Gdansk Shore Excursion

At the port there were lots of cabs and we easily booked an Uber. Our driver spoke English and taught us a few things about cabs in Poland. He said he rarely logged in to Uber because the company takes 50% of the fare. He recommended we use Bolt in the future, as it was more popular with drivers since they got to keep more of the similar priced fare themselves. The fare for the 35 minute ride to Gdansk was only about $30 US plus tip. The driver said a regular cab to Gdansk would cost about twice as much.

Gdansk Shore Excursion – Main Station to Old Town

We booked the cab to the main station in Gdansk instead of the Old Town as I wanted to wander through the churches and amazing architecture on the way to the Old Town. From the station, we crossed through the pedestrian tunnel and were quickly enjoying views of St Joseph’s, Gdańsk Old City Hall, the Bridge of Love, the Amber Museum, St Chatherine’s, the Jacek Tower and the Great Armoury. When we approached a gigantic church, I realized I’d wandered off my planned route to St Mary’s, so we checked out the interior. We opted not to climb the wooden stairs to the viewpoint on top of the church where all the Instagrammers congregate for selfies.

Gdansk Shore Excursion – the Gorgeous Old Town

Our route so far was filled with fabulous looking buildings, but as we began walking down the main Long Street toward the riverfront, we were blown away. As we passed the Main Town Hall and Neptune’s Fountain at Long Market Square, the sun came out to make the views even better.

Next we passed through the Green Gate and over the Green Bridge to the Motlawa River Embankment for a better view of all the buildings in the harbor. We stopped here for pastries, lattes and a relaxed moment with a fabulous view as the Black Pearl sailing ship returned from a tourist cruise. After our coffee, the swinging bridge across the harbor was extended and we crossed to walk through the Holy Spirit Gate and then through St Mary’s Gate.

Long Street & St Bridget’s

We were so enamored with the Gdansk Old Town that we had to make a second trip past Netptune’s Fountain on Long Street. We exited the Old Town through the Golden Gate and admired the unique architecture around the Prison Tower, the Millenium Tree and the Straw Tower. Then it was time to visit a couple churches that were closed earlier on our self guided tour.

My wife really enjoyed the Basilica of St. Nicholas. The church seemed closed, but often in Europe you simply pull on the closed door and enter, so that’s what we did. The church was under renovation with only a few visitors present. The sculptures and pictures made a very imposing impression.

Then we carried on the Basilica of St. Bridget, which was finally open. I surprised my partner here, as she was unaware that the altar at the Basilica of St. Bridget was made entirely of amber. In the center of the glowing golden amber alter, you then found a Black Madonna and Child. We commented how ironic it seemed to us both that this exceptional church would cost only a few dollars and be skipped by regular tourists, while the Rock Church in Helsinki was plain, expensive and inundated with tourists. Well done St Bridget’s.

Sopot Visit – Uber Makes it Easy

Our Gdansk Shore Excursion was now complete, but we decided to add on a visit to Sopot on the way back to the cruise ship. We had the option to catch the train at the Gdansk Main Station or try an Uber. A few minutes later we were in our cab. Uber is perfect for countries where you don’t speak the language and drivers don’t speak English. I simply put the exact destination I wanted in the app, showed the driver the confirmation code when I got in the Uber and gave him a tip on the app when we got out. No need for any Polish or English, no need for local currency and no worry about whether the route is correct, because the entire journey shows on the app. Too perfect.

Sopot Visit – Cassino Street, Sopot Pier

Our Uber dropped us at the upper end of Bohaterów Monte Cassino Street and we walked down this pedestrian-only avenue for about 10 minutes to reach the pier. Along the way we saw the Krzywy Domek crooked building, the Spa House, the lighthouse and the main square. We then paid a small fee to walk out on the gigantic pier. The beach was extensive on both sides of the pier. At this point we were exhausted. We easily caught another Uber very close to the pier and returned to our cruise ship. This had been a perfect way to see Gdansk and Sopot, plus our streak of at least an hour of sunshine at each Baltic port had now been pleasantly extended to 7 ports!

Gdansk Walking Tour