Gdansk Travel Guide

 Jetgirly Says:  I grew up by the sea, in a city with a Maritime Museum inside a really cute heritage building, but for some reason I never visited. I found myself in Kotor, staying in a hostel that opened onto the Maritime Museum's front door, but I still didn't visit. Finally, in Gdansk,... 

 Jetgirly Says:  I'm not going to lie- I don't even know what a crane is. I mean, I know what a crane is, but I don't know how cranes existed in medieval times, how they worked, why they even needed them, or if they were even cranes in the sense of the cranes I can comprehend. And I say this... 

 Jetgirly Says:  What's the opposite of disappointing? Appointing? In that case, the only appointing thing about my brief visit to Sopot was the ginormous (yeah, I'm just making up all kinds of words here) boardwalk (technically a pier, called "molo" in Polish). Built in 1827 it stretches... 

 Jetgirly Says:  After disappointing queues at Malbork Castle I decided to spend the rest of my day in Sopot, a little seaside resort town much closer to my home base of Gdansk. Once a popular tourism and spa destination for European royals, Sopot today looks a little sad and crumbling,... 

 Jetgirly Says:  Malbork is a small town near Gdansk that happens to be home to the world's largest brick castle. It makes an easy day trip by train (or with car, if you're all fancy-schmancy!), though you have to be prepared to battle the crowds.There are trains from Gdansk to Malbork about... 

 Jetgirly Says:  Neptune was the Roman god of the water and the sea. Gdansk is a bustling port city. It is fitting, then, that the heart of historic Gdansk should feature a fountain of this Roman sea god. The statue was first built in the 1500s and then converted into a fountain. During the... 

 Jetgirly Says:  A classic Eastern European market hall, Hala Targova is located close to the train station in the historic center and is full of vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to housewares and fashions. If you need an umbrella (like I did) or a banana, this is the... 

 Jetgirly Says:  Right outside the infamous shipyard gates rises the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers. I found the history of this monument quite interesting. I had just assumed that it honored workers who were killed during the Solidarity movement and associated strikes, but actually... 

 Jetgirly Says:  Roads to Freedom is Gdansk's most important museum, honoring the memory of the shipyard workers (and others) who took action to end Communism in Poland. Visitors receive an audioguide in their native language and progress through the exhibits. First, you will experience life... 

 Jetgirly Says:  At the end of the Westerplatte Educational Trail visitors will find the Statue to the Defenders of Westerplatte. This tower rises twenty-five meters and is made from more than two hundred granite blocks. Annual memorial services are held on the site.To reach the base of the... 

 Jetgirly Says:  The second world war broke out here, at Westerplatte, when a German battleship on a "friendship" visit surprised Poland by attacking this small military depot. Poland had only about two hundred men on site, while nearly 1800 Germans were involved in the attack. Amazingly,... 

 Jetgirly Says:  Wanting to really understand what it was like aboard a warship during WW2 I signed up for a pirate ship cruise of Gdansk's dirty-but-evocative port area, taking me to and from Westerplatte. The trip costs about ten euros and takes about thirty minutes. Don't worry- you don't... 

 Jetgirly Says:  Possibly furnished with furniture stolen from an Ikea cafeteria, Bioway restaurant is exactly what an Ikea cafeteria would be like if they didn't serve Swedish meatballs. They've got soups, salads and hot entrees like pastas and mock meat products served cafeteria-style by... 

 Jetgirly Says:  For travelers without a visa for Belarus or Russia (Kaliningrad), moving onward to Lithuania can be a minor hassle. During my visit in summer 2012, overnight buses were running this route every other day. The route was very busy and I'd recommend buying a 150-zl ticket... 

 briantravelman Says:  If you come during the off season, basically from late September to late May, you will be dissapointed when you discover a lot of the best tourist attractions are closed. I went in April once and it was a dissapointment. The Ratusz was closed, the fort was closed, the...