rate was the second-lowest in the EU in 2023, and Warsaw has even higher demand for workers.

Contemporary Warsaw is a diverse and dynamic city, the bustling, fast-changing cultural, political and economic heart of the country. It has a diverse range of neighbourhoods, meaning there’s something for everyone, whatever your priorities are. Some of the areas most popular with current staff are:

• Śródmieście: The city centre, with a dense public transport network and numerous shopping and nightlife opportunities.

• Powiśle: Down the hill from Śródmieście, with abundant green spaces and a riverside promenade. Home to the University of Warsaw campus and a straight shot to Frontex HQ on Metro Line 2.

• Mokotów: A quieter residential area in the south of the city, with good connections to the Frontex office thanks to tram lines and Line 1 of the Metro.

• Wilanów: At the southern edge of the city, close to several international schools. Farther from the Frontex office but with several new estates providing plenty of nearby shopping and dining options.

• Wola: Home to Frontex, this post-industrial district bordering Śródmieście to the east is seeing an acceleration in the construction of the office space that has marked it since the early 1990s, now adding new housing developments and with them a range of nightlife options.

These are also among the districts considered most attractive in terms of living conditions, even though the other districts may offer just as much, often at a lower cost.

Willing to learn more about the Polish capital city? See Warsaw through the eyes of our colleagues and learn what they love about it.