Gdansk (Danzig in German) is one of Poland's main shipping ports located on the Baltic Sea. The city is filled with incredible colourful architecture, coffee shops, bakeries, places to visit and so much more! Here is what you need to know before you visit Gdansk.
What You Need To Know About Visiting Gdansk, Poland
Gdansk was never on my travel list but a travel conference was due to take place there and It's a place I had never visited. So I thought why not? I bought my ticket to the WITS (Women In Travel Summit Conference (November 2019) and booked my flights, accommodation, etc. I was so excited to be visiting someplace new and for my second trip to Poland (the first trip was to Krakow in October 2019). Then you know what happened next. After two years we all finally made it to Gdansk in October 2022! It was well worth the wait. I loved my visit so much, we returned in December 2022 to visit the Christmas Markets and are planning an extended trip to re-visit Gdansk and more of Poland soon.
Gdansk old town isn't too dissimilar to Edinburgh, with its pretty cobbled streets, lots of history, culture and great food. I felt right at home walking around as a solo female, though I was super excited to meet up with friends and friends I hadn't met yet (WITS Conference).
About Gdansk
One of the oldest cities in Poland, Gdansk dates back to the 10th century! In 1308 the city became part of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights until 1454. Today it is one of Poland's main shipping ports with pretty cobbled streets, decorative street lamps, colourful architecture, medieval brick gates, and much more. Still, under many people's radar, Gdansk will soon become a popular visited city.
Traveling To Gdansk
With many direct and low-cost frequent flights available into Gdansk, it makes it a very attractive city break option. Ryanair flies direct from Edinburgh to Lech Wałęsa Airport in 2 hours and 15 minutes. From the airport, the city centre is only a 20-minute taxi ride away approx €14.50 (PLN 65). For the more adventurous, you might like to take the local bus. Take the 210 to Gdansk Clowny. The journey takes around 45 minutes. Please buy your ticket before boarding the bus at the bus stop (the machine accepts credit cards and is approx €1.10 (PLN 4.80). and then insert the ticket into the machine on the bus to validate your journey. I believe there is also a train but you have to make a change. The most direct and easiest option is by taxi (both Bolt and Uber apps can be used or you can pre-book a taxi with your hotel).
Getting Around Gdansk & Surrounding Areas
The historic city of Gdansk is really easy to navigate and explore on foot. You can also reach the surrounding suburbs by frequent and inexpensive trams (you can buy the tickets at the kiosks on the platform or at the newsagent shop). Day trips to further away locations can be enjoyed on the local train or by Flixbus. There is also a value-for-money visitor pass called the Gdansk Tourist Card, where you visit more than 20 museums, plus 30 more discounts to cultural, interesting attractions and restaurants for a fraction of the cost including the Artus Court, Main Town Hall, Uphagen House, Polish Post Office Museum, Museum of Amber, Blue Lamb Granary and more! You can also upgrade your pass to include transport tickets, fast track, and access to the executive lounge at Gdansk Airport.
There are a couple of different options available, from what is included to see and how many days you would like to explore. Find out more about the Gdansk Tourist Card (Karta Turysty), and how you can purchase yours.
Accommodation In Gdansk
There is a wide variety of accommodations available to suit all budgets from hostels at £10 per night to Airbnb's and luxury 4/5* hotels. On both trips to Gdansk, I opted to stay at the Artus Hotel. The hotel is very comfortable with a bar/restaurant and located in the centre of the old town. Please be aware that the hotel is also almost directly opposite St Mary's Church (the hotel provides earplugs).
Where To Eat & Drink In Gdansk
The food in Poland is delicious! Some of the traditional dishes are made from potatoes and of course lots of Pierogi (dumplings).
Pyra Bar (Potato Bar), Garbary 6/7, Gdansk 11am - 9pm every day with Friday and Saturday open till 10pm.
The BroKurowa (potato, chicken, broccoli, white sauce, and mozzarella) casserole was delicious! I can also recommend the sweet apple potato pancakes. Yum! You might also like to wash down with a traditional Polish Tyskie Beer or a Ksiazece cherry ale.
Billy's American Restaurant, Chmielna 3/8, Gdansk 8am - 12am every day with Friday and Saturday open till 2am.
Can highly recommend the light and fluffy pancake stack. Delicious!
There are two of these that I saw, but I have only eaten at the location above.
Pierogarnia Stary Mlyn, Swietego Ducha 64, Gdansk 11am - 10pm every day with Friday and Saturday 11pm.
The sweet and savoury pierogi are delicious. It can be very busy with a queue outside. Worth the wait.
