Gdańsk

Eco-friendly travel guide to Gdańsk advises how to be a responsible tourist. Learn how to explore the attractions in a sustainable way and how to respect the local people and culture. Make your trip green by supporting locally owned hotels, organic restaurants and other businesses. Read more on how to protect the environment by making conscientious choices and how to travel green in Gdańsk, Poland.

Ferry Rubin at the pier in Gdansk

Air quality: 3.6 / 5

Exploring by foot: 4 / 5

Exploring by bicycle: 3.8 / 5

Public transportation: 3.9 / 5

Parks: 4 / 5

Outdoor activities: 3.9 / 5

Locals' English level: 3.8 / 5

Safety: 3.9 / 5

Accommodation: US$1100 - $1200

Budget per day: US$1000 - $1050

Responsible Travel

Being the capital and largest city of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, this city is on the Baltic coast of northern Poland. The city is situated on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay on the Baltic Sea, in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, the resort town of Sopot, and suburban communities. The city's name is thought to originate from the Gdania River, the original name of the Motława branch on which the city is situated. The city is Poland’s one of the biggest tourist destinations. At the center of its Main Town, reconstructed after World War II, are the colorful facades of Long Market, which now home to shops and restaurants.

The city boasts several important historical attractions including the Royal Way, which is famous promenade street of Polish kings, along with cathedrals, medieval ports and oodles of cool cafés. It is the most prominent city in the vicinity of the cultural and geographical region of Kashubia. It is Poland's principal seaport and the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area. Together with the nearby port of Gdynia, Gdańsk is also a notable industrial centre. The Neptune fountain, is a 17th century symbol of the city topped by a bronze statue of the sea god. The industrial sections of the city are dominated by shipbuilding, petrochemical, and chemical industries, and food processing. Gdańsk is also a center for the world’s amber trade; boutiques throughout the city sell the ossified resin.

You should opt for preserving the culture and history of the city. Do not misuse the conserved resources.

Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of the city. This will be a great step to play your role as a responsible tourist.

Opt to stay in the eco-friendly hotels available in the city. It will positively affect the city to stay pollution-free.

Try to visit local markets for food and lodging to contribute positively to the economy of the country. You can also taste the street foods offered by the city.

The city has national parks which you should consider visiting while exploring. You can enjoy the beauty of nature in a fresh environment.

Prefer public transport to visit the city and experience the roadway tour within the city.

The inner city can be travelled by taxis and bicycles. You can organize your trip suitably so that it can help you to carry out your responsibility as a tourist.

Take necessary measures to help preserve natural environments. Protect wildlife and habitats and do not purchase products that are made from endangered plants or animals.

Ensure to open your mind to other cultures and traditions. It will transform your experience, and help you to earn respect and be more readily welcomed by local people.

Air Quality and Pollution

The city has moderate air quality, according to figures suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The concentration of its pollutants are not considerable. Car traffic is a major cause in big cities, but nationwide the way many private homes are heated is the biggest source of air pollution. These are stoves that use coal and wood and are undoubtedly the main source of heating for many Polish people and the main source of pollution. Therefore, the use of cycle has become more popular and a great interest has been shown in past few years. The use of public transport has become less popular in the country. The authorities in Gdańsk have realised they have a problem with air pollution and started to do something about it. They have been relentlessly working to modernise the existing heating infrastructure, the main factor contributing to air pollution. During the winter months when more heat is needed, the some regions of Poland had worse quality air. Suggestions have been put forward with regards to a new system of taxation for imported cars. It is aimed at making the purchase of an old polluting vehicle almost prohibitive due to extremely high rates of tax.

