Gdansk or Krakow?

[crisikrinkles]

Which one would you prefer for a weekend away a week before Christmas ?

Krakow flights are slightly more expensive but Gdansk is £33 return
Just unsure

I've not been to Gdansk so can't compare them but Krakow is gorgeous and a great visit. So much to see.

Krakow for the Christmas markets, according to my Polish friend.

Krakow for Christmas 🎄 ❤️

Gdansk overall, it's lovely and has beaches nearby, but for Christmas, Krakow

It’s a shame the flights are nearly £300 more for krakow and the flight home is 6 am …Gdansk flights are so cheap and 6pm flight home…was hoping people would say Gdansk ha ha

My Polish colleague loves Gdansk and always raves about it. 3 cities sort of joined together. Krakow is lovely but for £300 difference for a short break, I'd give Gdansk a go.

I loved Gdansk. Beautiful architecture and waterfront. No where near as touristy. Not as much to do as Krakow but really good torture museum if you're into that. Absolutely fine for a wander, a drink, long cosy meals. Id recommend it if youre not set on specific sites and happy to just mooch around.

https://www.intothebloom.com/gdansk-christmas-market-guide/

https://anorcadianabroad.com/2023/12/11/a-getaway-in-gorgeous-gdansk-gates-museums-markets/

What time of year?

Krakow is pretty, touristy, easy to walk around and Auschwitz is close if planning a visit.
Gdansk is nicer imo but would be much nicer in summer. Warsaw is often overlooked and well worth a trip.

Thankyou ! The Krakow hotels are more expensive too
We have seen a hotel in Gdansk which is £200 for 3 nights and includes room service breakfast
Which to us sounds bliss
I think we are going to go with gdansk
I think I was drawn to krakow because I wanted to do Zakopane for a day trip but that’s another £160 on top.
Before you know it you have spend nearly £1000 for a short break

@User5306921it would be December ,unfortunately no flights to Warsaw from our local airport

They’ll be a reason the flights are much cheaper to a beach destination in winter

How much is the train from one place to the other and how long would it take?

@MikeRafonewell we wouldn’t be going near the beach /sticking to Christmas market /old town

Gdansk is lovely at Christmas, the markets and the large shopping centre are decorated wonderfully. We stayed in a spa hotel and it was just gorgeous! Eating out and drinking is so cheap and everywhere feels clean and safe. Enjoy!

If you want a Polish Xmas market, consider also Wroclaw. It's also got the mediaeval architecture in the centre and I thought the Xmas market was really good. It's far less touristy than either Krakow or Gdansk so cheaper too.

If you're only going for a couple of days I'm guessing that you're not that bothered about daytrips etc. And if you're going for Xmas, you may want to keep the holiday mood light. Having said that, if you're interested in 20th century history, the WW2 museum in Gdansk is fascinating and you can easily spend a whole day there (you need a strong stomach for some of it but sadly that's the case with anywhere where the Nazi or Russian occupations took place). Gdansk itself is a 20th century history hotspot, being also where the first shots of WW2 were fired, and where the Solidarity trade union movement was born, which eventually led to the overthrow of communism and the fall of the Iron Curtain(yes, I'm aware that's a vast oversimplifiication!) The beach at Sopot is a quick and very cheap trip on the train from Gdansk but will be freezing at Xmas! Close to Sopot is Oliwa, and I was told that the cathedral there is well worth a visit but I didn't make it so I can't speak from experience.

Gdansk also has lots of shops that sell beautiful amber jewellery ,though they're expensive - you'll have to go to Latvia and Lithuania if you want cheaper amber!

Gdansk is beautiful, especially around the water front and Mariacka Street which is also known as the Amber street and has some nice cafes. Museum of World War 2 is really interesting and easy to spend a morning there.

If going in winter, then definitely Krakow. Poland is so cold and you will want to be inside as much as possible. Krakow I has older, dark, cosier buildings.

@crisikrinkles
They are both stunning in different ways.You will definitely not be disappointed if you choose Gdansk, even in winter. Kraków’s Christmas Market is amazing, but Gdansk is also a market city. I have never been to the Christmas market there, but their summer Dominican market is outstanding so I imagine the Christmas one won’t disappoint. There are a lot of other things to do there as well, such as museums. If you are interested in history then WWII museum is great.
As PP said, Gdansk is one of “three cities” so if you fancy a mooch around, I would recommend Sopot.

Not really. Krakow is situated relatively close to the mountains so has more ‘continental climate’, with snowier and colder winters. Gdansk benefits more from ‘sea climate’ where winters are slightly less harsh. It’s opposite in the summer when Krakow is hotter and stuffier while Gdansk is “fresher”.
Yes, Poland can be very cold in winter but it is not guaranteed. At the moment daytime temperatures are quite mild, ranging from about -3 to +6 and from next week they are going to stay above freezing, so not much colder than here.
It’s best to keep an eye on the forecast and prepare accordingly as the weather in winter is more changeable there than in the UK.

I really liked Gdansk

Only been to Krakow. As soon as we walked into one of the streets approaching the square, I knew I was going to enjoy myself. Would happily go back, even on my own as it felt very safe and we were immediately in holiday mode.

Is there another airport you can travel to or perhaps different dates? That might make a difference to timings/costs.

I haven’t been to Gdansk, but Krakow is lovely.

Poland is my second home and Gdańsk is my favourite place there. Wrocław is also lovely. I was working in Kraków this time last year, and all of December, and it was stuffed with British tourists - I heard more English spoken than Polish. You will have a great time in Gdańsk - also try and visit Sopot and Gdynia, the other parts of the Tri-city.