Warsaw is far more to this metropolis, with a string of things to see, an impressive cultural scene and an increasingly lively nightlife. Many of todays Old Town buildings are closer to the original architecture than they were before destruction, as the alterations of the intervening centuries were not incorporated in the reconstruction. The strikingly successful rebuilding of Warsaws Old Town was finally rewarded in 1980, when the entire complex earned its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Situated in the Mazowieckie province the city spans the Wisla River and most of the main tourist sites are on the left bank, while the right bank contains the increasingly fashionable Praga district. The tourist epicentre of Warsaw is the Royal Route, which runs north-south from the New and Old Towns, past the fashionable shops of Nowy Swiat, the palaces that survived the war and the royal gardens of Lazienki Park, before reaching Wilanow Palace to the south of the city centre. The city also boasts many green spaces, with leafy parks where rowing boats cruise past outdoor cafes, during the summer, and free classical concerts attract crowds in a scene far removed from the dull Communist-era images of Warsaw. The nightlife scene today is equally surprising, with clued-up and increasingly well dressed local youth flocking to the countless bars and clubs of a city that now buzzes after dark.