A Surprising City Break in Gdańsk

We flew out of Newcastle on an early Friday morning flight and landed into Gdańsk ready to make the most of the day. A quick Uber into the city took around 40 minutes to our hotel, the Radisson, right by the riverfront. We dropped our bags and set straight off to explore.

Gdańsk’s Old Town feels like walking into a storybook, with colourful facades, cobbled streets and the river as a constant backdrop. We wandered along the waterfront and through the Old Town, stopping for a lovely lunch at Port Fromage, a little spot right on the riverbank. It was the perfect introduction: relaxed, scenic and so reasonably priced compared to many other European cities.That afternoon we visited the World War II Museum, which we’d read a lot about beforehand. It has a reputation as one of the best war museums in the world, and it really lived up to it. We spent around three hours inside and could easily have stayed longer. It was powerful, moving and quite heavy at times, but so well done, and the building itself is absolutely stunning. Afterwards, we walked back along the waterfront for a drink, then headed to the hotel to check in properly, freshen up and get changed. That evening we strolled back out for dinner and found a lovely Polish restaurant along the river. Sitting out with good food, a drink in hand and the water just beside us was the perfect first night.

On Saturday we decided to see more of the coast and took the train to Sopot. Tickets were about £6.50 for both of us return, bought directly at the station, and the local train took roughly 20 minutes. Once we arrived, we simply followed the crowds down towards the sea and in about five minutes we were standing on the beautiful Baltic coast.Sopot really felt like a little seaside escape: a long promenade, sandy beach, and so many bars and restaurants to choose from. We wandered along the seafront for a while, then found a spot for a drink and decided to stay on for lunch too, eating with a view of the beach and the Baltic in front of us. It was such an easy and worthwhile day trip from the city and I’d absolutely recommend adding it into a Gdańsk break.Later that afternoon we took the train back to Gdańsk, returned to the hotel to freshen up and I even squeezed in some time at the spa.

That evening we went out for a steak dinner and then finished the night with more drinks along the riverfront, just people-watching and soaking up the atmosphere. It was one of those simple travel moments that felt perfect.Our flight home on Sunday morning was another early one, so it was an Uber back to the airport and a smooth journey home, already talking about when we might return.What really stood out about Gdańsk and Sopot was how relaxed and easy everything felt.

The city was spotless and we felt completely safe the entire time. Locals were welcoming, the food and drink were excellent and everything was very reasonably priced, even in the more touristy areas. For a short break, it packed in history, culture, waterfront charm and a seaside escape, all in one.Gdańsk has firmly moved into the list of European city breaks I’ll be recommending most often. It is absolutely beautiful, it offers a slightly different vibe to the usual big-name cities, and it gave us a genuinely fantastic weekend away that far exceeded our expectations.