Respect the Culture

Gdańsk is an important cultural seat that contain schools of medicine, engineering, and fine arts. Besides, it also holds a maritime centre, many fine churches, museums, theatres, and gardens, along with a concert hall and an opera house. The National Museum and the Maritime Museum are some important institutions. Further, the city’s culture is wrapped up in its religion and history, and its numerous monuments and sacred buildings that are attested to its senses of both itself and the divine. The Old City Hall is one of the many historical attractions that Gdańsk’s preservationist instinct has left intact. It is full of paintings that are done by the masters who created them nearly five hundred years ago. The Open’er Festival is a music festival which takes place on the north coast of Poland. It is one of the biggest annual music festivals in Poland. The city also hosts St. Dominic’s Fair, which is regarded as one of the biggest trade and cultural events in Europe. Every year, thousands of merchants, artists, artisans and collectors take part in the Fair. The contemporary character of the event recalls the medieval tradition of fun and trade. The programme of the fair includes outdoor stages, fetes and concerts, rock concerts, festivals, demonstration of fireworks and laser lights, chamber and organ music concerts, sports events and competitions, and street parades. With a beautiful rich heritage and history, the city is one of the perfect places to visit for a weekend city break.

Top 10 Places to Visit

Perched on Poland’s northern coastline, the historic city of Gdańsk is one of the prettiest seaside cities. It is also one of the best cities for tourist attractions. It holds several sites of attractions and people love to visit the place. It is because there you will get some beautiful spots that have the most attractive views for your holiday trip. Read further to know about some of the interesting spots that are worth visiting, during your tour to the city.

Neptune’s Fountain – This is a historic fountain in Gdańsk, located at the Długi Targ, in front of the entrance to the Artus Court. It is a mannerist-rococo masterpiece, and one of the most distinctive landmarks of the city. Kashubians use the nickname Kresztof for the sculpture. From the Green Gate, the fountain would be seen with the Main town hall in the background, with the turn to the Long Lane. Neptune, the god of the sea, was placed facing the townhouses. The fountain was to have underground pumps connecting the fountain to the Potok Siedlecki by Sienny Market.

Golden Gate – Located within the Royal Route, this is a historic Renaissance city gate in Gdańsk, Poland. It is the most prominent part of the historic city center and is one of its most notable tourist attractions. The architectural style of the gate is Dutch mannerism. Both sides of the gate have attiques, with figures symbolizing the qualities of the ideal citizen. From the Westside they represent Peace, Freedom, Wealth, and Fame. From the Eastside they are Agreement, Justice, Piety, and Prudency.

Artus Court – Formerly known as Junkerhof, Artus Court is a building in the center of Gdańsk, Poland. It is situated at Długi Targ and was used to be the meeting place of merchants and a center of social life. The interior is one big Gothic hall, whose walls have been covered with wainscot and friezes of mythological and historical character. The richly ornamented furniture and numerous paintings add to the splendour of the hall. Today it is a point of interest of numerous visitors and a branch of the Gdańsk History Museum.

St. Catherine’s Church – This is the oldest church in Gdańsk, Poland. It houses the world’s first pulsar clock, the Museum of Turret Clocks, which is part of the Museum of Gdańsk; and an art gallery, which is in its attic.

Westerplatte Monument – This monument is also known as the Monument to the Defenders of the Coast. It is a war memorial located in Gdańsk, Poland, on the Westerplatte Peninsula in the Gdańsk harbor channel, which was constructed to commemorate the Polish defenders of the Military Transit Depot in the Battle of Westerplatte. The monument is decorated with bas-reliefs and inscriptions, which pay tribute to the defence of the Polish seacoast. The shape of the monument resembles in its appearance a jagged bayonet impaled in the ground.

Museum of the Second World War – This is a state cultural institution and a museum in Gdańsk, Poland that is devoted to the Second World War. The seat of the museum faces the Motlawa River and is located on Walowa Street in close proximity to the Radunia Canal and the historical Polish Post Office Building. The building consists of three major spheres, which symbolically represent the connection between the past, present, and future. The most distinctive part of the building is the 40-meter tall leaning tower with a glass facade, which houses a library, reading, and conference rooms as well as cafés and restaurants with a view of the panorama of Gdańsk.

St. Mary’s Church – This is a Brick Gothic Roman Catholic church located in central Gdańsk, Poland. It is formally the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is currently one of the two or three largest brick churches in the world. The church was used for Roman Catholic and Lutheran services simultaneously and was the second-largest Lutheran church in the world during the 16th century. It is an aisled hall church with a transept. Besides, it is a co-cathedral in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Gdańsk, along with the Oliwa Metropolitan Archcathedral-Basilica.

