Since I always travel to an event 1 day before or on the day of the event itself, and leaving again on the last day of the event , I decided this time
I would take a few days extra in order to visit the city myself.
So here is my report of spending 3 days in Gdansk,Poland before going to the Silly Venture Winter Edition 2024
DAY 1
I arrived on Monday evening 18:00 in Gdanks Airport or better known as bus stop PORT LOTNICZY.
There are 2 “fast” options to get to the city centre - the Old Town.
Follow the blue line to the bus stop for bus 210 to the central station DWORZEC GŁÓWNY.
This will cost you 4-5 PLN and you have to validate the ticket on the bus
(or you can get a 216 PLN fine) but the central bus stop is at the other end of Old Town.
So that meant another 30 minutes by foot to get to the Marina Club Hotel.
As such I opted for a Neptune taxi , which took me to the hotel in 25 minutes and cost me 100 PLN.
Arriving there the driver informed me that next to my hotel is the place with the best beer in town.
I have not yet tried it.
After doing my check-in I decided to walk around Old Town to get a grasp of directions.
Marina Club hotel is located near the river Motława and as such you can see a lot of fishermen trying to catch fish at the riverside.
Entering Old Town, I was greeted by beautifull lights and off course being single must have been invited to a topless bar 5 times in a 2 hour span by people hustling on the streets.
Christmas is an important part I can tell of Polish culture so the Christmas Markets and lights
are present also.
I decided to get a good nights rest and to check out more of the city in the daylight.
DAY 2
I had done a bit of research on what interesting places to visit so I started wandering around.
From the Marina Club hotel, crossing the river you quickly end up at the Green Gate (Brama Zielona).
On the first street I noticed a Bar Mleczny , a Milk Bar.
These used to be state-subsidised foodbars for common people offering food at very cheap prices.
The tradition has been kept, they serve several typical Polish recipes at a very low price.
From there you enter the main road called the Long Market (Dlugi Targ).
The buildings are astonishing, very vivid colors and several different architectural styles.
One of the first things that caught my eye was the fountain of Neptune - Fontanna Neptuna.
Next to it , local firemen were creating a giant Christmas tree built from several Christmast trees.
A bit further you can find a thermometer dedicated to the born in Gdansk - Daniel Fahrenheit.
I noticed ( only took a picture at night on the first day ) Bar Neptun , a milk bar which I noted
to visit for lunch.
To the right of the Long street , you will immediately find the Maria Basilisk - Bazylika Mariacka.
Behind it I found on a corner a little restaurant whose name I had seen in reviews and decided to go
for the breakfast buffet of 67 PLN , I can recommend it , it is called Mono.
I then visited the Maria Basilisk, where I honoured the no pictures rule except for one thing I would
like to research when I get back, since I live in Antwerp.
I wandered around a bit in the side streets, noticing a Pierogi restaurant I noted to go eat later,
saw a drinking fountain
and got back to Long Street - Ulica Długa.
I saw the rain-draining dragons :)
I crossed the The Golden Gate (Brama Złota), walked into all the Christmas Markets
and ended up in the neighborhood of DWORZEC GŁÓWNY and the Forum shopping centre.
Along the way I also found a GAME OVER cafe
and also the CyberMachina cafe
which I want to check out later.
I walked around the Forum shopping centre for a bit, they actually have like Gdansk a river running between the -1 floor.
As my stomach was demanding lunch, I headed back to the Bar Neptun on Long street.
Here I ordered a potato pancake with stew inside , goulash sauce served on top with a side of mushrooms.
Which according to my Polish colleague, translates to placek (ziemniaczany) po zbójnicku .
I could hardly finish it, the inside of the pancake was filled with a lot of meat , it was delicious
and this for 40 PLN including a Pepsi cola.
One important thing I luckily checked the sign, you are not served at the table and you have to put your dirty dishes,cutlery at the kitchen yourself, which seems logic due to the low price, service is not included.
I wandered around for a bit more, had a look at the Wooden Crane and walked around the river.
In the afternoon-evening I decided to look for the Hala Targowa Kupcow Dominikanskich which is a Market hall,selling mostly cheap clothing but also cigarettes (which are cheap here in Poland) and have a
nice food market on the -1 floor.
Some sights along the way
I started off from my hotel by wandering along the river to find the AirSky ferris wheel,
the infamous Gdansk sign which is actually next to the Silly Venture venue.
I continued to wander a bit until I accidently reached the WW II museum which was closed already since it was already past 17:00.
I had a short strawl through the Market Hall and then for dinner, I stumbled upon this little bistro on the corner near the Market Hall called PIEKARNIA GRUZIŃSKA KETiLi PURi.
I decided on chaczapuri adżarskie z jajkiem, which is a sort of boat shaped pizza filled with
2 types of cheese and an egg and butter on top.
Yes, it was a calorie bomb, paired with a figs lemonade at 38 PLN in total.
So off I went to walk around some more to burn off the calories.
I encountered some more nice buildings
and the Four Quarters Fountain (Fontanna Czterech Kwartalow).
DAY 3
The Christmas Tree in Long Street was finished now, what an astonishing piece of work.
After having the breakfast buffet at Mono, I decided to walk to the
European Solidarity Centre - Europejskie Centrum Solidarności.
On the way towards it , I once again saw some nice buildings.
Once I arrived at the European Solidarity Centre , I took the free 2,5 audio-tour.
I was overwhelmed by the history, I recall some of these events from the news when I was a kid, but it never touched me as much as now being an adult and having a broader understanding of these
historical events.
I walked back toward the Old Town, and decided to have pierogi as a late lunch/dinner.
I took the mixed option , 2 ovenbaked dumplings + 4 boiled then baked in butter dumplings.
Spizarniane - z pieczonym miesem wieprzowym,suszona sliwka i miodem
with roasted pork, prunes and honey
O kurczę! - z delikatnym, pieczonym kurczakiem,żółtym serem i pieczarkami
with tender roasted chicken,cheese and champignons
Pastusze - z serem wędzonym,najlepiej smakują z żurawiną
with smoked cheese,best served with cranberry
Zdziczale - z pieczonym dzikiem marynowanym w maslance,wedzonym boczkiem i warzywami
with roasted wild boar,marinated in buttermilk,smoked bacon and vegetables
Babcine - z regionalnum twarogiem
with regional cottage cheese
I forgot the 6th one, but I can tell you paired with a Kvass drink, it was delicious.
I can only recommend it to everybody, do not leave Poland until you have eaten pierogi.
If you want to see what places I have visited the past 3 days, look at the green marks here