6 Days in Gdansk: First-Timer Plan
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Six days takes the 5-day core (Main Town, the Solidarity shipyard, Westerplatte, Sopot and Gdynia, Malbork Castle, the Hel Peninsula) and adds a sixth day at Torun, the furthest and most rewarding day trip on this list. With less time, drop back to the 5-day plan; with more, the 7-day version adds Kashubia.
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Day 1: The Royal Way and the Motlawa waterfront
Morning
Golden Gate, ul. Dluga, Neptune’s Fountain, Artus Court, and the Main Town Hall on Dlugi Targ.
Afternoon
St. Mary’s Church, then ul. Mariacka down to the Crane (Zuraw) on the Motlawa.
Evening
Dinner in the Main Town, a walk to Granary Island.
Day 2: The Solidarity shipyard and Westerplatte
Morning
The European Solidarity Centre (ECS) and the 1970 shipyard workers’ monument.
Afternoon
Westerplatte, where the first shots of the Second World War were fired on 1 September 1939.
Evening
A relaxed dinner back in the Main Town.
Day 3: Sopot and Gdynia
Morning
SKM to Sopot, the Molo and the Crooked House.
Afternoon
SKM onward to Gdynia for the modernist downtown and the Emigration Museum.
Evening
SKM back to Gdansk for dinner.
Day 4: Malbork Castle
Morning
PKP Intercity train to Malbork (roughly 27 minutes), the largest brick castle in the world, UNESCO since 1997.
Afternoon
The castle museum and its amber exhibition, then the train back.
Evening
An early dinner and an early night.
Day 5: Hel Peninsula
Morning
Combined rail and onward transport to the Hel Peninsula (2 hours or more each way, confirm current timetables).
Afternoon
Beach time and the Fokarium seal sanctuary.
Evening
Return to Gdansk for dinner.
Day 6: Torun
Morning
Train to Torun (roughly 2-2.5 hours), a UNESCO World Heritage medieval town.
Afternoon
Nicolaus Copernicus’s reputed birth house, now a museum, and a stop at the Museum of Torun Gingerbread.
Evening
Train back to Gdansk (or an overnight if the day runs long), a final easy dinner.
Getting around and where to stay
Main Town, Solidarity sites, and the Tricity run on walking and the SKM; Malbork, the Hel Peninsula, and Torun each need a regional train, with Torun the longest single leg of the week. Stay in the Main Town or on Granary Island for the most walkable base across all six days.
One concrete tip: don’t schedule Torun and the Hel Peninsula on back-to-back days. Both involve 2 or more hours of travel each way, and stacking them leaves no slack if either connection runs late.