Mr Fletche and I had planned a three night trip to Gdańsk, to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary and to check out the Christmas markets. Then thanks to a significant change in our flight times (thanks Ryanair!), 2 days in Gdańsk became 4 days in Gdańsk. And we found plenty to fill our extended stay. Gdańsk has a rich and fascinating history, charming architecture and a vibrant food and drink scene. And we couldn’t wait to explore more. We were even able to squeeze in a trip to the seaside – who knew we’d be strolling along a Polish beach in December? Here’s my guide to making the most of 4 days in this enchanting city.

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Our 4 Days in Gdańsk Itinerary

Those flight changes see us making a dash down to Stansted from Birmingham after a half day at work to catch a 17:35 flight. As our arrival into Gdańsk is around 9pm we book a transfer with our hotel, costing 100PLN (about £20) – no faffing around trying to juggle luggage and Google maps on public transport in the dark. This is a luxury I like to indulge in now, particularly after the Bari debacle. Plus there’s just something about a driver waiting with my name on a card that makes me feel like a minor celebrity. We meet our driver and we’re at our hotel by 10pm, ready to paint the town red. Or, more accurately, to open the complimentary bottle of red before climbing into bed. Gdańsk can wait until tomorrow.

Planning a visit during the festive season? You can read all about the Gdańsk Christmas markets HERE 🎄

Where we stayed

We chose to stay in the heart of the Main Town at Liberum Residence Old Town. Our room is spacious and clean, and the hotel is in a great location for exploring all the city’s attractions. Breakfast is served in the restaurant bar on the ground floor; the L-shaped layout however is not great with the queue for the coffee machine obstructing anyone trying to get from food to table. We have a power cut on our final night, which lasts well into breakfast service the following morning (although the breakfast by candlelight is quite romantic).

The hotel’s strongest point is its location. And the hotel’s weakest point is its location. Especially if you have a room facing onto the main Ulica Dluga. And it’s a weekend. And the Christmas markets are in full swing. There are rowdy passers-by still making a racket outside at 3am. It’s like Cologne all over again. But thankfully minus the (probably-Covid-before-Covid-was-a-thing) illness. Which makes it slightly more tolerable.

Looking for a hotel? You can find more Gdańsk accommodation here

Day 1 in Gdańsk

It’s Saturday morning and we’re ready to explore. Gdańsk’s beautiful main town is – quite literally – on our doorstep.

A free walking tour

To get to know Main Town Gdańsk better, we booked a walking tour with Walkative for our first morning. If you’re a regular A Brummie Home and Abroad reader then you’ll know that I always book a free walking tour whenever we visit a new city. Our Main Town Gdańsk free walking tour helped us piece together the multiple pieces of the patchwork puzzle that is Gdańsk.

We met our guide Tufi at the Golden Gate (Złota Brama), handily right outside our hotel. Except it was the other side of the gate; cue an embarrassing couple of minutes standing next to a woman with a yellow umbrella who turned out not to be our guide. We finally located the right point in plenty of time for the tour.

Over the next two hours, Tufi teaches us much about the city and its turbulent history. He’s an excellent and compelling storyteller – and Gdańsk has a LOT of stories to tell. He points out buildings, destroyed in the siege of March 1945 but lovingly rebuilt and restored to their 17th century glory. The old jail house, historically a site used for public hangings – or entertainment as it was called then. We play spot the cannon on the façade of The Great Armoury (now the Academy of Fine Arts). Only to discover that the “weapon” in question belongs to one of the four stone lions 😳

Tufi leaves us at the Monument to the Defenders of the Polish Post Office. His final speech packs quite the emotional punch as he speaks passionately about solidarity and democracy. Over the course of 2.5 hours, Tufi has brought Gdansk’s fascinating history to life. We will revisit many of the key Main Town spots over the next few days, but for now our mind is on other things. Namely, vodka.

We booked our tour through Guruwalk, a handy site for finding free walking tours in a city. You can also book this tour directly through Walkative’s website.

As always with “free” walking tours, make sure you tip generously at the end! A good guide will gently encourage you to donate what you feel the tour may be worth, without putting on any pressure. “Free” tour guides are often freelance and tips could be their sole income – which means they often work harder to give you the best experience possible!

A Polish Vodka Tasting Experience

If it’s cold outside then there’s no better way to warm your insides than a guided session through Poland’s beloved national drink. The Polish take their vodka VERY seriously so its great to have the opportunity to sample some of Poland’s finest vodkas, accompanied by perfectly paired snacks and captivating tales about Polish history and culture.

