GDAŃSK (Poland)
What to see in this historic Hanseatic city where World War II began? Well, there is enough to visit
For your comfortable trip, you can order flights, accommodation and experiences in Gdańsk directly in the article.
Gdańsk
Gdańsk is the largest and one of the oldest Polish cities. It lies on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Almost half a million inhabitants live here and there is a large seaport. Typical icons of this former Hanseatic city are the tall ship cranes in the Gdańsk shipyards and the colorful houses along the canals. In my opinion, a weekend should be enough for you to visit the most interesting sights.
ORDER FLIGHT TICKETS TO GDAŃSK
Near Gdansk is the small Westerplatte peninsula, where the Second World War began on September 1, 1939. In the local shipyards, Solidarita - a trade union organization and the most famous political opposition of communist Poland - was founded, its founder Lech Wałęsa later became the Polish president and the local airport is named after him.
ACCOMMODATION IN GDAŃSK AT THE BEST PRICES
Have you ever slept in a submarine assembly factory? Not yet? So try it, we were excited! Center within walking distance, rooms huge, many restaurants downstairs. The hotel is called Montownia Lofts & Experience.
What to see in Gdańsk
Center of Gdańsk - Old Town
You can walk to the center. We made such a logical circuit, so I will describe the route:
Wielki Mlyn
Address: Wielkie Młyny 16
Located on Radaune Island in the old town, it is one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages. The brick building was built in the 14th century. Today, the mill houses the Amber Museum (Muzeum Bursztynu). Gdańsk is famous for its amber products. They are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays. Try to get here on Monday, Mondays are free. PLN 35 on other days.
Right behind the mill is also a very photogenic building - the Miller's House.
More or less opposite the mill is
St. Catherine's Church
The oldest church in Gdansk. The church was built of bricks already in the 13th century and is in the Gothic style. It houses the world's first pulsar clock from 2011 (I have no idea what that is, so I googled it - a clock that counts time using an extraterrestrial signal source. A pulsar clock consists of a radio telescope with 16 antennas that receive signals from six designated pulsars ). There is also a Tower Clock Museum. The 76 m high tower houses a carillon that chimes every hour.
Now continue along Panska Street, where the historic brick building Hala Targowa is located.
Hala Targowa Kupców Dominikańskich
A market where you can find over 100 stalls with various goods from clothes to cosmetics to fresh food. Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., on weekends until 3 p.m.
Then turn left onto Swietojanska Street and go across the park to Grobla Square and then along Podkramarska Street and you will find yourself at the Gdańsk Basilica, it's hard to miss, it's huge.
Cathedral in Gdansk
In Polish, Bazylika Mariacka, otherwise known as the Concathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (abbreviated Marian Basilica) is a Roman Catholic Gothic church from the 14th century, made of bricks. It can hold up to 25,000 people. There is an astronomical clock inside the cathedral. Free entry, only the observation tower costs PLN 16.
From here, walk along Mariacka Street. There is one shop after another with amber products, and if the weather is good, they also display their products outside. You can choose from beautiful original jewelry or souvenirs. Even if you just have to enjoy the view, it's worth it. This way you will reach the Motlawa River. Go right along the river (in March 2023 the embankment was being repaired and you couldn't walk through it, you have to go through the alleys around) and you can't miss the Green Gate (Brama Zielona), which is the entrance to Dlugi Targ.
