Sightseeing without the tourists

Now is the time to see Warsaw or any other Northern European city – when the weather's grim and tourists are sparse. Let's face it – exploring cities is not about sunbathing, but revelling in the architecture without the distraction of the bucket-list selfie crowd. The lowest of the low season, between the New Year and Easter, is when it's best to wander around. Below: the market of Warsaw's 17th century New Town, Friday lunchtime – empty. Now's the time to savour the atmosphere, the klimat.

Below: Warsaw's Barbakan – the remaining stretch of the mediaeval wall encircling the Old Town. Without the hawkers touting tourist tat, without buskers, without garish adverts for shops or restaurants. Walled cities speak of a time of constant invasions and the need for defensive structures.

Below: from the steps of the Church of the Holy Spirit, looking down ulica Mostowa curving and dipping gently down towards the Vistula. The Barbakan gate to the right. 

Below: by night, same composition, unsullied by the tourist throng milling noisily from shot bar to shot bar.

Below: the Barbakan as dusk falls. The Old Town lies silent.

Below: the last weekend with the Christmas lights on; the city authorities start taking them down on Monday. Ulica Freta with nary a human being in sight. 

Below: corner of ul. Freta and ul. Kościelna. Architecture, cobblestones and remnants of snow give that European authenticity best appreciated at this time of year.

Below: the edge of the New Town, early-postwar Socialist Realist architecture. A Żabka convenience store is now an obligatory fixture on many a street corner in Poland's towns and cities. De jure it's actually a Żabka café, with its two barstools, a windowsill table measuring three foot by one foot six, and a self-service coffee machine, which allows the premises to stay open on Sundays pursuant to Polish retail law. From the tourism industry point of view, this is good, as visitors can safely graze on salt snacks and energy drinks the whole week round.

This time last year:
How much spirituality do we need?

This time five years ago:
New 'down' platforms take shape at Sułkowice and Chynów

This time six years ago:
Birds return to frozen ponds

This time seven years ago:
Bending the forces of physics with your will

This time nine years ago:
Giving it up for Lent

This time 11 years ago:
North-east of Warsaw West revisited

This time 12 years ago:
Looking for answers

This time 13 years ago:
Fresh powder in Warsaw's parks

This time 15 years ago:
Another Lent starts

This time 17 years ago:
Okęcie dusk