We booked this excellent two hour vodka tasting via Get Your Guide. Our group session ended up being a private tasting for the two of us. More vodka for us. Probably. As well as plying us with vodka, our guide Monika gave us the full rundown on Poland’s relationship with the drink. Thankfully we also got to sample some Polish delicacies to soak up the alcohol. A good idea at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. We take Eeyore along for the experience, assuring Monika that he is over the drinking age.

Interested in learning more? Read about our afternoon Vodka Tasting in Gdańsk here!

We spend the rest of the late afternoon and evening in a mild vodka glow. We venture down to the waterfront; twinkling lights reflecting off the slightly shimmering waters of the Motlawa River. This will become one of our favourite places to take a stroll, particularly at night. We cross over to Wyspa Spichrzów (Granary Island) and find ourselves in Brovarnia Gdańsk. We manage to secure one of the counter seats near the bar, a perfect spot for sampling a beer flight from the oldest operating brewery in Gdańsk.

We end up back on the waterfront later that evening – our centrally located hotel makes it easy for us to pop back to pile on a few more layers as the temperature drops on this last November evening. We dine at Słony Spichlerz, a lively riverside food hall. With tummies still full of vodka and beer we opt for a couple of Korean fried chicken bao and fries from Cheeky Chicken.

Day 2 in Gdańsk

It’s the first day of December, but there’s no sign of snowy weather here. In fact, its spectacularly sunny. We’re not feeling any ill effects from our first day of vodka and beer. Oh, and the mulled wine at the Christmas market. And the glass of red wine in bed. A habit I really do need to break when I get home.

Exploring Długi Targ and Ulica Dluga

After breakfast we retrace our steps from the previous morning, this time really getting to enjoy the sights and sounds of Long Street (Ulica Dluga) at our leisure. The street is lined with stunning architecture and the bright colours against the crisp blue December sky make for some great photos.

Ulica Dluga opens up to Długi Targ (Long Market), where the the city’s iconic Neptune’s Fountain is located. Almost 400 years old, the statue was dismantled and hidden in a safe place during World War Two.

🔱 According to legend, the tiny flakes of gold in the city’s famous Goldwasser liqueur are actually shards of Neptune’s trident! 🔱

Strolling along the waterfront

We pass through the Green Gate (Brama Zielona) to enjoy the waterfront by day. The river marks the separation between the old and new parts of the city. In the daylight we have a proper opportunity to study the gargantuan wooden Crane of Gdańsk (Żuraw), traditionally used in the 16th century to load cargo into ships. It’s one of the last structures of its kind, and is a symbol of the city’s shipbuilding heritage and importance as a port. The Crane now houses a museum, part of the city’s National Maritime Museum. But we have our sights set on another museum or two this afternoon.

Museum of the Polish Post Office

We make our way back to the Museum of the Polish Post Office, where our tour guide Tufi had left us the previous day. This building was the site of one of the very first attacks by the Nazis on 1st September 1939. Bullet holes on the facade are a tangible symbol of the terrible battle. 57 heroic defenders of the Post Office held out for 17 hours before being captured and executed.

The museum itself is very small, and only took us around 15 minutes to look around. To be honest, Tufi’s rousing and passionate speech had provided the best source of info, and you can read much of what you need to know in the entrance hall. However, entrance is only 15PLN (£2.90) (and we even get a discount by showing our Walkative tour map)

The museum is currently under renovation with a scheduled reopening date of September 2026

At the front of the museum is the Defenders of the Polish Post Office statue, depicting a dying Polish soldier handing Greek goddess Nike his rifle as she ascends to the clouds. Through a gate next to the museum building is a remembrance wall, a touching spot showing the handprints of those that were lined up and shot. Cuddly toys and children’s drawings commemorate 10 year old Erwina Barzychowska, the caretaker’s 10 year old daughter who perished from horrific burns suffered during the attack.

European Solidarity Centre

From one war to another; this time the fight against communism, authoritarianism and repression. It takes us about 20 minutes to walk from the Museum of the Polish Post Office to Europejskie Centrum Solidarności – or the European Solidarity Centre. It’s location, at the gateway to Gdańsk’s historic shipyards, is important; after all, this is where the Polish trade union Solidarność, led by Lech Wałęsa was founded in 1980.

The Solidarity Movement, became a symbol of resistance against totalitarianism. It united workers, intellectuals and citizens, and sparked a revolution. At the entrance is the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers who lost their lives during protests against the communist regime in 1970.

