🇵🇱Poland · Places to discover
What to see in Gdańsk?
23 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Landmarks & heritage
6 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Żuraw — Medieval Crane of Gdańsk
A 15th-century port crane and the ultimate symbol of Gdańsk's Hanseatic mercantile prowess. The interior, featuring its wooden paddle wheels, is utterly absorbing, and the views across the Motława River are worth the visit alone.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Artus Court — Dwór Artusa
A 15th-century merchants' exchange, now a museum housing a monumental 12-metre-high Renaissance stove. The interior is breathtaking, yet many pass by without stepping inside — a genuine mistake.
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Długa Street and Długi Targ
Gdańsk's royal thoroughfare, lined with colourful reconstructed bourgeois façades from the post-war era. The historical heart of the city, best explored early in the morning before the crowds arrive, to capture its true atmosphere.
4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Westerplatte
The peninsula where the first shots of the Second World War rang out on 1 September 1939. The monument to its defenders and the barracks ruins evoke a rare and profound sense of remembrance.
5Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Grand Armoury — Wielka Zbrojownia
A 17th-century Flemish Renaissance building and one of Poland's finest examples of Mannerist architecture. Its sculpted façade, adorned with military trophies, is a masterpiece frequently photographed but rarely explored from within.
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Landmark
Landmark
Golden Gate — Złota Brama
A masterpiece of Flemish Mannerism erected in 1614, serving as the ceremonial entrance to the Royal Way. The allegorical sculptures adorning both façades represent the civic virtues of the Gdańsk Republic.
Museums
3 places
7Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Museum
European Solidarity Centre — ECS
An exceptional museum chronicling the origins of the Solidarność movement and communism's collapse across Europe. Built on the very site of the Shipyard, it tells the story with an emotionally rare and powerful scenography.
8Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0Museum
Museum of the Second World War
One of Europe's most impressive museums dedicated to the global conflict, with bold architecture and unflinching narrative. Allow at least three hours to do justice to its essential collections.
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Museum
Museum
Amber Museum — Muzeum Bursztynu
Housed in the 17th-century Grand Armoury, this museum traces the story of Baltic gold through extraordinary specimens. Gdańsk is the world capital of amber—this is the place to understand why.
Religious sites
2 places
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Oliwa Cathedral — Katedra Oliwska
Cistercian cathedral with a soaring Baroque façade and a monumental organ of 7,876 pipes. Regular organ concerts here are an extraordinary acoustic experience.
11Wikimedia CommonsReligious site
Basilica of St Mary, Gdańsk
The world's largest brick church, capable of accommodating 25,000 worshippers. Climb the 405 steps of the bell tower for unobstructed views across the red-tiled roofs of the old town and the Baltic Sea beyond.
Nature
1 place
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5Nature
Ołowianka Island
Island on the Motława River housing the National Maritime Museum and the Sołdek museum ship. The waterfront promenade at sunset, with the Old Town façades across the water, is a magical moment.
Parks & gardens
2 places
13Wikimedia CommonsPark
Trójmiejski Forest — Trójmiejski Landscape Park
A 20,000-hectare forest massif stretching between Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot — an exceptional green lung accessible by tram. Ridge-top trails offer sweeping views across Gdańsk Bay.
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Park
Park
Oliwski Park
Baroque park from the 17th century lined with century-old hornbeam trees, set against Oliwa Cathedral. A tranquil haven where Gdańsk residents come to picnic far from tourist crowds.
Viewpoints
3 places
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Viewpoint
Motława Waterfront Promenade
Along the inner canal between the Crane and Green Bridge, Hanseatic warehouse façades reflect in the water to create an unmatchable tableau. Come evening, golden lights make it one of northern Europe's finest waterfronts.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Nowy Port Lighthouse
A striking red 19th-century lighthouse at the entrance to Gdańsk's port, in an authentically working-class neighbourhood. The views of cargo ships entering the harbour and distant Westerplatte are breathtaking.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
View from Gradowa Hill — Góra Gradowa
Fortified hillock overlooking the Old Town, with 17th-century bastions and panoramic views across Gdańsk's rooftops and shipyards. Reachable on foot from the centre, it's often overlooked by visitors.
Activities
3 places
18Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Gdańsk Shipyard — Stocznia Gdańska
Birthplace of the Solidarity movement, this working shipyard has been transformed into galleries, studios and cultural spaces. Gate No. 2, with its commemorative crosses, remains a powerful place of remembrance.
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Activity
Activity
Motława and Canal Cruises
Small electric boats offering tours through Gdańsk's network of interior waterways, viewed from the water. A completely fresh perspective on historic warehouses and bridges, cherished by locals.
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Activity
Activity
Hala Targowa Market
A grand 19th-century covered market where local greengrocers, cheese-mongers and charcuterie vendors hawk their wares each morning. The best place to buy raw amber, pickled gherkins and rye bread.
Beaches
2 places
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Beach
Beach
Stogi Beach
A long, unspoilt stretch south of Brzeźno, bordered by dunes and pine trees, popular with local families. Less developed than tourist beaches, it retains an authentic character.
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Beach
Beach
Brzeźno Beach
The fine-sand beach favoured by locals, less crowded than Sopot and featuring a handsome wooden pier. Perfect for a Baltic swim with container ships visible on the horizon.
More to discover
1 place
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Place
Place
Lower Town District
A neighbourhood undergoing artistic renaissance, with converted warehouses housing studios and galleries. Far quieter than the old town, it pulses with the contemporary creative energy of modern Gdańsk.
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