Poland
Gdansk, Poland
Gdańsk: Amber, the Solidarity Movement, and the Birthplace of WWII
Gdańsk, at the mouth of the Motława on the Baltic, was a Hanseatic port and the Polish Crown's main seaport, and the gabled Main Town you walk through today was rebuilt after the destruction of 1945. Check before you arrive where your ship will dock, because the trip into the old town is short from the Westerplatte quay but means a train ride from Gdynia.
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What Cruise Travelers Should Know
Ships sailing to Gdańsk tie up either in the Port of Gdańsk itself, at quays near the harbor entrance at Westerplatte, or in the separate city of Gdynia to the north; your cruise line will tell you which. The trip from the cruise quays to the city center takes about 15 minutes.
- From the Westerplatte quay, the Westerplatte monument and the Wisłoujście Fortress are a few hundred meters away on foot.
- Taxis licensed by the port authority wait at the Gdańsk quays and post fixed prices to set destinations.
- From Gdynia, local SKM trains run along the coast to Gdańsk in about 35 minutes.
Gdańsk on Your Own
Gdańsk's sights are concentrated in the Main Town, along the old Royal Way and the Motława riverfront, so once you are in the center you can see most of it on foot. Add the European Solidarity Centre on Solidarity Square by the shipyard, or Westerplatte if your ship docks beside it.
- The Royal Way: Walk east from the Golden Gate along Long Street and the Long Market, past the Main Town Hall, Artus Court and the Neptune Fountain of 1549, to the Green Gate on the river.
- The riverfront: On the Motława riverfront stands the Crane, the largest port crane in medieval Europe, which now belongs to the National Maritime Museum.
- St. Mary's Church: One of the largest brick churches in the world, it has an astronomical clock of 1464 and a tower with stairs to the top; entry to the church is free.
- The shipyard: The European Solidarity Centre on Solidarity Square tells the story of the movement born in the shipyard in 1980, beside the monument to the shipyard workers killed in 1970.
- Westerplatte: If your ship ties up at Westerplatte, the battlefield park, with its bunkers, monument and visitor center, is within about five minutes of the quay. From the center, buses 106 and 606 take about 20 minutes.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. From Gdynia, leave time for the train back.
Getting Around Gdańsk
Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia form one long coastal metropolitan area known as the Tricity, linked by fast local trains. Trams and buses cover the city itself.
- SKM trains run along the coast between Gdańsk and Gdynia, stopping at Gdańsk Główny, the main station, as well as Oliwa and Sopot.
- Bus and tram tickets can be bought from machines at busy stops, from kiosks, or on board by contactless card; paper tickets must be validated when you board.
- Ticket inspections are common, and the fine for riding without a valid ticket is a few hundred złoty.
- The Jakdojade app plans journeys and sells tickets in English.
- Near the Westerplatte quay, boats leave from a marina for trips up to the Old Town.
Where to Eat
Polish cooking runs from pierogi and hearty soups to herring, and the city's own drink is a herbal liqueur with flakes of gold.
- Pierogi, filled dumplings, are one of Poland's national dishes, along with bigos and gołąbki, stuffed cabbage leaves.
- Żurek, a sour rye soup, is a traditional part of the Polish Easter breakfast.
- Herring, in cream, oil or aspic, is a classic starter after the soup.
- Goldwasser, a root and herb liqueur produced since the 16th century and counted as the city's drink, contains small flakes of gold; it is now made in Germany.
- Pączki are Polish doughnuts, traditionally filled with rose-petal or plum jam.
Tipping in Poland
Tipping in Poland is polite but not obligatory, and many people skip it. Prices are in złoty (zł).
- In restaurants, a tip of around 10 percent is usual when people do tip.
- If you hand over money and say thank you, it will be taken to mean keep the change, and the same goes for taxis.
- Tour guides and drivers can be tipped too, if you are happy with the service.
Culture & Local Life
Gdańsk has been shaped by Polish, German, Kashubian and Hanseatic history, and the rebuilt Main Town shows it in its gabled merchant houses and civic buildings. Its modern identity is bound up with Solidarity and the defense of freedom.
- Artus Court on the Long Market was the meeting hall of the city's merchants, and it is now part of the Gdańsk History Museum.
