rgastin Posted May 23, 2012 #1 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Does anyone know what dock the Marina uses in Gdansk? Also, does anyone know if there are shuttles into the town of Gdansk or do we need to take a taxi to the train station and then a train into Gdansk? If we do need to take a train does anyone remember how to do it? Do we need euros? I've searched on the port boards and it's very unclear what we need to do. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmaven Posted May 23, 2012 #2 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Does anyone know what dock the Marina uses in Gdansk? Also, does anyone know if there are shuttles into the town of Gdansk or do we need to take a taxi to the train station and then a train into Gdansk? If we do need to take a train does anyone remember how to do it? Do we need euros? I've searched on the port boards and it's very unclear what we need to do. Thanks in advance! I was in Gdansk on the Regatta. Not sure of the name of the dock. I don't think there was a train. There was a trolley that went by the Solidarity Monument and into town. The trolley was a reasonable walk from the dock. There was a bank on the way to the trolley where we stopped to pick up some of the local currency, the Polish Zioty. There were many cabs right by the ship offering to take you into town. If you elect to take the trolley, be careful of pickpockets. I took the trolley back and forth, if I had it to do over again, I would have taken a cab. Again, this was on the Regatta, one of the smaller R ships, if you're on the Marina or Riviera, they may use a different dock. If you're going to take a cab you may find one that will take euros, if you take the trolley, you'll have to get some Zioty's. O usually has someone from the local tourist bureau on the ship in the morning. They have maps and info on how to get into town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted May 24, 2012 #3 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I will be on Marina (Baltic Treasures) in August going to Gdansk. The Marina docks in Gydnia, which is a town a bit north of Gdansk. If you're on Marina, the following will probably apply. If not, just please ignore my comments! From what I've read, the way to get to Gdansk on your own is to take a cab to the train station in Gydnia (not far, not costly, but should make sure you know the cost before taking the cab). You can take a train to Gdansk from Gydnia pretty easily (they run often) but I don't know if you can use euros. You would want to get off at the Gdansk Glowny station (old town) but after that things get a little fuzzier to me. Here's one one person says about Gdansk: “We walked out of the port gate at Gydnia. It wasn't very far. There were taxis outside the gate. There were four of us and we paid the driver $10 US to take us to the train station. It wasn't far and that was a good fare for the driver. Local flag rates and mileage are pretty low and so this was quite generous. We did not negotiate. We bought return tickets from the train agent for 9zl. The exchange rate now is about 4zl to the US dollar. You must have polish funds. We had brought some from home. There were ticket machines and ATMs but we didn't try to use them. Also the ticket agent didn't speak English. The tickets are not for specific seats or times. The tickets must be validated at the yellow boxes on the train platform before you board the train. Watch the locals. The trains run frequently and the trip takes about 25 minutes. The trains vary in quality. We had a nice one going. Coming back somewhat older and a bit shabby. If you have trouble communicating with the train agent, if there are younger people around some of them may speak some English. Keep your validated ticket until you leave the train you might be asked for it The main train station (Gdańsk Główny) is a ten-minute walk west of the core of the old city – take the pedestrian underpass to get to the tram stops in the middle of Wały Jagiellońskie and to the city centre." Here's something else I found: "Travelling within the urban area is pretty straightforward. A regular commuter train service, Szybka Kolej Miejska (SKM; colloquially known as the Kolejka), runs between Gdańsk Główny (the SKM platforms are immediately north of the mainline platforms), Sopot and Gdynia, with plenty of stops in between, leaving roughly every ten minutes in the middle of the day, with services thinning out to once every hour or so in the early hours. Tickets, which must be validated before you get on the train, can be bought in the passage beneath the main station or at any local station. Total journey time from Gdańsk to Gdynia is 35 minutes. Trams run within all districts of Gdańsk, and trolleybuses in Sopot and Gdynia. Buses operate right across the conurbation – #117, #122 and #143 connect Gdańsk with Sopot, #171 connects Oliwa with Gdynia, while #181 connects Gdynia with Sopot. Maps of Gdańsk available from kiosks and bookshops give all bus and tram routes. Tickets for both trams and buses can be bought from any kiosk, public transport board (ZTM) sales points or from the driver (for exact change only) and must be validated upon entry. A full-fare ticket, valid for fifteen minutes, costs 2zł: punch a 2.80zł ticket for a ride up to 45 minutes and a 4.20zł ticket for one hour of travel (timetables at bus and tram stops tell you how long your journey should take). You can change between buses and trams during the life of your ticket. Alternatively, a 24-hour ticket costs 9.10zł." