The Tricity area of Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot is gorgeous!

I stayed in Gdańsk as it was the one I’d heard the most about, I think might be the most “historic” of the three. The canals and main streets of the old town are dotted with great architecture and history, around the canals though it seems a lot of the old buildings were too far gone to be saved, so they’re reconstructing the area using just parts of the old buildings, integrating new materials and construction methods, but keeping with shapes/designs of the old. There’s a lot of construction going on right now, so it’ll be interesting to see what it looks like in a few years. Both areas have a lot of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and jewelry (amber) stops (there’s a long history of amber being sourced in the area).

The day I went to Gdynia it was snowing pretty well, which made for an absolutely beautiful setting for a walk along the oceanfront promenade and up in the Maria and Lech Kaczyński Park.

My day trip to Sopot was a cold one! It didn’t snow but it was below freezing all day, so I didn’t spend much time at the beaches which it is known for. Instead, I walked up north to Promenada Królowej Marysieńki w Gdyni Orłowo and kept going when I saw a big green area on Google maps. It was Kępa Redłowska, which is a great Nature preserve. There are a lot of trails for hiking through a nice wooded area and also some preserved military installations. I saw a few artillery installations (Stanowisko ogniowe), bunkers, gun pillboxes, and trenches. In the end, I walked to Gdynia and back, and am pretty sure there is still plenty to go back to see.

The area is probably better to visit in warm weather, which I will be looking to do, but I’m really glad I got to see it with a nice dusting of snow too.

I should note that in the cost breakdown below I was not dining at nice sit-down restaurants, going out to bars or nightclubs, doing tours, or going to paid entry sites on this visit. I was just wandering and taking in sites while living a bit more like a local I think you might say.

This was a 14-night stay…

• Accommodation –  $624.92* (additional information below)
• Getting around locally – $8.30 (Trains to and from Gdynia and Sopot)
• Living expenses – $290.24 (groceries and eating out)
• Activities – $0
• Mobile phone/data  – $34.82 (I use Google Fi which provides service in most countries. If you’re interested, and based in the U.S., you can use this paid link to sign up, which will give me a referral fee at no extra cost to you)
• Medical insurance – $32.25 (I’m using SafetyWing; rates are determined by age, and mine is slightly above the base. If you’re interested there is a paid link/banner on the right side of the page)

Total $990.53 / 14 nights = $70.75 per

*Hotel info

• Goodnight Gdańsk Apartments, Apartment with Terrace Booked on Booking.com. The location was excellent with restaurants right downstairs, the canals and main street just a few blocks away, and convenience stores around the corner. It’s the first time in a while I’ve had such a large place, definitely plenty of room for 3-4 people with the sofa bed in the living room.

Transportation to and from varies too much, so I’ve left it out of the above breakdown along with most incidental/one-time personal costs. But for those interested, this trip included a direct train ride from Warsaw Centralna to Gdańsk Główny on PKP Intercity (EIP) for 120 PLN ($29.30). All other standard day to day expenses are included to give an idea of how much basic living costs in the area are. Groceries will sometimes include basic personal care items (i.e. toothpaste, deodorant, etc.).

*** I try to use Rakuten whenever it’s an option; why not take the money. It works as a browser add-on, and there is also an app. Note from their site “Stores pay us a commission for sending our members to their websites, and we share it with you. It’s that simple!” If you haven’t signed up yet, and are interested, please consider using this referral link to help support me, and get a signup bonus. I use it regularly and recommend it, but take a look for yourself to decide if it’s right for you. When you sign up using the link, use it spending $, we each get $! The $ varies which I’ve recently seen at $40 and $30. They state “Offer may be modified or canceled anytime.” Payments are made by PayPal or you can have a check sent to you.

**** At time of writing – 4,05 PLN = 1 USD

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