What to see in Gdansk. Gdansk is the sixth largest city in Poland and the largest port city in this country. This pearl of the Baltic Sea, also known as Amber, has magnificent buildings that make it one of the most beautiful cities in Poland.
Indice:
High Gate
We will cross the Puerta Alta and travel back in time, immersing ourselves in the route of the Camino Real.
The Royal Road in Gdańsk, also called the Royal Route, was the longest urban axis in the European Middle Ages. It was the place of parades and entry of Polish kings into the city.
We leave you here a tour of the city but a very good idea is to take a guided tour, the free tour of Gdansk is the one we have chosen to do and it has been very good.
Prison Tower
The Prison Tower ( Wieża Więzienna) was built in the 14th century as one of the city’s defensive systems that in turn served as a prison and torture chamber.
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Golden Gate
We will immediately pass through another gate, the Golden Gate.
The Golden Gate (Złota Brama ),is a Renaissance gate with Dutch and Italian influence, built in the 17th century over an earlier Gothic one.
From the Golden Gate and up to the Green Gate we will walk along Dluga Street. A pedestrian street that concludes at Długi Targ (Long Market), we will then walk along this Royal Road.
The beauty of the buildings that open up before our eyes is something impressive to see in Gdansk. We immediately noticed the Flemish influence in the buildings, Gdansk was a trading city and that brought a lot of influence from other places to its buildings.
A sunset boat tour in Gdansk is a great option to end a day in this fairytale city.
Neptune’s Fountain and Long Market Square
To say that we stop here to enjoy this fountain and place is superfluous, they will do it without thinking about it.
The fountain of Neptune was inaugurated in October 1633, in 1634 the grille that surrounds it was placed.
Here next to the fountain we find the Court of Artus.
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Artus’ Court
The Artus Court has been the commercial epicentre of the city. For 600 years, guilds and corporations had the custom of meeting here. Today, the building is one of the most impressive in the centre, having been founded in 1350. Inside we find a unique monument – an 11-metre-high tiled stove. ►Artus Court website
It can be visited. We get the Visit Gdansk pass and it is included in it. The ticket price is 23 PLN (€5)
Here is a brewery that I recommend visiting. Piwnica Rájcow. It’s a basement just behind the fountain, the two of us have dinner there. Some very good typical Polish dishes, and spectacular beers, apart from the place that is really very beautiful.
Town hall
This beautiful town hall is notable for its imposing tower, which houses the city clock. The tower is crowned by a statue of Sigismund II, who seems to watch over the city. Another must-see in Gdansk
Inside it houses the Museum of the History of Gdansk. During the summer you can also visit the lookout tower The entrance fee is 16 PLN,3.50 is included in the Visit Gdansk.
As always, we did the first tour of the city with a free tour, a local Polish guide who helped us a lot to get to know the city.
Basilica of Santa Maria
We go to the church that we can see in the whole city, the Basilica of Santa Maria.
St. Mary’s Basilica in Gdansk is the largest Catholic church in Poland and the largest brick church in Europe.
The truth is that it is a nice visit to make, inside you will find an astronomical clock like those we have seen in Prague, Strasbourg or Olomouc.
Entrance to the church is free, but if you want to climb the tower, the cost is 14PLN. 3 We did it and we recommend it, but be aware that there are a lot of steps to the top, but the views are magnificent.
Mariacka Street
We will now walk along what is perhaps the most beautiful street in Gdansk, Mariacka Street.
It runs from the Basilica of St. Mary to the Mariacka Gate, which leads to the river. The houses of the old merchants have steps leading to the street and gargoyles to drain rainwater, all of which makes it a very charming street.
The current traders open their shops to the street where we find amber, because Gdansk is the capital of Baltic amber and we will find it in jewelry and articles. Later we will see a museum dedicated to it and also a church altar.
Green Door
We will go back and pass through the Green Gate to finish this royal path. The Green Gate (Zielona Brama) is the largest gate in Gdansk. It was built in the mid-16th century as the formal residence of the Polish kings.
Our steps cross it and we will reach the river.
Medieval Crane
It is considered the oldest and largest medieval port crane in Europe, it was built in the fifteenth century.
