🇵🇱 Gdańsk (Gdynia), Poland — Cruise Port Guide
A red-brick Hanseatic port reborn — amber shops and gabled merchant houses along the Motława, with the shipyard that helped end the Cold War just up the coast.
Updated September 2026
Quick facts
Getting ashore
When to visit Gdańsk (Gdynia)
Best June-August for warm weather (roughly 18-23°C) and long daylight; shoulder months are cooler (10-15°C) with fewer crowds.
Getting back to the ship on time
Because Gdańsk is a full train journey from the pier, don't cut the return SKM train close, build in an earlier backup train and confirm the last safe departure time from Gdańsk Główny.
All-aboard is ship's time — check it in the daily programme, and set your watch to it.
Things to do in Gdańsk (Gdynia)
Gdańsk Old Town
Gabled merchant houses and Długi Targ's amber shops.
European Solidarity Centre
Museum on the shipyard strikes that helped end communism.
Mariacka Street amber hunt
Cobbled lane of amber jewelry ateliers and carved doorways.
St. Mary's Church tower climb
Climb one of the world's largest brick churches for rooftop views.
Gdynia waterfront walk
Modernist port town where most ships actually dock.
Westerplatte peninsula
Site of the first battle of World War II in 1939.
Popular excursions
Westerplatte & WWII Museum
Where WWII's first shots fell, plus the acclaimed Museum of WWII.
Malbork Castle
The world's largest brick castle, medieval seat of the Teutonic Knights.
What to eat
- Pierogi
- Żurek (sour rye soup)
- Smoked Baltic fish
- Bigos (hunter's stew)
- Pączki (filled doughnuts)
Weather by month
Best time to visit: Jun–Aug
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36° | 27° | 1.2" |
| Feb | 37° | 27° | 1" |
| Mar | 43° | 31° | 1.2" |
| Apr | 52° | 38° | 1.3" |
| May | 61° | 46° | 2.1" |
| Jun | 67° | 52° | 2.5" |
| Jul | 71° | 57° | 3.1" |
| Aug | 71° | 56° | 2.8" |
| Sep | 64° | 50° | 2.6" |
| Oct | 55° | 43° | 2.4" |
| Nov | 44° | 35° | 1.8" |
| Dec | 38° | 30° | 1.5" |
Local phrases
A little history
Gdańsk's Gdańsk Shipyard was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, whose 1980 strikes helped set the fall of communism in motion.
The city has been a major Baltic amber-trading hub for centuries — much of the world's amber washes up on this coast.
Rebuilt meticulously after near-total destruction in WWII, the Old Town's gabled facades are largely 20th-century reconstructions.
Cruise ships typically dock in nearby Gdynia, with Gdańsk's old town a short train or taxi ride away.