If the Post Office museum left us a little underwhelmed, this one – and the Museum of World War II that we will also visit – is a must-see. It’s a truly fascinating look at the events that unfolded throughout the 1970’s, resulting in food shortages, a rapidly shrinking economy and a wave of shipyard strikes. The halls are arranged chronologically, with plenty of audio-visuals and immersive exhibits to set the scene. I definitely recommend the audio-guide, which stops and starts at the appropriate section as you wander through the museum.

Admission to the European Solidarity Centre is currently 35,00 zł (£7), including the audio guide. The museum is free on Mondays. Open from 10am-5pm, closed on Tuesdays

This fascinating museum is a must for those visiting Gdańsk. Make sure you visit the top floor observation deck, with its views over the Shipyards.

Ready for lunch – although the cafe menu looked enticing – we took a short stroll around a construction site or two to Montownia Food Hall. This 1000sqm food court in a repurposed U-Boat hall opened in 2024, and is located under Montownia Lofts. There are plenty of nods to its former use, with a crane operators cabin elevated above the food hall and wagon tracks along the cobbled floor. It’s surprisingly busy for a Sunday lunchtime, filled with families. There are 20 food stalls to choose from; we shared calamari and chips from SeaYou – a vendor that prides themselves on that British classic, fish and chips. Lunch comes to 58PLN (just over £11) and a couple of beers are 38PLN (£7.50)

Festive Gdańsk, Cocktails & Pierogi

We enjoy a few hours napping back at our hotel. After all, we had had a broken night of sleep thanks to the Saturday night revellers. Wrapped up in our winter woollies we head to the Christmas markets, practically on our doorstep, for a grzane wino or two. On this occasion its the hot Aperol that catches my eye. I can confirm that Aperol is a drink for a hot and sunny day, not for a chilly evening in Gdańsk.

I first came across hot aperol at the Christmas Markets of Vienna!

We decide to move away from the Christmas Market crowds; in fact we have our heads turned by a giant spectacular Christmas tree adorned with yellow lights. We cross the main road and find ourselves in a much more sedate area, outside retail and entertainment centre Forum. As shopping centres go, this one is impressive decked out in all its festive finery. AND it has a river running through it.

We head back into the Main Town, first for cocktails at the quirky Jozef K on Piwna Street and then, for pierogi. We had unsuccessfully tried to eat at Gdańsk’s popular pierogi hotspot Mandu after our walking tour. Unsuccessful because despite joining the queue it was clear we wouldn’t be sitting down for dumplings any time soon. There was still a queue when we returned on Sunday evening but at least this time it was only half a dozen people, and we could at least queue inside the door.

The best evenings in Gdańsk end full of vodka and pierogi, so we call it a night after a circuitous route back to our hotel. Largely because we go via Piana Vyshnia where we tried to recapture our cherry-filled memories of Riga. Tomorrow, we’re off to the seaside. Yes, that’s right. The Polish seaside on the 2nd December 🥶

Day 3 in Gdańsk and a morning in Sopot!

Gdańsk is part of the Tricity area, along with Gdynia and Sopot, and its easy to add one or both seaside towns to your Gdańsk itinerary. It’s only about 20 minutes on the train from Gdańsk Główny

I wrote all about our half day trip from Gdańsk to Sopot here!

Gdańsk from above: Visiting St Mary’s Basilica

Fresh from a bracing trip to the beach, we return to Gdańsk. We’ve made an early dinner reservation, and to make sure we have a healthy appetite, its time to climb high above the rooftops of the city.

The Basilica of St Mary’s dominates the skyline of Gdańsk. One of the largest brick churches in the world, inside are 300 tombstones, 31 chapels, the largest stained glass window in Poland and an astronomical clock. 27 white free-standing pillars stretch up to the gold stars in the ceiling, reminding me of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

🕰️ Another Gdańsk Legend: The people of Gdańsk were so proud of their astronomical clock that they gouged out the eyes of its maker Hans Düringer so that he couldn’t make another for anyone else. 🕰️

But most people – and us – visit the church for its bell tower. You have to work for those views though with a lung-busting 405 steps to climb. The step count is spray-painted on the wall of the narrow winding staircase as we climb – I’m not sure if this is a help or a hindrance. The first 150 steps are the most challenging. And the last 150 steps. The 100 in the middle aren’t a walk in the park either. As we pass fellow climbers – and others pass us – we give shouts of encouragement.

