Gdansk, Poland
Gdansk is the main port city of Poland and is one of the larger cities and metro areas in the country. It’s a city that has a history that is hundreds of years old and with it’s important position on the Baltic Sea has changed hands multiple times and was once it’s own city-state (independent country). We knew little about Gdansk before our 2022 Baltic Sea Cruise when we visited. We were very impressed with the beauty and number of things to see and do that we would like to come back to visit again in the future. Here’s what we saw during out visit to Gdansk and the surrounding area!
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Getting to Gdansk and Transportation
Most cities in Europe are well connected with multiple different options to get to the city you are traveling to. Gdansk is no different as well with air, rail and sea options to get to Gdansk. The Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport services Gdansk and has a variety of service to other countries around Europe but currently has no direct service to the US. Major European airlines such as Lufthansa, KLM, LOT Polish and SAS all fly into Gdansk. The main international gateway for Poland is Warsaw which is the capital and largest city that is the hub for the Polish flag carrier LOT Polish. Gdansk also has rail and ferry service to different European destinations. The way we arrived was on a Baltic cruise that visited the Scandinavian, Baltic nations, Poland, and Germany.
As for transportation, Gdansk doesn’t have a subway system, but it does have trains, busses and trams/light rail. There of course are taxis and Uber available as well. There is no real need to rent a car as the public transportation options are good. We booked a guided tour that took us by bus from the cruise port to the city center. From there it was a nice and easy walk around the Gdansk city center.
Gdansk Transportation Options:
Country Information
The national language of Poland is Polish but nearly everyone we encountered knew enough English for us to be able to speak to everyone. We did learn a few key phrases like Dzien dobry (Good morning/day). Poland is a part of the European Union and is a Schengen agreement country, so it is currently Visa free travel for US Citizens. You will need to fill out the European ETIAS in 2026 where you fill out a security form and answer other questions and pay a small fee to enter the EU. This is to increase security for Europe. The currency of Poland is the Polish Zloty. It is a very favorable exchange rate when compared to the US dollar. At the time of this writing the 1 Polish Zloty is worth $0.27. Credit cards are accepted most everywhere. We found most everything was very affordable in Poland. One of the most affordable locations we have been to in Europe. Admission to some museums was only $2.50 (in 2022)! Food at fine dining restaurants on the main square for multiple courses for 2 people could cost as little as $40 (in 2022). Poland is quite far North so the Spring and summer are relatively mild, and the winter can be very cold. We went to Gdansk in May, and it was pretty pleasant even though the region was having a heat wave, but compared to Texas in the summer it was nice. We found Poland very safe and had no issues walking through downtown areas at night. At the time of this writing in June of 2025 the US State Department rates Poland a level 1 (safest level) normal precautions. As always do your own research and read any advisories and make a decision if this is a destination for you!
Gdansk City Center
Gdansk has been an important port city for hundreds of years. It was part of the influential trading Hanseatic League that was German Cities that traded around Europe and beyond. It has been a part of multiple countries and for a few years before WWII it was its own country called “The Free City of Danzig”. After WWII, it rejoined Poland and the Soviet Union. Much of the Old Town was damaged during WWII as Gdansk was where some of the first shots of WWII were taken. Today it’s still the main port city of Poland and the metro area including nearby cities has over a million people. On our tour we headed to the historic city center for a nice walking tour. In the Old Town (once called the long bridge), there is a very nice river walk/promenade on part of the Motlawa River full of shops, restaurants and attractions.
Gdansk Cruise Shore Excursions:
National Maritime Museum and Historic Ships
While walking the waterfront area our guide pointed out a tall interesting looking building. Today it’s Poland’s National Maritime Museum, but in the medieval times it was a merchant’s business where they had a large crane to unload cargo into the warehouse doors part of the building. Today it is the largest and oldest crane of that type, left being from the 1400s! It was damaged during WWII but now it is restored and can be visited. In front of the museum there is the historic Polish Sailing ship the STS General Zaruski that still sails today being one of the oldest Polish sailing vessels left. While we were walking the riverfront a ship that was built to look like a historic sailing vessel/pirate ship came by from a cruise. A unique pedestrian drawbridge that moved horizontally (the bridge swung open versus breaking in the middle and moving the bridge up) opened up for the ship to come back. A couple people where on the bridge at the time but they just got an interesting show. We walked into a hotel that had great pictures and history of Gdansk before we started walking the beautiful historic streets.
Mariacka Street and St. Mary's Church
As we headed to the massive St. Mary’s Chruch we walked down Mariacka Street. It’s a beautiful street that is cobblestoned and flanked by many nice buildings that were rebuilt after being destroyed in World War II. Today they are filled with shops, restaurants, museums and more. We met the neighborhood cat that guards the stoops according to our guide. As we looked at the far end of the street that runs from the Motlawa River to our next destination, we could see the huge St. Mary’s Church.