- Oliwa Cathedral, in the northern district of Oliwa, has an organ built in the mid-18th century with nearly 8,000 pipes, and recitals are held there.
- The boards with the 21 demands of the August 1980 strike are kept at the European Solidarity Centre and are listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register.
- The Kashubians, a West Slavic people of Pomerania with their own language, count Gdańsk as the largest city of their region, and Kashubian embroidery is sold in the Main Town.
- In 2019 Gdańsk received the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord for its record on solidarity, freedom and human rights.
Danzig, Solidarity, and Where the War Began
Gdańsk has passed between Polish, Teutonic, Prussian and German rule, and twice been a free city, in a history of over a thousand years. Its old center was almost destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt afterward.
- First record, 997: The city is first mentioned in the life of Saint Adalbert, who baptized its people in 997, when it lay at the edge of the Polish state.
- Teutonic rule, 1308: The Teutonic Knights seized the town in 1308, killing many of its people, and it grew as the largely German-speaking city of Danzig.
- The Hanseatic League: Danzig joined the Hanseatic League in 1358 and traded with Bruges, Novgorod, Lisbon and Seville.
- The Polish Crown, 1454 to 1793: The city returned to the Kingdom of Poland in 1454, and the Great Privilege of 1457 gave it wide self-government. It became the Polish Crown's main seaport and largest city.
- Prussia, 1793: Prussia annexed the city in the Second Partition of Poland. It was a Napoleonic free city from 1807 to 1814, then returned to Prussia and later Germany.
- The Free City of Danzig, 1920: After World War I, the city became a free city under the League of Nations, with Poland given a post office and a military depot at Westerplatte.
- World War II, 1939: At 4:45 a.m. on September 1, 1939, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on Westerplatte, where the Polish garrison held out for seven days.
- Ruin and rebuilding, 1945: By the end of the war about 90 percent of the city center lay in ruins. The city became part of Poland, and much of the old center was rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s.
- December 1970 and August 1980: Police and soldiers fired on protesting workers in Gdańsk and Gdynia in 1970. Ten years later, strikes at the Gdańsk Shipyard gave birth to Solidarity, led by Lech Wałęsa, which helped bring communist rule to an end in 1989.
- To learn more ashore: The Museum of the Second World War, at Plac Władysława Bartoszewskiego 1, is devoted to the war, and the European Solidarity Centre, at Plac Solidarności 1, covers 1970 to 1989. Opening days and admission change, so check before you go.
Traveling with Family
Gdańsk mixes an old town for wandering with museums, a zoo and beaches, so a family day can be planned around the children's ages.
- Younger children: Gdańsk Zoo in Oliwa, opened in 1954, is the largest zoo in Poland by area and keeps giraffes and Andean condors.
- School age: The Crane on the Motława lets visitors see the old lifting mechanism inside, and the Sołdek, launched in 1948 as the first Polish ocean-going vessel, is moored at Ołowianka as part of the National Maritime Museum; check its season before you go.
- Teenagers: The Museum of the Second World War recreates wartime streets, including a Polish street of 1930 and a shell-damaged scene with a T-34 tank, and the Main Town Hall tower gives a view over the rooftops to St. Mary's.
Amber and Polish Crafts
Amber is the souvenir most associated with Gdańsk, and many of the city's shops sell it. The surrounding area is the richest known source of the stone.
- Pieces with insects trapped inside cost much more than plain amber.
- The Amber Museum is in the Prison Tower, between the Upland Gate and the Golden Gate.
- Kashubian embroidery, on tablecloths, napkins and clothing, is a regional craft.
Beaches
Almost the whole coast of Gdańsk is sandy beach, with lifeguarded stretches, food stands and bars, though the Baltic water is usually cold. The nearest beaches are a tram ride from the center.
- Brzeźno beach, reached by trams 3 and 5, sits behind a large city park and has a pier.
- Jelitkowo, reached by trams 2, 4, 6 and 8, is the busiest beach in the city and is close to Sopot.
- Stogi, reached by tram 9, is a wide beach in a forest east of the center, with calm water on its western side behind the breakwater.
- Sopot, on the SKM line between Gdańsk and Gdynia, has a long pier and charges a small entry fee to walk on it.
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