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A 4 Day Guide To Gdańsk

I had never been to Poland prior to our visit in September last year, and it was a country that always intrigued me. I was so glad when we finally booked our flights as I was finally able to see a country that fascinated me and I didn’t know much about. My parents had been to Krakow before so they knew a little bit more than me and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I wanted to share with you my 4 day guide to Gdansk and exploring this lovely city.

A 4 DAY GUIDE TO GDAŃSK, POLAND // MY NEW FAVOURITE CITY

All prices featured in this post are accurate as at 6th February 2024.

It is filled with so much history and character and the architecture is beautiful. The people are so lovely and the food looked delicious (sadly we didn’t get a chance to try any traditional dishes).

It was a birthday surprise for my Mum which I had to keep quiet for quite a few months, which was quite tricky as I was so excited for our trip and our first holiday abroad since COVID. I felt slightly out of touch in prepping for our trip but I managed to get everything organised in time. In my guide to Gdansk I want to share with you what we got up to and the things we ate during our 4 day break.

DAY ONE – WED 13TH SEPTEMBER

We had a very early flight from Stansted with Ryanair who aren’t my airline of choice for many reasons but I had to suck it up and go with them as they had cheap flights. Our flight departed at 7:30am and we landed in Gdańsk around 10:40am. We only had hand luggage so didn’t need to worry about collecting any suitcases on the other side, so we headed straight to pick up our taxi.

Our taxi driver either didn’t know much English or want to talk and spent the whole journey with his headphones in as we took in the sights around us. It was about a 20 minute drive from the airport to our apartments in the centre of Gdańsk. The drive into the centre of the city was lovely as we saw the contrast of the built up city merging into the old cobble streets and tall Gothic buildings.

READ MORE: Travel Guide | Poland

Once we arrived at our apartments Apart Neptun, the rooms weren’t quite ready yet so we dropped off our bags and got ready to explore the city. We were amazed at how central it was and how close it was to Mariacka Street and Long Market (Długi Targ) which is the main part of the city. It was right in the middle of both so whichever way we went we would reach either one.

Mariacka Street is famous for it’s amber jewellery shops and also how Gdańsk is famously known to look with it’s cobbled streets and gothic buildings. It is dubbed the prettiest street in Gdańsk. Long Market (Długi Targ) is a huge squad and street full of restaurants and shops that tourists venture to and visit. You will also find the famous Neptune statue and water fountain here which is a huge tourist attraction and photo spot.

We had a little walk around Long Market Street and the smaller streets connecting to it to get our bearings and coming across some places to eat and try out whilst we are there. As we walked more into the city and getting to Long Market Square, we saw more tourists and places to eat including where we stopped for brunch. There wasn’t really anywhere serving breakfast when we arrived so we had to go for lunch instead. We saw a place that was quite busy outside and it looked like they did good food. The restaurant didn’t look like anything special but the food was really good.

I ordered their Steamed Cod Fillet which I thought was battered but it wasn’t and it came with new potatoes and a side salad with a delicious sauce and my mum and I had an Aperol Spritz. The weather was really lovely and quite warm with sun during the day (but was a little chilly at night). I really wanted to try their Teriyaki Salmon but unfortunately they didn’t have that any more.

After our lunch, we explored some more and ventured down towards the waterfront which has become more built up as they are building and upgrading around the traditional architecture. I hope they don’t completely destroy the traditional buildings and keep some of the history they have. The Motława waterfront and riverside is a very busy area with lots of bars and cool places to eat.

Whiskey in the Jar and the National Maritime Museum

After exploring the waterfront, we headed back around the other side and found Hard Rock Cafe shop in the centre of Long Market which I picked up a top (it has become a tradition of mine) and explored some more shops including a delicious sweet shop – I just had to buy some.

It was filled with huge tubes of so many different types of sweets and candy that you can either fill a bag, tub or box depending on the weight you want. I bought a round tub full of different sweets which came to 40.56PLN = £7.96.

Once we had finished exploring, we headed back to the apartment to get changed and freshen up ready for dinner. We didn’t want to go out too far as we were so hungry and tired so we decided to try Machina Eats & Beats which was literally at the end of our street and was also on my list of places to try.

We checked out the menu earlier in the day and liked the look of it, they do a build your own pasta dish which you can select the pasta, sauce and toppings you want and total it all up at the end. I ordered their wholewheat rigatoni with tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella, spinach and sun dried tomatoes.

I also ordered their Strawberry Ice Tea which was really nice and hydrating. It was a little chilly at night, which luckily I had a cardigan but the restaurant also have blankets on their outdoor tables to keep you cosy so I had that on my legs.

