Visiting Gdańsk | my top tips

I recently went to Gdańsk in Poland for a 5 day trip, and I loved it - you can read my travel diary series to see what I got up to, but I wanted to briefly compile a list of my top tips in case you're planning on visiting and want to make the most of your trip!

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Getting to Gdańsk

I flew to Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport with Wizz Air, a Hungarian airline, from Liverpool; Ryanair also fly to Gdańsk from the UK, and there are various other airlines flying to Gdańsk from different counties such as KLM, Norwegian and more.

We landed on a Sunday night, so we opted to get a taxi from the airport to our apartment. There's a taxi rank outside the arrivals hall and we got in a Neptune taxi which cost us around 80zloty (approx £16) for the 25 minute (ish) journey. If you're arriving during the day, there's a bus that goes directly from the airport to the city centre (the 210 bus) as well as a dedicated airport shuttle bus which takes a bit less time but is a bit more expensive than the regular city bus.

When you're in the city

A lot of these tips are quite random and might not make total sense until you're actually in Gdańsk, but if you are planning a trip there then do bear them in mind...

The bridge across the main waterway (the Wartka Bridge) goes up and down every half an hour; it lifts on the hour, giving boats the chance to get through, and then comes back down for pedestrian access on the half hour mark. There is a timetable at either end of the bridge but we just didn't notice it, as it's quite easy to miss. We were staying on the far side, and it's also where the Amber Sky big wheel and the big GDAŃSK sign are as well as the SS Sołdek and other branches of the Maritime Museum (see more here). Chances are you'll need or want to cross the bridge at some point, so it helps to get your timing right!

There are public toilets in abundance, and they cost 2zloty to get into - the attendant will likely have change, but it helps to carry some too.

Wednesday seems to be the day that all the cruise ships dock in Gdynia, which is around 45 minutes away, and a LOT of the passengers will make the short trip to Gdańsk. It was definitely the busiest day of our trip in terms of the volume of people around us, and we were there Monday through Friday.

You can leave your suitcase in lockers at the train station as well as the left-luggage office; we opted for the lockers, and a 'big locker' cost us 14zloty - this fit two cabin suitcases in as well as my neck pillow and book (I didn't want to lug them around all day) with plenty of room to spare. You can leave your bags in the locker for 24 hours and it works out cheaper, I think, than paying per-piece at the attended luggage room.

Tram ticket machines are really confusing, just opt for a 'single journey' or 'return journey' ticket rather than trying to faff around choosing your actual tram stop, and you'll be fine. Remember to validate the ticket when you get on!

CLICK HERE to book hotels in Gdańsk

iTaxi is a really handy app if you need to a book a taxi to get you from A to B while you're in the city itself - I always use it in Poland and you can pay by cash or card.

There are several day trips you can do from Gdańsk, such as Westerplatte and Sopot - don't be fooled into spending all your time in the pretty city, because there's plenty to do if you hop on a train, bus or boat!

In terms of basic tips for visiting Gdańsk, I think that's everything! It's an incredible city with wonderful people and a fascinating cultural history. If you are planning on visiting, check out this post to find the best restaurants in Gdańsk.

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