A day in Old Gdansk, Poland (photos)
From the archive. Published September 4, 2018. Details may have changed since.
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01 Pretty buildings in the main square of Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
02 Rowhouses line Long Market Street in Old Gdansk, Poland. © JD Lasica / Special to Cruiseable -
03 An employee shows off a stone in an amber shop in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
04 A fountain that’s a popular tourist attraction in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
05 A dragon carving on a historic street in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
06 Decorative art along a historic street in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
07 Historic buildings in the old town of Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
08 Facade of historic building in the old town in Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
09 Closeup of a historic building in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
10 Detail of a flag in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
11 A historic clock in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
12 Bronze statue of King Neptune, which went on display in 1633, on Long Market Street in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
13 Take a tour on the Black Pearl, a replica pirate ship, from the harbor in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
14 Closeup of buildings on Long Market Street in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
15 A Viking Sun shore excursion took guests down a historic street in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
16 A coat of arms in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
17 Closeup of a historic building in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
18 Some of the beautiful architecture in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
19 Some of the beautiful architecture in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable -
20 A street sign in Old Gdansk, Poland. © Special to Cruiseable
On last month's Viking Sun ocean ship voyage of Scandinavia and the Baltics, we were surprised to see Gdansk on the itinerary. Poland has a cruise port? It does, and for centuries it was one of the most bustling ports in the Mediterranean.
While other guests took shore excursions farther afield, we stuck with the included tour of historic Old Gdansk and were wowed by the gorgeous architecture.
This was my second trip to Poland — I spoke at a conference in Krakow a few years ago and did some digging into my family history, since my ancestors are Polish — but I was frankly surprised that Gdansk turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.
Our guide steered us down centuries-old cobblestone streets, a charming canal harbor, and down Long Market Street (Dlugi Targ) into the heart of Old Gdansk past buildings that have been restored after much of the city was leveled during World War II. It was all quite touristy, but we enjoyed our morning on the walks and in the shops, ending with a coffee and salad at a streetside cafe. All in all, piękny!
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