After dinner, we explored down the river front a little bit more and found a nice little spot to have late night drinks. The place we wanted to go to was closing up so we went to the place next door that had several floors and a balcony area which was beautiful at night and ideal for a night cap. I ordered a Bailey’s on ice and we looked over the balcony at the sights below.

NAVIGATE YOUR WAY AROUND GDAŃSK…

Use this map when you are in Gdansk to help you navigate your way around the city…

Map thanks to Wanderlog, a road trip planner on iOS and Android

DAY TWO – THURS 14TH SEPT

On our second day, our plan was to get the train and visit Malbork Castle which is a famous medieval castle in Poland. We explored around our apartment for somewhere to have breakfast and came across a lovely little place the next street over from Mariacka Street called Słodko Słono.

We didn’t know what it was really and I didn’t come across it when researching for places to eat, but it was a lovely cafe decorated beautifully with flowers and quirky little decor pieces. It was so Instagram-able and the food was delicious! They had lots of cakes, sandwiches and cooked breakfasts on their menu – it was ideal for us.

I ordered their Eggs Benedict (without the ham) that came with a side salad and a nice thick wedge of Challah bread with poached eggs on top along with the sauce and chopped spring onions and an Apple juice. It was absolutely delicious and definitely filled a gap. As we were having breakfast, we were navigating how we would get to Malbork and use the trains as it was our first time. I found that the station was only a 10 minute walk and got the directions on my phone.

Once we finished breakfast, we got our stuff ready and walked to the station. It took a little bit of time for us to navigate the train station but we finally found our way. The ticket booth wasn’t responding to get tickets, so we moved to a manned booth and the lady got us tickets and directed us to the correct platform. It cost us 39.32PLN which is around £7.30 for 3 adult tickets one way to Malbork. That is unheard of in England, as a single adult travel card ticket will cost more than £15.

The train journey took around 30 minutes from Gdańsk Głowny and the train was very clean but old fashioned at the same time. There were plenty of toilets throughout the carriages and places to sit however our train was very busy so we had to stand in a section between two carriages. There were two local guys there as well who we got talking to and asked them about things to do.

As we got off the train, we were greeted by a delightful and quaint train station building filled with intricate tile patterns on the ceiling and quirky structures in the walls. It reminded me a lot of the train station in Toledo! It was a 20 minute walk from the train station to the castle through the main part of town, you will see a McDonald’s before you get to the castle.

We arrived at the castle and purchased our tickets with an audio guide that cost 70PLN = £13.74. The audio guide took us around the main points of interest and around the grounds of the castle. There was so much to take in and see in the castle, we did have to cut a few bits out as we would have been there for hours and hours. I will write up a separate guide to Malbork castle for you to check out.

Malbork Castle

Once we had finished and come to the end of our tour around Malbork castle, we were desperate for a drink and something to eat, so we left the grounds and came across a cafe called Papa’s. We didn’t really know what it would be like but there were plenty of people sat outside as it was such a lovely day. I ordered a Diet Cola and a portion of chips which were exactly what I needed. We went through our photos from the day and discussed what we would do in the afternoon.

We caught the train back to Gdansk around 4pm and arrived back at around 4:30pm in time for dinner. We walked back to the apartment to get showered and dressed before heading out to dinner. After getting showered, we walked to Tu í Teraz which is a gorgeous restaurant in Long Market that had patio heaters outside as it was quite chilly so this was ideal. It was really busy so it was a good sign that we would enjoy it and the food looked lovely.

Our waitress Milena was lovely, she was very helpful and full of character and kept bringing us drinks towards the end of our meal. She was egging my mum on to order more Aperol’s and other cocktails and she even brought us shots of coconut rum afterwards for free. I ordered their Pesto Verde pizza and a couple of cocktails as well including ones called So Nice! and Spring Spritz. It was our most expensive meal but also our most delicious and the atmosphere was ideal.

READ MORE: 6 Places To Eat In Gdansk

Sopot Beach

Sopot Pier

DAY THREE – FRI 15TH SEPT

It was probably our hottest day that we have had and we decided to get a taxi to Sopot and visit the beach. It was a bit weird being in a city and then getting a taxi to the beach. Sopot is hugely popular with the locals and is ideal for a little getaway with the family.

We packed up the things we would need and headed back to Słodko Słono for breakfast. I wanted to try something different from their menu this time and ordered their chocolate croissant with a Berry Tonic. The croissant was absolutely huge and was covered in chocolate and chopped hazelnuts with chocolate spread in the middle. We sat outside this time as the weather was gorgeous and so sunny & warm.

We then got a taxi from outside our apartments which drove us to Sopot. It was about a 20 minute drive and it took us through several towns and we saw lots of metro lines that go along the roads throughout Gdansk. When we arrived in Sopot, we walked along the beach front path and came across a busy cafe called Bar Przystań that does a lot of seafood and grabbed a nice cold drink with the view of the sea and beach in front of us.