It’s not for the faint of heart – as the spiral staircase opens up there’s a sheer drop in the centre all the way to the foot of the tower. Thankfully there’s a different stairwell going down so you don’t have to pass others going in the opposite direction. It wasn’t too busy on our visit, mid-afternoon on a Monday in December. I imagine it would be quite hellish if it were crowded.

But the 360 degrees from the top are spectacular. Since we started our climb three hours ago 15 minutes before it has clouded over considerably – it’s been blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine until now. But it’s not a bad view to enjoy whilst we prepare our thighs for the descent.

We’ve definitely earned our dinner. I’d made an online reservation earlier in the day for Gdanski Bowke, a riverside restaurant serving regional specialties and their own craft beer. I opted for the fried perch; Mr Fletche goes for the oven baked trout. My perch was delicious, but I raved about the vegetables and mash for days afterwards. Everything was presented beautifully too, and surprisingly good value for its waterfront location.

We spend the evening – our final one in Gdańsk – strolling around the Christmas market. The weekend revellers are gone, making for more peaceful experience. I nurse a mulled wine or two without fear of being jostled and wasting precious drops of alcohol. We end our night in underground beer bar Labeerynt, where I sip on a sour beer so green it looks like it’s been brewed in a science lab. Maybe that’s where the bar gets its name.

It might be our final night, but we do still have practically a full day left – remember those rescheduled flight times? We settle down to sleep. Only to be woken by the sound of the aforementioned power cut. Have you ever realised how noisy a power cut can be, or how disturbing the silence is when your air con and all the random buzzing noises around you suddenly cease? Mr Fletche calls down to Reception where its confirmed that the hotel has indeed lost power. We’re mighty glad we don’t have an early morning flight as our dwindling phone batteries are clinging on to the last embers of charge.

Day 4: Museums and Milk Bars on our final day in Gdańsk

After a candlelight breakfast, power is finally returned. So we have a leisurely morning charging all our devices to the max until check-out time. With our suitcases stashed with Reception, we head out for our final day in Gdańsk. First, time for a little souvenir shopping on Mariacka Street.

Mariacka Street is best known for its amber jewellery and souvenir shops and is the perfect place to find a little trinket to bring home. It’s also a picturesque street to stroll along, full of character, with gargoyles peering down from ramshackle buildings and stone porches spilling onto the cobblestones. Can you spot the gargoyle in the photo below?

Ha ha, only joking. That’s Mr Fletche, patiently waiting (and handing over the euros) whilst I pick out a beautiful pair of amber earrings. I still regret not getting the matching pendant.

🔶The Baltic Sea has some of the largest number of amber deposits in the world. If you want to find out more about Gdańsk’s relationship with amber, you can check out the aptly named Amber Museum, or the Basilica of St Bridget, which has an altar made entirely of amber🔶

Museum of the Second World War

We give the Amber Museum a miss though as we have another museum in mind – the highly recommended Museum of the Second World War. And we arrive at the right time, as rain clouds are starting to gather. We’ve been extremely fortunate with the weather during our trip but our luck appears to be starting to run out.

The museum, opened in 2017, tells a comprehensive and enlightening story of the war. It tells of the pivotal part played by Poland, and the impact of the country, using artifacts, digital design, archival footage and immersive displays. The museum is split into three parts: The Road To War, The War’s Long Shadow and The Horrors of War. In fact the building itself is designed to represent the past, present and future.

If you only have time to visit one museum during your visit in Gdansk, then it should be this one. It’s insightful, sobering and touching, and it’s very easy to spend at least a couple of hours here. As with the European Solidarity Centre I highly recommend paying a little extra for the multilingual audio guide.

The museum is open daily from 10am (closed on Mondays). Entry costs 29PLN (£5.75) and the audioguide is 12PLN (£2.30). There is an additional 10PLN charge for temporary exhibitions. The museum is currently FREE admission on Tuesdays. You can buy tickets online or in person.

When we leave the museum at around 3:30, it is dark and slightly foggy. It’s also been bucketing it down judging by the puddles and shiny streets. It makes for an atmospheric walk back along the river

Time to go home

Our time in Gdańsk is coming to a close. We make a final trip to the Christmas Market for mulled wine and souvenirs. There’s a brass band playing Christmas carols making it all fabulously festive. I’d love to linger longer, but we have a Bolt on its way and suitcases to pick up from the hotel.

