I visited Gdańsk with my parents in September for a few days to celebrate my mums birthday and it was a lovely city break trip to a part of Europe I’ve not done before. I didn’t really know what to expect from Poland before I went, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised with how beautiful Gdańsk was and I can’t wait to go back and explore some more.
The weather was pretty good for us, we had a little downpour on our first day which we luckily missed. Other than that during the day it was lovely and sunny and a little chilly in the evenings when we needed a cardigan or jumper but it was still pleasant. It was so easy to walk around the city to get to places and using the public transport was really easy too!
INTRO & CULTURE
Poland is a major country in Central Europe and is the 5th most populous member state of the European Union.
Gdańsk in Poland is a colourful and romantic port town, nestled on the Baltic Sea coast. Much of the city was destroyed during WWII, but it came back stronger and better than before. Spend your days gazing at the pretty pastel-coloured houses that line the wide cobblestone avenues, or get up high by climbing one of the many towers around town. There are so many things to do in Gdańsk, but you can even extend your itinerary and see beautiful nature outside of the city too or visit the beach that’s only a 20 minute taxi ride away!
CURRENCY
Their currency is the Polish Zloty.
While Poland accessed the European Union in 2004, it currently does not use the Euro, and instead uses it’s own historic currency, the złoty (PNL). The Polish currency that we know today came into being in 1995 under the post-communist regime with the aim of boosting the country’s economy.
Their currency roughly works out as follows:
1 PNL = 0.19P
10 PNL = £1.92
100 PNL = £19.22
1,000 PNL = £192.19
10,000 PNL = £1,921.94
This is just a rough working out of how much things cost. By downloading the Currency Plus app below, it will really help give you an accurate daily update on the currency and its value.
Download the app “Currency Plus” to get currency conversions on the go. It updates daily and when connected to Wi-Fi or Network to give you the latest conversion and you can have multiple currencies shown in one go.
Download here: Apple App Store // Google Play Store
LANGUAGE
Polish is the official language of Poland, but they know some good English. It really does help if you know a little Polish as it really does go a long way, even knowing Hello, Thank you and Please – it really helps and is appreciated by the locals. Below are some phrases to remember and help you get by. Polish locals do speak very good English and most of them have English lessons to help them in the tourism trade.
Hello (informal) – Cześć – Cheshch
Goodbye (informal) – Cześć – Cheshch
Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening – Dzień dobry – jen dough-bray
Yes – Tak – Tahk
No – Nie – Nyeh
Okay – No – Noeh
Please – Prosze – Prosheh
Thank you – Dziekuje – Jen-koo-yeh
Sorry/Excuse me – Przepraszam – Pshe-pra-shaam
I’m from England – Jestem z Anglii – Yehstem zanglee
RELIGION
The main religion is Christianity but there is also Catholicism as well. There are plenty of places of worship around Poland to visit, including lots of gorgeous cathedrals like St Marys Church and Oliwa Cathedral.
TIME ZONE
The time zone in Poland Central European Time (CEST) and is an hour ahead of the UK.
CUISINE
The cuisine in Poland is varied from around the world but you also need to try some Polish traditional dishes which include potatoes, cabbage and stews. Some popular dishes are Pierogi (dumplings), Krokiety (Polish croquettes), Golabki (cabbage rolls) and Polish potato salad which is similar to Czech potato salad.
I am really excited to try some traditional Polish dishes (the vegetarian ones) and see if I find anything I like.
My recommended places to eat in Poland include:
• Ostro, Gdańsk – a delicious wood-fired pizza restaurant
• Manna 68, Gdańsk – Great for vegans and filled with lots of Asian inspired dishes.
• Machina Eats & Beats, Gdańsk – Modern nook specialising in customised pasta dishes, plus salads & other Italian bites.
• Slodko Slono, Gdańsk – A very Instagram friendly brunch cafe with delicious food, cakes and pastries.
BUDGET TIPS
Suggested Daily Budget: 108-120 USD / 90-100 GBP – (Note: this is a rough daily budget based on what I spent on average each day.)
01. Order food that is at a reduced price – Use apps like Too Good To Go, where you can order food that is going out of date for a reduced price. This really helps reduce waste but you also get food a lot cheaper than going to a cafe or restaurant which is great if you want to save money.