Wisloujscie Fortress – This is a historic fortress located in Gdańsk by the Martwa Wisła River, by an old estuary of the river Vistula, flowing into the Bay of Gdańsk. The fortress is located close to the Wisloujscie borough, Westerplatte, and the Port Polnocny. The basement and foundation of the fortress are based on wooden crates, which are hidden underneath in the water. On top of these structures, rubble was heaped up and strengthened which provides a stable and strong base for the fortress. The heart of the fortress is based around a circular tower, which was once used as a lighthouse.

European Solidarity Center – This is a museum and library in Gdańsk, Poland. It is devoted to the history of Solidarity, the Polish trade union and civil resistance movement, and other opposition movements of Communist Eastern Europe. The center’s permanent exhibition has thousands of exhibits, and the library contains around 100,000 books and documents. The center also contains a research and academic center and conducts educational activities, as well as providing space for conferences and temporary exhibitions.

Archaeological Museum – This museum was established as a department of the Pomeranian Museum in Gdańsk. It collects collections documenting the prehistory of northern Poland, the material culture of the inhabitants of Gdańsk and Gdańsk Pomerania, from the early middle ages to the modern times; amber and amber products from prehistory to the present day; material culture of the past and present inhabitants of Sudan. Further, the museum's collection includes part of the archaeological collection that survived the war damage of the West Prussian Provincial Museum in Gdańsk and a small part of the amber collection.

Neptune's Fountain at Gdańsk

Explore

Above are the mentioned top ten tourist attractions, which you can opt to pay a visit while traveling to Gdańsk. In addition, there are some other places in the city like parks and museums that you can consider checking out during your tour in the city. Here is a list of such places that you can explore.

City Parks

Orunia Park – The Orunia settlement with its great values, attracted the attention of a rich Gdańsk middle class. The neighborhood was gradually decorated with summer residences, palaces, gardens, and parks. The garden of Andrzej Schopenhauer deserved special attention, located nearby today’s City Cultural Centre. The garden has reached a rare beauty and flowering thanks to the long-lasting endeavors of the richest Gdańsk families. The park was a great collection of rare plants and the fame of this botanic garden went far beyond the city borders, and even of the country.

Orunia Park

National Parks

Gdańsk Zoo – This is a zoological garden located in Gdańsk, Pomeranian Voivodship, Poland. It was opened in the district of Oliwa and is the largest zoological garden in Poland in terms of area. The zoo is renowned around the world for its collection of Andean condors and a highly successful breeding program of this bird species. As the only zoological garden in Poland, it houses anoas and Javan lutungs. Other rare species of animals that can be seen in the zoo include scimitar oryxes, pygmy hippopotamuses, jackass penguins, bongos, Bali mynas, takins, mandrills, yellow anacondas, Visayan spotted deer, southern ground hornbills, and Siberian tigers.

Beaches

Jelitkowo Beach – Located on the seaside, with beautiful sandy beaches, the town became known as an Ostsee-Bad Glettkau, a Baltic Sea. Some important hotels, windsurfing schools, and centers of water sports are in today's Jelitkowo. In the past, an old tram route ran from Danzig, the main city, to the tram loop in Glettkau. It now runs from Gdańsk to Jelitkowo.

Jelitkowo Beach

Landmarks

Main Town Hall – This is a historic Ratusz located in the Gdańsk Main City borough of Srodmiescie. It is built at the intersection of Ulica Dluga and Dlugi Targ and is one of the finest examples of the Gothic-Renaissance historic buildings in the city. The building is the second-highest building in Main City. Further, it houses the History Museum of the City of Gdańsk.

Museums

National Maritime Museum – This museum is dedicated to gathering, researching, and preserving artifacts and documents concerning ship transport, international trade, fishing, and culture of people working at sea, rivers, and those ashore. It also gives the dissemination of knowledge on the maritime history of Poland and its economy through the ages. Presently the Museum consists of 8 branches – the crane, Granaries on Olowianka Island, Maritime Culture Centre, Fisheries Museum in Hel, Vistula Lagoon Museum in Katy Rybackie, Vistula River Museum in Tczew, Shipwreck Conservation Centre, Museum ship Soldek, and Museum ship Dar Pomorza.