Dlugi Targ
Dlugi Targ is the main square in the center and as the name suggests, it is really long. And it is connected to Dluga Street. This place is also called the Royal Road, because ceremonial royal parades took place here. The street was inhabited by the wealthiest citizens of Gdańsk. The houses are as painted, classically narrow and tall. Some are now hotels, while others are cafes, restaurants or shops. You can also visit the merchant Uphagen's house, today it is a museum where you can see how these houses originally looked inside and how they were equipped. Located next to Neptune's Fountain, you can't miss it. The big brick building with the tall tower is the town hall. The street then ends with the Golden Gate and you step out of the past back into the present. But in front of you you still see a brick building, which is the Tower of the prison and execution house. Well, get out of here. We walked across the square back to the Motlawa River, you cross it over the Green Bridge. On the other bank, there are already modernized houses of the Hanseatic city, but still in the old spirit. If you take a left you will walk along the river to the maritime museum, the big Gdańsk sign (photo point) that glows in the dark and behind it is a huge ferris wheel with covered cabins if you want to look around. At the Gdańsk sign, there is also a pedestrian drawbridge for tall ships, which is raised every hour and is an interesting sight.
ORDER AN EXPERIENCE IN GDAŃSK
Click on any image and you will find a complete offer of experiences, what we did, read below.
I love boats, so we booked an hour-long electric boat ride through GYG that can fit up to 8 people. This is a private cruise, so whether you go with 2 or 8, the price is the same. The boat sails slowly, so even though it was only the end of March, we didn't freeze and you can admire the Hanseatic houses from another perspective. You will drive to a modern district where there are stylish flats and apartments for sale, but they are so outrageously expensive that I don't know if they are empty :) and you will reach the shipyard, where you can admire up close the ship's cranes, which are often painted as a symbol of the city, they can be seen even from a big distance. Along the way, you will also see another well-known monument:
Stary Žuraw
An iconic monument that also belongs to the city's symbols. Translated, it means old crane. It was used for loading and unloading ships. It is 11 m high and its current form dates from the 15th century. A massive stone gate was built on both sides of the crane, so the crane also served as a fortress. You can walk around the crane, but it is better admired from a distance. The interior is part of the adjacent National Maritime Museum, but is currently being renovated.
Along the coast you will also reach the famous World War II museum, the strange prism sticking out of the ground (the museum building) is hard to miss. The larger part of the building is hidden underground.
World War II Museum
Address: Plac Władysława Bartoszewskiego 1, Gdansk
Gdańsk played an important role in the battles of the Second World War, which is why one of the most important Polish museums mapping the dark sides of this European history was created here. Here you will find mainly period photos and objects, as well as many interactive boards with text and videos. The museum logically emphasizes events in Poland, but also deals with the complex situation in Europe and the world. The museum is closed on Mondays. It opens at 9:30 a.m. on all other days. From September to June it closes at 18:00, the rest of the year until 20:00. The price of a ticket to the main part costs 29 PLN, it is possible to pay by card. You can order tickets online for a specific hour.
Sights outside the center
Westerplatte
The place where World War II began. A monument on a gentle hill, from where you have a view of the harbor with huge ferries. Then there are various commemorative monuments and information signs. The platform is right next to the sea, where you can walk along the sandy beach. There is still an active military garrison here, so it is forbidden to fly a drone here. There is a restaurant with outdoor seating in the port, as well as a toilet.
Direct bus No. 106 goes here. It's a 40-minute scenic drive. A ticket for 1 ride per person costs 4.8 PLN, if you transfer, 6 PLN for 75 minutes, 22 PLN for the whole day. We boarded at the Main Train Station because we didn't have tickets. You can buy a ticket for public transport either in machines at larger stops (there are currently those near the train station) or in the underpass to the station, or online or there is a machine directly on the bus. We sat right next to it, and when we saw how foreigners got high school about it and some didn't manage to buy a ticket at all, I'd rather recommend buying it elsewhere.
If you are in Gdańsk by car, there is a parking lot directly on Westerplatte, but it was so crowded on the weekend that the columns were waiting for a free space, so I recommend parking somewhere to the side. Westerplatte is an outdoor monument, there is no entrance fee. An hour should be enough for the tour.
If you don't know where else to go in Gdańsk, get on the train at the Central Station and go to the nearby spa town of Sopot. I will tell you what to see there in the next article.
I hope my guide will inspire you, what to see and visit in Gdańsk and enjoy it there!
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