By air
Gdańsk (GDN), ~15 km
Europe · Poland
Gdańsk, Poland
Hanseatic gables on the Baltic
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to September — summer
Don't miss
The Long Market
The Crane
St Mary's Church
The European Solidarity Centre
Things to do
The Long Market
Amber shops
The Westerplatte memorial
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The Sopot pier, a short train ride away
Questions travellers ask
Which months suit Gdańsk?
Between May and September, in the summer — with a few layers packed.
Which sights in Gdańsk shouldn't I miss?
The Long Market, the Crane, St Mary's Church and the European Solidarity Centre. Visit the Westerplatte memorial, and browse the amber shops.
Is there an easy trip from Gdańsk?
The Sopot pier is a short train ride away.
What should I eat and drink in Gdańsk?
Smoked fish and a Baltic beer.
About Gdańsk
- Coastal
Where it is
Gdańsk is a port city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland, at the mouth of the Motława river on Gdańsk Bay, and forms the Tricity with Sopot and Gdynia.
History
Gdańsk, long known in German as Danzig, grew rich as a Hanseatic port exporting grain, and in 1457 the Polish king granted it wide self-government. The first shots of the Second World War were fired at Westerplatte in 1939, and in August 1980 the Gdańsk Shipyard became the birthplace of the Solidarity movement.
People
Gdańsk's people speak Polish, and the Kashubians, with their own language and traditions, live in the countryside to the west. Amber from the Baltic shores has been worked here for centuries, and St Dominic's Fair, held each summer, dates back to 1260.
Known for
- The Long Market and Neptune's Fountain
- The medieval harbour crane
- Baltic amber jewellery
- St Mary's Church, a vast brick church
- The European Solidarity Centre
Did you know?
The Żuraw, Gdańsk's harbour crane, was completed by 1444 and was then the largest port crane in Europe, lifting cargo with giant wooden treadwheels turned by men walking inside them.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.