In a tourist trip, everyone is looking for something different. Some go on a journey to learn and see as much new things as possible, give others untouched by time the streets of Old Europe, and others do not need anything but the sea. They even agree not to swim in it (if it gets really cold), but just wander along the embankment and admire the gray waves. If at the same time tourists want the seaside city to have a rich history, an abundance of interesting places and impeccable European style, then they can safely recommend a trip to the Polish city of Gdansk. According to populationmonster, Gdansk is one of the largest cities in Poland.
How to get to Gdansk
Dry reference first of all reports that Gdansk is the largest port in Poland. And a knowledgeable tourist immediately reads the main thing in these lines: you can get to the city by sea! It is, but with some nuances.
A ferry from the Swedish city of Nynashamn runs directly to Gdansk, prices and schedules for which can be viewed on the website. Travel time is about 19 hours, a ticket for it from May to September costs 88 EUR, and the rest of the time – 70. In the same way as in previous cases, we are talking about the price of a ticket, a bed or cabins are more expensive, depending on the type of ferry. Of course, if you are traveling by car or motorcycle, the price rises to 180 and 150 EUR respectively.
Boarding on the ferry for passengers on vehicles stops 30 minutes before departure, and for ordinary hikers – 15 minutes before departure.
The remaining routes are more traditional: land and air. Trains and electric trains depart regularly from Warsaw and other major Polish cities. Drive
Warsaw – Gdansk takes from 6 to 8.5 hours, depending on the type of train, the ticket price, ranging from 6 to 14 EUR, depends on it and the class of the car. A bus from Warsaw will cost from 3 EUR, the travel time is about the same, 7.5 hours. There are night buses from neighboring countries, for example, from Vilnius and Kaliningrad. The first one takes 16 hours and costs about 32-37 EUR, the second one takes 5 hours and costs 10 EUR.
Gdańsk has an airport, where both domestic and foreign flights arrive. From the airport, bus number 210 can take you to the city center or bus number 110 to the railway station (210 stops there too).
Transport
In the city itself, you can travel by bus or tram (they cost about 1 EUR), but best of all on foot, at least in tourist places. Well, in order not to get lost, do not forget to take a free map at the hotel where you are staying. This wonderful service is provided not only in all hotels from three stars, but also in many information points of the city. They are called Informacja Turystyczna and marked with the IT badge.
Gdansk Hotels
And so popular with tourists, Gdansk becomes even more crowded during the holiday season. Then visitors may even have problems with housing! Of course, they are very relative, since you can always rent apartments from the owners or stay in hostels, where students left, and hostels. An example of such a budget option for an overnight stay is Baltic Hostel, where a place (read, bed) will cost 5 EUR, and a place in a separate room – 16.
Prices for more reputable hotels start from 50-60 EUR per night, and grow by 10-15 EUR during the season. At the same time, which pleases, the prices for hotels located in the city center and not far from the beaches do not differ dramatically. Hotel Lival, located literally 6 meters from the sandy beach, costs 58 EUR per day in summer. A well-known hotel “Gdansk” will cost – 125 EUR.
Cuisine and restaurants of Gdansk
As elsewhere in the tourist regions, the city offers cuisine for every taste. There are pizzerias, Asian restaurants (Yang Guang), Greek (Kreta) and national cuisine (Chatka Dobrego Smaku, Gospoda – Chata Chłopska), many cafes, pastry shops and bars. At almost every step, you can sit down and treat yourself to a cup of coffee with cakes or beer and wine with “deska cheese” – several types of cheese, fruit and toasted homemade bread. Everything is very tasty and inexpensive: meat dishes will cost you a maximum of 7 EUR, and pies and cakes – 3. But you are still in a port city! So, it is absolutely impossible to do without fish dishes. Let them cost more (from 10 EUR), be sure to visit the Taverna fish restaurant.
Shopping and stores
They say that it is Gdansk that can bear the honorary title of the capital of the world in everything related to amber. Therefore, the main gift and souvenir brought from this city should be all kinds of amber jewelry, paintings, mouthpieces and other products. (A wonderful choice in the shops on Maryatskaya Street).
A boat in a bottle from local craftsmen will be a wonderful gift reflecting the features of the port city. But the biggest variety of authentic goods can be purchased by those lucky ones who find themselves in the city at the St. Dominic Fair, which takes place annually in the first three weeks of August.
Those who are more interested in modern shopping can visit the large shopping centers “Madison”, “Gallery Baltic” and “Alfa Centrum” in the Primorsky district.
Entertainment and attractions of Gdansk
In summer, various festivals and concerts are constantly held in the city. Here you can watch performances in the evenings as part of the Open Air Theater Festival, listen to sonnets at the Shakespeare Festival or go to the port to watch the Baltic Sail sailing rally. In the same place, in the port, you can admire the main attraction of the Maritime (or port) Museum – the Zhurav crane.
In the port, you can admire the main attraction of Gdansk – the famous Crane Crane.
Or just wander around the cozy cobbled streets of the Old Town (which is more than one hour), go through the Royal Route (Dluga and Dlugy Targ streets) and feel like kings who have come to Gdansk. You can sit on the embankment of the Motława River or make an appointment at the Neptune Fountain (a traditional meeting place for local couples). Or listen to a concert of organ music in the Maryatskaya (or Maryinsky Basilica) Church of the Holy Virgin Mary. And you should definitely go on a sea excursion on a real sailboat, visit the town of Szymbark to see with your own eyes a house standing upside down. In the city of Olive, admire an organ decorated with moving figures. And take the children to the Gdansk Archaeological Museum, where they will have a unique opportunity to find some old thing in the sand prepared by the workers.
