Warsaw's palaces, churches and mansions display a richness of color and architectural details. Buildings are representatives of nearly every European architectural style and historical period. The city has wonderful examples of architecture from the gothic, renaissance, baroque and neoclassical periods, all of which are located within easy walking distance of the town centre.

Gothic architecture is represented in the majestic churches but also at the burgher houses and fortifications. The most significant buildings are St. John's Cathedral (14th century), the temple is a typical example of the so-called Masovian gothic style, St. Mary's Church (1411), a town house of Burbach family (14th century), Gunpowder Tower (after 1379) and the Royal Castle Curia Maior (1407-1410). The most notable examples of Renaissance architecture in the city are the house of Baryczko merchant family (1562), building called "The Negro" (early 17th century) and Salwator tenement (1632). The most interesting examples of mannerist architecture are the Royal Castle (1596-1619) and the Jesuit Church (1609-1626) at Old Town. Among the first structures of the early baroque the most important are St. Hyacinth's Church (1603-1639) and Zygmunt's Column (1644).
Building activity occurred in numerous noble palaces and churches during the later decades of the 17th century. One of the best examples of this architecture are Krasinski Palace (1677-1683), Wilanów Palace (1677-1696) and St. Kazimierz Church (1688-1692). The most impressive examples of rococo architecture are Czapski Palace (1712-1721), Palace of the Four Winds (1730s) and Visitationist Church (façade 1728-1761). The neoclassical architecture in Warsaw can be described by the simplicity of the geometrical forms teamed with a great inspiration from the Roman period. Some of the best examples of the neoclassical style are the Palace on the Water (rebuilt 1775-1795), Królikarnia (1782-1786), Carmelite Church (façade 1761-1783) and Evangelical Holy Trinity Church (1777-1782). The economic growth during the first years of Congress Poland caused a rapid rise architecture. The Neoclassical revival affected all aspects of architecture, the most notable are the Great Theater (1825-1833) and buildings located at Bank Square (1825-1828).

Exceptional examples of the bourgeois architecture of the later periods were not restored by the communist authorities after the war (like mentioned Kronenberg Palace and Insurance Company Rosja building) or they were rebuilt in socialist realism style (like Warsaw Philharmony edifice originally inspired by Palais Garnier in Paris). Despite that the Warsaw University of Technology building (1899-1902) is the most interesting of the late 19th century architecture. Lot of the 19th century buildings is restored in Praga (Vistula's right bank), though they are in a pretty bad condition. Warsaw's municipal government authorities have decided to rebuild the Saxon Palace and the Brühl Palace, the most distinctive buildings in prewar Warsaw.
After the Warsaw area enlargement in 1916, an occasion was aroused to build new estates. Yet in 20's and 30's new workers' and villas' estates came into existence. The workers' estates were Ochota and Rakowiec, Kolo (north-western part of Wola), Grochów (the centre of Praga Poludnie), Zoliborz. The villas' estates - Higher Mokotów (there lived President Starzynski), Czerniaków (north of Wilanów), Saska Kepa (between Poniatowski and Lazienkowski bridges) as well as Zoliborz. The Zoliborz estate (more accurately - the Old Zoliborz, i.e. the part of district around the Wilson Square) is an interesting example of an estate, where four groups of society lived next to each other: workers (Zoliborz Spóldzielczy, i.e. collective - the workers' part was a housing association), writers and periodists (Zoliborz Dziennikarski - periodical), state clerks (Zoliborz Urzedniczy - clerical) and army officers (Zoliborz Oficerski).

Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Palace of Culture and Science (1952-1955), a Soc-realist skyscraper located in the city centre, and the Constitution Square with its monumental Socialist realism architecture (MDM estate). The central part of the right-bank (east) Praga borough it is a place where very run-down houses stand right next to modern apartment buildings and shopping malls.
Like in all former communist countries, there are also several blockhouse estates in Warsaw. They were built between 1960 and 1985, mainly in the areas incorporated in 1951. The greatest are: Ursynów-Natolin, Bródno, Wawrzyszew (close to the Steel Industry), Bemowo, Goclaw (at the right bank, between Lazienkowski and Siekierkowski bridges), Stegny (north-west of Wilanów), Tarchomin (north of Torunska Road).
Modern architecture in Warsaw is represented by the Metropolitan Office Building at Pilsudski Square by Lord Foster, Warsaw University Library (BUW) by Marek Budzynski and Zbigniew Badowski, featuring a garden on its roof and view of the Vistula River, Rondo 1 office building by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and Golden Terraces, consisting of seven overlapping domes retail and business centre.
It has been said that Warsaw, together with Frankfurt, London, Paris, Moscow, Istanbul and Rotterdam is one of the tallest cities in Europe. Of the 21 tallest skyscrapers in Poland, 18 are situated in Warsaw (the first of the list which is in Warsaw, is the 9th - the Sea Tower in Gdynia). Nine of them are office buildings. The tallest structure, the centrally located Palace of Culture and Science, is the European Union's seventh-tallest building: 230.7 metres (756.9 ft) with the TV-tower, 188 metres (616.8 ft) to the roof. The first skyscrapers in Poland were also built in Warsaw. The first was the building of the Polish Telegraph Company (1908 - so-called PASTa) - 51 metres (167 ft), probably the highest building in the Russian Empire at that time. The second was the building of the Insurance Company Prudential (1934) - 66 metres (217 ft). Nowadays, apart from the Palace of Culture and Science, the highest buildings are: Warsaw Trade Tower (1999, 208 metres (682 ft)), Rondo 1 (2006, 192 metres (630 ft)), Hotel Marriott (1989, 170 metres (558 ft)).