How to spend a weekend in Gdansk

I had wanted to visit Gdansk for a long time. Maybe since I first moved to London and researched ‘Europe’s undiscovered coastal gems’, or something along those lines.

A bustling town square in Gdansk features a historic fountain surrounded by colorful, ornate buildings under a clear sky, perfect for a weekend escape. — Neptune Fountain on Długi Targ (Town Square)

A tall brick clock tower reaches majestically against the clear blue sky, a bird gracefully flying nearby, capturing the serene charm of a weekend in Gdansk. — The Town Hall Clock Tower

Discover the charm of a weekend in Gdańsk with its gothic red brick buildings, pointed roofs, and a towering clock tower under the clear sky. — The roof of the Basilica

As a weekend destination, Gdansk was placed on the back burner as I set out to discover ‘Europe’s discovered coastal gems,’ and I kind of forgot about it.

Aerial view of a European city with a historic clock tower and red-roofed buildings under a cloudy sky, reminiscent of a weekend in Gdansk. A bustling street winds through the city center. — View from the Prison Tower

Tourists riding a boat down the canal in Gdansk on a sunny weekend

Fast forward 12 years, and between Sam and I, we had visited most of the destinations easy enough to access for a long weekend. I know, life is difficult right? By now we were running out of places to go for a weekend that either both of us hadn’t already been to, or which didn’t destroy us financially on flights or hotels.

A large commercial ship docked in a gentrified industrial waterfront location in central Gdansk

The Basilica of Gdansk at the end of a sun-dashed cobbled street — The Basilica behind the Royal Chapel

The Armoury of Gdansk on a busy pedestrian cobbled tree-lined street — The Great Armoury

The Balearic Islands were still a place we wanted to visit together, but we were priced out of an early-June weekend.

View of a beach from a wooden deck, with people lounging on orange chairs under white umbrellas and others swimming in the sea on a clear weekend day in Gdansk. — Brzeźno Beach

Finally, we found a cheap after-work flight to Poznan on a Friday night, returning from our Gdansk weekend the following Tuesday night. A £55 round trip with, the-surprisingly-dependable-if-you-know-what-you-are-doing, Ryanair. A sub-£10 train took us from Poznan to Gdansk on the Saturday morning.

An ornate gothic orange painted building facade in Gdanks

The facade of a Gdansk building with intricate black and white gothic paintwork

Getting into Gdansk for a weekend

The trains were modern and efficient, and our three hour journey from Poznan got us to Gdansk station at about 11:30am.

A farmhouse and lush green fields in the Polish countryside on the way to a weekend in Gdansk

If we hadn’t taken the train there were plenty of flights we could have taken direct from London.

Sofia walking with her backpack past Tyskie beer-branded umbrellas and magnificent red-brick buildings

Sofia walking through an archway on to a busy cobbled street in Gdansk

The 15 minute walk to our hotel, Celestin Residence, took us right through the small old town area. We dropped our bags, had a quick refresh, and hit the town on a gloriously sunny day. We paid £48 per night (discounted considerably thanks to a strong Quidco cashback deal) for what was a good three star hotel. The rooms were spacious and including coffee making facilities which is always a bonus. And it was the perfect location from which to base ourselves for our weekend in Gdansk.

A brick building with large windows, a wooden door, and stairs leading to the entrance welcomes you for a weekend in Gdansk. A sign above the door reads Celesria Residence, flanked by two charming lamps. — Celestin Residence Hotel

Exploring Gdansk old town

Within seconds, we were walking along the Długi Pobrzeże – or the Gdansk promenade, which runs alongside the Motława River.

A vintage carousel with ornate decorations at an outdoor park in Gdansk on a sunny weekend day.

A street vendor in Gdansk offers colourful balloons shaped like animals and characters. During the weekend, people gather around, enjoying the lively atmosphere and relaxing in outdoor seating areas under umbrellas.

Across the Ołowianka drawbridge (which raises for 20 minutes at a time to let boats pass through), was a giant GDANSK sign. It was beautiful, hot, and incredibly picturesque.

People with a dog and a bicycle enjoy a leisurely walk across a bridge towards a Ferris wheel on a sunny weekend in Gdansk.

A brick building with arches stands majestically near the waterfront in Gdańsk, Poland, as people leisurely stroll along the promenade, savoring a delightful weekend in Gdańsk.

We crossed the bridge to the other side, which while not as impressive in itself, made for a better view. We took it in over a beer at Kayak Bar before carrying on for a sunny summer stroll through town.

A drawbridge is raised over a river near old brick buildings and trees in Gdansk. The sky is clear and sunny. — Ołowianka Drawbridge

Walking alongside the canal and the marina we spotted our kind of pit stop. Brovarnia Gdańsk was a brewery housed in the Hotel Gdansk. It had seats in the sun over looking the water and the Gdansk skyline, and a lager brewed in-house to accompany.