St. Mary’s is a Catholic church that is made from red brick in the 1500s. It is truly massive being one of the largest brick churches in the world and can seat over 25,000 people inside! It is a Gothic style church. Inside there is beautiful baroque art and an elaborate pipe organ. One of the most impressive items in the church is the original Astronomical Clock of Gdansk from the 1400s! It is complex and tells more than just the date and time. It also tells things like the phases of the moon, the position of the sun and moon in relation to the zodiac and more. The Astronomical Clock was taken apart and was hidden in the Polish countryside to protect it during WWII. They kept it safe, and it was restored in the church after the war. There are also memorials to the Polish people who died during World War II and during the Soviet Union reign. With the Ukraine War just having started while we were there, there was an exhibit in support of Ukraine and chronically the war in the beginning. The church is a must visit spot if you are in Gdansk!
Dluga Street (The Long Lane)
From St. Mary’s Chruch we headed over to the most important street in the old town that is part of the Royal Route where kings rode into the city. The street is full of historic buildings, cobblestone and now many shops and restaurants. There are many beautiful buildings that architecture fans will love. We stopped at a shop to buy some souvenirs. Gdansk and other cities around the Baltic Sea are famous for their sea amber and you can buy small pieces to crafted jewelry. As we walked along, we arrived at the Artus Court. It is a group of guild houses where merchants and professionals that began in the 1300s. The buildings are rebuilt after WWII, and they are amazing architecture. We did not have the time, but you can go inside and visit the branch of the Museum of Gdansk. The guild halls are similar to ones we saw in Riga and Tallin that were also part of the Hanseatic league. In front of the Artus Court is the Fountain of Neptune that is another great work of art. Further down the street is the Golden Gate that was built in the 1600s that is also a great work of art to see. It was damaged during WWII but repaired later. We also passed by the Fahrenheit Meteorological Column that is a large thermometer amongst other things since David Fahrenheit who made the temperature scale is from Gdansk. Our guide suggested to us that we try Polish Doughnuts called a Paczki. They are filled doughnuts, and we found a great bakery to try them at along the street. They were very good as we have found most Polish food is. Polish food is a true hidden gem if you have not tried it before. After our quick snack we left Gdansk for the suburb of Oliwa.
Gdansk City Tour Options:
Oliwa Cathedral
The very last stop on our tour of the Gdansk region was in the suburb halfway between the port and Gdansk. The Oliwa Cathedral is another brick Gothic/Baroque/Rococo catholic church in the region. From the outside it looks nice with its red brick and towers, but the true gem is inside. It is white with some marble used in the construction. Above the main altar is stunning art that looks like a cloud with angels and saints heading towards a beautiful stained-glass window. It is baroque architecture so is very lavish. There are plenty of other art pieces all around the cathedral. The crown jewel of the cathedral is its pipe organ. The Oliwa Cathedral Pipe Organ has 8,000 pipes throughout the cathedral! The organ was built in the 1700s and is still in great condition today. While we were there, we had a great opportunity to listen to a around 20-minute organ concert where they played a wide variety of music including the famous Dracula Organ theme that was written by J.S. Bach. It was a great experience that is well worth seeing!
Leaving Gdansk and Tips
We headed back to the port city of Gdynia where our ship was docked across from the Polish Naval base. There are some museums in Gdynia as well. As we were leaving the bus we saw the Polish military doing a drill where a helicopter picked up troops from the water in the bay. There were naval ships as well at the base. From there we sailed off and headed to our next destination.
There is so much more to see in Gdansk than what we saw. Since it was where some of the first shots of WWII were fired, they have an excellent WWII museum we have seen in travel videos and from a distance while there that we would love to go back and see. The National Maritime Museum and the Artus Court would also be great to go back and see as well. Going by cruise is a great way to see the city and visit some of the highlights but if you have the chance visiting the city and staying there a few days would be great. Poland is such an underrated destination and is a country that throughout history has suffered but has risen back up into the vibrant country it is today. The people are friendly and great as well! If you have time getting traditional Polish food is a must do! Poland is a very affordable country to visit compared to some countries in Europe. It is in Northern Europe, so if you come during the wintertime then prepare for cold weather. Also, during the summer there are very long days and, in the winter, it will be few daylight hours than you might be accustomed to. If you don’t have Poland on your list of countries to visit, then you should. We absolutely want to see more of Gdansk and the entire country in the future!
If you are Interested in this trip:
Contact Donna and Jason Miller with ET Family Travel and we can help you book your dream trip today including customized trips, guided tours, cruises and much more. Our travel planning services are completely free if you book with us. Contact us at donnamiller.etfamilytravel@gmail.com or jasonmiller.etfamilytravel@gmail.com to book today!
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