Things to do in Gdańsk: what to see on the Baltic coast
Gdańsk grew rich on Baltic trade, and its Main Town still shows it: tall merchant houses, a ceremonial Royal Route and one of the largest brick churches in the world. Around 90% of the Main Town was destroyed in 1945, so much of what you see today is a post-war rebuilding. Step inside and the wealth becomes tangible — the Red Hall of the Town Hall, the merchants' hall of Artus Court, amber in a 14th-century mill — and out in Oliwa stands Poland's longest church. The city also bookends Europe's 20th century: the Second World War began here on 1 September 1939, and the Solidarity movement was born in its shipyard.
Below are our ten must-sees, a one-day route and a two-day itinerary that takes the SKM train out to Oliwa, Sopot and Gdynia, plus transport tips, notes for the 2026/27 autumn and winter season and the full list of Gdańsk attractions on tripto.pl. Hours and prices are on each attraction page; as a rule of thumb, the Gdańsk Museum branches close on Tuesdays, while the National Museum and the Maritime Museum close on Mondays.
Audio guide
Explore Gdańsk with an audio guide
A narrated walk on your phone: map, GPS and stories you won't find on the signs. No app — it runs in your browser.
Gdańsk: from the Golden Gate to the Shipyard Gate
13 stops 95 min 3.8 km
PLN 29.00
Listen to 2 stops for freeWhy visit
- The Royal Route along Long Street and Long Market, with two great interiors to step into: the Town Hall's Red Hall and the Gothic hall of Artus Court.
- Twentieth-century history where it happened — the European Solidarity Centre, the Museum of the Second World War and Westerplatte.
- Baltic amber done properly, at the Amber Museum inside the Great Mill, built by the Teutonic Knights around 1350.
- A working-harbour feel on the Motława, from the medieval Crane to the granaries of Ołowianka and the steamship Sołdek.
- The SKM local train takes you to Oliwa, Sopot and Gdynia; Sopot is about 20 minutes from Gdańsk Główny.
Top 10: what to see first
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
Old towns & squares
Long Street and Long Market, Gdańsk (Royal Route)
Gdańsk
Long Street (ulica Długa) and the Long Market (Długi Targ) form the main axis of Gdańsk's Main Town and the heart of the Royal Route. The unofficial name recalls the ceremonial entries of Polish kings, a tradition begun in 1457 by Casimir…
Free entry1. The Royal Route from the Golden Gate to the Green Gate, used by Polish kings from 1457 — lined with the Town Hall, Artus Court and the Neptune Fountain.
Churches & monasteries
St Mary's Church in Gdańsk
Gdańsk
Locals call it the "Crown of Gdańsk". St Mary's Basilica, built in stages over more than 150 years (1346–1502), is the third-largest brick church in the world by volume, and its massive 82-metre tower rises above the rooftops of the Main T…
45–60 min Free entry2. One of the world's largest brick churches, built 1346–1502, with an astronomical clock. The interior is open all year; the tower opens seasonally.
Museums
European Solidarity Centre
Gdańsk
The European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk (Europejskie Centrum Solidarności, ECS; sometimes spelled European Solidarity Center) is a museum and cultural centre dedicated to Solidarity – the trade union born in the Gdańsk Shipyard in 1980 th…
120–180 min3. The story of the August 1980 shipyard strikes beside the historic Gate No. 2, followed by a free rooftop terrace about 25 m up, overlooking the cranes.
Museums
Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk
Gdańsk
The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk is one of the largest and most ambitious history museums in Europe, telling the story of the war in the very city where it began. Its tilted red tower beside the Radunia Canal marks an exhibitio…
4. One of Europe's largest history museums, opened in 2017, telling the war through ordinary lives. Allow at least three hours; free entry on Tuesdays (October 2026).
Landmarks
Artus Court
Gdańsk
Artus Court in Gdańsk is one of the grandest civic interiors in Poland: a Gothic hall where the city's wealthy merchants once met, feasted and did business. It stands on Long Market (Długi Targ), right behind the Neptune Fountain, in the h…
5. The merchants' hall of 1476–1481, home to a tiled stove about 11 m tall made of 520 tiles and ship models hanging from the vaults. A 30–45 minute visit.
