Gdansk in 3 days

Morning

• The Royal Way and Golden Gate45 min

  Start at the Golden Gate and walk the Royal Way down Long Street with the morning sun behind you, the old royal route into the city. Take it slowly at twenty minutes and enjoy the run of gabled merchant houses before the crowds build.

  TipThe processional Royal Way runs through the Upland Gate and the Golden Gate, down Long Street and the Long Market to the Green Gate on the river, the route Polish kings once took into the city. It is free and best walked end to end in about twenty minutes; start at the Golden Gate end in the morning with the sun behind you for the cleanest photos down the whole run of gabled houses.

• The Long Market (Dlugi Targ)45 min

  Move into the Long Market for Neptune's Fountain, Artus Court and the Golden House while the square is still quiet. Photograph the facades early, and pick your lunch spot a block back from the highest-priced terraces on the market itself.

  TipThis grand pedestrian square runs between the Golden Gate and the Green Gate, past Neptune's Fountain, Artus Court and the ornate Golden House, and it is free and always open. Come at around 8am for photos of the empty gabled facades before the tour groups and the amber sellers set up, and skip the terrace cafes here, which charge the highest prices in the city; eat a block back instead.

• St Mary's Church1h15

  Climb the tower of St Mary's, the largest brick church in the world, on a clear morning for the view over the red roofs and the Motlawa. Pay the few zloty at the door, brace for around 400 steps, and see the astronomical clock in the nave below.

  TipThe largest brick church in the world holds a 15th-century astronomical clock and a tower you can climb. Entry to the nave is free with a small suggested donation, but the tower charges a few zloty and means around 400 steps up a tight spiral, so go early on a clear day for the view over the red roofs; it is a working church, so dress modestly and avoid Sunday services.

Afternoon

• Pierogi and Milk Bars1h

  Break for cheap pierogi at a milk bar off the Long Market, freshest and busiest at midday, paid upfront canteen-style. Try the ruskie with potato and cheese before an easy afternoon around the amber lanes and the water.

  TipPolish pierogi dumplings, hearty plates at a bar mleczny (milk bar) and the local Goldwasser gold-flake liqueur are the cheap eats to try. Milk bars are canteen-style, cash-friendly and cheapest at lunch when the turnover is fast and the food freshest; expect to queue and pay upfront, and try the ruskie pierogi with potato and cheese, and a shot of Goldwasser, the drink invented here in 1598.

• Mariacka Street1h

  Amble down Mariacka, the amber lane of terraced porches, gargoyle spouts and lanterns, from St Mary's to the river. Browse at leisure, but ask for a certificate before you buy, as imitation amber is common on the cheapest stalls.

  TipThis is the amber-shop lane, a run of terraced stone porches (przedproza), gargoyle rainspouts and lanterns from St Mary's down to the river gate. The shops open from about 10am and stay busy in summer; if you buy amber, check for a certificate of authenticity and haggle a little, as plastic imitations are common on the cheapest stalls.

• The Crane (Zuraw)1h

  End at the medieval Crane on the Motlawa, the symbol of the city and part of the Maritime Museum, and look inside at the huge treadwheels. It shuts Mondays out of season, so check ahead, or simply photograph it from the bank.

  TipThe huge medieval port crane on the Motlawa is the emblem of the city and part of the National Maritime Museum, once used to lift cargo and step ships' masts. It closes on Mondays out of season, and the ticket lets you inside to see the giant treadwheels; if you only want the photo, shoot it from Granary Island across the river in the late afternoon light.

Evening

• The Motlawa Riverfront1h30

  Walk the Dlugie Pobrzeze promenade in the evening light, past the old water gates and the boats, with Granary Island glowing opposite. Cross the footbridge for the classic view back at the gabled waterfront, then find dinner a little off the main square.

  TipThe Dlugie Pobrzeze promenade lines the river with old water gates, moored boats and terraces, with Granary Island opposite and the crane halfway along. It is free and open all day; from the jetties here you can catch a boat to Westerplatte or a short pleasure cruise, so check the timetable board in the morning, as departures thin out sharply after September.

Morning

• European Solidarity Centre2h30

  Give the whole morning to the European Solidarity Centre at the shipyard, arriving early to beat the groups and taking at least two hours with the audioguide. It tells the story of Solidarity and the fall of communism, and it closes Tuesdays out of season.

