Gdansk Transportation

Just to your information, since last Saturday has bagun the big roads modernization. Some streets have been closed, some has changed direction. The renovation will take 10 months beginns from July 2006.

What does it mean?
1. Whatch out when you want to drive to the Old Town! Maps will not show you the right way!
2. Calculate standing in the traffic jam when hurrying up somewhere!
3. Calculate possible bus delays.
4. Calculate higer TAXI rates.
5. Better travel on trams and trains.
6. Trains and bus stops around the main station in Gdansk has been changed, consider disorientation.
etc., etc.

But it means that in 10 months time our roads will look just like brand new and all of us where waiting for it very long time :)

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From downtown Gdansk first follow the directions signs towards Warsaw and Elblag (E77 - four lane divided highway) and then turn left (from the right lane!) towards Westerplatte, follow the direction signs. Drive across the Dead Vistula river (Martwa Wisla) through the new bridge (seen in my picture). Drive main road through ugly, industrial zone to a paid parking lot at its end. Expect to drive some 20 - 25 min. from downtown.

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Haha, it was a challenge for me to find this house as I didn't know the address and drove by the house at least 3 times not seeing it. But thanks to great help of a few pedestrians I did find it. The house is located in Piekna (Beautiful) street at # 54, about 15 - 20 min. (by car) northwest of downtown Gdansk.

From downtown Gdansk follow the direction signs to Gdynia, Sopot and Hel. Drive northwards the main, four-lane divided Zwycieska and then Grunwaldzka street. When you pass by a roundabout take the left lane and turn left to Al. (Avenue) Wojska Polskiego. Pass by the tram depot on your left and turn left to a small A. Abrachama street. Turn the second street right. You are on Piekna street. The house is approx. 600 - 800 m on the right. It's hidden behind trees but you should easily recognize its defensive fence with spy cameras put along the sidewalk. There is ban on stopping on the street. Pass by the house and turn right to an unpaved square/meadow.

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Driving main street northwards to Gdynia and Sopot I turned left on traffic lights towards... ZOO. Then I turned left as soon as I had passed by the gate to the Oliwa park (on right) and I was lucky to park my car on a very compact and crowded parking lot. It was sunny early afternoon on Sunday. Thus there were very many visitors.

I didn't find any map of the park both in the web and in my, quite detailed travel guides to Gdansk. Thus I share the picture of the map I've taken by the palm house. Letters mark the following parts of the park:
A - Welcome Court
B - French Garden
C - The Paradise (Paradyz)
D - The Rock Garden (Alpinarium)
E - Botanical Garden
F - .Chinese-English Garden (my favourite!)
G - Abbey's Garden (interesting!)
H - administrative zone

The Oliwa famous cathedral is on the left (west of the park). The numbers mark the following structures:
1. The Abbey's Palace
2. The Monastery Granary
3. The Coach House
4. The Heaven Hill
5. The Hell Hill
6. The Summer House
7. Fountain
8. Waterfall
9. The Caves of Whispers
10. Monument to Mszczuj II
11. Monument to Swietopelk II
12. Monument to Adam Mickiewicz
13. The Palm House
14. The Orangery
15. The Greenhouse
16/17. Pools with water plants
18. The defensive wall
19-22. Bridges.

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I drove by own car to the two off the beaten path attractions of Gdansk: a 17th century country manor house (Dwor Oliwski) and the world's oldest (1592) still operating watershed. It took me about 20 min. to get there from downtown Gdansk. First, I drove main 4-lane divided highway (Aleja = Avenue Grunwaldzka) towards Sopot, Gdynia and Hel. After longer drive I turned left on traffic lights towards ZOO. I drove Opata Jacka Rybinskiego street as soon as I turned left, when in the last moment, I noticed small direction signs (black writing on white) towards the two above mentioned places. Then I foolowed the signs. There is no parking lot by the watershed, thus I parked on a shoulder. There is an open gate and parking lot for visitors by the manor house.