The walk here will be transformed and we will start next to the river, charming restaurants, magical corners unfold before us.
The port of Gdansk is another of the most beautiful areas to take a leisurely walk.
Gdansk Ferris Wheel
We will enjoy seeing the drawbridges and crossing to climb the Ferris wheel of Gdansk, Amber Sky.
The price of the ticket is 37 PLN (€8), they have a discount with the Visit Gdansk, although it is not a must, we enjoy doing it.
On this side they also find the typical letters of the city to take pictures. As you can see in Gdansk we do everything on foot as the distances are short.
Walking from here we will arrive at one of the most interesting museums we have visited.
World War II Museum
The museum is very complete, the truth is that I was amazed by it, it is focused on the whole conflict not only in Poland. We stayed inside the museum for about three hours
The museum was opened in 2017, Gdansk was the place where World War II began on September 1, 1939.
The entrance fee is 25 PLN (€5.5), it is included in the Visit Gdansk and has free admission day. ►World War II Museum website
The only bad thing about this museum is that the audio guides do not speak Spanish. This seems very strange, it has not happened to us anywhere else, and I hope that by the time you go it will have changed. They have an audio guide in English and the signs are in English too. In any case, I recommend it as a must-see in Gdansk.
Retracing our steps towards the old town we will admire the Grand Armoury.
Grand Armory
Another of the buildings to stop and admire its beauty is the Great Armoury. It was built at the beginning of the seventeenth century as a storage place for the city’s armaments.
We continue walking to visit a market
Gdansk Market (Hala Targowa)
It dates back to 1896 and is built on the remains of a 12th century Romanesque church that can be seen inside. As we are great market lovers, we couldn’t miss it. The building is beautiful and apart from that, there are the remains of the Romanesque church that can be seen.
Amber Museum
We said that amber is something characteristic of this city, and that is how we found the Amber Museum, a visit that is worth it if you want to know more about this resin with which jewelry and other implements are made.
The museum is interesting, the entrance fee is 32PLN (7 euros) and it is included in the Visit Gdansk
It is located in an old mill from the fourteenth century that is located in front of the Santa Catalina Church.
St. Catherine’s Church is the oldest church in Gdansk. This area is very beautiful too, we will find the Church of San Nicolás and the Old Town Hall of the city
Basilica of St. Brigid
If we talk about churches and amber, we will visit what I believe is also a must-see in the city, a not-so-visited gem, the Church of Santa Brigida.
There we will find the altar made of amber, we were lucky enough to meet the artist who still makes it and who told us something about his work and showed us all the details, it is really magnificent.
Gdansk Central Station
Another place to see and very close to where we started is the Gdansk Central Station. Built in 1900, it is a very beautiful building.
We left for last, before showing you the accommodation, a highly recommended place and the places where we had dinner, we left as we said the visit in which we were transported by car in our case.
Museum of Solidarity
The European Center of Solidarność is a museum dedicated to preserving and exposing the trade union struggle and message of the Solidarity organization, as well as the democratic anti-communist opposition of Eastern Europe.
It is an interesting museum to visit that shows us that part of the history of Poland. It is located in the shipyards where the union was born and tells the story of the union and of Lech Walesa.
The museum is very interesting as I was saying, we were also inside for more than two hours. In this case, it does have audio guides in Spanish.
The entrance fee is 30PLN ( €7 approx), included in the Visit Gdansk.►Web European Centre Solidarnosc
Next to the museum are other buildings and monuments related to the history of the union as well as of the activities carried out by the shipyard workers, such as the Monument to the shipyard workers fallen in 1970.
Where do we stay?
Apart Neptun was the place chosen, very spacious room, good service and breakfast and very good location. Parking next door which is always good more when you’re in a historic center.
If you are in the car and want to add places the
Westerplatte Peninsula
The Westerplatte Peninsula can be one of the places to visit if you like history, it was the place of the beginning of World War II.
Malbork Castle
And the other visit to see near Gdansk is Malbork Castle, about 60 kilometers away. This Teutonic castle is the largest in Europe built in brick. This can be a nice visit to make if you have the time.
Map and video
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
