Chai Cruise Enthusiast#18 Posted January 29, 2013 #1 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Does anyone have recommendations on highlights to see in Gdansk? Would you recommend taking a tour or going on your own? Bonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted January 29, 2013 #2 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Does anyone have recommendations on highlights to see in Gdansk? Would you recommend taking a tour or going on your own? Bonnie Gdansk has a wonderful VERY WALK-ABLE Town Center, and a very pretty waterfront. That said, a great deal of the City was destroyed in the Second World War, so much of what you are looking at in town are replicas. Malbork Castle was also damaged in the War, but enough of the original bricks and mortar remain, so that the storybook quality endures, and it's position as a Bastion of the Knights Templar make it a once in a lifetime destination. Tours are readily available from Gdansk, don't miss it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanny18 Posted January 29, 2013 #3 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Does anyone have recommendations on highlights to see in Gdansk? Would you recommend taking a tour or going on your own? Bonnie We were just in Gdansk, and Jim and Stan have given you wonderful pictures of the walkable old town. And around the corner from the Church, is the amber street!! Also, if you are interested, about an hour's ride from Gdansk, is the site of the first concentration camp in - Stuthoff. A truly interesting and historic place to visit. For that you will need a guide. Arlene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredFL Posted January 29, 2013 #4 Share Posted January 29, 2013 We did the ship's tour and found it good with some free time to wander about and visit the thousands of amber stalls. Others used a taxi to just go into town and had no problems. The Port is a distance, perhaps 5-7 miles(?), from the town so it is not walkable. Oceania did not do shuttles when we were there, perhaps that has changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted January 29, 2013 #5 Share Posted January 29, 2013 You will need some sort of transportation into town...but you can easily visit on your own... Based on our experiences with ship's tours in Gdansk, we may never do another one of those...not in Gdansk... Our first visit to Gdansk, we did a ship's tour...I still crack up my family (and others) with my impression of our guide, Stanislav: (with thick accent) "In front of us, we are seeing what we call it the Green Gate. It is call it the Green Gate because it is a gate and it is green. We are now walking over it what we are calling it the Green Bridge. It is calling it the Green Bridge because it is a bridge and it is green. Also it is leading it to the Green Gate. We will now visiting this shop for you to buy amber. This is the only shop in Gdansk in which to buy it the amber. Tell them you are knowing me, Stanislav, and you are getting the best deal. Do not buy the amber any place else. We will have an hour here to shop."... Yup, that was the first hour and a half of our tour: We are here...go shopping at my buddy's store...see you in an hour... We thought that was bad...until our next visit to Gdansk... We figured, different guide, different, hopefully better tour. Nope. Could it get worse? YES... This time, after the bus ride into town, we get off the bus and cross the bridge and our guide--who is refusing to hold up her sign because her arm hurts...and is equipped with a loudspeaker system but doesn't use it because the batteries seem to be out...announces we will stop for a restroom break...The restrooms are down the stairs, to the left... Great...now remember, there are about 30-35 people on this shorex, over half of them are women...You know what happens when 20 women all descend on a small bathroom with only two stalls? Well, about two or three minutes later, the guide announces..."Okay, let's continue" and starts walking hurriedly down the waterfront...Men are pleading with her "WAIT! My wife is still down in the ladies room"...Her response: "She'll catch up with us"...Clearly, she's moving too fast...I ask her to slow down or stop, that my wife will never find us (the town is CROWDED)...Her response: "Well, then, she can meet us at the bus!"... I am forced to leave the tour to go back and find my wife...to little avail...she has now departed the restroom and, with no idea where we are, starts to look for us--likely going in the wrong direction (my wife has a very poor sense of direction)...she also does not have her cell phone with her, nor does she have any money...and she speaks no Polish, of course...But, she is looking all over Gdansk for our tour...or for any tour from the ship--and she finds a few--where the guides actually are holding up the signs..."Do you know where 'Tour #3' is?" No...none of them even have any way of contacting each other... Meanwhile, I am running around Gdansk (luckily, I have a great sense of direction and a great memory...and having been there once before, I know my way around)...I'm also looking for other tour groups, hoping she may have just stayed with one of them...but no luck--it's not the way my wife's brain works...she is desperate to find me...and thinks I am still with the tour group... I finally, after a couple of hours of frantically running around, decide to