🇵🇱 🇵🇱 🇵🇱
Day 1 London to Gdnsk
My flight was in early morning . Left from London Luton in the morning around 8.35 AM and landed in Gdnsk about 11.35 AM. Commute to the old town area was easy . Public transport is frequent and cheap. My check in to the apartment was at 4 PM . So I walked around for few hours. The city has outstanding pieces of architecture such as the City Hall, St. Mary’s Church, the Arthus Court and the Golden Gate. Today the inner city attracts large number of tourists who want to enjoy the magic of this city. In Gdańsk the Old Town means the area where St. Catherine’s Church, the Great Mill and Madison Shopping Mall are located, while the Main Town is the area where Long (Długa) Street and Long Market (Długi Targ) are located. The Long Street and the Long Market are the most important communication ducts of the area, which has been the most representative of Gdańsk over the centuries. The wealthiest residents lived here in their great houses. Polish kings used to arrive in the City through here, together with their retinues. The tallest of all buildings of the Royal Route is the City Hall, built in the renaissance style with its 80 meters tall tower. The Long Market is the City’s most representative part, with the Artus Court and Neptune’s fountain, the symbol of Gdańsk, as well as the Green Gate, through which there is a passage to the old harbour on Motława. Along the river there is the Long Pier (Długie Pobrzeże) and Fishermans’ Pier (Rybackie Pobrzeże) joined into a promenade with numerous restaurants and cafes capturing the unique atmosphere of the old harbour city. After some walk and absorbing the sights and sounds of the city , I had a very nice lunch of Halibut steak and beer.
Checked in to my apartment around 4 PM. It was a long day , so crashed in my bed early as tomorrow will also be a long day.
Day2 Hel and Gydnia
Today I left by 7 AM and walked to Gdnsk Glowny (Central station) to catch a train to Hel. Journey to Hel requires a change of train Gydnia Central. Trains are infrequent about one in every 2 hour. The scenary is beautiful both sides of the track.
The peninsula (called Hel Scythe by the locals) was shaped by sea currents, combining numerous scattered islands into one long peninsula. The width of the peninsula varies from approximately 300 metres (980 ft) near Jurata to 100 metres (330 ft) in the most narrow part to over 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) at the tip. Today’s Hel is located about 1.5 km east of the original city location. Old Hel was granted city rights in the 13th century by the Pomorskie prince Swietopelek II, but the forces of nature lead to the moment that in 15th century, the construction of a new settlement began in the present place. Today it is very difficult to find any traces of the original city, so the oldest history of Hel remains a historical archaeological mystery. Hel is undoubtedly one of the most attractive tourist destinations on the Baltic Sea. Starting from Hel, a bicycle route has been marked out along the entire Peninsula, which can take you to Wladyslawowo, and further to the Tri-City or Karwia.
I walked at the tip of peninsula. There is beautiful vegitation / forest which stabilised the sand dune and made possible for people to live there. After long and relaxing walk , I had some hot dog and took the train back to Gydnia.
A small fishing village until the 20th century, Gdynia was rapidly built into Poland’s largest and busiest sea port after World War I. As a result, it’s mainly a very modern city. The most significant older attraction is the 13th-century St. Michael the Archangel Church. Two museum ships in the harbor, a destroyer and a frigate, are also popular with visitors. Gdynia has a thriving cultural life and in September hosts the annual Polish Film Festival, sometimes called the “Polish Cannes.” I walked along the Gdynia beach promenade for about 6 KM. The weather was turning cloudy and rainy . Took the train back to Gdnsk
Day 3 Malbrok and Sopot
This is my third and final full day in this trip. I started after breakfast from my hotel to train station. This time I went to to the other side to Malbrok which is about 50 niniutes from Gdnsk Glowny. There is amazing country side scenary on the way. From the train station the castle itself is about 1.5 Km walk. Malbrok itself is a charming little town.
Malbrok castle situated along the River Nogat is a UNESCO world heritage site and largest castle in the world by area. This 13th-century fortified monastery belonging to the Teutonic Order was substantially enlarged and embellished after 1309, when the seat of the Grand Master moved here from Venice. A particularly fine example of a medieval brick castle, it later fell into decay, but was meticulously restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the conservation techniques now accepted as standard were evolved here. Following severe damage in the Second World War it was once again restored, using the detailed documentation prepared by earlier conservators.
The entry ticket is 80 PLN and includes an audio guide , which probably the best audio guide I have used ever . It has a GPS type of feature and tells you automatically based on your location , prompts you to go to next place and also has a screen which gives you direction.
I visited the lower , middle and higher parts of the castles and many ceremonical rooms, exhibitions , grand master quarters . It took about 2 hours and then I walked along the bank of River Nogat .
My final stop for the day was Sopot.
Sopot links with the cities of Gdańsk and Gdynia to form the metropolitan area of Tri City. These three Baltic cities together make up a major tourist hub along the Polish Riviera.
Sopot proudly boasting the longest wooden pier in Europe, Sopot’s certainly feels really special when you walk along it. Unlike many in the UK, there are no tacky shops or games on the Molo. It almost feels like you have been transported back in time somewhat. Next to that is the beach, if it is sunny, what better thing to do that lather up in suncream and just do what Sopot was made for; relax. I then walked along Montecasino to take up the opportunity to browse the different shops. Be sure to take a photo of the famous ‘Crooked House’, which looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland.
Along the beach you will find tonnes of different bars, cafés and restaurants, as well as opportunities to try out some water sports.
After Spopot it was time to head back to my apartment , relax and finish off “White Tiger” by Arvind Adiga
Day 4 Gdnsk, Westerplatte, Shipyeard and back to London
Today is my last day . In the morning I woke up early and complete a circuit along Gdnsk. It was quite in the morning wether was fabulous and streets were devoid of ususal crowd. Came back in my apartment by 8.30, had tea and breakfast and relaxed a bit.
Next I took the cruise from ferry terminal at 11. Cruise is 60PLN one way. It is worth because you can see the city from a different perspective but more importantly you can see the Shipyard. Its a very large Shipyard with giant cranes at work. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity (Solidarność) (Polish trade union) was founded there in September 1980.
The cruise dropped me at The Westerplatte Peninsula, an enclave of the Republic of Poland within the territory of the Free City of Gdańsk. The historic site where World War II broke out on September 1, 1939 includes a small museum and a towering monument to the Polish defenders. This is where WWII began. There were 210 soldiers who managed to defend Germans with 3500 ground troops and also had air and sea cover. They held the city for 7 days before surrendering due to lack of water and amunitions . 15 solders had died.
The white sand beach is also nice for sunbatheing and relaxations .
I came back to Gdnsk by local bus. Had my lunch in Kebab place and then took the bus to airport. It’s then a long wait until 7 in the evening before my flight back to London Luton
