With two teenager girls, we’re still needing something exciting, fun, different, for a day or so. What would anyone recommend for a day trip out of Warsaw? City or regional tours, a speed train to something nearby. We will be flying out of Helsinki, so perhaps something near there? We truly appreciate your suggestions.
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2689 posts
I enjoyed a day trip by train to Gdansk from Warsaw--arrived by 10 am, left at 5. Easy walk into the old town area from the depot. Gdansk had a wonderfully different style of architecture that I particularly enjoyed seeing. I arrived in time to see a cheerleading and dance competition going on in a square, then explored the streets and shops before taking a boat trip out to the Westerplatte to see where WWII began in Poland and also the shipyards--Gdansk is stunning when viewed from the water. After that I had lunch and headed over to the Solidarity Museum (officially the European Solidarity Centre), I remember Lech Walesa and just seeing the gates was very moving. Excellent museum, and there is now also a Museum of the Second World War that I would love to return and visit.
Posted by
OP
Little Rock, AR, USA
116 posts
Great idea! Thanks!
Posted by
Los Angeles
1191 posts
Gdansk is wonderful, but the 2.5 hour train ride in each direction puts it outside my parameters for a day trip.
If you're willing to put up with a long train ride, you might consider Malbork Castle or Torun. These are both often mentioned as day trips from Gdansk. Your daughters might enjoy the gingerbread bakeries and museums the city [Torun] is famous for.
Here is a link to a website describing five destinations that are a more reasonable 30-60 minutes away:
Posted by
OP
Little Rock, AR, USA
116 posts
This forum is so fabulous. I thank each of you so much. We’ve never taken a trip to Europe without using the Travel Forum, and you guys never let us down. Thanks for the idea of Gdańsk, and for the practical reminder of the time involved getting there. These are all things that only come from experience.
Thank for all the past, present, and future replies!
Posted by
near San Francisco
5411 posts
An idea for a "day trip" that is outside the centre, but still in Warsaw, is Łazienki Park.
I visited the park in 2 different ways:
1) Guided historical city tour - this is a guided tour on a minibus that drops you off on one side of the enormous park and picks you up on the other, then continues through various sites in the center. It was a great orientation tour.
2) Self-guided visit - I took a regular bus to the park on a Sunday. The bus took a bit of time and 1 or 2 transfers. An Uber could be easier. Once there I went to one of the free Chopin concerts in the park and then wandered around the park at my leisure. The free and delightful concerts are at Noon and 4pm on Sundays from mid-May through September. Get there early if you want to find a bench, or just pull up a spot on the grass and enjoy the music.
https://www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl/en/wydarzenia/koncert-chopinowski
Of course, you can visit the park any day, but if you are in Warsaw on a Sunday, it's a lovely way to spend a day!
Posted by
near San Francisco
5411 posts
For something that I enjoyed, along with loads of families with children, in Warsaw on a Friday or Saturday night, there are the multi-media fountain shows through September:
https://estrada.com.pl/kalendarz/?month=8&yr=2024
This year's show is "Dancing Queen" which "will take viewers back to 1976, when the famous band ABBA visited Warsaw. ... We hope that the show will delight viewers through spectacular laser projections and dancing fountains to the rhythm of hits that make subsequent generations of listeners dance."
https://go2warsaw.pl/en/events/dancing-queen-shows-in-the-multimedia-fountain-park/
Fun for teenagers? I'm not a good judge of that....