Tower Clocks Museum – This is a museum in Gdańsk’s Old Town, a branch of the Gdańsk Museum, which was established as a branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Gdańsk. It collects and preserves clock mechanisms significant for this craft. The most accurate pendulum clock, which is also the most accurate mechanical clock in the world, was constructed by the employees of the Tower Clocks Museum in Gdańsk.

National Maritime Museum

Eat

The traditional cuisine of Gdańsk is much like classic Polish cuisine. The size of portions is really big in the majority of local restaurants. There are many various meat and fish dishes that are very widespread in the menus of local restaurants. To try something truly authentic, you can consider ordering duck in a cranberry sauce. The duck is cooked for several hours, which makes it incredibly soft and tender. Besides, the local cooking methods allow dissolving most of the fat in the duck meat, so the ready meat is not fatty and, at the same time, is very juicy. Roasted and stewed meat is among the traditional national dishes of the region.

Further, the city of Gdańsk offers many interesting foods with beef, pork, mutton, and poultry. Perogi are stuffed dumplings and one of Poland's favorite dishes. It can be sweet, savory, or spicy. The most common fillings include cheese, onions, ground meat, mushrooms, potatoes, and sauerkraut. The sweet versions commonly include various berries, such as strawberries or blueberries. Rosol is a traditional Polish meat soup. Even though the chicken version, called rosol z kury, is the most famous variety including beef, veal, turkey, or mixed meat broths are also quite frequently prepared throughout the country. Rosol is usually made with meat that is left on the bone, and the meat is cooked in cold water with a variety of vegetables such as carrots, celery, and mushrooms.

Traditional Local Restaurants

Elixir – Located in ul. Hemara, this restaurant serves local cuisine, Polish, European, Healthy, Contemporary, and Central European cuisines. This place is a combination of a cocktail bar and a restaurant. They offer a five-course tasting menu with pairing cocktails. The food is tasteful fresh and creative, the cocktails are well fitted for the dishes. The staff is very polite and informative, and the restaurant is modern but still cozy. You can consider to this visit this wonderful place for a true dining experience. This is one of the most rated restaurants in the city.

Motlava Resturant – This restaurant is situated in Stara Stocznia, Brabank in Gdańsk. It is known for the cultural and culinary diversity that creates a new quality, which is a real richness of this region. The restaurant offers Polish cuisine with authentic flavors. Besides, they also serve wide menu options including the European, Eastern European, and Central European cuisines. The dishes served here are delightful and the portions are massive. You can enjoy excellent dining with really good prices for lunch, dinner, brunch, late-night, and drinks.

Vegetarian and Vegan

Manna 68 - vegetarian restaurant – Situated in ul. Sw Ducha, this restaurant offers vegetarian-friendly, vegan options, and gluten-free options under the menu of various cuisines like Asian, Mexican, European, Healthy, and International. You will have a really big choice of a lot of vegan dishes. They serve great portions and the taste is truly amazing. The decoration is stylish and the restaurant has a big terrace to relax. The service is wonderful and the staffs are helpful too.

Avocado Vegan Bistro – This vegan restaurant is located in Ul. Wajdeloty and is popular for serving Polish, European, and Healthy dishes with the vegetarian-friendly and vegan options menu. They serve fresh and delicious vegan dishes every day for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Some of its excellent dishes include tacos, Buddha bowls, burgers, cakes options, onion soup, salad, casserole, and seitan with mashed potatoes, etc. It is a trendy restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere. Besides, they have fast and friendly service along with reasonable pricing.