camp out in one place--the steps of the City Hall...which are elevated to give a very good view of one of the main streets...from which I just continually scan the passing crowd...After about a half an hour, I spot my wife, thankfully, console her (she is freightened and panicked) and take her back to the bus meeting point... When we get there, we meet up with several others on our tour who had similar but varied experiences...By the time the guide arrives back to the bus location, she has ONLY SEVEN of the original tour participants still with her...she could not care less! Easily, the worst tour we've ever had anyplace!! And the best argument against using ship's shorexes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted January 29, 2013 #6 Share Posted January 29, 2013 The Port is a distance, perhaps 5-7 miles(?), from the town so it is not walkable. You're right, I was saying that the TOWN was flat and walkable, not the distance from the dock. Another factor is that Cruise Ships bound for Gdansk are sometimes diverted to Gdynia (our last cruise was), as they are within 20KM of one another, and that would change the mix yet again. Both ports are charming, and surprisingly immaculate. One of the highlights of the Baltic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredFL Posted January 29, 2013 #7 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Wasn't questioning your statement, just making an observation as many people seem to assume the ship always docks right in town. Guess we lucked out as our guide was good and we had the option of spending an hour in an amber shop or out in town. Most chose the town. As with any port it pays to do your homework so you know what you are looking at even if the guide does not.:mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChatKat in Ca. Posted January 29, 2013 #8 Share Posted January 29, 2013 We used a private tour from a recommendation on the board here. We went to Sopat, the Amber Street and main street and to the Concert in the Church at Sopat. We had a great day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findacruise Posted January 29, 2013 #9 Share Posted January 29, 2013 When we were there we did do a ship's tour that went to Stuthoff and then gave us some free time in town. The concentration camp tour was worth it. We had an excellent guide. When we got to town she gave us a tour, oriented us to the town, showed us the restrooms, the shops and gave us a meeting time and place. She also gave us the option of staying with her if someone didn't want to roam around. We really enjoyed our time there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molliem Posted January 30, 2013 #10 Share Posted January 30, 2013 We were there last year and had a wonderful private tour which we set up for 10 cruisers. Plenty of sites in old town area etc. Interested, we could provide a copy of our tour details and operator. Everyone had a great tour. Contact mowryltd@gmail for assistance. Elwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warburg Posted January 30, 2013 #11 Share Posted January 30, 2013 We have visited Gdansk several times. We always take a driver from Gydinya(? spelling) where the ship docks. The driver waits, and we have a great time. If you like amber, one of the very best shops anywhere is just opposite the church where Pope John was Archbishop. Safe? Yes. We never had the slightest problem. In fact, we have eaten in the same restaurant every time. And very good, too. We can't recommend it because we just know how to find it. Ask the crew. They know good places. Check out the public market. Good items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted January 30, 2013 #12 Share Posted January 30, 2013 We used the Gdansk section of the most recent edition of Rick Steves' Eastern Europe guidebook for our wonderful day in Gdansk in June 2011. We took the Marina shuttle bus to downtown Gydnia, then a brief walk to the train station to catch one of the numerous commuter trains for the short ride from Gydnia to Gdansk, where the train station is just across the street from the historic area, much of which indeed has been reconstructed since World War II depredations. What really helps using his information is that he always includes useful public transportation information as well as great walking tours and tours of specific sites. We then joined tours at certain historic places there offered by those running those sites. Of course, we highly recommend a private tour for your time in St. Petersburg and also is you plan to visit Berlin from Warnemunde. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tansy Mews Posted January 30, 2013 #13 Share Posted January 30, 2013 We didn't take a tour but we did have a small amount of local currency. There was a free port shuttle to Gdynia and then we walked to the train station. Cheap 30-40 minute ride on the commuter train. Look for the SKM window in the train station. The trains can be crowded though. Gdansk is filled with beautiful gabled houses, squares and public buildings, mostly rebuilt as original after WW2. We had a quick lunch of soup at a “milk bar” - Bar Neptun, (at the middle of ul. Długa (Long Street). My hot borscht had a hard boiled egg in it and cost less than $1.50. Lots to see, including the Solidarity museum, more than you have time for! Richard wanted to see the medieval crane on the port - a huge wooden