Museums
Amber Museum
Gdańsk
The Amber Museum in Gdańsk is the city's showcase for Baltic amber – "Baltic gold" – from drops of resin formed millions of years ago to contemporary jewelry. A branch of the Museum of Gdańsk, it has occupied the Great Mill, a medieval mil…
6. More than 1,000 exhibits, from insects trapped in resin to a reconstructed amber forest, inside the medieval Great Mill. A good rainy-day and family pick.
Landmarks
Gdańsk Crane (Żuraw)
Gdańsk
People walking inside wooden wheels about 6 metres across once lifted cargo 27 metres into the air here – the Crane on the Motława was a medieval harbour crane and a city gate at the same time. The National Maritime Museum calls it the lar…
7. A medieval harbour crane of 1442–1444 with its original lifting mechanism, now a branch of the National Maritime Museum.
Museums
National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk (Ołowianka Granaries and SS Sołdek)
Gdańsk
The National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk (Narodowe Muzeum Morskie, roughly "nah-ro-DOH-veh MOO-zeh-oom MOR-skyeh") is Poland's leading museum of seafaring, shipbuilding and life at sea. Its headquarters fill three rebuilt granaries on Ołowia…
8. Three rebuilt granaries on Ołowianka island and the 1949 steamship Sołdek, which the museum describes as the only surviving ship of its type.
Historic sites
Westerplatte
Gdańsk
Westerplatte (pronounced "VES-ter-plah-teh") in Gdańsk is where World War II began in Europe. At dawn on September 1, 1939, a German battleship opened fire on a small Polish military depot on this peninsula at the mouth of the port, and it…
Free entry9. Where the Second World War began on 1 September 1939; the small Polish garrison held out for seven days. A new museum has been under construction here since February 2026.
Churches & monasteries
Oliwa Cathedral and Oliwa Park
Gdańsk
Oliwa Cathedral in Gdańsk (Archikatedra Oliwska, pronounced roughly "oh-LEE-vah") is a former Cistercian abbey church, the longest church in Poland and home to a famous Rococo organ whose carved angels and stars actually move as it plays.…
Free entry10. Poland's longest church (107 m), a former Cistercian abbey with a Rococo organ whose angels and stars move as it plays, next to the leafy Oliwa Park.
Top sights on the map
Open the full map1-day itinerary
Morning: the Royal Route and the Town Hall
Enter through the Golden Gate and walk Long Street to the Town Hall. Give the Red Hall and its 1608 painted ceiling 45–60 minutes; the tower was closed for renovation as of October 2026.
Places: Long Street and Long Market, Gdańsk (Royal Route) Main Town Hall
Late morning: Artus Court and Neptune
A few steps along Long Market, Artus Court shows how the city's merchant elite dined and did business. Neptune stands right outside.
Midday: Mariacka Street and St Mary's
Pass through the Green Gate to the river, then walk up the amber shops of Mariacka Street to St Mary's and its astronomical clock.
Afternoon: pick one big museum
The Museum of the Second World War (three hours or more), the European Solidarity Centre (about two hours), the Amber Museum (an hour or so) or the National Museum's Old Masters.
Places: Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk European Solidarity Centre Amber Museum National Museum in Gdańsk – Department of Early Art
Evening: the Crane and Ołowianka
Stroll the quay to the Crane and cross the footbridge to Ołowianka for the classic view back across the water.
Places: Gdańsk Crane (Żuraw) Ołowianka
2-day itinerary
Day 1: Main Town museums and the waterfront
Town Hall and Artus Court
Start on Long Street and Long Market. Both are Gdańsk Museum branches: closed on Tuesdays, free on Mondays (as of October 2026).
Places: Main Town Hall Artus Court Long Street and Long Market, Gdańsk (Royal Route)
St Mary's and Mariacka Street
The vast basilica, its astronomical clock and the lane of amber workshops below.
Maritime Museum or National Museum
Cross to the Ołowianka granaries and the Sołdek (its route on board is shortened by renovation until 31 October 2026), or head to the National Museum on Toruńska Street for Flemish and Dutch painting.
