How To Spend A Weekend In Gdansk Poland – Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
There’s nothing worse to a frequent traveller than being forced to sit still for a long period of time. After having not travelled for eight weeks and having endured the painful process of applying for a freelance visa to live and work longer in Germany, I was restless and stressed. To top it off, Easter weekend was coming up and I suddenly had no plans due to a last minute cancellation. Ahh, the sometimes lonely life of a newly transplanted expat.
Perfect time to plan a weekend away all on my own. So true to form, I plotted my escape from Berlin and headed to Gdansk, Poland.
How To Spend A Weekend In Gdansk Poland
1) STAY: Hotel Artus
My weekend started at the very cute Hotel Artus in Gdansk’s city center where I nabbed a rather sweet and stylish little room. Arriving here late Friday evening after a looooong eight hour train ride from Berlin, I was excited to call this my “home away from home” for a few days.
Best of all, I had a view of St. Mary’s Church and some other classic Polish architecture just outside my window.
2) EAT: Restauracja Euro
After I got settled in, I headed out and looked for something to eat. Unfortunately, being Easter weekend, my options were limited, so I ended up at the rather touristy and overpriced Restauracja Euro where I got my fill of perogies and some tasty homemade Schnapps.
Back at the hotel, I booked the sauna for an hour and spent the time relaxing in complete and utter bliss.
Tip – if you do ever happen to stay at the Hotel Artus in Gdansk, book the sauna and preferably for later in the evening. Not only is it super cheap, but you’ll have the entire sauna to yourself (no awkward encounters with other naked strangers is always a plus for me).
3) EAT: Mon Balzac
The next morning, I headed down to the hotel’s cafe Mon Balzac for breakfast. Cute, cozy and relaxing, I ate here rather joyously each and every morning of my stay. It’s actually open all day and plays host to live music some evenings.
4) DRINK: Café Retro
I ventured out to explore for a while and as it was pouring rain, I took a quick break to have a soothing tea at Café Retro.
5) SEE: Neptune Fountain
Finally, the rain tapered off a bit and I was ready to explore more of Gdansk without getting soaked. Excited, I headed straight to the Neptune Fountain. Unfortunately, I found it’d been temporarily removed for restoration purposes.
6) SEE: Gdansk Old Town
A little sad, I continued walking along the wet streets admiring the historic building in Gdansk’s Old Town.
Recommended reading: This post, Graffiti And Street Art In Gdansk, Poland.
7) SEE: The Old Crane
As I was walking along the Vistula river, I finally got a glimpse this old crane. Built in the 15th century, it’s now home to a Maritime Museum.
8) EAT: Goldwasser Restauracja
Next, I had dinner at another tourist haunt Goldwasser Restauracja, right next to the crane. I opted for a non-Polish meal and had steak but didn’t miss the chance to try Goldwasser, a herbal Schnapps infused with gold flakes and produced only in Gdansk.
By the time dinner was over, I was exhausted and headed back to my hotel for an early night. Lame yes, but I was sick with a bad cold.
9) GO: A Day Trip To Sopot
Sunday was spent in nearby Sopot walking along the Baltic Sea and enjoying the best spa experience ever at the Sheraton Sopot Hotel.
Recommended reading: This article about how I spent a day in Sopot, Poland.
Overall, it was a good weekend and increased my ever growing love for Poland . Yet somehow, I feel I barely skimmed the surface of Gdansk and didn’t get to know the city properly. Gdansk, I will come back to see you!
What do you think about spending a weekend in Gdansk, Poland? Do you have any other tips about what to do in the city?
Good To Know
1) Book a place to stay on booking.com.
Booking.com2) Make your time in Gdansk even better by booking a guided tour.
3) If you love Poland as much as I do, read my other blog posts about the country:
- A Day Trip From Berlin to Visit Szczecin Poland – Find out why you should visit Szczecin Poland. From old castles, to modern architecture, numerous museums, & craft beer, learn how to spend the perfect day.