We then walked along the beach and paddled a bit in the sea taking in the sights and taking lots of pictures. We carried on walking until we reached the pier and then back up the beach until we reached the wooden walkway to exit the beach.

As we exited the beach, we came to the entrance to the pier. There is a little bit of the pier you can access before you reach the gates to enter which you have to pay in order to get past. The ticket to get onto the main bit of pier costs 10PLN which is about £1.96. There are lots of stands and shops before you get on the pier that sell lots of jewellery, kids toys and teddies and other touristy gifts and souvenirs.

Walking along the pier, we got to see a lot of the boats and ships that dock up in the harbour and there was plenty of seagulls flying about. There are also speed boat excursions which you can book onto and they will take you to a nearby island or around the bay.

After we had explored the pier, we walked a little bit further until we reached a cafe and club on the corner and decided to stop for lunch. It wasn’t great in terms of service but the food was alright. I ordered their Goats cheese salad and a Diet Cola and we relaxed for a little bit. Once we had finished lunch, we walked back towards the pier entrance and there was a lot of shops and it felt a little bit like you were entering Disneyland. We went into a few shops including H&M and a really cool sweet shop called Candy Trendy Shop that had so many rooms of different sweets. My Dad bought some nougat and I bought a pack of Uno Flip cards. There was a room of chocolate and chocolate coated raisins and beans, then sour sweets and other pick and mix sweets, games, candyfloss and nougat. There was so much to take in.

We then caught the train back to Głowny so we could get ready for dinner. The train back took about 18 minutes so it was really quick and cost us around £…

Once we got back to the apartment, we got changed and had a shower before heading out to dinner. We really fancied a burger so we decided to try out Billy’s American Diner, which was always really busy and full of people. It’s located on the river front of Motlawa. I ordered their Rose Spritz (it wasn’t very rose like, more lemony) but it was still really nice. It had a capsule in it that smoked away and then dissolved into the drink and it wasn’t harmful.

I then ordered their Marley Veggie Burger which was a veggie burger patty, lettuce, cucumber, caramelised onion, tomatoes, cheese and served with fries on the side. You can also choose which sauce you’d like from enchilada, BBQ or garlic – I chose their garlic sauce.

After dinner we then walked across the bridge to the opposite side of the river that was all lit up and looked really pretty. There were lots of people taking selfies and pictures of each other with the views of the city lit up behind them. We decided to go for late night drinks Tu i Teraz as we liked it so much there, I ordered several Bailey’s and my Dad ordered an apple pie for dessert which looked really yummy with his drink.

DAY FOUR – SAT 16TH SEPT

It was sadly our final day in Gdansk and we really didn’t want to leave. We packed up our cases and rooms and left our bags in the storage room for later. We headed out to breakfast and decided to stop at Mojito Cafe which is in the middle of Long Market. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we had the perfect spot outside in the sun.

I ordered an apple juice which soon got attacked by wasps so I had to order another one. I was only half way through my first glass. I then ordered their smashed avocado on toast (that came on Challah bread) and came with a side salad. Challah bread is so delicious!

After breakfast we took a walk around Motława and explored further down the river that we hadn’t been to before. There was a lot of restaurants and tourist hotspots including the famous ferris wheel and the GDANSK sign that everyone has pictures taken by.

It was so hot we had to stop for early drinks in the shade and stopped at an Italian restaurant called Restauracja Amare Gusto. I ordered a nice cold Diet Cola – it was so refreshing and nice to get out of the sun for a little bit.

I was on the hunt for something to remember Gdansk by and decided to find a nice amber bracelet that I could wear on a daily basis. We went in a few shops that I had seen from us walking around the city and then went into one of the hotels that had a jewellery shop connected to it called Galeria Bursztynu PRESTIGE that is quite a famous jewellers in Poland and I saw the perfect bracelet to get. The bracelet I got has a thin black pull string strap that goes around the wrist and then a golden cage around the amber stone. It is so pretty and ideal for daily wear. I didn’t know whether to go for silver which goes better with my skin or gold that would go with my watch – I decided to go for gold in the end.

We then stopped at a restaurant called Riverside Dym i Ogień for some lunch before we left for the airport. We ordered a veggie pizza and shared it between the 3 of us and then ordered some nice cold drinks as it was rather warm. After we relaxed for a little bit, we headed back to the apartment to collect our bags before the taxi arrived.

The taxi picked us up and took us to the airport around 4:30pm before our 5 o’clock flight. I managed to catch up on the football scores before boarding our plane – sadly we were losing to Man City quite heavily at that point.