02. Use the trams and trains instead of taxis – We found that using the trains and trams around Gdansk was a lot cheaper than booking a taxi. We also learnt that booking an Uber was cheaper than using the local taxi firms if you needed to get to the airport or travel further out of town.
03. Save money on transport by walking or renting a bike – Walking is free and a lot better for you than being driven around. You can also see a lot more walking around that you wouldn’t normally see in a car. You can also hire a bicycle for a really affordable price that is good fun cycling around the Old Town.
04. Travel during the low season – If you don’t mind the weather being wetter, you can save a lot more money when travelling during the low season, from months July to October. November to February is typically their high season, it’s more busier and the weather is a lot warmer and drier.
TRAVEL TIPS
VISAS
You do not need a visa to visit Poland if you are from the UK but please check with your government website or check with iVisa to make sure.
Check if you need a Visa or other travel documentation here…
With iVisa, all of your travel document requirements are all in one place. They help give you that piece of mind when checking you have everything you need to enter a country without any hassle.
You can apply for everything from visas, tourist cards, invitation letters and health declaration forms for COVID-19 differently from their website. It’s very quick and easy to use and they are very fast at processing your applications, some things can even be FREE for whichever travel document you need. You can even pay for speedy processing and delivery if you are in a rush.
INJECTIONS
You do not need any injections in order to visit Poland.
READ MORE: A Guide to Vaccinations And Visas Around The World
CAPITAL/CITY
The capital city of Poland is Warsaw.
The main cities that people tend to visit include Warsaw, Krakow and Gdańsk.
ACCOMMODATION
There are plenty of lovely accommodations to stay at around Poland, depending on your budget. You can either stay in a big hotel, a small apart-hotel or AirBnB style accommodation.
We were so lucky with our apartment, we didn’t realise how close it was to everything in the Old Town. We were one street away from Mariacka Street and one street away from the Long Market on the other side. It was close enough to everything but also it wasn’t overly noisy at night apart from the nearby church which stopped ringing during the night.
ACCOMMODATION I’VE STAYED IN:
- • Apart Neptun, Gdańsk
EXPLORE POLAND
CRIME
Poland is a relatively safe country for tourists with an exception of a few select areas or cities. Petty crimes like pick pocketing and snatching are common amongst tourists. It is always best to stay vigilant just in case.
DRIVING
It is pretty safe to drive in Poland, make sure you have everything you need including insurance and your driving licence. There are plenty of hire car companies to use, so be sure to research for the best one. We didn’t drive in Poland, we just used public transport.
FLIGHTS
To get to Poland, we had a flights to and from London Stanstead to Gdańsk Lech Walesa Airport.
There are plenty of flights in and out of the city with various budget airlines. Be sure to search through Skyscanner to find your best time to fly and the best route for you to get there.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Public transport in Poland is the best way to get around. The good thing about Gdańsk is that everything is within a short walk which makes it really easy to see everything you want to. We used the trains to get to Malbork Castle and to get back from Sopot and also used taxis as well to get to Sopot and to and from the airport.
Everything was affordably priced and it cost us £7 for 3 adult train tickets, which is unheard of here in the UK – a single adults ticket will cost you over £10.
PACKING TIPS
WHAT TO WEAR
You can wear pretty much anything in Poland depending on the weather. If you are visiting any churches or places to worship, please wear appropriate clothing so you don’t offend anyone. Research the weather before you go as well so you can pack accordingly.
WHAT TO PACK
You can pack pretty much anything you’ll need for how long you are going for and the weather. You can find out what I packed in my packing guide. Also be sure to download my ultimate packing list below so you don’t miss anything.
WEATHER
The weather in Poland varies but it is said the best time to visit is between April to October. You can see the 7 day forecast below.
The weather was pretty good when we went in September, we had one day with a downpour and then it was sunny and bright during the day. It was a little chilly in the afternoon though, but that’s not unusual for September.
ACTIVITIES
THINGS TO SEE & DO
There is so much to see and do throughout Poland especially if you love learning about a countries history and the architecture. Poland is filled with so much history and played a huge part in World War II.
HIGHLIGHTS OF POLAND:
- • Malbork Castle
- • Sopot
- • Motlawa Waterfront
- • Gdansk Crane
- • St Marys Church
- • Oliwa Cathedral
FOOD & DRINK / SOLO TRAVEL / 
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