Gdańsk Overview

At the mouth of the Wisła and Motlawa Rivers, Gdańsk (gh-DA-insk; pop. 458,000) has flourished for more than a millennium as a crossroads of art and commerce. This onetime Hanseatic trade city was treasured as the “gateway to the sea” during Poland’s foreign occupation in the 18th and 19th centuries. Now, in its beautiful waterfront, cobblestone alleys, and sprawling construction, Gdansk displays both beauty and brawn.

• Planes: Gdańsk Lech Wałesa Airport, ( GDN; ☎058 348 11 11) 12km west of the city center. ZKMS buses run to Gdańsk Główny train station (30-40min., around 9zł). Budget airlines that fly to the city include easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air.
• Trains: Gdańsk Główny, Podwale Grodzkie 1 (☎058 94 36). To: Kraków (7-11hr., 14 per day, 59-105zł); Łódź 6-7hr., 8 per day, 49zł); Lublin (8hr., 5 per day, 54-98zł); Malbork (50min., 40 per day, 10-32zł); Poznań (4-5hr., 9 per day, 46zł); Toruń (3-4hr., 6 per day, 35-60zł); Warsaw (4hr., 22 per day, 50-82zł); Wrocław (6-7hr., 4 per day, 52zł). SKM (Fast City Trains; ☎058 628 5778) run to Gdynia (35min.; 4zł, students 2zł) and Sopot (20min.; 3.10/1.40zł) 6 per hr. during the day and less frequently at night. Buy tickets downstairs in the station’s passageway, then punch it in a yellow kasownik machine.
• Buses: 3 Maja 12 (☎058 302 1532), behind the train station, connected by an underground walkway. To: Malbork (1hr., 8 per day, 10-13zł); Toruń (2hr., 2 per day, 32zł); Warsaw (5hr., 9 per day, 45zł); Kaliningrad, RUS (6-7hr., 2 per day, 28zł). Polski Express buses run to Warsaw (4hr., 2 per day, 45zł).
• Public Transportation: Gdańsk has an extensive bus and tram system. Buses run 6am-10pm. Tickets priced by the min. 10min. 1.40zł; 30min. 3.10zł; 1hr. 4.20zł; day pass 9zł. Night buses, marked “n,” 10pm-6am. 3.30zł; night pass 5.50zł. Students ½-price.
• Taxis: To avoid paying inflated tourist rates for taxis, book a cab by phone or over the Internet at the state-run MPT (☎058 96 33; www.artusmpt.gda.pl).

Orientation And Practical Information

Although Gdańsk sits on the Baltic Coast, its commercial center is 5km inland. From the train and bus stations, the center is a few blocks southeast, bordered by Wały Jagiellońskie and by the Motława River. Take the underpass in front of the station, go right, and turn left on Heweliusza. Turn right on Rajska and follow the signs to Główne Miasto (Main Town), turning left on Długa, also called Trakt Królewski (Royal Way). Długa becomes Długi Targ. Piwna and Sw. Ducha are Główne Miasto’s other thoroughfare and parallel to Długa just to the north.

• Tourist Offices: PTTK Gdańsk, Długa 45 (☎058 301 9151; www.pttk-gdansk.com.pl), in Główne Miasto, has free maps and brochures. Tours May-Sept. for groups of 3-10, 80zł per person. Open May-Sept. M-F 9am-5pm, Sa-Su 9am-3pm; Oct.-Apr. M-F 9am-6pm.
• Budget Travel: Almatur, Długi Targ 11, 2nd fl. (☎058 301 2403; www.almatur.gda.pl). Sells ISIC (59zł) and air and ferry tickets. Open M-F 10am-6pm, Sa 10am-2pm.
• Currency Exchange: Bank Pekao SA, Garncarska 23 (☎801 365 365). Cashes traveler’s checks for 1% commission and provides MC/V cash advances for no commission. Open M-F 8am-6pm, Sa 10am-2pm.
• English-Language Bookstore: Empik, Podwale Grodzkie 8 (☎058 301 6288, ext. 115). Sells maps. Open M-Sa 9am-9pm, Su 11am-8pm.
• 24hr. Pharmacy: Apteka Plus (☎058 763 1074), at train station. Ring bell at night.
• Medical Services: For emergency care, go to Szpital Specjalistyczny im. M. Kopernika, Nowe Ogrody 5 (☎058 302 3031).
• Internet: Jazz’n’Jive, Tkacka 17/18 (☎058 305 3616; www.cafe.jnj.pl), in the Old Town. 1zl per 10min., 3zł per 30min., 5zł per hr. Open daily 10am-10pm.
• Post Office: Długa 23/28 (☎058 301 8853). For Poste Restante, use the entrance on Pocztowa. Open M-F 8am-8pm, Sa 9am-3pm. Postal Code: 80-801.

