#1. This 🇵🇱Polish City on the Baltic Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List⚓

Gdansk, formerly known as ‘Danzig’ (German), is a bustling port city in northern Poland, located on the Baltic coast.

Known for its multicolor, picturesque architecture along with a rich maritime heritage, the establishment of the anti-authoritarian and Communism civil movement (Solidarity), and hearty, coastal, Kashubian-inspired cuisine, Gdansk has played a central and formative role in Poland’s thousand-year-history. 

Gdańsk at a G(d)lance

• Must-See Attractions: Explore Gdańsk’s historic Long Market, a once popular meeting spot for merchants, seafarers, and locals, lined with colorful facades and the iconic Neptune’s Fountain. Visit the towering, Gothic Catholic St. Mary’s Church, one of the largest brick churches in the world, while you make your way from Gdańsk’s Main Town to Granary Island (a once thriving home to several of Gdańsk’s 300-plus, you guessed it, granaries). 

• Cultural Experiences: Learn about Gdańsk’s rich and storied maritime history and its establishment as the gateway for international trade in Poland at the Gdańsk Maritime Museum. Dive deeper into the sobering history of the Polish experience under German Nazi occupation at the architectural wonder known as the Museum of the Second World War before stepping into one of the most ornate and beautiful Gothic-Renaissance town halls of Europe at the Museum of Gdańsk - Main Town Hall. Finish with a trip to the European Solidarity Centre and Museum of Amber to learn about Polish civil resistance against the Eastern Bloc and the significance of amber in Gdank’s (and Baltic) trade and society. 

• Local Cuisine & Beer Scene: Indulge in hearty, traditional Polish dishes like bigos (hunter’s stew), pierogi, schabowy (schnitzel), herring tartare, Baltic cod, and other Kashubian-inspired meat and fish dishes at local eateries. Wash things down with crisp, aromatic piwos (beers) at historic breweries, or try Polish spins on classic craft beers at thriving microbreweries and bars (an absolutely thriving craft beer scene).

Gdańsk Insider

• Best Time to Visit: Consider making the pilgrimage to Gdańsk in the summer to enjoy extended daylight hours (to explore the city late into the evening), mild weather and blue skies, and lively festivals like St. Dominic’s Fair (on par with Oktoberfest and Weihnachtsmarkt) along with countless other music festivals (i.e. Globaltica, Flader, and Mystic). 

• Hidden Gems/Local Secrets: Get out of the Main Town and head down for an “off the beaten track” stroll along Opływ Motławy, a former moat and waterway that’s now a historical landmark and boasts several 16th-century fortifications (Bastion Zubr and Wyskok Bastion). Snag a traditional Polish cherry liqueur at Wisniewski Gdańsk across from St. Mary’s Church to wind down for a night. Or, consider checking out a match of the local football team ‘Lechia Gdańsk’ who were recently promoted to Poland’s top football league, the Ekstraklasa. 

• Travel Tips: Don’t forget to download Jakdojade, a mobile app that allows you to seamlessly pay for public transport and receive transport time/status updates. Make sure to see what museums offer ‘free entry’ days during your time in Gdańsk. For example, the Gdańsk Maritime Museum sports free entry every Wednesday. 

Big Body’s Gdańsk Highlights 

• One of my favorite memories of Gdańsk was posting up with my brother and several Czech beers at a small little cafe and bar called Balsam in Gdańsk’s Main Town and people-watching. Not only was I with my brother, who I hadn’t seen in six years but we both got to experience the beginning of a gorgeous Gdańsk sunset while absorbing the energy of passersby. 

• Finally, the morning walks and evening runs with my brother along Opływ Motławy just can’t be beat when it comes to taking a breather from the sometimes overwhelming Main Town, breathing in fresh air, and doing as the locals do.

Hold Me Closer, Tiny Gdańsk’er

If you have any questions about traveling to Gdańsk or Poland, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

Travel well everyone and thank you for reading!

Big Body

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