We arrive in Gdansk 4 days before meeting and family in Krakow for a few days. How many days should we spend in Gdansk? Should we visit Warsaw? Should we cut half a day in Gdansk in favor of visiting Tourn on the way to Warsaw? Am I trying to do to much? We arrive in Gdansk the evening of August 7th and have to be Krakow the evening of August 11th
I think I need to choose either Warsaw or Torun. Which should I choose?
I think I need to choose either Warsaw or Torun. Which should I choose?
They offer very different experiences - Warsaw is a massive, bustling, largely modern national capitol, while Torun is going to be smaller and older. For a limited visit, you may find Torun to be more of the same after Gdansk and Krakow.
But from a practical standpoint, you only have three full days in Gdansk. If you intend to visit both the WWII museum and the Solidarity Center, it takes a good amount of time to do them justice. Then there is the amount of travel time involved in getting to Krakow. If the more direct route goes through Torun, does that give you time for a quick stopover? You could also route through Warsaw, but you may not have much more time than to step out to the street and view the massive Palace of Culture and Science next door. Looking at train schedules might help with your decision.
For Warsaw, it might be best to subtract a night from Gdansk - it would give you quite a contrast from the other two towns.
I like Warsaw a lot for its museums and sites related to 20th-century history, but it's true there's considerable overhead involved in making a quick visit to a city of that size. Just moving around will probably require figuring out public transportation (though it's good in Warsaw). And some of the top sights in Warsaw are large, time-consuming museums. I don't think Warsaw is an ideal choice for a quick stop.
On the other hand, a cute small town like Torum isn't going to present a great contrast with the historic districts of Gdansk and Krakow. It will probably be much less overrun by tourists, though.
My husband and I spent 4 days in Gdansk and never ran out of things to see and do. There's also Malbork Castle which is just a short train ride from Gdansk. You could stay all 4 days in Gdansk and then travel to Krakow on Aug. 11
I agree with others that Torun, though an interesting town, will be similar to Gdansk. Another option is to spend a day in Gdansk and then travel on the evening of Aug. 8 to Warsaw. Warsaw has lots of historic sites and museums to visit. If you research them ahead of time and plan carefully, you could visit the "old town" Warsaw plus several museums. Then in the afternoon of Aug. 11 continue on to Krakow.
You really have three days in Gdansk. The Solidarity Center is not to be missed, IMO, as it is very specific to Gdansk. I would allow half a day for it. St. Dominic's Fair will be on during your stay. This could fill three days on its own. If you really want to pack more in, then I agree that Malbork Castle is the way to go.