Places: National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk (Ołowianka Granaries and SS Sołdek) National Museum in Gdańsk – Department of Early Art
WWII Museum or Amber Museum
Finish with the big war museum if you have three hours, or the shorter Amber Museum in the Great Mill, then walk back past the Crane.
Places: Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk Amber Museum Gdańsk Crane (Żuraw)
Day 2: Solidarity, Oliwa, Sopot and Gdynia
European Solidarity Centre
See the exhibition, then take the lift to the rooftop. If 1939 interests you more, take bus 106 or 138 to Westerplatte instead; its visitor centre was open 9:00–16:00 in October 2026.
Oliwa Cathedral and park
From Gdańsk Stocznia station ride the SKM to Gdańsk Oliwa, then walk about 15 minutes. In November and December 2026 the 20-minute organ recitals run Monday to Saturday at 12:00 and on Sundays at 15:00.
Places: Oliwa Cathedral and Oliwa Park
Sopot: Monte Cassino Street and the pier
A few stops on to Sopot. Walk down Monciak past the Crooked House to the pier, which is free to enter outside the paid season (10 April to 30 September in 2026).
Places: Monciak (Bohaterów Monte Cassino Street), Sopot Crooked House in Sopot Pier in Sopot
Gdynia: Orłowo or the Aquarium
Ride on to Gdynia Orłowo for the free pier and the beach below the cliff, or continue into central Gdynia for the Aquarium on the South Pier — check its hours on the attraction page.
Getting there
By air: Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport is about 12 km northwest of the centre. Trains of the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway (PKM) leave from the terminal and connect with the SKM local trains, for example at Gdańsk Wrzeszcz.
By train: Gdańsk Główny, a handsome neo-Renaissance station, is a few minutes' walk from the Main Town and the Amber Museum.
Getting around: The Main Town is compact and walkable. The SKM line runs through Gdańsk Oliwa to Sopot (around 20 minutes from Gdańsk Główny) and on to Gdynia Orłowo and Gdynia Główna. Bus 106 runs to Westerplatte from the Museum of the Second World War and bus 138 from the main station. Parking in the centre is in a paid zone.
When to go
Summer brings beach weather and St Dominic's Fair, which traces its roots to 1260 (in 2026 it ran from 25 July to 16 August); it is also when the Main Town is busiest. May, June and September are pleasant and calmer, and the best time for Wisłoujście Fortress, which opens only from April to September.
Autumn and winter 2026/27 are museum season. Wisłoujście Fortress is closed (only its Napoleonic Barracks exhibition stays open), the Town Hall tower was under renovation in October 2026, and the Museum of the Second World War is closing individual sections in turn (sections 4 and 5 from 2 to 9 November, section 6 from 30 November to 7 December). Most museums close on 1 November and 24–26 December. Memling's Last Judgement triptych is off display until the end of 2026.
The Baltic wind is a constant — expect it to be noticeably colder at the end of Sopot pier than on the beach.
FAQ
How many days do you need in Gdańsk?
One day covers the Royal Route with the Town Hall and Artus Court, St Mary's, the Crane and one big museum. Two days let you add a second museum plus Oliwa and Sopot by train. A third day suits Westerplatte or Malbork Castle.
Can I see Memling's Last Judgement in Gdańsk?
Not in 2026. The triptych has been off display since 3 February 2025 for research and conservation, with the National Museum saying it will stay off until the end of 2026. The museum has mentioned a return in December 2026, but check its announcements before you travel. The rest of the Old Masters collection is open as usual.
Which Gdańsk museums are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays?
As of October 2026, Gdańsk Museum branches such as the Town Hall, Artus Court and the Amber Museum close on Tuesdays and are free on Mondays. The National Museum and the National Maritime Museum's main site close on Mondays. On Tuesdays the National Museum and the Museum of the Second World War are free.
How do I get to Westerplatte?
By city bus: lines 106 and 138, plus 606 in summer. Line 106 starts at the Museum of the Second World War and 138 at Gdańsk Główny station. Construction of a new museum since February 2026 has closed some car parks.