structure designed to lift heavy loads by human power in a wooden wheel, like a giant hamster wheel. We wandered down some pretty back streets where sellers of amber were everywhere. We really enjoyed the lively and beautiful streets of Gdansk and would like to spend more time there. It was a real surprise to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin81 Posted January 30, 2013 #14 Share Posted January 30, 2013 We did a private tour with a group we assembled on the roll call. We first went to Stutthof, which was a very memorable site. Then we drove back to the city of Gdansk (it was a pretty far drive I recall) and the guide showed us around the city and St. Mary's Church -- very beautiful. We had a little free time to walk around, but no one was too interested in shopping, so we then drove to the Solidarity Monument. We drove through Sopat on the way back to the ship -- pretty seaside town. I think there was a very similar ship's tour; we had 12 in a minivan for about half the price and were able to adjust the day as we wanted (no time wasted in a store). The concentration camp was one of the most memorable parts of the cruise -- I hadn't had the opportunity to visit one before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smbruner Posted January 30, 2013 #15 Share Posted January 30, 2013 We were there June 2012 and I booked a private tour with Tours by Locals. I booked it early and it was very reasonable. We were picked up at the ship (just the 2 of us) and driven to the Concentration Camp for an overview of the camp and then back to Gdansk for a walking tour of the quaint town. Very nice day. Check out Tours by Locals for your dates, you won't be sorry. Hope this helps. Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roothy123 Posted January 31, 2013 #16 Share Posted January 31, 2013 We didn't take a tour but we did have a small amount of local currency. There was a free port shuttle to Gdynia and then we walked to the train station. Cheap 30-40 minute ride on the commuter train. Look for the SKM window in the train station. The trains can be crowded though. Gdansk is filled with beautiful gabled houses, squares and public buildings, mostly rebuilt as original after WW2. We had a quick lunch of soup at a “milk bar” - Bar Neptun, (at the middle of ul. Długa (Long Street). My hot borscht had a hard boiled egg in it and cost less than $1.50. Lots to see, including the Solidarity museum, more than you have time for! Richard wanted to see the medieval crane on the port - a huge wooden structure designed to lift heavy loads by human power in a wooden wheel, like a giant hamster wheel. We wandered down some pretty back streets where sellers of amber were everywhere. We really enjoyed the lively and beautiful streets of Gdansk and would like to spend more time there. It was a real surprise to us. I did something similar, with the train and all. (I did not go to the museum, however, but instead took the Zegluga boat to see the lighthouse and WWII sites.) Loved Gdansk and the whole Baltic itinerary. Getting to Gdansk via the train was a bit tricky, and not for everyone, but I had a great time being a pioneer. We were on Marina and docked in Gdynia. There was a shuttle from the port to downtown Gdynia. There was also a public bus, but I just took the shuttle. I believe I replied to you on another post about Gdansk, so if you pull that up, you'll see my offer to give you info on the train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bornfreenowexpensive Posted January 31, 2013 #17 Share Posted January 31, 2013 http://www.private-guides.com/guide-in-poland/poland-gdansk-tours/index.php Our small group used Andrew F. for a private tour and we were very pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chai Cruise Enthusiast#18 Posted January 31, 2013 Author #18 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Have you ever considered stand-up comedy? I started laughing when I read your posting. It's a good thing that you have a sense of humor. My fellow passengers on my Mediterranean cruise on Oceania's Insignia in October, 2011 joined together for most of our tours. I signed on for a tour of our last stop in Marseilles because it was raining. I was disappointed with the large bus and how impersonal the tour was compared to the experience that we had when we arranged for our own small groups. I am so impressed with how helpful everyone has been in this thread. Bonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chai Cruise Enthusiast#18 Posted January 31, 2013 Author #19 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I LOVE researching destinations with Rick Steve's books. I have several books of his, Germany, St. Petersburg, and Scandinavia as well as a DVD that I took out from the library. His information on Spain and Mediterranean cruise ports was outstanding. I will check out his book on Eastern Europe. Thank you for the recommendation. Bonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulfromontario Posted January 31, 2013 #20 Share Posted January 31, 2013 http://www.private-guides.com/guide-in-poland/poland-gdansk-tours/index.php Our small group used Andrew F. for a private tour and we were very pleased. We also used Andrew on our Cruise in September 2012. We toured Gdansk and Stuttoff. Excellent tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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