A guide to Gdansk for first-time travellers.

While Gdansk makes is a perfect option for a European city break, I think that 4 days is the minimum amount of time to see the highlights of the city and beyond for first-time travellers.

This seaside city was the birthplace of the Solidarity Movement that shaped Europe’s history in many ways. It’s been an important port for centuries, with many people from all around Europe coming to Gdansk for prosperity, trade and freedom. It is very well reflected in the mix of architectural styles. If you are Scottish, you might notice some familiar motifs.

Gdańsk is speedily becoming one of the trendiest cities in Europe and it is not surprising. While keeping its original and beautiful architecture in the centre, it managed to add a modern touch to hotels and restaurants without any destruction and tradition.

Always without hesitance, I visit Gdańsk whenever I have an opportunity. And I am pleased to see how it is developing and always offering something new and pretty. My recent trip to Gdańsk this summer had an interesting touch of an annual fair- Jarmark Dominikański (Fair of St Dominic). The centre becomes ever more bustling than usually with visiting crowds, events and stalls offering local products and crafts. Of course, it would not be complete without a vast collection of amber, including jewellery and other items made of this semiprecious stone found in the Baltic sea.

Book a taxi from the airport to the city here. Most likely you won’t have any issues getting a taxi from the airport to your hotel, bit sometimes the prices are elevated. Even for me, being a Polish citizen, drivers try to charge double of what it normally costs. I know the prices (and the language) so I can negotiate, I guess foreigners are an easy target, so prebooking your taxi might be the less stressful option.

How to spend 4 days in Gdansk

Highlights of the 4 days in Gdansk for first-time travellers:

Old Town- 1-2 days
Westerplatte- half day
Malbork- half day
The full Threecity- 1 day
Add any other number of days for the beach in the summer

Like most European cities, Gdansk is best to be visited on foot. Now you can download this article with all the places mentioned on a map that can be used without the internet with GPSmycity. If you are not familiar with them yet, I can tell you that it’s a game changer for creating self-guided city walks, even if you don’t have WIFI.

Explore the old town

You will need at least one full day to explore the old town without visiting any museums. However, if you stay in the centre, you will be able to explore it in the evenings quite easily while taking day trip away from the centre.

Surprisingly, every building in the Old Town (Stare Miasto) seems to be from a different story. It is due to its vibrant history- you will want to learn about it for sure. The Old Town is quite large, with many little streets and hidden gems. The Long Way (also goes by Long Market, Royal Way) is a 13th-century street going all the way from the Town Hall to the Green Gate. This street itself is like an open-air museum with many historical landmarks you should not miss: Neptune’s Fountain, Golden House, Green Gate, Town Hall, Schumann House or Lion Castle.

Near the waterfront, pay attention to Żuraw (the Crane) building- a historical port crane, apparently the last one left in Europe.

Other landmarks not to miss include Oliwa Church with organs designed by Johann Wilhelm Wulff in 1763 and, of course, Basilica of St, Mary– one of the largest brick churches in the world.

Museums worth attention

If you are unlucky and it starts pouring down rain, don’t worry. Gdansk offers great museums, where you can hide from unfortunate weather (unless you love the rain- then keep exploring the city). If you only have a weekend or 4 days in Gdansk, I’d skip all the museums except Museum of Solidarity.

Museum of the II World War
European Centre of Solidarity (Europejskie Centrum Solidarnosci)
Museum of Gdansk- main Town Hall
Museum of Amber
Invisible Gdansk (museum tour in total darkness, surely something unique that involves all senses except sight)

Enjoy the long beaches of golden sand

One of the things I loved most about Poland is that it has beautiful, sandy and long beaches that are usually separated from cities and hotels by a park or forest. You can actually walk from city to city for 20 km on the beach.

The beaches (if not in the very centre of a city) seem secluded. All thanks to the trees that cover the modernity and concrete, hotels and city life and hidden just behind the greenery. Really, I love the fact that you won’t see many hotels or other buildings at the beach.

While the city beaches are usually packed with tourists during July and August, taking a stroll a bit further will give you a lot of privacy and space.

That path in the woods is parallel to the cycle path along the beach. You can still hear the waves while enjoying the tranquillity of nature.

Take a day trip to Sopot and Gdynia- part of Threecity

As Gdańsk is part of Treecity, why not see them all by a beach walk? The three cities are connected by a 10-kilometre long stripe of sandy beach with a walking and cycle path running in parallel. It reaches a bit further than Gdynia, but in my opinion, it is one of the most beautiful activities while in Gdansk.

Sopot is a charming town, rather popular among celebrities and known for its molo– a beautiful, long pier (involves a small fee to enter). Once in Sopot, apart from sunbathing at a pretty beach, have lunch in the Sheraton Grand Hotel with a sea view ( they actually serve very tasty Polish dishes and, as a Polish person, I am picky when it comes to traditional dishes).

Upon entering the town centre, search for a crooked house. It’s not my favourite thing in Sopot, but it’s cool to see. Joining a walking tour to see the highlights of Sopot is a nice activity too.

Visit one of the most amazing castles in the world in Malbork

Malbork castle is the largest Medieval castle in the world.

The Malbork castle is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside. It is a castle built by Teutonic Order knights and a fortress from the 13th century. It was constructed so well, that nobody ever managed to conquer it. Once you enter the castle, you will see that there is a castle within a castle with many defence systems. It was also a very modern and sophisticated castle at that time with its sanitary and heating systems that were very very new back then. In the 15th century, it become a residence for the Polish kings.

Visiting Malbork castle is a must for all castle and history lovers. And if you could only see one castle in your life- Malbork should be it!