- Poznan Restaurants for Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner – The next time you’re visiting Poznan, Poland try out these delicious and tasty Poznan restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- The Pharmacy Museum in Krakow Is A Must See – Visit the Pharmacy Museum in Krakow, filled with over 22,000 objects and reproductions of ancient apothecaries.
If you like this post, share it on Pinterest.
*Disclosure – This post contains some affiliate links. If you book a tour or hotel, I’ll earn a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support.
Loved that last shot! This just became one of the places I must stop at if I ever go to Poland.
Nice job, I like your photos. They really capture the all around mood of the day you were having….curse the battery charger!
Wow Gdansk looks gorgeous! (Btw, love the post-production on the pics)
@Ryan – Thank you! Gdansk is a really cool city. And Sopot too.
@Michael – Thanks so much. The weekend was one of those weekends where one thing went wrong after another. Despite the mishaps (and there were many), I liked what I saw of Gdansk.
@Roy – Thank you! I heart Instagram. 🙂
Gdansk looks lovely, Cheryl – thanks for sharing your time there!
@Henry – Thanks so much!
I really want to explore more of Poland – I’ve only been to Krakow and Gdansk is very high on my list of Polish places I want to go. You make it look so pretty 🙂
@A Montrealer Abroad – Gdansk is worth a visit. I hope you make it there someday soon. 🙂
Lovely photos, I think you did pretty well with just the iPhone 😉 And Gdansk definitely seems like a nice place to visit. I really have to get myself to Poland 😉
@Jarmo – Thank you so much! Gdansk is good, Poland is good. 🙂
What a beautiful town! I love the old buildings and the river scene.
Your iPhone didn’t fail you, though! We’ve had our camera battery die on so many “important” outings — we really need to either get an extra battery or an iPhone, lol.
Sounds like the weekend turned out quite well. I love your photos and the cute place you stayed in. Eastern Europe continues to call after reading posts like yours.
@Christy – I failed me though! Gah, how could I forget something so vital? I definitely have to get an extra charger as well …
@Lei – Wait until you read about what happened on the way home! All in all it was a good weekend, despite the weather, my cold and not having a proper camera to capture such a beautiful city. And thanks so much re: the photos!
Eastern Europe is slowly taking my heart away from the more traditional beautiful spots. Might be rough around the edges but I love it! 🙂
Wow I love every photo and I am in awe with everything Polish. Great shots I hope to visit this beautiful city some day.
@Alexa – Thanks so much! You’ll love Poland. 🙂
Nice experience after all and gorgeous photos!
Since you love Eastern Europe, try Romania. It will surprise you!
Sounds like a great weekend…love the table in the cafe…
@Dana – thanks! I really really want to see Romania actually. 🙂
@DJ – yeah! Great right?! So cute!
These are great photos.
Love how artsy the hotel looks and I can only imagine how good the perogies were. Too bad about your camera battery, but you still got some fantastic photos.
@Laurel – The hotel was absolutely adorable! If I ever make it back to Gdansk, I can’t imagine staying anywhere else. And those perogies alone make me want to return. 🙂
So jealous! i have always wanted to go to Poland…. and btw… I am always amazed at just how amazing i phone photography can turn out!
@Jade – You should go there for sure! I’m totally in awe of what the iPhone can do too. 🙂
Gdansk is just fantastic! I love the city,interesting history,nice people.Polish food i also like.This year we are going to celebrate Easter here and look so forward to it,the city has many beatiful churches,much to see.
Hey Bjorn –
It’s definitely one of my favorite Polish cities as well. Very cool that you’re celebrating Easter there too!
Enjoy your time.
Cheryl
Well we also travel in Easter 2016 / 28.sunday 27/28 monday 28 Mars but lot museum and sight are closed even some restaurants and , just for info
Yes, good point to make Bjorn. I experienced the same while there as well. Lucky, most places I really wanted to visit were open. 🙂