gdansk eat Archives

09
Apr 24
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Gdańsk Poland Activities 🇵🇱

Explore the rich history and artistic allure of Gdańsk, a captivating port city on Poland’s Baltic coast. There’s plenty to see and do here, from the grandeur of the Oliwa Cathedral, to the the poignant exhibits at the Museum of the Second World War, and brisk strolls through the charming streets.

Find out what to include in an event-packed 4 days in this remarkable city.

Highlights

Our Gdansk Itinerary

Apart from the picturesque old town and excellent eating venues, Gdansk is home to a top-class selection of interactive museums. You’ll need at least 3 days to do justice to these as well as the other Gdansk Poland activities on offer.

Staying at the Liberum hotel in the heart of the old town, we were well-located for visiting the top attractions on our agenda. With 4 full days ahead of us, we were planning to visit the World War 2 Museum, the European Solidarity Center and the Maritime Museum.

Lounging on giant signposts is also an ‘activity’

If there was time, we also had our eyes on a tiny 7D & Virtual Reality kino, and a few pubs to keep us well hydrated.

We wouldn’t have time to get bored.

Museum of the 2nd World War

The Museum of the Second World War is located about a 20-minute walk north-east of the Old Town.

The officially-recommended time required to visit this World War 2 museum is 3 hours. In actual fact you’ll need at least 5 hours (and ideally longer) to absorb most of what the museum has to offer.

Gdansk – The lopsided World War 2 Museum

The reception area is large and spacious, and there are easy-to-follow routes through a series of World War 2 themed areas.

The museum houses a huge collection of photos, artifacts and film footage from the 2nd world war. In addition, there are impressive state-of-the-art audio and visuals. These include interactive screens which allow you to research specific aspects of the war and view photos and documents from a huge digital filing system.

The outside of the building itself is impressive enough, but inside you are treated to a masterpiece of an exhibition which allows you to follow the course of the war in all its different theaters. You travel from the invasion of Poland, through the Battle of Britain, war on the Western and Eastern Fronts, and the war in the Pacific.

Everywhere you look there are photos and film projected onto huge screens. There are also some fascinating life-sized sets that you can walk through, such as the huge set of a bombed-out Berlin Street, complete with a Russian T-34 tank.

The emphasis is as much on the human suffering of the 2nd World War as on the political and tactical aspects. The story of the war is told without bias, sparing no nation from blame for the greatest human tragedy ever recorded.

Everything is beautifully arranged and depicted, and presented with obvious care and attention. The haunting images you see here will stay with you long after you have left Poland.

Blitzkrieg – The Game! … next stop – Paris!

Tickets to the Museum of the Second World War cost 23 zł (€6), but there is free admission on Tuesdays. As with most other museums in the city, it is closed on Mondays.

European Solidarity Centre

The European Solidarity Centre is a museum and library devoted to the history of Solidarność, the Polish trade union and civil resistance movement, and other opposition movements of Communist Eastern Europe.

Gdansk Poland – Solidarność Wall of Messages

This movement was publicized internationally during the seventies and eighties, and ended up making Lech Wałęsa a national hero and eventually President of Poland.

There are some memorable set-pieces in the museum, such as a reconstructed typical Polish-Soviet living room from the era, and the massive red and white Memorial Wall of messages, to which you are invited to contribute.

Tickets to the European Solidarity Centre cost 20 zł (€5). This is one of the few places in Gdansk that is open on Mondays (and the rest of the week apart from Tuesdays).

The Poles seem very keen on constructing buildings with slanting walls

Gdansk Maritime Museum

The Gdansk Maritime Museum actually comprises 4 separate areas: The Granaries on Ołowianka Island, the Soldek ship-museum, the Crane and the Maritime Culture Center. On our visit, we only had time for the Granaries (the main attraction).

Our Granaries tour was quite a pleasant surprise. It starts off very low-key, with an introduction to the earliest recorded boat-building activities in the Baltic.

Gdansk Maritime Museum

However the tour quickly gains pace as you pass from room to room, tracing the history of maritime events and the development of ship-building through Medieval times to the present.

There are a lot of sensor-activated displays which come to life as you wander into proximity. This is a really good way of keeping visitors alert and engaged.

The museum also features interactive set-piece displays, such as the recreation of a cannon deck on an 18th-century galleon. This set includes a full-sized interactive cannon that you can ‘fire’ by lighting a fuse (cleverly adapted with sensors and digital technology).

All great fun!

