Poland was never on our cards until very recently. After having visiting many countries in central Europe and with a valid Schengen visa we decided to visit this country during the jubilee weekend in the UK. Our flights in and out of Stansted gave us only 3 whole days for this beautiful country. So that meant only one whole day in this beautiful city of Gdańsk.
Gdańsk is a city on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The coast along this country was also called the Pomeranian coast. It was a compulsory stop in the itineraries of almost all the Baltic sea cruises. Poland has been under Germany for most of the 19th and part of the 20th century (until WWII). There are many WWII sites in the city. Due to its location the city’s architecture has influences from northern European cities along the Baltic coast like Copenhagen and Amsterdam.
Most of the city was destroyed in WWII by the Nazis. and rebuilt by the Soviets in the 20th century. Today the charm the old town exudes is extraordinary. It may be relatively be newer than most other parts of the country and the continent but the charm is undeniable!
Jump to :
Długa
After an overnight at the Hampton Inn in the airport, we rode a taxi to the old town. It was raining and I was quite bummed. We got dropped at the High Gate and after waiting for a few minutes for the rain to clear, which it didn’t, we stepped out to the Długa
The main through fare of Długa between the High Gate (Brama Wyżynna) and Green Gate has the most attractive buildings of the old town. As soon as we entered there were a lot of restaurants and bars on either side in pretty bright coloured buildings. We continued walking down and there was the Main Town Hall with its clock tower. We continued further down to Neptune’s fountain, the bronze statue of the sea God and sea creatures that supposedly stands there from the 17th century.
Beyond the Neptune’s fountain is the Green Gate and Motława River. There were several bridges on the Motława river, some permanent and some temporary! From the Green Bridge, we could see the old crane.
We then crossed a temporary bridge to enter Świętego Ducha which had some interesting houses and shops. The rain had cleared up by this time and the sun was beginning to peek out from behind the clouds. There was a good view of St. Mary’s basilica and we sat down to give our tired feed some rest.
Lunch
I had looked up earlier for lunch recommendations and we had decided to have lunch at MANNA 68, a vegan restaurant. Though Pierogis were on the top of our must try list, we chose this place as it was lunch time just then. Excellent food and fabulous service!
Mariacka
After lunch it was time to visit the Mariacka. The Mariacka that runs parallel to the Długa is one of the oldest parts of town. Though most of the street was destroyed in WWII most of the fallen blocks were painfully put together to make it looks like what it was before WWII. This is also the street that has innumerable amber stores. Every design, every size, every possible form of jewellery that one can think of for every budget! Apparently there were days when amber would just wash up on the shores of the coast! Good place to grab a souvenir and we didn’t miss the opportunity!
By this time the sun was out completely and the buildings glittered in the afternoon soon. Several tour groups passed quickly through the Mariacka but we took over an hour for shopping and pictures! One reason why we never opt for group tours!
Brzeźno beach
By this time we were beginning to get bored with the old town and SC suggested we visit the coast. After checking with the tourist office we decided to go to the Brzeźno beach. We booked an Uber to meet us near the High Gate and rode for a good 20-25 minutes to reach the beach.
The beach seemed very popular with locals and we spent some time in the afternoon sun chilling on the sands. After that it was time to get some waffles. Called “GoFry” in this part of the world we each had one before booking an Uber to return back to the old town.
AmberSky
I have been wanting to go up on this ever since we planned to visit. The view of Gdańsk from above could either be captured with a drone, from one of the church towers or from the Amber Sky. We chose the easiest option. We walked through the Długa, crossed the Motława and its branches a couple of times before arriving at AmberSky. There wasn’t much of a queue and we were on in no time. With three rounds, each lasting a full 5 minutes, there was ample time to take pictures of Gdańsk at dusk.
By the time we finished AmberSky, we cross another temporary bridge to walk down to the old town. Grabbed a pizza for dinner and rode a taxi back to the Hampton Inn.
Fly ✧ Ride ✧ Drive 