I’d recommend a few good hours for Malbork, even though it is a really small town as apart from the castle, the town centre and areas around the river are charming and picturesque. After your visit to the castle, reserve some time for a stroll and lunch on the other side of the river in one of the shore restaurants with a beautiful view. I recommend Bistro Na Fali, this restaurant is known for being reinvented by Magda Gessler, a celebrity known for a show of a Polish version of Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant makeovers.

Good to know:

The castle is open every day, however, as all museums in Poland are closed on Mondays, the museum and some castle rooms will be closed on Mondays. You can still visit the grounds and some interiors but not the bedrooms, for example. Monday’s tour costs 15 zl and takes around two hours, other days it takes around 3,5 hours and costs 70 zl. I highly encourage you to book your ticket in advance as the waiting line can be quite long.

How to get to Malbork:

There are frequent trains going to Malbork that take you there from 30 to 60 minutes (depending on the type of train you take). The train station is located in the centre of Gdansk, easily reachable by tram, taxi or even on foot if you stay in the centre. The trains are quite cheap and more convenient than going by car. I would recommend avoiding buses as they take much longer.

The train takes you to Malbork centre within a walking distance of the castle (around 20-25 minutes).

Explore public transportation options to get to Malbork here.

Feel the romance of Eilean Donan Castle

Neuschwanstein- castle that makes Disney embarrassed

Where to stay in Gdańsk

Staying in or near the historical centre (Stare Miasto) is a good idea as it will allow you to explore all the little corners much easier and take advantage of all the restaurants and bars. Any place within a walking distance of Long Street, also called Long Market (Ulica Dluga, Dlugi Targ) will be perfect.

I visited Gdańsk numerous times and would recommend the following hotels:

PURO Hotel– is located within a 1-minute walking distance from Ulica Długa. It’s a modern and cosy hotel right in the heart of all attractions.
Radisson Hotel & Suites– it’s located right in front of the river and Żuraw. If you want a perfect location, this would be it!
Qubus Hotel– a perfect option for families. It is located at Ulica Chmielna, also very near the Old Town. They are proud of their breakfast as well as a complimentary boat trip for guests from spring till autumn.

Gdansk by night

Restaurants you must visit

Gdansk is continuously boosting its fame for trendy restaurants. Whenever I am in Poland, I prefer traditional options, but on my last visit, I wanted to try international hits as well.

Treinta y Tres– a Spanish restaurant located on the top, 33rd floor of the tallest building in Gdansk offering beautiful views of the city. It’s a classy restaurant offering a great selection of wines and a modern version of Spanish specialities. It’s also a place where celebrities frequent.
FINO– hiddenly located in the heart of Old Town, Fino offers an intimate and tranquil interior. It serves unique flavour combinations and dishes that you would not be able to recreate at home. Although it is not the cheapest restaurant you could find, the prices were quite affordable. For a romantic evening, I would choose FINO.
Gdański Bowke– serves Polish traditional food at its best with generous portions due to Polish hospitality. It’s a restaurant with a pub feel located at the river near Zuraw offering beautiful views. It’s always full, so you might need to make a booking beforehand.
Fabryka Pierogow– pierogi, Polish damplings, are the stars of this restaurant. You can try there this Polish classic dish, loved by millions, in many new versions.
Stacja Food Hall- a place with a casual and relaxed feel, quite popular among young people.
Chleb i Wino– it’s a great breakfast place with a classy interior and a terrace overlooking the river. Their main motto is to keep Polish hospitality alive by making everyone welcome and feel good.

How to get to Gdańsk

There are many flight options from different European cities to Gdansk. If you haven’t heard of Jack’s Flight Club, I highly recommend you to have a look. The search for amazing flight discounts (that can save you even hundreds of dollars). While they don’t inform about all the flights in the world, they are quite popular in Europe and search among flights originating in many European cities.

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Favourite travel resources:

Booking.com for searching best prices on accommodation.

Discover Cars is a great website as they search both local and international car hire services, so you can choose the best deal for yourself. Although I believe that Gdansk is best discovered on foot, if you plan to visit a larger area of the seaside or Kaszuby, a rented car is a better option than public transportation.

Get Your Guide is my place to go for searching and booking tours and excursions, especially when I travel solo.

World Nomads travel insurance. I like them because they have quite extensive coverage of different activities.

SIGN UP FOR FLIGHT DISCOUNTS

RENT YOUR CAR

Polish honey

What to buy in Gdansk

I rarely buy souvenirs, but what you can find in Gdansk is quite tempting. If I were to recommend just a few things to bring from Gdansk it would be honey (I usually buy my honey in Poland or order it from private beehives, it’s one of the best ever!) and silver jewellery with amber (although it’s not my favourite, Poland is THE place to get it at a much cheaper price).

Cute souvenirs[/caption]

Survival Polish- words and phrases you need to learn

Undoubtedly, knwoing a few words and phrases in Polish, can make your stay much more pleasant.

Dziękuję (jienkuye)- thank you
Proszę (prosheh) – please
Dzień dobry (jien dobry)- good morning
Do widzenia (doh vee-dzenya)- goodbye
Do zobaczenia (doh zobatzenya)- see you later
Dobranoc (dobranotz)- goodnight
Cześć (chesch)- hi/bye (informal)
Przepraszam (psheprasham)- I’m sorry/excuse me
Tak- yes
Nie (nye)- no
Nie wiem (nye vyem)- I don’t know
Jak się masz? (yak syeh mash)- how are you?
Nie rozumiem (nye rozumyem)- I don’t understand

Na zdrowie! (na zdrovye)- cheers!

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