Monday 27 May 2019

Gdańsk travel diary | day 3

Wednesday 15th May 2019 | 16, 713 steps

On Wednesday morning we got up and headed out bright and early - not too early, but as we had big plans for the day we wanted to make sure we were making the most of it. We headed over the canal and into the old town in search of a cash machine, and then we had to pass some time before we could get on with the main part of our day so we had a Starbucks on Dluga and watched the world go by.

the view from the back of a pirate ship with buildings in the background

Soon enough it was time to head back to the waterfront and GET ON A PIRATE SHIP to the nearby peninsula of Westerplatte; I couldn't find much information about this when I looked at doing it, but basically you can't miss the boat itself (it's on the opposite side to the Gdańsk city sign) and a few metres away is a booth where you can buy your tickets. The booth has a big pirate statue outside it, so you won't miss that either! It costs 55 zloty per person, and you can decide whether you want to spend 1 or 2 hours at Westerplatte - definitely opt for the two hours if you want to see everything, it won't cost you any extra and it means you don't have to miss out on anything. We wouldn't have been able to see everything in one hour, so I cannot stress enough how much I'd recommend opting for the two hour slot. You need to decide in advance as they mark your ticket with the time of your return journey, so it's definitely worth thinking about.

me with arms outstretched in front of a sign saying Westerplatte


The journey itself was VERY windy; we sat on the deck for about half of it but the wind was too much and we ventured inside for the rest of the time on the ship. There's a loudspeaker and one of the crew explains all of the different things that you sail past - mostly heavy dock work. There's a fully-stocked bar on board and they do a wide variety of food, too. It takes around half an hour and then you're at Westerplatte! After disembarking, we crossed over the road and found ourselves at the big sign announcing our location - with the Baltic sea ahead of us, too.

westerplatte sign beyond some train tracks

view of the baltic sea in westerplatte

To the left of the sign you begin a trail that leads you through a wooded area, with loads of leftover buildings from pre-World War 2 and beyond - it was the location of a Polish Military Transit Depot, but also where the first European battle of WW2 took place. There's so much history there and it's completely free to see; there are information boards explaining what everything is, and bigger boards that tell the complete history of Westerplatte too. We got to see some ammunition warehouses, a guard tower, bunkers and barracks, and finally the monument they have in memory of the Polish defenders. Westerplatte is an urban explorer's dream as you get to go inside the dilapidated buildings - health and safety who?

a decrepit defence barracks left over from WW2

a decrepit defence barracks left over from WW2

a decrepit defence barracks left over from WW2

Like I say, we walked all the way to the monument and back to where the pirate ship docks and it took us just under two hours. We sat and had a drink on the Westerplatte waterfront then got back on the pirate ship sailing in the direction of Gdańsk - I got some chips and we both had a vodka & lemonade, and there was a guy playing songs on an acoustic guitar with a harmonica, so it was just lovely.

no more war in polish on a metal sign among some trees

flags on tall poles underneath a blue sky

westerplatte monument with trees in the foreground and a blue sky behind

When we got off the boat we went to a bar called No To CYK, recommended by Allie - it was such a quirky bar and super cheap, too. Three quid for a vodka lemonade and half a lager? Smashing. Our next stop was the apartment for a couple of hours chill time; the cold Baltic sea air had definitely tired us out. We finished the day with dinner at the best restaurant ever which I'm so excited to share with you in my 'where we ate in Gdańsk' post (coming soon, promise).

That's that on day 3 - stay tuned for the 4th day of my Gdańsk travel diary!

For day 2, CLICK HERE

9 comments:

  1. LOVE your travel diaries, although they're giving me itchy feet and it's not fungal x

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  2. Oh my gosh this looks amazing, I was loving all your travel snaps on this trip x

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  3. This sounds like such a wonderful trip. Looks like you're having a fab time. And £3 for a vodka lemonade and a half of lager? does it get any better than that? haha x

    Lauren | www.bylaurenmay.com

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  4. I'm coming with you next time ok thanks x

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  5. It looks incredible! I want to go!

    Erin || MakeErinOver

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  6. I am loving the travel diaries, looks like such a good day. Particularly loving the pirate ship!
    Fran - www.frannymac.com x

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  7. It sounds like you could spend hours exploring!

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  8. I love getting a little insight into someone's trip, again, Poland looks great!

    Amy x
    The July Rose

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