Two glasses of beer sit on an outdoor table at a café, one prominently displaying Brovarnia Hotel Gdańsk.

The most famous street in Gdansk was stunning indeed. Długa Street is about 500m long and lined entirely with colourful buildings, many of which had intricate details.

A bustling street scene in the historic city of Gdansk, featuring a prominent clock tower and colorful buildings. — Długa Street

People stroll and relax at outdoor cafes in front of colorful, historic buildings under the bright sun of a European city square, capturing the essence of a weekend in Gdansk.

The Green Gate stands at one end, and the Golden Gate at the other. A museum built in an old prison tower lies behind the Golden Gate… more on this later.

People stroll along a cobblestone street in Gdansk, with the large, ornate Green Gate building in the background, flanked by charming cafes with umbrellas. — Green Gate

A bustling street scene captures crowds strolling between vibrant old buildings and lively outdoor cafés under a clear sky at the weekend in Gdansk. — Golden Gate (confusingly with green scaffold netting)

We went to admire Neptune’s fountain from the cushioned patio chairs of Piwnica Rajcow. Here they had both our favourite beer in the city as well as the best view.

On a clear weekend in Gdansk, the Neptune Fountain stands proudly in front of a tall, ornate brick building with a clock tower.

We followed it up with specialty coffee at Ostoja Cafe.

The historic façade of the building housing Ostoja Cafe, with ornate details and pastel colours.

Two cups of coffee, an espresso and a long black, sit in the shade on a sun dappled table.

Then another delicious pilsner in the sun at Labeerynt. They had 15 beers on tap and a patio that caught the sun all afternoon and early evening.

On a sunny weekend in Gdansk, the bustling street scene comes alive with people drinking at outdoor cafes and bars, flanked by historic buildings. Sofia walks past, looking inside.

A tall glass of Svijany beer with a frothy head sits on a wooden outdoor table.

Chalkboard sign on a metal gate reads Dobre Piwo! Good Beer!

Potatoes, meat, and beer

The more Western European tradition of siesta was calling, so we went for a quick nap before dinner. Gdansk Bowke is a traditional Polish restaurant right on the canal. A piece of scaffolding encumbered what would normally have been a beautiful view. Our heavy, meaty mains were served with a side of potatoes and generously seasoned with dill. Towards the end of our meal, a live acoustic guitar player started singing Irish tunes. It was odd.

A busy outdoor terrace on the waterfront as dusk approaches on a clear weekend day in Gdansk.

Plates of ribs, potatoes, schnitzel with egg and other side dishes on a table with beer.

Full of meat, potato, and beer, we headed towards a bar which we discovered was permanently closed. A friendly server across the street recommended Red Light for a drink. Here we had a not-very-Polish Campari spritz and Paloma.

Tables and chairs line the street outside a bar with a neon red sign reading Red Light.

We took another lap around town before winding up at craft beer bar LOFT for a final drink before bed.

The facade of LOFT with a sign reading Piwo I Burgeri

Visiting Gdansk beach

The following day was beach day. Both feeling like sacks of meat and potato, we delayed our departure so Sam could go to the gym and I could go for a run. Once we set off looking for breakfast it turned out to be very difficult to find. Not unlike the rest of Europe, Poland did not seem interested in breakfast. After a run, I was not only interested in breakfast, but I urgently required it. After a few failed attempts to get food at trendy looking spots, we wound up at Bacari. Here all the breakfast dishes were exclusively served on waffles. It wasn’t bad.

A breakfast plate of eggs, bacon, and tomato on top of a waffle is accompanied by a black coffee on a sunny outdoor table.

We hopped in an Uber straight from breakfast to go to Brzeźno Beach. It was maybe a £6 journey straight from the city centre. The beach was absolutely buzzing, full of restaurants and people milling around on a beautifully hot day. The sand was unlike any beach we had walked on before. With each step we sank in so deep that walking short distances felt like a serious workout!

Beach-goes soak up the sunon chairs and towels on a bright clear-skied weekend in Gdansk.

The hotel receptionist told us that by July, chairs and umbrellas were laid out on the beach, but that at the end of June this wasn’t a certainty. Alas, we arrived and there were no umbrellas to be seen. We sat on Martini branded loungers at a beach bar while drinking a couple of beers. After a couple of hours we hopped back into an Uber and went straight for our first taste of a Polish Milk Bar.

Evening in Gdansk

Bar Turystyczny felt like a school cafeteria. You get a tray, request your dishes, stack ‘em up, and pay at the checkout. The milk bars serve no alcohol. The most classic of Polish fare was consumed.

The weathered pastel painted facade of Bar Turystyczny in Gdańsk.

A plate of traditional polish food including cabbage and potato dumpling.

A classic Polish plate of breaded chicken and beetroot.

After a siesta, we went to Pulapka for a couple of craft beers. We had intended to go to Lawendowa 8 across the street as well but it was hosting some kind of private event.

