DAY 1
D included
After meeting at Gdańsk airport in the evening, we have an hour’s road transferour 3-star hotel on the Vistula river, the 1,000 km long source of Polish trade and history.
DAY 2
B, L, D included
Driving south, we visit the remarkable 13th century Cistercian Abbey in Pelplin. 1.5-hour’s drive takes to the well-preserved historic city of Toruń, an important Hanseatic port, the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus and the home of gingerbread famed throughout Poland. Our resting place for 2 nights is a small 4-star hotel in the city centre.
DAY 3
B, L, D included
Today we explore Toruń’s architectural treasures, ranging through Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque, on a guided city walking tour, starting at the riverside remains of the 13th century Teutonic Knights’ Castle around which the Old Town developed. The Cathedral of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, the Town Hall and the Church of St. James in the adjacent New Town are fine examples of the Brick Gothic style typical of the Baltic Sea region. In the afternoon, we visit the museum dedicated to Nicolaus Copernicus, who, in the 16th century, stopped the Sun and moved the Earth.
DAY 4
B, L, D included
In the morning we follow an easy forest trail (8 km, 2.5 hrs) in a small nature reserve outside Toruń. Further north in Chełmno, we wander through the old town, centred on the market square and the late Renaissance town hall and surrounded by largely intact mediaeval fortifications. After a tavern lunch, we have a 2-hour drive to our overnight stop in Kartuzy, the heart of Kashubia, a minority language area.
DAY 5
B, L, D included
We visit the modest Kashubian museum, perhaps hearing a Kashubian nursery rhyme, before our walk (6 km, 2 hrs) takes us through the lake district of the Kashubian Landscape Park. We drive to Malbork (1.5 hrs) to explore the largest mediaeval fortified castle complex in the world, situated on the river Nogat, a branch of the Vistula delta. Established by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century, the fortress later became a Polish royal residence. Our guided tour takes us through the Lower, Middle and High Castles, separated by moats and towers. Thirty minutes away is Elbląg, where we reside for 3 nights at a 4-star hotel in the partly rebuilt historic centre.
DAY 6
B, L, D included
In nearby Frombork, we visit the 14th century Cathedral and learn about the time Copernicus spent here in the services of his uncle, the Bishop of Warmia. Our walk takes us from its starting point on the Vistula Lagoon, past a former summer palace of Emperor Wilhelm II and through the Elbląg Upland Landscape Park (10 km, 3 hrs). In the afternoon, there is some free time to explore Elbląg, once an important port rivalling Gdańsk.
DAY 7
B, L, D included
We spend the day on the Elbląg Canal, built in the late 19th century in order to connect a series of lakes, using an imaginative system of slipways on which barges are hauled overland. We experience first-hand how boats travel on grass during our 4.5-hour tour to Buczyniec, as did Michael Palin in an episode of his BBC travel programme ‘New Europe - From Pole to Pole’. We return to Elbląg by minibus (40 mins) and have an option to stretch our legs on a short walk (5 km, 1.5 hrs) in the popular Bażantarnia forest park outside the city.
DAY 8
B, L, D included
We head for the Vistula Spit, using small country roads through the maze of rivers and channels forming the Vistula delta (1 hr). We take a forest trail walk (6 km, 2 hrs) on the spit before learning about the local fishing and shipbuilding traditions in the Vistula Lagoon Museum. In the afternoon, we visit the Westerplatte Memorial, where Germany launched their attack on Poland, thus starting WWII on 1 September 1939. In Gdańsk, we settle into our home for the next 4 nights, a 4-star hotel on the River Motława.
DAY 9
B, L, D included
We start our exploration of Gdańsk, fittingly for this important Baltic port and trading place, at the emblematic 15th century Crane. Across the river is the Maritime Museum, housed in three adjacent mediaeval granaries. This extensive collection covers Poland’s and the Poles’ maritime history from the Middle Ages until now. In the afternoon, we visit the vast Brick Gothic St. Mary’s Basilica and later walk along the Royal Way, lined with fine Renaissance and Baroque houses. All these historic buildings have been meticulously restored after the city was largely destroyed at the end of WWII.
DAY 10
B, L, D included
A 2.5-hour boat trip takes us across the Bay of Puck to the southern tip of the Hel Peninsula, a 35 km long narrow sandbank formed over centuries by sea currents. On arrival, we walk to the active lighthouse and explore the surrounding area on foot. We expect to dock back in Gdańsk at 18.00.
DAY 11
B, L included
This morning, we walk to the state-of-the-art European Solidarity Centre. It is dedicated to the history of the Solidarity Movement and located next to Gdańsk shipyards, where the movement was founded in 1980 following the shipyard workers’ strike. In complete contrast, we travel out of the city to the leafy suburb of Oliwa to visit the three nave 14th century Cathedral, formerly part of a Cistercian monastery complex. Our journey concludes with a transfer to the airport. You may also consider a side trip to Warsaw, which can be reached by train in 3 hours.