How do I get from Gdańsk Airport to the city centre?
Take the PKM train from the terminal and change to the SKM local train, for example at Gdańsk Wrzeszcz. The airport is about 12 km from the centre.
Is Sopot or Gdynia worth a day trip from Gdańsk?
Both are easy on the SKM train and combine well in one afternoon. Sopot, about 20 minutes away, has the pier and the Monte Cassino promenade; in Gdynia, get off at Orłowo for the cliff and pier or at Gdynia Główna for the centre and the Aquarium.
What is there to do in Gdańsk with kids?
The Amber Museum with its lizard trapped in amber, the engine room of the Sołdek steamship, the moving angels on the Oliwa organ and the Hevelianum science centre on Gradowa Hill. Spotting the bronze Hewelion lion figures around town makes an easy city game.
All attractions (33)
Museums
European Solidarity Centre
Gdańsk
The European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk (Europejskie Centrum Solidarności, ECS; sometimes spelled European Solidarity Center) is a museum and cultural centre dedicated to Solidarity – the trade union born in the Gdańsk Shipyard in 1980 th…
120–180 min
Churches & monasteries
St Mary's Church in Gdańsk
Gdańsk
Locals call it the "Crown of Gdańsk". St Mary's Basilica, built in stages over more than 150 years (1346–1502), is the third-largest brick church in the world by volume, and its massive 82-metre tower rises above the rooftops of the Main T…
45–60 min Free entry
Hidden gemLandmarks
Ołowianka
Gdańsk
Ołowianka Island (pronounced roughly "oh-woh-VYAN-kah") is a small island on the Motława River in the center of Gdańsk, directly across from the medieval Crane and the Long Embankment. In a compact area it packs the rebuilt granaries of th…
Hidden gemOld towns & squares
St. Mary's Street
Gdańsk
Mariacka Street (St Mary's Street) in Gdańsk is the most atmospheric lane in the Main Town: cobbled, car-free and lined with stone terraces, gargoyle drainpipes and amber workshops. It runs about 185 m from St Mary's Basilica down to St Ma…
Free entry
Churches & monasteries
Oliwa Cathedral and Oliwa Park
Gdańsk
Oliwa Cathedral in Gdańsk (Archikatedra Oliwska, pronounced roughly "oh-LEE-vah") is a former Cistercian abbey church, the longest church in Poland and home to a famous Rococo organ whose carved angels and stars actually move as it plays.…
Free entry
Churches & monasteries
St Bridget's Basilica
Gdańsk
St Bridget's Basilica in Gdańsk is a Gothic church in the Old Town known as the "church of Solidarity". In the 1980s it was one of the key centers of anti-communist opposition in Poland, and today it also draws visitors with its monumental…
Museums
Uphagen House
Gdańsk
Uphagen House in Gdańsk is a small museum of burgher interiors at 12 Long Street (ulica Długa), and the only place on the Royal Route where you can walk through a furnished 18th-century merchant's home. Instead of display cases you get a s…
Landmarks
Artus Court
Gdańsk
Artus Court in Gdańsk is one of the grandest civic interiors in Poland: a Gothic hall where the city's wealthy merchants once met, feasted and did business. It stands on Long Market (Długi Targ), right behind the Neptune Fountain, in the h…
Technical monuments
Gdańsk Główny Station and Kindertransport Memorial
Gdańsk
A red-brick building with a 50-metre clock tower is the first thing most people see when they arrive in Gdańsk by train. Gdańsk Główny station, built in 1894–1900, is one of the city's best-known landmarks, and in front of its entrance sta…
Free entry
Monuments & mounds
Hewelion the Lion Figures in Gdańsk
Gdańsk
The Hewelion lion figures in Gdańsk are a free city trail of small bronze lions hidden around the Baltic port city, from the historic Main Town to the beach, the zoo and even the airport. Each lion wears a different costume – sailor, pilot…
Free entry
Landmarks
Neptune's Fountain in Gdańsk
Gdańsk
The Neptune Fountain (Fontanna Neptuna) in Gdańsk is the city's best-known landmark: a bronze statue of the Roman sea god, trident raised, standing on Long Market (Długi Targ) in front of the Artus Court since the 1630s. It sums up the sto…