Bowke Restaurant (a historical term for rogue or scoundrel) - is located in centre of the old town on the Motlawa River Embankment (Długie Pobrzeże) only 400 metres away from the Town Hall at Długi Targ Street. Serving traditional Polish meat and some fish dishes.
Sassy Roof Top Bar: Chmielna 10, 80-748 Gdańsk - Drinks with panoramic views across the old city. Great place for cocktails!
Hotel Gdansk (Brovarnia Gdańsk) - Best Beer in Poland
We visited during the beer festival (Amber Fest) and sampled some of the locally brewed beers. It has a 400-year-old brewery that has been recognized in the most prestigious beer competitions in the world.
Central Hotel is located only a four-minute walk from Gdansk Central Train Station. With over a 100 years history, it is a unique place to visit for the best craft beers and a fresh warm pretzel.
Dobra Paczkarnia (Donut Bakery), Plac Dominikanski 1, Gdansk Open each day 9am - 5pm One of the more traditional is Roza (rose filing). Yum! There are many delicious fillings to choose from.
Kaiser Patissiere: On the Motlawa River Embankment (Długie Pobrzeże) the Kaiser Patissiere is in a beautiful building, across three floors. It is a lovely location to enjoy one of their delicious coffees and cakes with views out across the river.
Tygle: Chmielna 10, 80-748 Gdańsk
Fine dining restaurant with elevated around the world traditional flavoured cuisine.
Beautiful setting, incredible service, and delicious food.
Piekarnia Gruzinska Ketili Puri, Szeroka 125, Gdansk
Located on the way to the Amber Museum, off the beaten track but well worth a visit! The freshly baked traditional Georgian breads are delicious! Can highly recommend the Ajarian Khachapuri with chicken, cheese, mushrooms, fresh herbs, covered with tomato, pepper, and dill, and the chocolate-cherry puff is amazing. Open 9am till 8pm each day.
As I write this my mouth is salivating. The food is so good!
What To Do While Visiting Gdansk
There are different activities available at different times of the year. From kayaking to pirate boat trips, visiting the island of Hel, relaxing on the long white sandy beach at Sopot, and seeing the magical water fountains in full flow. The water fountains are turned off during autumn and winter (city centre) but the spectacular autumnal colours are beautiful. You can witness the colours and 360-degree views of the city from Pacholek Hill Observation Deck in the charming area of Oilwa (There are lots of stairs to climb before you reach the observation deck, not for the faint-hearted). From here you can also walk around the park with its sculptures, water features and enjoy a drink or snack. There is also a small local museum and St Catherine's Church, with a viewing gallery. We enjoyed visiting many of the museums, taking a sail-boat trip around the harbour with Premium Yachting, historical walking tours, walking the art trail, and enjoying the city from its highest vantage points (if you have a head for heights you might like to climb the 405 stairs up the 15th-century St Mary's Church brick bell tower to enjoy the 360-degree views. It is an experience!), as well as enjoying all the delicious food & drink.
The winter brings the large Christmas Market, seasonal sweet delights, and many beautifully handmade items including rolling pins, lace Christmas tree angel decorations, and of course a large selection of local amber pieces. No matter the time of year, Gdansk is a beautiful city with lots to explore. When will you visit?
Day Trips From Gdansk
Sopot
Sopot is part of the tri-city alongside Gdynia & Gdansk. The health & wellbeing spa town of Sopot can be easily reached by taxi (20 - 30 minutes) or train (1 hour) from Gdansk. Known for its healing waters, you can either bathe, inhalal, or drink the unique brine water extracted from the Zdrój of St. Wojciech spring, at a depth of 800 meters. These are 4.3% bromide and iodine natural brine, containing significant amounts of potassium, magnesium, and iodine. We didn't manage to bathe in the healing waters but we visited Sopot Tourism Association's Office cafe Dom Zdrojowy (Pl. Zdrojowy 2) to drink the water and afterwards sat at the antique, glass-domed ‘inhalation mushroom’ station in Maria and Lech Kaczyńscy Park. It was very nice and relaxing. The inhalation treatment is said to be good for respiratory conditions. Did you know these treatments stem from more than a two-hundred-year-old tradition?
As well as enjoying a walk along the long white sandy beach, you might like to take a stroll along Sopot Pier (Molo w Sopocie) traditional wooden pier, said to be the longest wooden pier in Europe at 511.5 metres (1,678 ft) which first opened in 1827 and goes out into the Bay of Gdansk. You might like to go and see the crooked house (Krzywy Domek) or Sopot Museum, take in the views from Sopot Lighthouse, or do a little bit of shopping on Monte Cassino. Look out for the statue of Wojtek: the Siberian bear who was a private in the Polish army and lived out his final years in Edinburgh at Edinburgh Zoo (another commemorative statue is located in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh). We visited during "Golden Autumn" said to be the best time to visit. It was really beautiful, quiet, and a joy to walk around during the brisk sunny days.
