2023 was the year that I found the perfect day trip from Stockholm Skavsta Airport. It was possible to fly to the Polish city of Gdansk in the morning and return in the evening. I had already used the possibility three for solo trips. That was before reading the news that Wizz Air was to move routes from Stockholm Skavsta Airport to Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Two routes were going to be moved, the one to Budapest and the one to Gdańsk. We had at the time already booked a family day trip for a Saturday in October. But I also made sure to book one more solo trip to Gdańsk before it was going to be too late. That is how I come to visit the city two weekends in a row.
Earlier visits:
- Gdansk, Poland – A 24 Hour Visit
- Gdańsk, Poland – A Stormy Winter Visit
- Gdańsk, Poland – Summer Day Trip from Sweden
- Gdańsk, Poland – A Repeat Summer Visit
- Gdańsk, Poland – A Late Summer Visit
- Gdańsk, Poland – A Family Day Trip
Arriving in a Rainy and Gray Gdańsk
I felt tired already when waking up in the morning and this would be a day where I never really found the energy to explore. It was a gray and rainy Gdańsk that greeted me upon arrival. Something that would just barely change during the day. I began my day by taking the train to Gdańsk Wrzeszcz, an area with a few shopping centers near the train station. One of these that I had not explored earlier was Galeria Bałtycka, a shopping center that we missed when we were in the area the weekend before.
A Last Stroll Through the Old Town
From Gdańsk Wrzeszcz is just a short train ride to Gdańsk Główny, the main train station. This was my access point to the central streets of the city. A city that today was even less crowded than the weekend before. The weather might have been one contributing factor. One thing is for sure, the earlier shopping center was a lot more crowded.
My walk took me through the center, seeing some of the main sights that I had seen during most of my previous visits. Either way, it was a nice feeling to just stroll around. To get that feeling of actually being abroad. Where things are a little bit different. Just strolling around is sometimes enough, especially since the exploring had been done during the earlier visits. This was more a way to say goodbye to the last possible day trip abroad available from our home. It was with a sad feeling that I eventually, after some shopping, had to go back to the airport.
Goodbye Gdańsk! Goodbye Poland! And Goodbye Daytrips Like This One!
Back at the airport, everything was as it had been during my earlier visits. Only difference. This time I knew that it would take a lot longer before I would return to Gdańsk. The flight times might be similar from Stockholm Arlanda Airport, but even with that day trips like this will no longer be feasible. Travel times increase too much with the additional 90 minutes of driving, the extra time for parking, and the extra time through security. Not to mention the additional cost.
With the last possible route for a day trip abroad being removed, it was time to say goodbye to Gdańsk, goodbye to Poland, and goodbye to one way to travel. Looking forward to discovering something to replace the experience. I will not count on the slim hope that Wizz Air comes to its senses and returns the routes to Stockholm Skavsta Airport. There is instead a fear that more routes will be closed and we will be forced to return to the stress of traveling from Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Time will tell when and how a return to the city will happen.