Tickets to the Granaries cost 11 zł (€3). It is closed on Mondays.

Gdansk Activities – Kino 7D Max

As impressive as they are, a trip to Gdansk doesn’t have to be all about the museums. For a change of tempo we decided to try out something completely different.

The Kino 7D Max is a tiny establishment located close to the Brama Wyżynna Gate. They offer two types of entertainment: Virtual Reality and 7D Cinema.

Kino 7D Max VR Chairs and sets

We first tried the 7D cinema. From a selection of a dozen or so 7D film genres we chose the highly-recommended Pirate romp.

We had the small 12-seat kino to ourselves.

Since this was to be a 7D feet-off-the-ground experience, we were strapped into our seats before donning our 3D glasses. The movie lasted just 12 minutes, although it felt like a lot longer.

We we literally lifted off our feet, shaken and prodded. Wind and water droplets were blown into our faces at synchonized moments.

Thoroughly enjoyable for just 18 zł (€4.50).per person.

Piraci 3D – trailer

Zobacz trailer filmu Piraci 3D! Ta niesamowita przygoda to zupełnie nowe wrażenia w siedniu wymiarach! Oprócz okularów 3D doświadczysz tu dodatkowych efektów takich jak wiatr, zapach, ruchy fotela czy kropelki wody – wszystko dopasowane tak, aby przenieść Cię w tajemniczy świat pirackiego statku!Film dostępny w Kino 7D Max w całej Polsce.

Posted by Piraci 3D on Monday, October 10, 2016

For a truly immersive experience however we returned the following day to try out their Virtual Reality headsets and seats.

This time we donned headphones and VR headsets before being strapped into seats in the front of the kino.

We’d chosen an adaptation of the horror classic Afterlife.

Experience a state-of-the-art Oculus VR headset

The story involves a trip around a demonic lunatic asylum. Again it was just 12 minutes long but this time it really felt real. Hats off to the game designers for some truly horrific thrills … and spills (literally!).

Our Oculus VR experience cost 22 zł (€5.50).per person.

Finally down to the Pub

After a trip to the cinema, there’s nothing like a good pub.

We tried 2 pubs in Gdansk. The Piwnica – a self-styled Irish pub near the Brama Wyżynna and the Bruderschaft pub close to the Liberum hotel.

Gdansk Poland Activities – The Pubs!

Both are cavern-like underground converted bomb shelters with some quite unusual local beers on draft, and often live music.

Mondays in the Old City

On Mondays, apart from the European Solidarity Centre, most of the museums in Gdansk are closed. So on a cold Monday in winter your best bet is to find a cozy bar where you can sample some excellent Polish beers.

Our 4-Day Gdansk Budget

So how did our planned budget of €250 per person measure up after 4 days in Gdansk?

Our actual costs for 2 people sharing worked out as follows:

Return inter-Europe flights to Gdansk	€104
Liberum hotel for 4 nights	€161
Airport Transfers	€3
Restaurants (Breakfasts & Dinners)	€261
Museums (World War 2, European Solidarity Center and Maritime Museum)	€16
Sundries (Kino, Pubs)	€54
	€599

This works out at €300 per person, which is a bit more than we’d budgeted. Bear in mind however that we didn’t scrimp on location or food quality.

Gdansk is a fascinating and historically-rich city to visit, and we wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again.

All Hotel Options in Gdansk

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01
Dec 22
2

Gdańsk Poland Eating Out

Tags : gdansk eat Video

With just 4 days to spend in the historic old town, we did a little preparation to ensure that our Gdansk Poland eating out experiences would be both enjoyable and cost-effective.

From a dozen or so promising candidates we made a shortlist of 5 restaurants and cafes that ticked all our boxes, together with a couple of pubs to refresh ourselves in the afternoons. All of the places we chose are centrally located and easy to reach by foot.

Tasty breakfasts at A La Français

Gdansk Poland Eating Out – the Rekawiczka Restaurant

The Rekawiczka restaurant is located close to the Brama Wyżynna (Upland Gate) – the main entrance into the Old Town. The restaurant is associated with the Liberum hotel, and offers a 15% discount on all food items for guests staying at the hotel.

The <em><strong>Rekawiczka</strong> </em>Restaurant

The Rekawiczka Restaurant

We decided to have our first evening meal at the Rekawiczka.

For starters, we shared a portion of traditional Polish Pierogi (a kind of large ravioli or filled dumpling) served in a cheese sauce with a salmon filling.