Malbork
The Polish town of Malbork on the Nogat River has a population of 37, 898 (2021) well known for its 13th-century castle complex, built by the Teutonic Knights in Malbork, is Europe's largest fortress by land area at 52 acres (21 ha), was granted UNESCO World Heritage in 1997. The construction of the gothic red brick fortress is said to have started as early as 1278, which took more than 230 years to finish and 3.5 million hand-made bricks were used during its construction!
Opening to the public as a museum in 1961, today more than 750,000 tourists from around the world visit the UNESCO site. While visiting don't miss the medieval artifacts, paintings & incredible amber collection.
We took a private tour from Gdansk but there is public transport available. The easiest way to travel there without a car is with the train from Gdansk Glowny to Malbork. Which takes around 30 minutes.
There are a few different ticket options available, as well as guide and audio guides available. Open Monday - Sunday 9am - 3pm (please check if local holiday or private events). Allow at least 2.5 - 3 hours to make the most of your visit.
Torun
The city of Torun has been baking gingerbread for more than a millennium! There is lots to see and do from taking a gingerbread-making class at the Living Gingerbread Museum to seeing the birthplace of 15th-century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543). The medieval part of the city gained UNESCO World Heritage site status in 1997, with its large cathedral, city walls, and quirky architectural features (window statues).
I took a solo day trip by Flixbus from Gdansk, Dworzec Autobusowy departing at 8am to Torun, Dworzec Autobusowy arriving at 10.30am, returning in the evening to Gdansk at 18.35pm. It was really easy to do, booked on the Flixbus app and it only cost £16 return!
When you travel solo, you are more likely to get talking to other people who are traveling solo too. I met the most lovely lady from Canada at the Gdansk bus station, we chatted about our trip and what we were planning to do on arrival in Torun. Turned out we both had the same idea, we eagerly departed the bus together, explored the city, took the gingerbread-making class at the Living Gingerbread Museum, and had a delicious lunch at Pierogarnia Stary Torun.
"There are no strangers here, just friends you haven't met yet" - William Butler Yeats
We had a super day! The city of Torun is beautiful, I cannot wait to return and explore more. If you have time, I would highly recommend staying a few days to enjoy the city at a more leisurely pace. The day trip was a great introduction to Torun, and super for someone on a tight schedule/itinerary. Please book the Flixbus and Gingerbread-making class at the Living Gingerbread Museum in advance, to avoid disappointment (we were lucky there were two spots for the class, available later that same day).
Shopping In Gdansk
From the quaint independent shops in the historic old town to the large modern Forum Gdansk shopping mall with 200 stores, restaurants, cinema, and beautiful green relaxing spaces including its very own river! There is something for everyone. Some of the local items you might like to buy include jewellery items made with amber (beware there are replicas out there, shop at known and certified amber merchants), hand-crafted items including wooden rolling pins, lace, ceramic, and of course sweets. Visiting for the Christmas Markets? There are lots of small traditional wooden huts selling a range of hand-made items. Ideal for Christmas shopping, take an empty case!
Top tip: If you plan on buying a wooden rolling pin, please put this in checked luggage. As not allowed in hand baggage. The other option is to post to yourself from the airport post office. It only cost me £5 to post mine (already in box, from when I bought it). The lady at the post office is super lovely and very helpful. Located almost opposite the airport information desk.
What To Pack For A Trip To Gdansk
I like to travel with hand baggage only, though the allowances have changed significantly with many of the airlines and if going shopping, you might like to check in a suitcase. It is so much easier traveling light though. October was very sunny, a little brisk and chilly in the morning/evenings but could be nice and warm during the day. Ideally, you might like to pack layers and during the Winter/Christmas Markets you might like to pack your winter woollies, as it can be extremely chilly!
Over the years I have tried and tested a few different suitcases and backpack options. I love my Cabinzero Classic 44L-Navy Flags and the ADV Dry Waterproof Backpack 30L Paisley. Just now you can also get a super discount with the Black Friday deals with Cabinzero! (it is not an affiliate link, I just like to share what I love).
I hope you have enjoyed reading and are inspired to visit the beautiful city of Gdansk.
If you have any questions/comments, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Until next time..happy travels, Michelle x
Comments