Gdansk

[Anubi]

We are starting to plan our day in Gdansk and I'd like to hear from anyone who has been there.  What would you suggest?  Right now, we are looking at taking the cruise line transfer into town or perhaps doing the Malbork Castle tour.  

[gkkapp]

The Malbork Castle tour was excellent.  We did this on a Princess cruise so cannot speak for other cruise lines.  We had a great lunch at a restaurant near the castle, Gosciniec & Hotel nad Wisla .  Roads in Gdansk are VERY busy.  This is one port that I would advise doing a ship's tour as getting back to the ship on time can be a problem.  On our first visit we did a private tour with some other people and cut it really close getting back .   

 

<<<Karen>>>

 

 

 

[Anubi]

Thanks Karen.  Appreciate the information.  There isn't much about Gdansk.  

[PurpleTraveller]

I visited Gdansk in June 2017 when on a Princess cruise. When researching before the cruise I had read that public transport to Gdansk, which is a 45 minute drive from the port at Gydnia, was not easy, was time consuming and taxis were not readily available. Maybe others who have done public transport can report on their experience. My on board time was 3.30pm so to maximise my time in Gdansk I took the Princess "Gdansk on your Own" shore excursion as it was the easiest option for me and relatively inexpensive. When we left the dock there were a number of taxis waiting outside the dock exit but I do not know their price or how difficult it was to find a taxi to return to the ship from Gdansk. We were taken on a drive through the tri-city area of Gydnia, Sopot and on to Gdansk past the Oliwa Cathedral and the home of Lech Walesa (the founder of the Solidarity Movement, winner of the Noble Peace prize and former President of Poland) with a commentary from the guide. 

 

We were dropped off near to the old city centre and had four and a half hours on our own. Gdansk is a lovely city with many beautiful buildings, shops and restaurants. The river front is particularly lovely. I had a wonderful time wandering around the quaint streets, visiting St Marys Church and doing some shopping. 

 

On the way back to the ship we made a quick stop at Monument to the Shipyard Workers. I really enjoyed my visit to Gdansk. 

 

[trosebery]

On our last cruise, I set up a private tour with Nordic Experience and then posted on our Roll Call and quickly filled our tour. I then forwarded the email addresses to Nordic Experience and they invoiced everyone individually so that we were all paid up by credit card before we left. We had no trouble finding our guide and driver, and they got us back on time -- although the traffic was indeed terrible! (Fortunately, minibuses can take some roads to get around the traffic that the big buses can't.)

 

We picked the Stutthof Concentration Camp + Gdansk Highlights Tour, which we appreciated (although the concentration camp was an emotionally difficult visit for many).

 

Others on our Roll Call went on the Malbork Castle + Gdansk Highlights Tour and also enjoyed it. Both are good options (as is just visiting Gdansk itself).

[roothy123]

I enjoyed Gdansk a lot.  I'm into using public transportation and DIY, so that's what I did.  Mostly I just took the little funky commuter train from Gdynia (spelling? it's where you dock) to the old part of Gdansk and walked around.  However, Polish money was needed for the trip, so that may not appeal to most cruisers. But center city is nice, plus there's a historic shipyard, boat cruises, etc. Most of my pictures are here: https://pbase.com/roothy123/baltic_cruise_&page=4

and on the next page (see page numbering at bottom of page).