A busy outdoor terrace of Pulapka bar with children playing and adults drinking beer.

In an attempt to mix up the food, we went to a Ukrainian restaurant called Pan Kotowski. Nevertheless we wound up with more of the same winning combo of bread, meat and potatoes.

The red brick facade of Ukrainian restaurant Pan Kotowski, with staff outside chatting in the street.

We headed to cool little dive bar 107 to wash it all down.

Sofia walking up to a building with 107 on the sign. The door is open and blue light streams from it into the warm light of the street.

One final nightcap at Wiśniewski to sample some traditional Polish cherry liqueur (Wiśniówka), and we had an early night.

The ornate door and sign of bar Wisniewski, with red light emanating from the inside.

Two glasses of deep red cherry liqueur sit on the copper bar in the red lit environment of Wisniewski.

Gdansk history

On our final day, our streak of incredible weather ended. Not that it was terrible, but it was no longer gloriously hot and sunny. It was cooler with patches of rain. For breakfast, we went to the market in the centre of town, which was very much a local’s market.

Trays of blueberries and cherries sit front and centre of other produce in a market in Gdansk.

We picked up a (surprisingly expensive) punnet of raspberries from a market stall, and a couple of deep fried, meat filled giant chebureki from a Ukrainian street food trader called Czebureki Krymskie.

An 80's looking van is parked on a cobbled surface selling Polish perogies out of the kitchen in the back.

A large perogie wrapped in paper sits on the counter top ready to be eaten.

People sitting at tables at Cafe Len watch others walk by on the busy street at the weekend in Gdansk.

The server at Cafe Len looks back over his shoulder whilst making a coffee at the espresso machine.

After a quick specialty coffee at Len, we went to the Prison Tower. The visit took us through the history of Gdansk through WWII and its rebuilding following that. It was very interesting and surprising. We would never have guessed how much of the town was destroyed and rebuilt. The view from the top is incredible, overlooking the whole of the old town.

A tall red brick tower, the Prison Tower of Gdansk, stands apart from other buildings in the middle of a courtyard.

Sofia attempts to try on some medieval shackles inside the Gdansk Prison Tower.

Ornate sculptures and art of stone are built into the red brickwork in the inner courtyard of the Gdansk Prison Tower.

At the end of our visit to the tower we were guided through rooms that sought to teach us of the prison tower in medieval times. This tour primarily took us through various torture devices/torturing methods imparted by prison guards to get the truth out of convicts and ‘witches.’ This was equal parts dark, unsettling, and fascinating.

Sofia reads the information on medieval torture methods in the basement of the Gdansk Prison Tower.

An illustration of a gruesome torture chair covered in spikes and restraints.

The end of a weekend in Gdansk

Feeling a bit unsettled we decided it was high time for a beer, especially as it was really raining now. We sought refuge at Balsam, where we had a perfectly poured Pilsner Urquell. It was traditional, quiet, and great value.

Plants and Pilsner Urquell branded umbrellas stand outside the front of Balsam in Gdansk.

A perfectly poured pint of Pilsner with a big frothy head sits on the terrace counter at Balsam.

Across the street at Jozef K, we had less delicious, more expensive pints of Pilsner Urquell in a bumping and unique setting. What an injustice.

Shot from above, a woman reads a menu at the bar.

A quick stop-off at Dobra Pączkarnia for some traditional Polish fruit-filled donuts which had been calling Sam all weekend.

Many types of freshly made Polish donuts in a glass display.

Fueled by several types of refined sugar, we ran across town in the rain to PG4. This was a microbrewery and restaurant housed in a very large space. Had it been a sunny Saturday afternoon as opposed to a rainy Tuesday afternoon, I’m sure this bar would have been lively, but it was pretty quiet. The beers were excellent though, and we tried a few different types of lager.

A couple sit in the sun dappled room of PG4 with a large copper brewing tank behind them.

For the final showdown of our weekend in Gdansk, we finally went to the restaurant next to our hotel called Tawerna Mestwin.

Tables with checkered tablecloths are setup in the cobbled street outside a building with a sign that reads Mestwin Tawerna.

We had passed by many times during the weekend and loved that the interior looked like a living room rather than a restaurant. The staff didn’t speak any English whatsoever.

A noodle soup with chunks of carrot and an oily broth.

Potato dumplings accompanied by a ramekin of pickles.

One soup and a couple of traditional Polish dishes later – you guessed it, meat and potatoes – we ran next door to grab our bags from the hotel, and hopped in a £6 Uber to the airport.

A chicken schnitzel with a gravy topping.

Gdansk for a weekend…

All in all, a Gdansk weekend punches above its weight in terms of value. It’s not a traditional European coastal weekend, but it is steeped in history, beauty, and did we mention how cheap it was?! You might get a bit tired of meat and potatoes after more than a few days, but Gdansk is a perfect weekend city destination during peak travel season when the classics are prohibitively hot and expensive.