Only around 300,000 foreign tourists visit Gdansk on Poland’s Baltic coast every year – compare that to the nine million visitors who descend upon Brugge every year.
It’s a huge pity; the city boasts a magnificent old town with some stunning Mannerist architecture and a number of lush walking routes and cycling trails to keep you occupied.
And in the autumn, Gdansk (when it isn’t raining) comes alive in colour – Poland is famous for its ‘golden autumn’ in October when the beech forests are particularly gorgeous. It’s a great time to drop in on Gdansk’s scenic 10-hectare Oliwa Park, which features stunning beech alleys, duck ponds, and the Groty Szeptów, or ‘Whispering Caves’.
Eating and drinking
Traditional Polish pierogi are popular in town, as are potato pancakes and rosół meat soup. For a properly authentic experience, head to one of the city’s ‘milk bars’ – low-cost diner-style restaurants popularised during the Soviet era. (The folks at Nothing Familiar have some tips here on the best milk bars to visit.)
And to drink? Well, there you’re spoiled for choice. The city has an almost ludicrous volume of beloved craft beer bars, but there’s also Polish vodka ( remember to toast), the cherry liqueur wiśniówka, and Gdansk’s resident fancypants drink Goldwasser, containing gold flakes and made famous by the European royals who believed it held alchemical properties.
Perhaps most surprisingly to foreigners, winemaking has a centuries-old history in Poland and it’s seeing a resurgence across the country, mostly led by talented enthusiasts – Gdansk has one such ‘amateur’ winery, the Winnica Modzrew, which is well worth checking out.