warsaw & gdansk - which would you recommend?

virgin_moneysaver

our local cheap flight carrier has just added both Warsaw & Gdansk to their timetable for next year & I've a week off at end of Feb - can anyone recommend either destination & what to do & see - or not to bother with a the case may be

Dylanwing

I would not recommend Warsaw - Uprising Museum is good, Old Town is not bad, and there are 2 excellent brew-pubs. When you leave, Etiuda Terminal is an 'experience'! And that's about it! Never been to Gdansk, but it sounds OK.

virgin_moneysaver

thank you - due to its involvement in WW2 I thought Warsaw would be a place of interest

inmypocketnottheirs

I have been to Gdansk. It is part of what is called the tri-cities, comprising of Gdansk, Gdinia and Sopot. Gdansk it's self is right on the baltic and has a very cosmopolitan feel about it. Loads of street cafes and coffee shops. It is cheap to eat out and hotels are reasonable too. I can't recommend any, as I stayed with friends. Gsansk is also where Lech Walesa (the former ship yard worker) is from, who became the first Prime Minister after starting the Perystryka' (sp?) movement, that started the fall of communism and ultimately the Berlin wall. Gdansk is also a Hanseatic town, meaning the Hansa traders passed through on their shipping routes. Plenty of interesting architecture and quite a wild nightlife scene too, if you are interested.

The airport is close to the town, and there are taxis and buses easily available. English widely spoken and the people very friendly.

An excellent base for two or three nights, but not enough for a week I would suggest.

Hope this helps!

virgin_moneysaver

plenty of info - thanx - we like to do a city break mid week, Mon -Thurs or Tues - Fri as I find 4-5 days enough & you bypass the busy weekends

minot

We went to Poland for about 10 days last September, we'd heard that Warsaw wasn't very nice so flew in but hired a car and drove straight out then only stayed overnight the night before we went home. I thought it was really nice. It didn't have the same charm as a lot of the other cities we stayed in but def worth a visit. I would love to go back, Poland is beautiful!

chalky_bertie

Why don't you do both. We found Warsaw to be nice especially the Old town and the public transport was great. A bus goes directlt to the airport. We caught the train to Gdansk which took a few hours and was OK. Very old looking especially with the shipyard. Gdinia is the seaside town of the area with a pier. Sopot was OK but not great. All the public transport was OK.

If you had to choose just one not sure which I would pick.

spiritus

I've spent a lot of time in both cities and both are worth seeing.

They say that even the mother of Warsaw admits it's baby has an ugly face and one has to admit it's not the prettiest town you will come across. But I find when I visit Warsaw you need to observe the city within the context of it's sad history. As you probably know, Warsaw was almost totally flattened by the Nazis as retribution for the failed Warsaw Uprising. After the war the Communists had to populate the city as fast as possible and therefore a lot of pre fab Communist blocks sprang up all over the place in record time. The authentic pre war buildings that still stand in the city have an added poignancy due to the devestation of the surrounding areas.

Memorial plaques are on buildings all over the city in remembrance of Poles & Jews who were gunned down by the Gestapo and SS at that very spot. The War cemetery is also worth a visit if only to see the touching way Poles still remember their dead.

A few things worth seeing in Warsaw are:-

The Old Town
The Royal Castle
The Uprising Museum
Lazienki Park and Palace
Wilanow Palace

As one poster has reliably informed you, Gdansk is part of the Tri City that also includes Sopot & Gdynia.

Gdansk is an old port town that has a wonderful Old Town by the river (it's also one of the best places in the world to buy amber).

Sopot has the longest wooden pier in Europe and a couple of imposing hotels right on the beachfront. Ulica Monte Cassino is a bustling artery of the town and the Crooked House is worth a look in also. Sopot is a popular seaside resort but not like ours in the UK. It's more quiet, even refined.

Gdynia is a new city (only created in the 1920's). Ul SwietoJanska is one long street that goes on for miles and is filled with shop after shop. Gdynia is surrounded by forests and is blessed with natural good looks. A few minutes from the centre is the Orlowo district of Gdynia which is famous for it's cliff face and Orlowo pier-very picturesque !

A trip to the Tri City wouldn't be complete without going to Hel. The Hel Peninsula is about a 45 min drive from Gdynia (google map it). The Peninsula is full of quaint fishing villages and also is the home of the President's summer residence.

In conclusion I'd advice 2-3 nights in Warsaw and the same in the Tri City.

inmypocketnottheirs

spiritus wrote: »

Sopot has the longest wooden pier in Europe and a couple of imposing hotels right on the beachfront.

Oh no it doesn't! When I visited Sopot, I too was told this! But they tried to tell me, an Essex boy, born in Southend, that that little jetty is longer than the longest pier in the world! Southend pier is 1 1/4 miles, and it beats Sopot!

Just to put the record straight!:T

spiritus

inmypocketnottheirs wrote: »

Oh no it doesn't! When I visited Sopot, I too was told this! But they tried to tell me, an Essex boy, born in Southend, that that little jetty is longer than the longest pier in the world! Southend pier is 1 1/4 miles, and it beats Sopot!

Just to put the record straight!:T

:rotfl: ok.can we just agree that it's VERY long ?

inmypocketnottheirs

spiritus wrote: »

:rotfl: ok.can we just agree that it's VERY long ?

We can, as long as you do not promulgate the myth!:D