Am thinking of going to Gdansk for a break as there are cheap flights from Liverpool, dont know whether to go for a week or short break, what advise can people give especially anyone from there or who have visited.
I live in Gdansk. Great city. Beautiful Old Town, lots to do. What are your interests? What kind of advice do you want? Better bok your place soon as tourist season is beginning.
U've made it sound a good place to visit. I like culture but also fun such as bars, restaurants etc. Not sure when to visit but what months do u reckon would be too cold & could I combine a city break with a seaside break?
In the Old Town there are lots of museums, some of which are free on Mondays. Not that it matters because regular admission isn't much. Bars and restaurants are here in abundance. Restaurants range from simple and inexpensive to fancy and pricy, just like in any other city. But they're not like the UK or US. Even the best ones aren't that fancy. They tend to be smaller and many are under ground.
Same with bars. My two all time favorites are Absinthe and Szafa, about a two minute walk apart and right in or on the edge of Old Town. Absinthe is special. Hard to describe why but on a good night you'll meet people from everywhere.
Gdansk is a port so it's on the sea. There are beaches here and they're sandy and nice. Sopot is beautiful and it's only a 20 minute and 3.10 zl on the train. Much smaller than Gdansk, it can be pretty trendy, but I'd go there if I were you.
When to come? Any time would be great depending upon what yiou want. It starts to get colder in October, though it's never hot here by my Southern California standards, and November and December were just cold, grey and wet. It wasn't very cold this winter, only a few -0 C days but the Baltic wind can chill you so if you visit in the winter bring warm clothes.
Spring didn't start this year until around the first of May, and we had more snow in March than we had all winter, but even then it wasn't much. Although it's been a very dry May, expect rain no matter when you visit and pack accordingly.
I don't mean to paint a gloomy picture. I love Gdansk. The Old Town is beautiful and because of its Hanseatic heritage it's unlike any other Old Town in Poland. It's also the birthplace of Solidarity and although its influence today is more subtle, I find it reflected in the Polish people I come in contact with every day.
I'm an old American guy who makes a living here teaching English. I've learned so much from them, and they range in age from sixteen to sixty, students, lawyers, doctors, business people, etc. We often talk about how wonderful this city is. It truly is.
I wouldn't live in any other city in Poland because I love the sea. If that's not a big thing for you, there's always Krkaow.
For more info check out gdansk-life.com
If we meet in Absinthe we'll lift a pint together along with the rest of my international friends. Hope this helps.
I fly from Liverpool to Gdansk several times a year. The flight is just under two hours.
A week is too long in my opinion although it depends what you want to see and do.
I always presume anyone going on a 3 day break to Gdansk will include Sopot and Gdynia in their trip.
I'd like to expand on a few points that Scottie made. Gdansk DOES get hot. Anytime from May to August it's possible to get temperatures upto 80 degrees and higher. That doesn't mean it's always like that but it's certainly not unusual.
Restuarants are not inferior to UK or US standards. Poles love good restaurants too but there's an enormous selection of places to eat in the Tri City to suit every budget and every palatte.
You ask if you can combine a city break with a seaside break. Gdansk/Sopot/Gdynia are all on the coast. That's the wonderful thing about Gdansk in that you can have a city break and a beach holiday at the same time.
The beaches are nicer round Sopot and Gdynia and even nicer on the Hel Peninsula which is a 45 mins drive away and is worth seeing anyway !
Another option is to spend a few days in a lakeside cabin in the Kaszuby Lakeland area near to Gdansk.
spititus, I'm going to Hel on Sunday with some friends. I'll update this thread when I get back. Yeah, I guess by British standards Gdansk does get hot, but me 30 C is naormal and it's only when it gets to 35-40+, which it did every summer when I was in Northern VCalifornia did I consider it hot, but never HOT. To get that, you have to go to the desert. But that's just me.
Actually I was talking about this with my Polish friends yesterday. They think 23 is hot, and my British friends tell they wilt when it's 25. Ha! But to each his own.
I sort of agree about the restaurants, but you can't get decent Mexican food here. Oh well, it's not the end of the world.
I'm flying to Gdansk a week on Wednesday and I'm really looking forward to it again !
Have you been to Hel before ? On the way there try and stop at Zamek Sobieski near Pusk for some warm apple pie and then walk down the steps to the shoreline.
If you can also make a detour try and stop by at Jastrzebia Gora (wrongly spelt) and visit either the Kredens restaurant for some fresh fish or the Heineken bar for a bewildering display of bottles. I would recommend the Strawberry Margarita ;)
