There is one destination from Stockholm Skavsta Airport that gives you the option for a day trip. That is Gdańsk, a city in northern Poland along the coast of the Baltic Sea. I visited Gdańsk in February and was greeted by a snowstorm. It was now time for some revenge. It was time to see the city in a more comfortable climate. This is the story from my visit, a visit that began a Saturday morning and ended in the evening the same day. And it was not going to be only one city. It was going to be a day in the three cities of Gdynia, Sopot, and Gdańsk.
Morning Flight from Stockholm Skavsta Airport
My flight left Stockholm Skavsta Airport at 8 in the morning. It was luckily a sunny morning, making it quite easy to get up from bed early. I had made sure to reserve a seat in the front row, this to make sure that I was able to be one of the first to disembark. With the flight departing on time and me in front, I was looking forward to start my day in Poland.
A Morning Walk in Gdynia
I was, as planned, the first off the plane in Gdańsk. So just a few minutes after landing I was standing at the train station waiting for the train to Gdynia, the northernmost of the three cities that I was about to visit. The train from the airport takes about 30 minutes and then it is just a short walk to the center. But it was not the center that I had set my target on. It was the piers at the more touristy sights. When I visited this pier in February the icy winds made it almost impossible to stand still. This day the sun was shining and there were a lot more people out and about. The two ships, Błyskawica and Dar Pomorza, are a lot more impressive when the weather is like this.
My walk took me along the pier and I made sure to just stand and look out towards the Baltic Sea. There is a special feeling when being next to the sea. My short city hike took me back towards the train station and the train to Sopot.
Tourist Madness in Sopot
Between Gdynia and Gdańsk lies the resort town of Sopot. This is a place that really wakes up during the summer. With its long sandy beach, Sopot has all the necessary attractions to create a summer tourist madness. The streets were crowded and my walk took me from the train station towards the coast. This turned out to be the shortest stop of my visit. There was a fee to enter the long wooden pier. The fee was reasonable, but that was not the case with the long queue.
Well, let’s just say that I was not here to stand in line. Instead I continued along the coast and had a few looks at the beach along the way. It really was a lot of people enjoying the sunshine this day. I did eventually feel like it was time to get away from the crowds, so I headed back to the train station to catch the train to Gdańsk. Well, I was so wrong. Gdańsk was not going to be any calmer.
An Afternoon in Gdańsk
My day continued with an afternoon in Gdańsk. After walking a bit in the wrong direction trying to find a crosswalk, I eventually ended up at the gates of Stocznia Gdańska, the shipyard from 1945. This made me arrive in the center of the city from a direction that was new for me. It didn’t take long before I walked along the many market stands that lined many of the central streets of Gdańsk. The narrow streets were made even more narrow by the stands and in addition they were crowded by tourists. So my walk was in many ways an attempt from me to escape the crows. Well, I was still able to see some nice sights.
It was, however, not the most pleasant experience. So I was quite happy when I reached the much wider street Długa. This street led me straight to the large shopping center of Forum Gdańsk. This is were I made sure to rest my feet and to do some shopping. I made sure till fill my bag with Polish sweets, making sure to also buy some of the brands from Ukraine. But my feet did really hurt after a day of walking. Once done at the shopping center I decided that it was time to get back to the airport. My feet did, however, not agree that we should walk all the way back to the train station. So it was instead time to order a taxi to take me back to the airport and at the same time save some time.
Good Bye Gdańsk and Poland – For This Time
Arriving back at Gdańsk Airport by taxi meant that I had enough time to enjoy a dinner before my flight back to Sweden. In other words, it was time for a airport hamburger. Yes, it is probably a rule that they should taste as little as possible in airports. This one did at least have some sting from chilies. Once I was done, I headed towards the gate and was soon on my way back home. This time, too, I had chosen a front row seat for easy disembarkation. Once more this resulted in a fast exit from the airport. It only took a few minutes after landing before I once more say in my car and was on my way back home to Vagnhärad.
Luckily Gdańsk is never far away and I have a feeling that there will be a few more visits to the city and Poland this year. We will see how and when that happens, but don’t be surprised to see us back in this city.