Free entry
Zoos
Gdańsk Zoo (Oliwa)
Gdańsk
Gdańsk Zoo in Oliwa (Gdański Ogród Zoologiczny, roughly "guh-DAHN-skee OH-groot zoh-oh-loh-GEECH-nee") is the largest zoo in Poland by area, set in the forested Leśny Młyn valley inside the Tricity Landscape Park on the edge of Gdańsk. You…
Fortifications
Gradowa Hill in Gdańsk
Gdańsk
Gradowa Hill in Gdańsk (pronounced roughly "grah-DOH-vah") is a 46-meter (151 ft) hill right behind Gdańsk's main train station, and one of the best free viewpoints over the historic Main Town. Its slopes hide a 19th-century brick fortress…
Museums
Hevelianum Science Center
Gdańsk
Hevelianum (pronounced "heh-veh-LYAH-noom") is a hands-on science center in Gdańsk, set inside 19th-century fort buildings on Gradowa Hill (Góra Gradowa), just a short walk from the main train station. With interactive exhibitions on energ…
Other
St Dominic’s Fair in Gdańsk
Gdańsk
St. Dominic's Fair in Gdańsk (Jarmark św. Dominika) is Poland's largest open-air trade and cultural festival: every summer, for more than three weeks, the streets of Gdańsk's historic Main Town fill with stalls, stages and food stands. Wit…
Free entry
Churches & monasteries
St Catherine's Church
Gdańsk
St Catherine's Church in Gdańsk is the oldest parish church of the city's Old Town: a Gothic brick building with a Baroque spire, standing opposite the Great Mill. The great 17th-century astronomer Johannes Hevelius is commemorated here, a…
Coast
Brzeźno Pier
Gdańsk
Brzeźno Pier is 136 m long and 7.2 m wide – modest next to Sopot's, but much quieter, and from the end you can watch ships heading into the port of Gdańsk. This wooden pier at the end of al. Jana Pawła II is one of the easiest ways to stan…
Museums
Amber Museum
Gdańsk
The Amber Museum in Gdańsk is the city's showcase for Baltic amber – "Baltic gold" – from drops of resin formed millions of years ago to contemporary jewelry. A branch of the Museum of Gdańsk, it has occupied the Great Mill, a medieval mil…
Museums
Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk
Gdańsk
The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk is one of the largest and most ambitious history museums in Europe, telling the story of the war in the very city where it began. Its tilted red tower beside the Radunia Canal marks an exhibitio…
Museums
National Museum in Gdańsk – Department of Early Art
Gdańsk
The National Museum in Gdańsk – Department of Early Art is the city's most important art museum, housed in a late-Gothic Franciscan monastery on Toruńska Street, a few minutes' walk from the Main Town. It is famous as the home of Hans Meml…
Museums
National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk (Ołowianka Granaries and SS Sołdek)
Gdańsk
The National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk (Narodowe Muzeum Morskie, roughly "nah-ro-DOH-veh MOO-zeh-oom MOR-skyeh") is Poland's leading museum of seafaring, shipbuilding and life at sea. Its headquarters fill three rebuilt granaries on Ołowia…
Monuments & mounds
Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970
Gdańsk
The Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 in Gdańsk – three soaring steel crosses with anchors on Solidarity Square, outside Gate No. 2 of the former shipyard – honors workers killed when the communist authorities crushed protest…
Free entry
Landmarks
Main Town Hall
Gdańsk
The Main Town Hall in Gdańsk is the city's most recognizable landmark: a Gothic and Renaissance brick building whose slender tower, crowned by a gilded statue of King Sigismund Augustus, rises above Long Street and Long Market. Inside is t…
Historic sites
BHP Hall of the Gdańsk Shipyard
Gdańsk
The BHP Hall of the Gdańsk Shipyard (Sala BHP, pronounced "SAH-lah beh-hah-PEH") is a modest brick building inside the former shipyard where, on August 31, 1980, striking workers and the communist government signed the August Agreements –…