We were lucky enough to get some super cheap flights to Gdansk at the end of November 2018 via good ole Ryanair. We also managed to get a great deal on a hotel at the Novotel Gdansk Centrum which was a great central location for us to get to public transport and more importantly to get to the local bars!
Photo Credit: Nate Southwood
We had never been to Poland before but having several Polish friends we knew to wrap up warm in November. I bought new snow boots for the holiday and they were a welcome addition as some days with the -6°C temperature plus the windchill factor it felt like -11°C. Gdansk is a port city so therefore really bloody windy!! But despite the cold weather, there are plenty of bars and shopping centres to dip into to warm up!
We arrived in Gdansk around midday on a Monday, we opted for getting the shuttle bus from the airport to the centre which was just a few Zloty for a single trip. Once we checked in to the hotel we then went out to explore. Our first view of the main city once crossing the river was the massive arches leading into Old Town. This is home of the Town Hall and the Neptuna Fountain.
On our first night we strolled around discovering a few cheap bars such as Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa, No to CYK and Józef K. After a few beers and some vodka shots we decided to try some Polish food at Pierogarnia u Dzika. We tried Pork pierogi, black pudding pierogi and polish sausage. The bread basket came with some kind of lard spread which was delicious! This place seemed to be a bit touristy and was quite expensive but the food was really nice.
We managed to cram a lot of activities into our time in Gdansk. One of the main things was to try to keep warm as the wind was so bitterly cold so we found ourselves exploring many shopping centres. Although we didn't do any shopping we did find some great coffee and some fast food in the food courts.
The one thing that we had planned before we went to Gdansk was to go do some shooting. I was in cadets as teenager so I have shot an L-98 before which is the non-automatic version of an AK-47. We bought a package to shoot 4 different guns with a clip of ammo for each gun. The guns we got to fire were a Glock 17, a revolver, an AK-47 and a rifle. It was really good fun, the instructor was very firm (ex-military for sure!) but he helped get rid of any jitters we may have had. This was a great experience and really cheap. Nate found them on Facebook and booked before our trip. The experience cost about £18 each. I would strongly recommend visiting DS Team if visiting the area.
We visited several museums on this trip. I knew one of the main things Gdansk was famous for was amber. I used to work at The Amber Shop and Museum in Southwold and my bosses would go to Gdansk every year for the Amber Fair. Whilst we were in Gdansk I wanted to visit their Amber Museum. We managed to go there on a day where entrance was free. It had a little bit about what Amber was but the majority of the museum was made up of sculptures and things carved from Amber. It was great to see but all the exhibits were in Polish.
Another thing that I knew about Gdansk was it was important for the Solidarity movement that led to the fall of Communism in Poland. Through its dock workers it brought about workers rights in Poland but also this spread across Europe and many of the issues raised during this uprising are now written into the EU Law regarding working hours and civil rights. We visited the European Solidarity Centre, it is situated in an impressive building on the docks in Gdansk where the revolts took place.
The most impressive museum that we visited was the World War II Museum. This museum was underground and went through each country's involvement in the Second World War. Where most museums that I have been to in the UK and Germany mainly explores a one sided view of the War this museum looks at involvement of the Far East and Italy.
Sopot is a lovely seaside town just a short train trip from the centre of Gdansk. We popped there for the morning, and it was quite chilly but really picturesque. We had a stroll along the long wooden pier and then went on a walk along the prom. Ir was really quiet in the winter like most seaside towns it becomes full of tourists and atmosphere in the summer.
Whilst we found plenty to do as it was our first time in Gdansk, I feel that 5 days was a bit too long to spend there. It was a cheap holiday, we ended up spending a lot of cash at the airport because we were unable to spend it all whilst we were there. I would say the cheapest thing to bring back for souvenirs is Soplica or Vodka. We picked up a few bottles at various supermarkets then got the vodka from the airport. I would recommend visiting this part of Poland but maybe in Summer and for 3 days.
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