Accommodations

With Gdańsk’s limited tourist infrastructure and increasing popularity among travelers, it’s best to make accommodation arrangements ahead, especially in summer. University dorms are open to travelers in July and August; for further info, consult the PTTK tourist office . Private rooms (30-80źł) can be arranged through either PTTK or Grand-Tourist (Biuro Podróży i Zakwaterowania), ul. Podwale Grodzkie 8, across from Empik. (☎058 301 2634; www.grand-tourist.pl. Open daily July-Aug. 8am-8pm; Sept.-June M-Sa 10am-6pm. Singles from 60-65zł; doubles 84-104zł; apartments 165-350zł. Cash only.)

• Hostel Przy Targu Rybnym, ul.Grodzka 21 (☎058 301 5627; www.gdanskhostel.com), off Targ Rybny, across from the baszta (tower). This hostel feels more like a home with its eager staff and lively common area. Breakfast included. Free Internet. Reception 24hr. Dorms 45zł; doubles 200-250zł; quads and quints 240-350zł. Cash only.
• Baltic Hostel, 3 Maja 25 (☎058 721 9657; www.baltichostel.com), 5min. from the station. From the train station, take the KFC underpass to the bus station, then go right on 3 Maja and take the pedestrian path on the right—the hostel is all the way at the end. While its location at the end of a run-down alley is less than optimal, the renovated Baltic features bright, high-ceilinged rooms and buzzes with fellow backpackers. Breakfast and linens included. Free Internet. Free kayak use. Bike rental 20zl. Reception 24hr. Dorms 40zł; doubles 120zł. Cash only.
• Szkolne Schronisko Młodzieżowe, Wałowa 21 (☎058 301 2313). From the train station, follow Karmelicka from City Forum; go left on Rajska and right on Wałowa. This hostel sports linoleum floors and metal doors; the rooms are spacious and feature well-kept furnishings. Full kitchen and common room set it a cut above most HI hostels, and the living is as clean as the rooms: there’s a midnight curfew and no smoking or drinking. Reception 6am-midnight. Dorms 14-21zł; singles 27-31zł. Cash only.

Food

Hala Targowa, on Pańska, in the shadow of Kościół św. Katarzyny, just off Podwale Staromiejskie, has rows of stands selling everything from raw meat to shoe soles. (Open May-Aug. M-F 9am-7pm, Sa 9am-5pm; Sept-Apr. M-F 9am-6pm, Sa 9am-3pm.) An Esta supermarket is at Podwale Staromiejskie 109/112 in Targ Drzewny. (Open M-Sa 10am-10pm, Su noon-10pm.)

• Cafe Kamienica, Mariacka 37/39 (☎058 301 1230), in St. Mary’s shadow. Enjoy fresh, delicate entrees (arugula salad with sun-dried tomatoes; 18zł), next to antique couches and dark-wood furnishings. Tea 5zł. Superb coffee drinks 6-12zł. Light entrees 9-30zł. Open daily June-Sept. 9am-midnight; Oct.-May 10am-11pm. AmEx/MC/V.
• Bar Pod Rybą (Bar Under the Fish), Długi Targ 35/38/1 (☎058 305 1307). An unusual take on a Polish staple—huge baked potatoes with fillings (6-20zł). The Hungarian sausage topping comes highly recommended, while the eatery lives up to its fishy name with additives like fresh shrimp and mussels (5zl). Open daily July-Aug. 11am-10pm; Sept.-June 11am-7pm. AmEx/MC/V.
• Pierogarnia u Dzika (Wild Boar Pierogi Bar), Piwna 59/60 (☎058 305 2676). Locals swear by these pierogi (14-22zł) stuffed with everything from caviar to strawberries. The 35-piece platter (57zł) is terrific for large groups. Open daily 11am-11pm. MC/V.
• Restaurancja Gdańska, ul. Sw. Ducha 16/24, (☎058 305 7671). Clocks, antique mirrors, and oil paintings crowd the deep red walls of the restaurant’s dramatic interior. The restaurant is a favorite of local celebrities, including former president Lech Wałesa. Entrees 25-70zł. Open daily 11am-midnight. AmEx/MC/V.
• Bar Mleczny Turystyczny, Szeroka 8/10 (☎058 301 60 13). With its huge windows thrown open upon one of Gdańsk’s busiest areas, this milk bar is a bright, lively, and affordable lunch spot. Open M-F 7:30am-6pm, Sa-Su 9am-4pm. Cash only.