Street Food

Polish cuisine can really pack a punch when it comes to various fields. From salty herring dolloped with sour cream and herbs, white soup swimming with sausage and egg (Zurek), and schnitzel style cutlets with salty potatoes (kotlet schabowy), to the steaming piles of cream-cheese dough packets dressed in oil (ruski perogi) and deep bowls of blood-red Burak soup (barszcz czerwony), the city serves great options of street foods. Zapiekanki is an entire baguette, which is cut in half and topped with a variety of vegetables like mushrooms and onions. Further. It is served with various sauce options from which you can choose. Kielbasa is Poland’s famous sausage that comes in a real array of different shapes, sizes colors, and flavors. Starting from the dry, seeded kabanosy made of pork, to the blood-red kaszanka, or the spicy, garlic Krakowska sausage, there are varieties that are available across the country.

The obwarzanek is another popular street food offered in the city. It is a filling bread, which is often cooked into a donut shape. Knysza is a typical Polish street food that is found in a vegetarian, meat, and cheese version. It is a thick, semicircular bread roll filled with various ingredients, drenched in garlic sauce, mayonnaise sauce, or hot sauce, and topped with roasted onions. Vegetarian knysza is smeared with sauce and filled with vegetables, mainly cabbage, canned corn, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, pickled cucumbers, and the must-have roasted onions. The meat version is the same as the vegetarian with the addition of sausages, pork or chicken chops, salmon, or tuna fish, while the cheese version consists of vegetarian knysza with grated cheese.

Drink

Besides serving a great variety of foods, the country also serves a wide range of drinks that are available across the cities of Poland. Being a country in Eastern Europe bordering Germany, the culture of Poland is somewhat similar to the other neighboring countries. Even the local traditional drinking is relatable. Polish liqueurs named nalewka, are alcoholic extracts from fruits, spices, flowers, or herbs. Compotes are drinks that are prepared of fresh and sometimes dried fruits. Sugar is added and sometimes cloves are used as a spice. It is prepared in the summer and stored for the fall and the wintertime.

Further, it is served cold, together with the fruits. Namely the susz, is a special kind of compote, prepared of the blend of dried fruits. It is one of the compulsory ingredients of the Christmas Eve supper table. Orangeade is traditionally a sweet, alcohol-free, carbonated drink with an orange taste. Wodka (vodka) is a very well-known pure alcohol, produced of grains, potatoes, or more rarely of sugar beets. Vodka belongs to the most important national alcohol in Poland. Some of the other popular polish drinks available across the city of Gdańsk are beer and mead (one of the traditional Polish alcohols, produced by fermentation of honey).

Tap-water

Tap water of Gdańsk is considered to be contaminated, full of chlorine, and simply undrinkable. There were portable water filters in almost every household. Many people kept plastic jerry cans at home, in which they would carry water from Oligocene water wells that could be found all around big cities. Hence, you are suggested to ask the locals about the quality of tap water that flows in different regions of the city. Further, you can consider using the bottled or mineral water that is easily available in the city at a reasonable price.

Organic Cafés

Pi Kawa – Located in Piwna in Gdańsk, this café is often referred to as the bohemian bar of the city. Their wide selection of sweet coffee variations includes coffee with honey and spices, coffee with tabasco, or enhanced with Bailey’s, Avocaat, or rum. It is an establishment with a long tradition and is a must-visit for those who prefer an elaborate, sweet coffee-based drink to a black cup of Joe. Besides, the cafe has a whole menu of hot chocolates, cocktails, and sweets.

From Another Parish – This café is situated in Targ Rybny, Gdańsk. Located in the center of the Fish Market, this café is partly a coffee shop and partly a cake shop. Filled with comfortable armchairs and wooden tables, the café will give you the vibe of getting transported into a typical Polish living room from the 90s. They offer freshly ground coffee from a local coffee roaster and serves delicious house-baked cakes, tarts, and muffins. With a quirky but cozy and relaxed atmosphere, this café will help you to unwind yourself after a busy day by offering one of the bottles of local craft beer and house-made tincture, a type of fruit-based liquor.

Breweries

Brovarnia hotel-restaurant, which looks over river Marina and the old town part of the city, is the most famous brewery in Gdańsk. It is known for serving the three kinds of delicious beer that are made in the brewery. This includes a pale lager beer, a Schwarzbier (dark beer), and a Hefeweizen beer (wheat beer). Besides, various beer-related events, such as Oktoberfest take place in the brewery throughout the year and it also works as a restaurant specializing in European cuisine.

