Highline Warsaw – Varso Tower observation deck

Varso Tower is the tallest building in the European Union – 310 metres including its spire, 230 metres to the roof, overtaking Frankfurt's Commerzbank Tower when it was completed. Highline Warsaw is the name of the public visitor experience inside it, and its terrace is now the highest 360° observation deck in the EU.

Three floors, not just a viewing platform

The visit isn't a single elevator ride to a viewing floor. It runs across three levels near the top of the tower. First is an immersive exhibit walking through Warsaw's history and culture using large screens and projections rather than static panels – a warm-up before the views rather than a museum detour. Next is HighGarden, a rooftop bar with a real garden built into the floor plan, billed as the EU's highest cocktail bar – it's a genuine stop on the visit, not just a vending machine near the exit. Last is the observation deck itself, 230 metres up with unobstructed 360° views, including a section built around a fogged-glass installation that makes it look like you're standing above the clouds – one of the more photographed spots in the whole building.

What you're looking at

From the top, Warsaw's Old Town and river islands sit toward one side, with the rest of the modern city centre and, on a clear day, the surrounding countryside stretching out around it. The Palace of Culture and Science – Poland's previous tallest building before Varso overtook it – is easy to pick out below, a useful landmark for orienting the rest of the skyline. If you're deciding between the two towers rather than doing both, Highline is higher, newer, and comes with the bar and garden experience, while the Palace of Culture is quicker, cheaper, and pairs its view with a very different, Soviet-era history.

Getting there

Varso Tower sits directly above Warsaw Central railway station, part of the same development – arrive by train and you're already at the building, no separate journey needed. It's one of the more convenient major attractions in the city centre to reach on foot from almost anywhere in Śródmieście.

Booking and timing

Highline Warsaw tickets cover entry to all three levels, not just the terrace – the history exhibit and the HighGarden bar floor are part of the same ticket, with drinks at the bar priced separately. It's marked as likely to sell out on busy days, so book ahead rather than turning up and hoping. Late afternoon into sunset is the best single slot – daylight views on arrival, the city lit up by the time you leave, without paying for two separate visits.

Since the observation deck only opened to the public in 2025, it's still a genuinely new addition to Warsaw's skyline attractions – worth building into a first visit rather than treating as an optional extra.