24 hours in Gdańsk

One of my trips of 2017 that took me by surprise the most was Gdańsk. I had been to Poland before (specifically Kraków) and I loved it but, the only reason I really went to Gdańsk was because I won a trip and so thought that it was a bit ungrateful not to use it. Little did I know that Gdańsk would end up being one of my favourite trips of the year.
There are many great things about Gdańsk, but two of the best things are that it is super cheap to get to, and it is the perfect weekend trip. I was there for just over 24 hours and although it was a bit of a rush around, it was the perfect amount of time. This trip would be perfect to do at any time of the year but we went in mid-December, just in time for all the Christmas markets! I love a Christmas market and Gdańsk's market definitely did not disappoint. It is split between an outdoor area with a mix of stalls, pretty lights and food, and an indoor area full of gift stalls.

Day One

0810AM Get an early flight from London to arrive in Gdańsk for lunch time.
1120AM Touch down and do all the boring airport stuff. Make your way into the city by taxi or bus.
PRO TIP: If getting the bus get off at the main train station, it looks like the bus is going to go further into town, but it won’t. Don’t do as we did an end up walking along the main highway back into town!
1230PM By now you’re going to be hungry, head over to Mandu Dumplings for some of the tastiest pierogi in town. Take a long lunch and then go check into your hotel, we stayed at the Hotel PURO. Maybe take a nap, after all it was an early start!
1600PM Get ready to venture out again by grabbing a drink at the Hotel PURO rooftop bar. Don’t expect dramatic views but soak in the views of the Marina and Old Town with a delicious cocktail in hand.
1700PMTake some time to really start to explore the old town, focus for now on Długi Targ (Long Market) – the central square and street in Gdańsk.
There are tonnes of good restaurants and bars around, take your pick and drink the night away with the locals. Check out No to Tick Bar for something a little different, a nostalgic Communist themed bar where vodka shots and beer are the order of the day.

Day Two

1000AM Take a slow start to the morning and grab breakfast at the hotel. Then head out for a leisurely stroll along the canals, there's plenty of little alley and pretty buildings to explore.
1100AM Make your way over to St Mary’s Church and climb the bell tower. It's 78 meters tall so those 405 steps are going to make your thighs burn, but the views are worth it!
1300PM Grab some lunch on your way to the European Solidarity Centre, a highly interactive museum and fascinating look into Gdańsk's very important role in European Communism and it's fall. Get the audioguide and take your time, it's worth it.
1700PM Head back to the airport for a late flight home, use up all your leftover Zloty in Duty Free – home brand vodka is dirt cheap!

The Food

Unsurprisingly, the food was one of my favourite things in Poland and having the Christmas market around was definitely good for browsing Polish eats. Instead of going to a restaurant for dinner on the first night, we just ate our way around the Christmas market and found some unusual treats amongst the mulled wine and hot cider.
Ever heard of Oscypek? Seeing it being grilled on the street, I thought that it was going to be a sweet pastry topped with jam...I was so wrong. Oscypek is a smoked sheep cheese that is grilled and served with jam, for anyone who's never had smoked cheese it's definitely an aquired taste. They look so pretty and I love cheese, so it's a shame that I didn't enjoy the taste more. Good thing is that they are so cheap that you might as well give them a try!
Aside from the Oscypek, we tried a whole host of delicious food. The Christmas market gave us huge sausages with potatoes and mustard, and Hungarian chimney cakes - strips of sweet pastry wrapped around a wooden mould, cooked on a spit and rolled in suger and cinnamon - but the food highlight was definitely the Mandu Pierogi restaurant.
Mandu is a place of beauty, they specialise in dumplings from all over the world (mandu 만두 is actually the Korean word for dumpling as I recently learnt) but I would stick to the traditional Polish pierogi. They do loads of different varities, masterfully churned out by a group of ladies who make the dumplings in the shop window, but we tried the White cottage, potatoes topped with onions fried bacon piergoi, and the Hand-minced wild boar meat, topped with a creamy chanterelle sauce pierogi. They were both to die for, the classic should be paired with sour cream, and the richness of the boar goes perfectly with cranberry sauce. My advice would be come hungry and let the waitresses help you order, sometimes locals do know best. The borsch is also delicious if you fancy a starter.