Visting Gdańsk in December

Have you ever heard the word “baltic” to describe freezing cold weather? Well, bearing in mind that Gdańsk is located on the Baltic sea, it gives a good indication of where the phrase comes from. A cold wind whistled around our ears, and occasionally we couldn’t feel our fingers or toes. Average temperatures in December linger around the freezing mark; it was actually a balmy 4°-5° during our visit with plenty of sunshine. We made sure to layer up – the benefit of such a centrally located hotel was being able to pop back to throw on a thicker jumper, a scarf or a second pair of socks 🧦

Visiting in December also means Christmas markets, gingerbread people, mulled wine, merry-go-rounds and plenty of opportunities to warm up in cosy cafes and bars. And there’s always hot chocolate – with or without something boozy for that extra kick!

Away from the markets, the beautiful Main town was surprisingly quiet. We found it to be a great time to wander amongst the charming streets and colourful buildings. Gdańsk is a magnet for tourists during the summertime because of its proximity to the beaches of Sopot – the Polish Riviera. But in the evenings, in early December, Gdańsk is still lively.

The majority of the sights and attractions are still open during the off-season; the only exception being the river cruises and some of the viewing platforms. Museums are perfect for a winter’s day (note that some are closed on a Monday); both the European Solidarity Centre and Museum of the Second World War had a free cloakroom where you can store your outer layers.

💰Poland uses the zloty (PLN) as its main currency, but credit cards and contactless payments are accepted almost everywhere. To approximately convert to GBP we divided PLN costs by 5 💰

From Gdańsk Airport to Main Town Gdańsk

Gdańsk’s Lech Walesa Airport is about 10km from the city centre. To get from the airport to the city center, you have several options: train, bus, taxi or ride-share.

Bus #210 connects the airport and Gdansk Glowny, the city’s main train station in around 40 minutes. It’s a regular bus on the normal transit line so it may be crowded with limited space for luggage. Purchase your ticket from the machine at the airport bus station and remember to validate it on the bus. You can also buy tickets from the driver. A single trip ticket is PLN5,20 (about £1.02 or €1,2). Alternatively you can take the SKM train from Gdańsk Airport Station (Port Lotniczy) to Gdańsk Główny (Main Train Station). This takes around 20-30 minutes but you will need to change at Gdansk Wrzeszcz. Trains run approximately every 15-30 minutes and tickets are around 4-6 PLN (about €1-1.5).

If you’re landing late at night, or have lots of luggage, then taxis are readily available outside the arrivals terminal, and take approximately 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic. A ride to the Old Town typically costs around 80 PLN (about €18). Always ensure the meter is running or agree on a fare beforehand. We pre-booked a taxi transfer; our driver parked as close as he could to the pedestrianised Długi Targ and then kindly walked us to our hotel.

Uber and Bolt operate in Gdańsk; costs are generally lower than traditional taxis and we arranged a Bolt back to the airport on our final evening. This cost us 73 PLN (€17)

Getting Around Gdańsk

Gdańsk is well connected by air from the UK, with our flight from Stansted taking a little over two hours. If you wanted to visit multiple Polish cities then it’s possible to travel between Poland’s other major cities and Gdańsk by bus or train.

The city has an extensive public transport network, both by land and by water – Gdańsk even has a water tram system (May-September only). Red-and-white buses and trams, run by ZTM Gdańsk, connect the different areas of the city. Tickets are cheap and can be purchased from kiosks, ticket machines or the driver. If you want to visit Gdynia or Sopot, you can catch a train from Gdańsk Glowny Train Station. But once you’re in the city, most of the attractions are easily reachable on foot.

🎫 A single trip ticket is PLN5,20 (about £1.02 or €1,2); A 24 hour ticket (for all transport carriers in the Tricity area) is 34PLN (£6.60 or €7,90); a 72 hour ticket is 68PLN (£13,35 or €15,8). Always remember to validate your ticket! 🎫

Final thoughts on Gdańsk

Gdańsk is the perfect European city break destination, made even more magical during the festive season. It’s packed with colourful buildings, cool bars and plenty of museums and galleries. And it’s still relatively cheap compared with other cities in Northern Europe.

Two days are perfect to explore the main attractions; three days ideal to add on a visit to Sopot and/or Gdynia. Having a fourth day – albeit a travel day where we were homeless – allowed us to enjoy the city at leisure without cramming everything into a tight schedule. We could sit back, relax and enjoy Gdańsk’s cafe culture without constantly clock-watching, and amble around the Main Town, returning to our favourite spots.

And Gdańsk at Christmas? A magical winter wonderland, perfect to put you in the holiday mood 🎄

I try my hardest to keep the information in this travel guide up to date; however if you notice anything has changed please let me know! Happy travels, Emmalene