Warsaw's Praga picked among Europe's hippest districts

The area, which evaded the destruction meted out to most of the city during World War II, was nevertheless regarded as somewhat beyond the pale until a decade ago.

''Praga was considered to be a district with the highest crime rate in the city - how times have changed,'' the UK portal enthuses.

''The eastern area hugging the Vistula river has blossomed into one of Europe’s creative hubs with many of its abandoned warehouses and disused factories being transformed into hip bars, clubs, restaurants and art spaces.

''Today, the district attracts young crowds of boho-types who rightly acknowledge that this up-and-coming district is where the pulse of Warsaw can really be found.''

The website homed in on 11 other European hotspots, including London's hipster mecca Dalston, Amsterdam-Noord, Berlin's Kreuzberg and Gracia in Barcelona.

The Culture Trip, which describes itself as ''a one-stop digital platform for global culture and lifestyle'' won the prize for UK Website of the Year Award for Arts & Culture in 2014. (nh)