There is no public transportation to these places. There is a shuttle for guests of a hotel in the manor. The option is to take a taxi (less than ?10 from downtown, I guess). You may take a bus towards ZOO (# 122, 544, 548), take off a few stops before the ZOO and walk approx. 20 min.

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There are to ways to get to and see the Vistulamouth Fortress (Wisloujscie). By a ship ,cruising from downtown Gdansk to Westerplatte, which pass by (no stop) the fortress. If you, however, want to get closer you have to go there by car like I did.

From downtown Gdansk first follow the directions signs towards Warsaw and Elblag (E77 - four lanes) and then turn left (from the right lane) towards Westerplatte. Drive across the Dead Vistula river (Martwa Wisla) through the new bridge and a few kilometers futher turn left following the small direction sign (easy to miss!) towards Wisloujscie (or "Twierdza Wisloujscie" - blue writing on white), drive carefully following the direction signs. Pass by neglected area of run down Gdansk port. The final part of the road beginning on this bridge on my picture is paved by cobble stones and a bit bumpy. There are no parkings lots in this abondoned area. Park wherever you need, there are neither people nor cars there.

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This two-masted, wooden replica of an old sailing ship travels to Westerplatte, a peninsula in Gdansk at an estuary of the Dead Vistula (one of the Vistula delta estuaries) where the WWII broke out on 1st September 1939. The cruise run by Zegluga Gdanska company takes 30 min. one way and, combining with the visit to Westerplatte and way back, cost 39 zl (€ 10). Westerplatte needs an hour so, reserve at least 2 hours for the trip. The cruise starts at Dlugie Pobrzeze, north of the Crane, every hour since 10.00 am till 4.00 pm (in July - August also 5.00 and 6.00 pm if there are enough folks).

I drove to Westerplatte by my car. Thanks to it I could stop to see fort of Wisloujscie but I skipped landscapes along the Motlawa river.

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My first ever travel by a hydrofoil was an unforgettable day-trip from Gdansk or Gdynia to Hel in the early 1970'. In 2005 I saw ships, catamarans and hydrofoils run by Zegluga Gdanska company which offers cruises on the Motlawa River and the Baltic Sea.

HEL
My recomendation is to take a one-day trip to Hel, the town located on the tip of the Hel peninsula, 33 kilometres from the Polish mainland. I visited Hel by car in 1990'. I enjoyed a beach, a yacht marina, a red lighthouse and first of all Baltic seals in a sea life biological laboratory I visited. Warning: Hel maybe extremely crowded in sunny summer weekends (and in long weekends: Easter, 1-3 May and after Corpus Christi catholic holiday).
To get to Hel from Gdansk takes 2.5 hour by a ship or 1 hour 10 min. by a hydrofoil (exclusively in July and August). The price (R/T) is the same: 53 zl (€ 13).

RUSSIA
Currently there are no direct cruises from Gdansk to Russia. Well, there are strange cruises from Gdansk to Baltijsk by catamaran Szafir. As I was told you must have a Russian visa to board but you are not allowed to get off the catamaran in Russia. A strange rule, isn't it?
Folks go on the cruise to entertain and to buy cheap goods (cigarettes, alcohol) in duty free shops on the catamaran which open right after crossing the Russian border. It may be funny or not. Many passangers drink a lot on the cruise. The two drunk passengers fell overboard and sunk a few years ago. Personally I would not go on this cruise.

Instead, I would take a day trip to Kaliningrad, Russia from Elblag (60 km east of Gdansk, over 1 hour by bus or train) by a hydrofoil. The trip takes over 3 hours with the two stops in Polish cities: Krynica Morska and Frombork, so only 5 hours is left for Kaliningrad. It costs 180 zl (€ 45) in 2005. The problem is that I have to get a visa to Kaliningrad region(Kaliningradskaya Oblast). For a Polish citizen the visa is free. Details: follow the link in the bottom.