Activities

The city offers various lists that include the things you can do during your tour in the city. You can visit the Golden House to enjoy a glimpse of the white and gold façade. With Mannerist architecture, the Golden House was made for Jan Speyman, mayor of Gdańsk, and implies the Gdańsk’s signature narrowness and height. But where it stands out is for its sculpted friezes, 16 busts on its pilasters representing the Polish kings and the statues atop its balustrade for Achilles, Antigone, Cleopatra, and Oedipus. You can also consider walking down the Ulica Mariacka, which is a delightful cobblestone street edged by narrow merchants’ houses with regal portals. Try to visit the Gdańsk Crane on Motlawa’s Long Embankment, which is an emblem for the city, and witness the piece of machinery harks back to the time when Gdańsk was in the Hanseatic League.

You can also explore the Dlugie Pobrzeze (Long Embankment). There is a water gate that defends the entry to each of the streets running perpendicular to the river here. These seven gates, the old warehouses on the opposite bank, and the characteristic narrow gabled houses overlooking the water conjure old-time maritime magic. Besides, this popular tourist route has lots of outdoor seating where you would enjoy a meal by the water.

Yoga and Retreats

While constantly moving in the city to scout the beautiful attractions, your mind and body need relaxation. Therefore, the city offers yoga retreats where you can gain your inner peace along with improving the energy. These yoga centers will also assist you to feel calmer. These yoga sessions may last for few days. In addition, you will get some other healing retreats or can even get the benefits of meditation. Hence, you can opt for any yoga centers according to your preference.

Accommodation

Getting a complete and comfortable rest is all you want when you are on a vacation. To keep the city pollution-free and reduce waste, this city offers some green hotels, besides apartments, hostels, and guest houses. As this city remains crowded with tourists throughout the year, the accommodation facility here is highly maintained all across. Mainly, all the hotels are well connected with restaurants and other facilities.

Green Hotels

Green hotels have become very popular in the last few years. So, many tourists choose to stay in these hotels for their best-staying experience. These hotels are known to provide all the basic facilities that any individual gets in an average hotel. These hotels are known to play a positive role in the betterment of the city’s atmosphere they use eco-friendly methods and recyclable items to keep the country clean from waste.

IBB Hotel Dlugi Targ
Radisson Hotel & Suites
Hanza Hotel
Hampton by Hilton Gdańsk Airport
Hotel Beethoven
House of Music

Hostels and Guest Houses

These lodging systems are highly suitable for the ones, who are planning to stay in the city for two or three weeks. These lodging facilities available in the city ranges from expensive to low-budget ones. It helps to save a lot of money and at the same time provides a comfortable rest for the customers. In addition, some of these lodging benefits also provide the options of sharing rooms, which will assist you to save money.

Hostel 22
Bi-Pi Hostel
La Guitarra Hostel Gdańsk
Bielski Guesthouse
Cherry Tree Guest House
Old Tavern Guesthouse

Apartments

Apartments provide many advantages and benefits for tourists to stay comfortable during the tour. These lodging options are considered to be the best if your lodging duration is of more than a month. There are many cheap to expensive apartments available in different ranges which provides some premium features to the tourists. It also helps you to save a lot of money in the long stays. So, you are referred to take the help of the locals or consider online services to know about the availability of apartments.

YOURAPART Rajska City Centre
Baltic Apartments
Fama Residence
Littleheaven Apartments
Apart Neptune
Stay Win Aura Gdańsk II

Couchsurfing

Gdańsk is one of the cities in Poland, where the facility of Couchsurfing is widely available. It is a temporary stay in which a group of tourists provides service by helping other tourists by offering them shelter and food while visiting their home town or country. This option of accommodation is one of the best ways for tourists to save money and explore the culture more closely in the travel location. As it takes a lot of time to find someone as a host, make sure to look for it from a very early time.

Camping

Camping is for people who like to stay close to nature while exploring the amazing views of nature. Therefore, the city of Gdańsk offers various camping grounds. These places have beautifully landscaped grounds, which are filled with all sorts of natural beauty, flora, fauna, and many more. They are available at affordable prices and provide all the basic facilities like toilets, food arrangements, and others that can ensure your stay to be quite comfortable and relaxing.

