Gdansk stands in northern Poland where the Motlawa opens into the Baltic. For centuries it was among the wealthiest ports of the Hanseatic League, and the narrow ornamented merchant fronts lining Dlugi Targ, its main street, are what that wealth left behind. The city was almost entirely destroyed in 1945 and the centre was rebuilt over the following four decades from 17th century engravings. The Second World War began on the morning of 1 September 1939 on the Westerplatte peninsula in Gdansk, and forty one years later the Solidarity trade union was founded in the shipyard of the same city. Together with Sopot and Gdynia it forms the Trojmiasto, the Tri-City.
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See flights to Gdansk →When to visit Gdansk
June to August is the liveliest stretch, with daytime temperatures between 20C and 24C and up to 17 hours of daylight in June. The Baltic stays around 18C even in August, so a beach day here is a cool one. St Dominic's Fair in early August runs for three weeks and fills the city. May and September are the best balance of price and crowds, while November to February is dark, windy and damp.
Things to do in Gdansk
St Mary's Basilica
Built between 1343 and 1502, the basilica is one of the largest brick churches in the world and holds about twenty five thousand people. Its tower rises 78 metres and the 405 steps to the top open onto the whole spread of roofs and the port. Inside, the 15th century astronomical clock shows planetary positions as well as the calendar.
The Zuraw Crane
Standing on the Motlawa, the Zuraw was built between 1442 and 1444 and is the largest surviving medieval port crane in Europe. Two great wooden treadwheels were turned by human power and could lift up to four tonnes, and the same mechanism was used to step masts into ships. The building is now part of the National Maritime Museum.
The Neptune Fountain
The bronze Neptune in the middle of Dlugi Targ was cast in 1615 by Peter Husen and Johann Rogge, and the fountain was unveiled in 1633. The choice of the god of the sea was no accident, since all the wealth of the city came through its port. The figure survived the Second World War intact because it was dismantled and hidden.
European Solidarity Centre
Opened in 2014 beside Gate No. 2 of the shipyard, the building is clad in steel left to rust and reads as the hull of a ship. The permanent exhibition runs from the worker strikes of the 1970s through the August Agreements of 1980 to the martial law years, and the collection holds the table on which the agreements were signed and the boards listing the strikers' demands.
Westerplatte
On this peninsula at the harbour mouth the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the morning of 1 September 1939 and the Second World War began. A Polish garrison of about two hundred held out for seven days. The Monument to the Coast Defenders raised in 1966 is a granite block twenty five metres high, and the ruined barracks around it have been left as they were.
Oliwa Cathedral
The Cistercian abbey church north of the centre is among the longest in Poland at 107 metres. Its fame rests on the rococo organ built between 1763 and 1788 by Johann Wilhelm Wulff, with angel figures and sun motifs that move while it plays. Short organ recitals are given several times a day through the summer.
Flights from Turkey to Gdansk
There are two routes to Gdansk from Turkey. LOT Polish Airlines flies nonstop from Istanbul Airport four days a week all year, a flight of about 2 hours 55 minutes. In the summer season Pegasus operates a direct service from Antalya, a seasonal route that closes in the winter schedule. Lech Walesa Airport is about 12 kilometres west of the centre, 25 minutes in on the PKM commuter train or 40 minutes on bus 210.
Gdansk FAQ
How many days do you need in Gdansk?
Two days cover the main streets, St Mary's and the Solidarity Centre. A third suits Westerplatte and Oliwa, and a fourth the Sopot pier and Gdynia. Four days is a comfortable pace for the whole Tri-City.
How far is the airport from the city centre?
Lech Walesa Airport is about 12 kilometres from the centre. The PKM train from the station beneath the terminal reaches the main railway station in 25 minutes, and city bus 210 covers the same route in 40 minutes, with a night service as well.
Do you need a visa for Poland?
Poland is in the Schengen area and a Turkish passport needs a Schengen visa obtained in advance. Appointments get harder to find in summer, so it is safer to start the application at least two months before travel.
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