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgastin Posted May 24, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted May 24, 2012 What date is your cruise? We're on the August 21st one. Thank you for this information. Hopefully I can figure it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted May 24, 2012 #5 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I'm on the cruise before you, departing Copenhagen August 11 and arriving Stockholm on the 21st. At this point, I may just take Oceania's shore excursion to the Nowy Port lighthouse and Westerplatte, since it looks to be a little difficult to get there on my own. The excursion isn't too expensive, either. However, then I'll miss a lot in the old section of Gdansk, which is bothering me a bit. That's why I'm researching a DIY trip. I need to go on the Gdansk public transportation site to look up trams, just in case my husband doesn't want to walk any more than necessary - and especially if we want to go to the lighthouse AND the old town, which is a bit south or Westerplatte (but not too terribly far from the train station.) I'll probably figure out things better by the time we leave, so you may want to post again on this thread in late July or very early August. Maybe I can help you plan a trip on your own, if that's what you want to do. I usually end up getting pretty detailed information, and usually manage pretty well in my DIY pursuits! If we were on the same cruise, we could go together, but obviously we're not! However, if we DO go off on our own, it's possible I could post something here before we get back that might help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgastin Posted May 25, 2012 Author #6 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Many thanks! I'm going to do some more research as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgastin Posted May 25, 2012 Author #7 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Hi roothy123 - I found a lot of great information on http://www.whatsinport.com/gdynia There are links to the public transportation (trains) and I was able to get train schedules as well. Hopefully it will be helpful to you as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted May 25, 2012 #8 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Thanks. That's a great site. Actually, last night I looked at DK Eyewitness' Poland book (from library) and their maps made things pretty clear, at least in terms of what there is to see in Gdansk and where it is. A trip on my own (or with my husband, even better) is looking very doable. Then again, I just looked at the "Panorama" excursion on Marina and it covers a lot more than I remembered, and ends up on Dlug (Long) Street, which is one place I want to check out! Just taking that would cost a lot more but would save time running all around the place on trams, as some of the sights I want to see are a bit spread out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tansy Mews Posted May 27, 2012 #9 Share Posted May 27, 2012 New URL: http://www.whatsinport.com/Gdynia-Gdansk.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pier Posted May 27, 2012 #10 Share Posted May 27, 2012 We hired a taxi with another couple and had a great day. He took us to all the high spots in Gdansk and Sopot. He also watched out for us, warning us not to buy amber because it was plastic. We negotiated a price before we hired him. Also, we made sure he spoke English. At the time we were there, a fellow who spoke excellent English was directing people into cabs for a day of sightseeing. Some of the drivers, however, didn't speak English, which people discovered too late, so you need to be careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberts2005 Posted May 27, 2012 #11 Share Posted May 27, 2012 We hired a taxi with another couple and had a great day. He took us to all the high spots in Gdansk and Sopot. He also watched out for us, warning us not to buy amber because it was plastic. We negotiated a price before we hired him. Also, we made sure he spoke English. At the time we were there, a fellow who spoke excellent English was directing people into cabs for a day of sightseeing. Some of the drivers, however, didn't speak English, which people discovered too late, so you need to be careful. Do you remember the price of the cab? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pier Posted May 27, 2012 #12 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Do you remember the price of the cab? I don't recall. It was several years ago, so the price has probably gone up. It wasn't expensive, especially not since we were splitting the cost with another couple. Try to get off the boat early so you have time to price the cabs. Some will be independent drivers; others will have an "organizer" speaking for them. The important thing is that your driver speaks English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted May 27, 2012 #13 Share Posted May 27, 2012 http://www.inyourpocket.com/data/download/gdansk.pdf I just found the above site, which is current for May/June 2012, and very comprehensive. It explained a lot to me. I don't suggest you print it, however, as it's very long. Gdansk info is presented first, then Gyndia and Sopot, then a few other places near by I didn't recognize. It covers a lot of stuff - highly recommend it, if you're like me, and want a lot of detail about places I'm visiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberts2005 Posted May 28, 2012 #14 Share Posted May 28, 2012 The original poster asked about shuttles. Anyone know if Oceania will provide either a free or pay transfer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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