Sights

Długi Targ. Długi Targ (Long Market) is a pedestrian thoroughfare at the heart of Główne Miasto (Main Town). The stone Upland Gate and the elegant blue-gray Golden Gate, emblazoned with gold leaf moldings and the shields of Poland, Prussia, and Germany, mark the western entrance to ul. Dluga. In the square, Neptune’s Fountain (Fontanna Neptuna) faces the 16th-century facade of Arthur’s Court (Dwór Artusa), a palace with a Renaissance interior and wood-carved spiral staircase that was restored in 1997. At the intersection of ul. Długa and Długi Targ, the 14th-century Ratusz (Town Hall) houses a branch of the Gdańsk History Museum (Muzeum Historii Gdanska), which covers the city’s past from its first historical mention to the rubble left behind by WWII. (Ratusz and Arthur’s Court open June-Sept. M 11am-3pm, Tu-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 11am-6pm; Oct.-May Tu-Sa 10am-4pm, Su 11am-4pm. Each 8zł, students 5zł; combined ticket 20/7zł; T free.)

Elsewhere In Glówne Miasto. At the  Roads to Freedom (Drogi do wolniści) across the street from the Gdańsk Shipyard (Stocznia Gdańska) where the movement was born, powerful multimedia depict the rise of the movement. (From Podwale Grodzkie, veer right on Wały Piastowskie. The entrance is on the left. ☎058 308 4280. Open Tu-Su 10am-5pm. 6zl, students 4zł; W 2zł.) In the vaults of a former Franciscan monastery, the  National Museum (Muzeum Narodowe) hosts a large collection of gothic sculpture, art, and carved furniture. Hans Memling’s Last Judgment is a must-see. (Torunska 1. ☎058 301 7061; www.muzeum.narodowe.gda.pl. Open June-mid-Sept. Tu-F 9am-4pm, Sa-Su 10am-4pm; mid-Sept.-May Tu-Su 9am-4pm. 10zł, students 6zł; Sa free.) The Memorial to the Defenders of the Post Office Square (Obronców Poczty) honors the postal workers’ courageous stand against the invading Germans at the start of WWII. (From Podwale Staromiejskie, go north on Tartaczna and turn right onto Obrońćów Polskiej Poczty1-2. ☎058 301 7611. Open Tu 10-3, W-Sa 10-4. 4zł, students 3zł.) Ornate row houses line ul. sw. Ducha, ul. Mariacka, and ul. Chlebnicka, north of Długi Targ. Ul. Mariacka, with its stone porches and gaping dragon-head gutter spouts, leads to riverside ul. Długie Pobrzeże. To the left is the huge Gothic Harbor Crane (Zuraw) from the 13th century, part of the Central Maritime Museum (Centralne Muzeum Morskie). Two more branches of the museum lie across the river: one on land, the other on the ship Sołdek. (☎058 301 8611. Open June-Aug. daily 10am-6pm; Sept.-May Tu-Su 10am-4pm. Crane 6zł, students 4zł. Museum 6/4zł. Sołdek 6/4zł. Shuttle boat round-trip 3/1.50zł.) The flags of the Soviet bloc’s first trade union, Lech Wałęsa’s Solidarity (Solidarność), fly again at the Solidarity Monument, pl. Solidarności, north of the city center at the end of ul. Wały Piastowskie.

Nightlife

When the sun sets, crowds party in Długi Targ. City lists events in the Tri-City Area, and Gdańsk in Your Pocket offers updated club listings.

• La Dolce Vita, Chlebnicka 2, (☎058 304 7887). This club is quickly becoming a Gdansk staple with its inventive cocktail menu and laid-back vibe. Open 2pm-2am.
• Cafe Absinthe, ul. sw. Ducha 2, (☎058 320 3784), next to Teatr Wybreże. is one of the most popular clubs in town; attracting ruminating intellectuals by day and the city’s most eccentric characters by night. Open daily 10am-4am.
• Parlament, sw. Ducha 2, (☎058 302 1365). Popular Parlament entices a young crowd and frequent stag parties. Beer 5zł. 18+. Cover Th after 10pm 5zł; F-Sa before 10pm 5zł, 10zł after. Purchase drinks with non-refundable “prepaid cards,” which are available at the entrance. Open Tu-Sa 8pm-late. Dance floor open Th-Sa 10pm-late.