  TipThis rust-clad museum at the old shipyard gate tells the story of Solidarity, Lech Walesa and the fall of communism across seven strong exhibition halls. Allow at least two hours, buy the audioguide, and come on a weekday morning to beat the school groups; it closes on Tuesdays out of season, and the free rooftop terrace and the shipyard gate with its memorial are worth the extra ten minutes.

Afternoon

• Museum of the Second World War2h30

  After lunch, spend two to three hours in the Museum of the Second World War on the conflict that began beside Gdansk. It closes Mondays and is free but crowded one day a week, usually Tuesday, so leave time before the last tickets go a couple of hours ahead of closing.

  TipThis vast modern museum sits mostly underground on the war that began beside Gdansk, and the main exhibition is huge, so plan two to three hours. Entry is free on one day a week, usually Tuesday, when it is busiest, and it closes on Mondays; start early, as the last tickets go a couple of hours before closing and the queue builds by midday in summer.

• The Amber Museum1h

  Round off in the Old Town at the Amber Museum in the medieval Great Mill, on the Baltic gold, the insects trapped in it and the craft of working it. It closes Mondays, takes about an hour, and sits a few minutes from the Solidarity Centre.

  TipThe museum of Baltic amber, the Gdansk gold, occupies the huge medieval Great Mill in the Old Town and covers how the resin forms, the trapped insects inside it and the craft of working it. It closes on Mondays; buy the ticket at the door, allow about an hour, and it pairs neatly with a walk over to the Solidarity Centre a few minutes north.

Evening

• Pierogi and Milk Bars1h30

  Have a relaxed Polish dinner in the old town, pierogi and hearty plates, with a shot of Goldwasser, the gold-flake liqueur made in Gdansk since 1598. Keep it early if you want a full day up the coast tomorrow.

  TipPolish pierogi dumplings, hearty plates at a bar mleczny (milk bar) and the local Goldwasser gold-flake liqueur are the cheap eats to try. Milk bars are canteen-style, cash-friendly and cheapest at lunch when the turnover is fast and the food freshest; expect to queue and pay upfront, and try the ruskie pierogi with potato and cheese, and a shot of Goldwasser, the drink invented here in 1598.

Morning

• Sopot Pier and Beach2h30

  Take the SKM train about twenty minutes to Sopot and walk the longest wooden pier in Europe out over the Baltic, with the sandy beach and Monte Cassino street behind. The pier charges a small fee in summer and is free out of season, and a clear morning gives the best sea light.

  TipThe longest wooden pier in Europe reaches out into the Baltic at the resort next door, with the sandy beach and the bar-lined Monte Cassino street behind it. Walking the pier charges a small fee in summer and is free out of season; take the SKM train to Sopot, about twenty minutes from Gdansk Glowny, and go on a clear afternoon for the sea light and the lighthouse view.

Afternoon

• Oliwa Cathedral1h30

  On the way back, stop at Oliwa (SKM to Gdansk Oliwa, then a ten-minute walk through the park) for the Gothic cathedral and its huge Baroque organ of over 7,000 pipes. Entry is free, but time it for one of the short organ recitals, several a day in summer, so check the posted schedule.

  TipThe Gothic cathedral in leafy Oliwa, north of the centre, is famous for its enormous Baroque organ of over 7,000 pipes. Entry is free, but the draw is the short organ recital, held several times a day in summer and less often in winter, so check the posted schedule at the door; take the SKM train to Gdansk Oliwa and walk about ten minutes through the park.

Evening

• The Motlawa Riverfront1h

  Back in Gdansk, take a short pleasure cruise on the Motlawa from the riverfront jetties for a last look at the crane and the gabled waterfront from the water. Check the timetable board, as departures thin out after September.

  TipThe Dlugie Pobrzeze promenade lines the river with old water gates, moored boats and terraces, with Granary Island opposite and the crane halfway along. It is free and open all day; from the jetties here you can catch a boat to Westerplatte or a short pleasure cruise, so check the timetable board in the morning, as departures thin out sharply after September.

• 1h30

  For a final dinner, stay on the riverfront or cross to Granary Island for the view back, and toast the trip with a Goldwasser. If tomorrow is an early flight, remember the airport is about 12km west, roughly 35 minutes by PKM/SKM train from Gdansk Glowny for around 5 to 6 zloty.