We visited Gdansk in the middle of summer, so we knew a day trip to Sopot was a must! This seaside town on the shores of the Baltic Sea is a popular resort destination, and its proximity to Gdansk – just a 15-minute train ride away – makes it the perfect beach day destination…even if we technically didn’t go in the water.
We arrived in Sopot early on a Saturday morning and then made our way to the sea on foot. It was a short 20-minute walk, though I’m pretty sure we didn’t take the most direct route as we meandered through parks and residential neighbourhoods.
Walking around we definitely noticed that spa town feel with beautiful villas, elegant gardens, and cute little shops geared at tourists who wander off the main road.
Sopot reminded me a lot of some of the towns that Sam and I visited a few years ago when did a trip to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Germany, which I guess would make sense since Poland is in Eastern Pomerania.
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Our first stop of the day was the town’s main attraction: the Sopot Pier. This happens to be the longest wooden pier in all of Europe and it’s quite impressive.
It leads you 511.5 meters out to sea with lots of little lookout points to admire the town or the swans enjoying the water.
We followed the pier all the way to the end and that’s when Sam noticed that there was a pirate ship called Statek Pirat. Of course, we had to go on it!
The ship was just about to depart so we quickly purchased our tickets (35 zł per person) and hopped aboard for a 40-minute tour of Gdansk Harbour.
I have no interesting facts to share from that tour since it was all in Polish, but we did enjoy the views.
There were areas where the water was perfectly still and if you looked in the direction of the sun, it created this strange mirage where the line between sky and sea blurred together.
Also, that impressive building you see when you look back from the water is the Hotel Grand Sopot, which apparently is the place to stay if you’re looking for a splurge.
After our tour, we spent a bit more time walking along the marina. Lots of boat owners were preparing to take their sailboats out on the water, and this is where we also noticed the Santa Maria, a pretty swanky catamaran that offers tours of the harbour.
We were both starting to feel a bit peckish after all that walking, so we then made our way back to town in search of lunch.
We went to Mocno Nadziane, which I had read offered fish pierogi, but sadly, that was not the case when we arrived!
They did, however, have an interesting selection of baked pierogi with unique fillings so we stuck around.
We ordered a beetroot soup with dumplings, a coleslaw salad, baked pierogi stuffed with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes (they accidentally brought us meat ones), and baked dessert pierogi stuffed with cottage cheese and peaches (they accidentally brought us cottage cheese and lemon rind instead).
So, we may not have gotten exactly what we ordered, but at the same time, the food was really tasty and we were really hungry, so we just ate it…though I was left wondering what those peach pierogi taste like.
From there, we walked back to the Spa Court, which is the main square. It was midday by now, so all the vendors had finished setting up and the area was teeming with people.
There were a few different stands that caught my eye: one guy was selling wooden rolling pins that had these cool patterns and engravings (I would’ve bought one if I had a kitchen, and most importantly, room in my suitcase!), and there was also a lady that was selling gingerbread cookies which in Poland are known as pierniczki (I only refrained from this one because I had already eaten dessert).
We then spent a bit of time hanging out at the beach, and right away Sam noticed that there were way more people sunbathing than there were people in the water.
When he went to dip his toes that quickly solved the mystery. The waters of the Baltic Sea are chilly – apparently even for locals!
And that pretty much concludes our day trip to Sopot.
By the afternoon, we were both starting to get a little tired, so we hopped back on the train, I took a nap, and before we knew it, we were back in Gdansk. The perfect little day trip.
How to get to Sopot from Gdansk
Trains depart from Gdańsk Główny Railway Station to Sopot Railway Station every 15 minutes during the day.
There’s no need to buy tickets in advance since you’re just riding the commuter train.
You can buy your tickets either from a ticket window or directly from the ticket machine.
Just don’t forget to punch your ticket in the yellow boxes before you go up to the platform.
Where to stay in Sopot
Like I mentioned, we visited Sopot as a day trip from Gdansk, but it’s a popular weekend destination for many and you could certainly fill your days if you stayed longer.
Sopot is a bit pricier than Gdansk (and Gdansk is a bit pricier than the rest of Poland), so it’s not the cheapest destination, but there are accommodations for every budget. You can get a better idea of hotel prices in Sopot here; the city offers a mix of hotels, guesthouses, and even a few hostels.
Another option to consider are AirBnBs where you can find entire apartments in the $30-70 range. We visited in the middle of July when there was very limited availability and rates were a bit higher, but you should be able to find a good selection if you’re travelling during the low season or if you’re booking well in advance.
Would you take a day trip to Sopot?
What’s your ideal day trip?
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