How to Get There

The city of Gdańsk has well-connected and highly-maintained transportation services that are widely available in the city. The roadways that link the city with other destinations are also well-interlinked. Airways is the most suitable and fastest way to get in the city as compared to others. Furthermore, if you are traveling from nearby cities, then you can prefer buses that widely cover various regions in and around the city. The facility of buses and trains are also available. You can also opt to travel through waterways that are connected to the city. The options of cars, trams and, bikes to cover the distance inside the city.

Air

Gdańsk Lech Walesa Airport is an international airport located northwest of Gdańsk, Poland. It is situated at a distance from the city center of the Tricity metropolitan area that includes Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia. The vast majority of flights to and from the airport are served by low-cost airlines Ryanair and WizzAir. It is the third-largest airport in Poland in terms of passenger traffic.

Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport

Bus

Buses can be used to travel to regional destinations that lack railway connections, such as the concentration camp in Sztutowo. Polskibus operates coach services from here, with direct connections going to Poznan, Wroclaw, and Warsaw. Gdańsk Main bus station is the main bus station in the city.

Train

PKP operates long-distance trains to other cities in Poland and Europe. SKM (Szybka Kolej Miejska) operates frequent service between Gdańsk and Sopot and Gdynia. These trains are on the right side when entering the station. Tickets may be bought from a vending machine at the platform or from a ticket office in the subway below. The main railway station is a beautiful historic building, although a rather confusing experience to non-Polish tourists. There is a tourist information office at the back of the PKP station. The station operates like 2 separate stations, one for the PKP trains (intercity and long-distance journeys) and another for the SKM commuter trains. Gdańsk Glowny railway station is the main railway station serving the city of Gdańsk, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland.

Hitchhiking

As the city is well connected with roadways that link to other nearby locations, you will easily be able to hitchhike your way through the city. Also, you can cover the nearby distance with a comfortable ride and in a short time duration. This will help you to gain some of the best experiences on your way to the city as there are plenty of views to admire along the way. Further, it is one of the best ways to travel to any destination without spending much money.

Others

By Car – The A1 motorway connects Gdańsk with Torun, Lodz, and Katowice to the south. The S7 connects Gdańsk with Warsaw and Krakow.

By Boat – Polferries operates a ferry service between Gdańsk and Nynashamn, just south of Stockholm, Sweden. The trip takes about 18 hours. Stena Line operates a ferry service between Gdynia and Karlskrona, Sweden. The trip takes about 12.5 hours.

Moving Around

Getting an idea about the various modes of traveling will help you get familiar with the transport services available in Gdańsk. The city provides several options to scout the interior of the city. Hence, you can opt to explore the nearby by localities on foot. In addition, you can also opt for transport services like bicycles, public buses, trams, etc. Further, being a tourist, you should always opt to go with the transportation options that will help you to spend less money and get the chance to explore more.

Walk

Walking down the lanes and streets is one of the best ways of traveling when you want to explore the nearby market areas without missing anything. It is not only the best eco-friendly mode of transportation but also the most common way to get around the city and explore the interiors. Further, this method of traveling will assist you to explore the unpopular areas and understand the culture of the city’s locals.

Bicycle

Getting a hold of a bicycle is as an eco-friendly tourist you can prefer riding a bike to cover the short distances. This will you to explore the nearby localities a bit faster than walking. Further, you can ride the bike for your own fun as well.

Electronic Vehicles

The service of the electric car is available in the city. Further, the city has also established charging stations in the city for the smooth functioning of these electric cars.

Public Bus

Buses are cheap and frequent in the city. Tickets can be bought from drivers, but it is easier to buy them from ticket machines (which are on most popular stops) and kiosks. Time tickets are based on travel time, so you must estimate the duration of the journey or have a few tickets extra to validate when your previous ticket expires.

