If you are looking for an original city trip in winter time, I have the perfect recommendation for you: visit Gdansk in Poland! We ended up being too late for the Christmas markets which take place in early December but still loved our winter visit to this beautiful city. Even during the Christmas break, it still wasn’t very crowded in Gdansk. Gdansk is mainly visited during the summertime, because of nearby beach town Sopot, so if you are looking to visit it without the crowds, I would advise to visit during the off season.
Practical information
Gdansk is located in the north of Poland and has a lovely old town, as well as a nearby harbor. This provides a really beautiful contrast, a colorfulm clean, historic city center, which is surrounded by ship wharfs and modern buildings. In Poland you pay with zlotys, but we were able to use our bank cards everywhere and didn’t see a single zloty 😉
In the past Gdansk has been disputed by Germany and Poland, but since 1945 it definitely belongs to Poland. Gdansk has a very special history and has had a lot of conflict and war. During WWII the submarines of the German army were produced in Gdansk. Gdansk has a very interesting museum dedicated to WWII which I highly recommend visiting. The museum explains the situation of Poland during WWII very well. Poland was occupied by Germany and Russia and the museum provides really interesting context regarding this. It only costs about 6-7 euros to visit the museum and you could honestly spend hours inside.
We found Gdansk to be very safe and clean, also when walking back to our hotel at night. In general the city center is very lively, but not too crowded. Gdansk still is relatively affordable, offering good value hotels and meals. It just surprised me that alcohol was slightly expensive (especially foreign wines at 5-6 euros per glass). You can get around with English and German, but not all waiters will speak a different language. If I look at the economic activity surrounding Gdansk and driving through Poland, noting a lot of building going on, I expect Poland to be booming in the next few years. Meaning: if you would still like an authentic and not too expensive visit, now is the time to go! Let’s hope that Russia stays out of here!
Where to stay
Gdansk has good lodging options, offering luxury accomodations at mid-price level. We stayed in Montownia Lofts and Experience, in a very large loft which could accommodate four adults for about € 135 a night. If you visit outside of the holiday season, you can stay even cheaper. Besides the beautiful rooms, we loved the food market which is below the lofts. Montownia is located about a 10 minute walk from the historic city center and is near the WWII museum.
Montownia had a kids playing area and offered comfortable beds for toddlers, making it a perfect visit with kids too.
In the food market you will find about 20 food stalls, offering very good variety of meals and drinks. The food market mainly seems loved among Polish tourists and locals, because we didn’t hear any English, Dutch or German speaking people. The menus of most restaurants were only in Polish, but you can use a translate app on your phone to translate. Meals costs about € 10 and we weren’t disappointed by a single one. We had Indian, Korean, Italian, Mexican, Swiss and Chinese food, and tried breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Some evenings the food hall also has entertainment, such as a DJ or a band. You cannot here the food market in the hotel area, so no need to worry about that.
What to do in Gdansk in winter time
Visiting the old town: If it is cold in Gdansk, it usually doesn’t rain, making days perfect for wandering around the old town. It is less crowded in winter and doesn’t get too busy with tourists, meaning you can comfortably walk around and take pictures. The old town is very colorful and very walkable. The prettiest streets are Dluga (main pedestranized street) and Mariacka (known for its amber shops), but don’t forget to check out the charming side streets, which you can reach by little passages. The architecture reminded us of Amsterdam, Belgium and Prague, such a lovely mix!
Christmas markets: I was wrongfully informed that the Christmas markets would last until the beginning of January, but they actually are removed at Christmas time. If you are in Gdansk from the end of November – Christmas Eve they should be there. Gdansk is beautifully decorated with many light installations in the city center. We loved walking around at night, there was a very good atmosphere with people enjoying the lights, without it actually being crowded.
St Mary’s Church: If you are looking for a viewpoint of the old town, you can visit the church tower of St Mary’s church. For only a few euros you can access the 400 stairs going up the tower, to enjoy Gdansk from in the air. There also is a viewpoint in the Town Hall, but it is not open in winter.
Museums: Gdansk features many interesting museums, among which the WWII museum that I already highlighted. You can also visit the Renaissance rooms in the Town Hall, or learn more about the Solidarity movement in the European Solidarity Centre.