This was followed by mains of Duck fillet with green gnocchi, roast apple & red current sauce and beef cheeks with potato, veggies and champignons.

Gdansk Poland eating out at the Rekawiczka Restaurant

Together with a bottle of Chilean red wine and a 15% food discount our bill came to 174 zł (€42).

The food and service was good and the atmosphere very cozy.

Wednesday night in Gdansk seems to be music night. Every Wednesday at the Rekawiczka restaurant they have a pianist who plays classical music while you’re dining: A nice touch.

A few days later we also tried the excellent and varied buffet breakfast at the Rekawiczka. The set price was 35 zł per person, for a total of €17 for two.

Gdansk Poland Eating Out – Cafe Libertas

We had our first breakfast at Cafe Libertas close to the Basilica of St Mary. We sat in the back room of the cafe, which is quite homely, and almost feels like you’re sitting in someone’s living room.

We both opted for the full Libertas breakfast with coffees – I think the picture speaks for itself.

Breakfast at the <em><strong>Libertas Cafe</strong></em>

Breakfast at the Libertas Cafe

We paid 71 zł (€17) for our 2 breakfasts, which is little more expensive than both the Rekawiczka and A La Français. However, we liked it so much we had breakfast here twice.

They serve breakfast until around 2 pm, so you don’t need to hurry to get there early!

Gdansk Poland Eating Out – Restaurant Literacka

Before coming to Gdansk we had already decided to spend one night splurging out on a posh restaurant. The place we chose was a more up-market restaurant and wine bar called Literacka (‘Literary’).

In addition to the fine dining, the main attraction of Literacka was the game meat on offer – including deer and wild boar. The restaurant is located in Gdansk old town.

Gdansk Poland eating out – Baltic Herring tartare

Apart from one other couple, we had the place to ourselves. For starters we took the Baltic Herring tartare and the Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio.

For mains we ordered the Wild Boar tenderloin, served with creamy rosemary-mustard sauce, potatoes, roasted cauliflower puree and forest mushroom fricassee and the Saddle of Venison with cherry sauce, cauliflower puree, vegetables and parma ham crisp.

With so much temptation on the plates, we shared all our dishes. The food was impeccably presented and well cooked.

Wild Boar at Literacka – Are you game?

Together with a bottle of red wine our bill at Literacka came to 345 zł (€83). Although this was the most expensive meal we had in Gdansk it was about the same price we would pay for a standard steak restaurant back home.

Gdansk Poland Drinking Out – The Pubs!

You can’t visit Poland without sampling their home ales.

The Piwnica is a self-styled Irish pub located down a narrow alleyway right next to the Brama Wyżynna. From an outside entrance that resembles a small toilet block you descend down a flight of stairs to a Beatles-style brickwork cavern.

The Piwnica Irish pub: It’s a bit like Dr Who’s Tardis

It’s a very snug place on a cold night, and we had a couple of rounds of drinks for 2 for 64 zł (€16).

The other alehouse we tried was the Bruderschaft pub close to the Liberum hotel.

This is another cavern-like underground converted bomb shelter, with some quite unusual local beers on draft. They often have live music here, and the atmosphere is warm and friendly. We paid 71 zł (€18) for a couple of rounds.

Gdansk Poland drinking out – the Bruderschaft pub

Gdansk Poland Eating Out – A La Français

Our third breakfast venue was A La Français, located across the bridge and on the island between two arms of the Motlawa river.

We came here specifically for their seafood breakfast and an original Croque Monsieur. It was late morning when we arrived so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. We paid 57 zł (€14) for our very tasty breakfast.

Note that they are closed on Mondays.

A La Français

Gdansk Poland Eating Out – Pueblo

Pueblo’s is a Mexican restaurant close to the center of the old town. It’s a bright and colorful place with good food at very reasonable prices. It’s quite big inside so suitable for groups, or for just dropping in without a reservation.

Pueblo’s Restaurant

We paid 123 zł (€30) for a couple of main dishes – including a large sea bream – and a bottle of wine. Well recommended.

Luckily enough, we included plenty of walking around during our 4 days in Gdansk so were able to march off most of the calories.

The Libertas Cafe

Many of Gdansk’s main attractions such as the World War 2 Museum, the European Solidarity Center and the Maritime Museum are within easy walking distance, the furthest away being the Solidarity Center (around 20 minutes from the old town).

All Hotel Options in Gdansk

If you enjoyed Gdansk Poland Eating Out, Agness from Etramping has a really useful article on things to do in this beautiful city. You may also like:

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Apr 24

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