Tram, Train and Subway

The trams are of low costs and are frequently available in the city. You can get the ticket from the drivers or can consider buying the, from ticket machines. Time tickets are offered based on travel time. Time tickets are either valid for up to 60 min or up to 24 hours. and allow any amount of journeys and changes within that time. Use the commuter train (SKM) to quickly reach Sopot and Gdynia.

Sustainable Shopping

Instead of casual shopping, people around the world are now opting for sustainable shopping that helps to shop lovely things at low costs and decreases the waste of the city. From clothes to accessories, you will find various types of items while exploring the markets of the city. You will be able to see some of the popular markets in the city that offer antique and vintage items. Make sure to visit the markets early, so you can get the best items before they go out. You will be astonished to see some of the historical ceramic items here that are still very much in demand.

Food Markets

Besides holding an interesting architectural sight, the Market Hal in Gdańsk is popular for selling fresh products from local sellers. You will get see several cheap clothing stalls and rows of meat and dairy products in this market.

Flea Markets

Kashubian Art Gallery is known to mainly sell linen tablecloths and napkins with hand-made Kashubian embroidery, but also many accessories such as curtains, towels, kitchen gloves, and others. Further, you will also get hand-embroidered items in traditional and contemporary designs and colors including clothing and other regional folk art souvenirs. Targowisko (P) Roznosci is another flea market where you will get an original souvenir from Gdańsk. The place is filled with ceramics, furniture, paintings, wood carvings, and trinkets in various shapes, sizes, and forms. From vintage Polish design to sacred art and folk ornaments, you will get a variety of things, which will remark for a unique reminder of the trip to Gdańsk.

Second Hand Stores

Antykwariat Nutowy is one of the very few second-hand bookstores dedicated solely to music. One can find scores from both local and international musicians as well as other publications revolving around the subject. All of the titles are available at very affordable prices, which makes it a perfect spot for art students.

Eco-Fashion

Eco-fashion is considered to be a part of sustainable clothing. They are launched to provide an alternative to chemically treated clothing. The city holds some of the stores and shops that sell eco-fashion clothes that are highly produced by various brands. The clothing and other goods under eco-fashion are made from recycled materials or otherwise produced by methods that are not harmful to the environment.

Recycling

Recycling provides a source of living for thousands of people, especially the ones who are from villages and mountain regions. Besides, it helps to reduce the toxins that harmful to the environment. Therefore, the country as a whole has started this process early and the waste products of the country are gathered for the recycling process. Hence, the government has taken various measures in the last few years to recycle as much they can and make the country free from wastes. Somehow, they had made a lot of progress in a short time. Therefore, recycling has increased from 5 % of MSW generated to 21 %.

Waste

The country has taken the necessary steps to improve the environment and reduce waste collection. The waste management organization is working to take the necessary steps to reduce the waste, which will further help the urban living style better. A waste incineration plant is being built on the site of the existing Szadolki waste treatment plant in Gdańsk, in the Polish region of Pomorskie. It will thermally neutralize some 1,60,000 tonnes per year of the municipal solid waste left over following waste processing and sorting in the north, west and east of the region.

Work and Study Abroad

The city offers various types of jobs, which can be helpful for many workers who come from different countries with the purpose to earn a lot. Furthermore, the educational system in Gdańsk is highly popular across the world. There are many colleges available in the city which offer benefits like exchange students, which aids the students to study in the country at a reduced cost.

Exchange Student

The facility of the exchange student program offers the students an opportunity to study at foreign universities only with the college fee. They assist to provide an effective way of education to foreign students from across different countries. Further, if you want to take the help of this benefit to study in the city or in any other part of Poland, then you have to know if your home university has a partnership with any of the universities in the country. To get this benefit, you will have to get nominated by your home university.

Au Pair

Au Pair is a helpful facility and job sector for foreign students and workers. Most of the people take the help of this facility in the early stage of their settling down in the country. The benefit of this facility is that it will provide you with the convenience of shelter, food, and even money.

Volunteering

Volunteering is highly conducted across the city. Working weekly or monthly as a helping hand for the betterment of society is really admirable and contributes towards the social causes. Some of the volunteering programs include teaching English, caring for pets, work at the library, and many more. Many people love to participate in the social events organized under volunteering.