Gdansk looks wrong for Poland, and the reason is trade. As a Hanseatic port it faced the Baltic and the Low Countries rather than the interior, so its merchant houses are tall, narrow and gabled in a style that reads as Dutch or north German. It was also a free city, German-speaking for much of its history as Danzig, and the place where both the Second World War and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc began.
That gives it more history per square metre than anywhere else in Poland and two of the best museums in Europe. Two to three nights.
The quick answer
How long: two nights for the city, three with Malbork or Sopot.
Do not miss: the Museum of the Second World War, the European Solidarity Centre, Długi Targ.
Best day trip: Malbork, the largest brick castle in the world, an hour by train.
Buy: amber, from a certified dealer on ulica Mariacka.
Getting there: 2 hours 40 from Warsaw by train.
Daily budget: 230 to 380 zloty per person mid-range, below Warsaw.
Getting in and around
Gdansk Lech Wałęsa Airport is 12 kilometres west, with a train to Gdansk Główny in about 30 minutes and buses into town.
Trains from Warsaw take two hours forty minutes on PKP Intercity express services, and from Krakow around five and a half hours, which is long enough to consider flying instead.
The Tricity, Trójmiasto, is Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia strung along the coast, connected by the SKM commuter rail every few minutes. Gdansk to Sopot is 20 minutes, to Gdynia 35. A single ticket covers the line and it makes the whole coast usable from one base.
The old town is small and entirely walkable.
The old town
Around 90 percent of central Gdansk was destroyed in 1945 and reconstructed afterwards, though with a different philosophy from Warsaw’s: the facades follow historic patterns but the reconstruction was selective, favouring the Hanseatic merchant period over the German nineteenth century.
Długi Targ and ulica Długa, together the Royal Way, form the main axis, bracketed by the Golden Gate and Green Gate, with Neptune’s Fountain in the middle. It is the most photographed street in northern Poland and it earns it.
Ulica Mariacka is the loveliest street in the city: stepped terraces, gargoyle waterspouts, and amber shops the whole way down.
St Mary’s Church is one of the largest brick churches in the world, holding up to 25,000 people, with a 405 step climb to the tower and an astronomical clock.
The Crane, Żuraw, is a fifteenth-century wooden port crane on the waterfront, the largest of its kind in medieval Europe, now part of the National Maritime Museum.
Artus Court and the Uphagen House for merchant interiors, and the Main Town Hall for the tower view.
The Motława waterfront is where you eat and drink in the evening, with Granary Island opposite recently redeveloped.
Two exceptional museums
The Museum of the Second World War opened in 2017 in a striking tilted building, and it is one of the best history museums anywhere. It covers the war from a Central and Eastern European perspective, emphasising civilian experience, and it takes three hours if you let it. Its permanent exhibition has been the subject of political argument in Poland, which is worth knowing as context.
The European Solidarity Centre sits at the gates of the former Lenin Shipyard, where the 1980 strike led by Lech Wałęsa produced the first independent trade union in the Eastern Bloc and began the process that ended communism in Europe. It is told on the exact site, with the original gate and the monument to shipyard workers killed in 1970 outside. Superb.
Westerplatte, where the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on 1 September 1939 in the first shots of the war, is reachable by boat from the waterfront in about an hour or by bus.
Amber
Gdansk has been the centre of the Baltic amber trade for centuries and the fossilised resin is genuinely local, washed up along the coast.
Buy from established shops on ulica Mariacka or in the Amber Museum area rather than from street stalls, and ask for a certificate. Plastic and pressed imitations are widespread.
Simple tests that dealers will let you do: real amber floats in heavily salted water, feels warm rather than cool to the touch, and produces a resinous smell when rubbed hard. Inclusions of insects raise the price sharply and are the most commonly faked feature.
The Amber Museum in the Great Mill covers the geology and the trade properly.
Sopot and Gdynia
Sopot, 20 minutes by SKM, is a Baltic spa resort with the longest wooden pier in Europe at 511 metres, a broad sandy beach, and Monte Cassino street running down to it. The Crooked House, an intentionally warped building, is on it. Sopot is where the Tricity goes out in summer.
Gdynia, 35 minutes, is a purpose-built modern port from the 1920s with good modernist architecture, two museum ships and an aquarium. Less charming, more real.
The Hel Peninsula, a long sand spit reaching into the Baltic, is an hour and a half further with beaches on both sides and good windsurfing.
Malbork
An hour by train. The largest castle in the world by land area and the largest brick building in Europe, built from 1274 as the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights.
It is three castles in one, enormous, UNESCO-listed, and the audio guide included with entry is well done. Allow three to four hours including travel each way, and note that the full route takes longer than people expect.
This is the best single day trip in northern Poland and, for many visitors, the highlight of the region.
Where to stay
Main Town, the old town proper, for atmosphere and walkability, 300 to 500 zloty.
Granary Island, across the Motława, recently redeveloped with new hotels and river views, 350 to 550 zloty.
Near Gdansk Główny for cheaper business hotels and easy departures, 200 to 350 zloty.
Sopot if the beach matters more than the history, 300 to 600 zloty in summer and much less off season.
When to go
June to August is the season here in a way it is not in Krakow, because this is a beach region. Long Baltic days, warm enough to swim if you are hardy, and busy.
St Dominic’s Fair in late July and early August is a three-week street fair dating from 1260, one of the largest events of its kind in Europe.
May, June and September are the best balance, with September still warm and much quieter.
December has a good Christmas market on Targ Węglowy.
Winter is cold, grey and windy off the Baltic, and the coast largely closes. The museums are excellent in any weather.
Our month-by-month guide has the detail, the ten day itinerary puts Gdansk at the end of a route, and the Poland travel guide covers the country. The Warsaw guide covers the previous stop.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Gdansk?
Two nights for the old town and the two major museums, three if you want to add Malbork or a day in Sopot. The Tricity rail line makes the whole coast usable from one base.
Why does Gdansk look Dutch?
Because as a Hanseatic port it traded with the Baltic and the Low Countries rather than the Polish interior, so its merchant houses follow tall, narrow, gabled north European patterns. It was also German-speaking as Danzig for much of its history.
What is the best day trip from Gdansk?
Malbork, an hour by train, the largest castle in the world by land area and the former headquarters of the Teutonic Knights. Allow three to four hours there plus travel. Sopot is 20 minutes away for a beach day instead.
Is amber in Gdansk genuine?
Often yes, since Baltic amber is local, but imitations are widespread. Buy from established shops on ulica Mariacka with a certificate. Real amber floats in heavily salted water, feels warm to the touch and smells resinous when rubbed hard.
How do I get from Warsaw to Gdansk?
By PKP Intercity express train in about two hours forty minutes, several times daily. From Krakow it is around five and a half hours, which is long enough to consider a domestic flight instead.
What is the European Solidarity Centre?
A museum at the gates of the former Lenin Shipyard covering the 1980 strike led by Lech Wałęsa, which produced the first independent trade union in the Eastern Bloc. It is told on the exact site where it happened and is outstanding.
Is Sopot worth visiting?
Yes, particularly in summer. It is 20 minutes from Gdansk by SKM commuter train and has the longest wooden pier in Europe at 511 metres, a broad sandy beach and the main nightlife strip for the Tricity.
When is Gdansk busiest?
Late July and early August, during St Dominic’s Fair, a three-week street fair dating from 1260, which coincides with the Baltic beach season. May, June and September are the better balance of weather and crowds.
