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With its UNESCO-protected canals and libertarian social scene, Amsterdam is a bucket list summer destinationbut maybe not if you’re on a budget, travel less than $50 a day, or feel uncomfortable in crowded spaces:
It’s one of Europe’s busiest tourist hotspots, with city center hotels, if bookings still available, costing from $200 to book per nightstaggering levels of overtourism and restrictive measures to combat it that could make you feel less welcome as a visitor.
Luckily, it’s not the only European city with stunning architecture and a picturesque waterfront: this lesser-known Polish gem is located on the Baltic coast. the most perfect alternative.
Gdansk is the colorful Polish sister of Amsterdam
Poland as a destination is already incredibly underrated, but when you consider visiting it, you probably think of the towering high-rises of Warsaw, the well-preserved medieval center of Krakow and the nearby Auschwitz monument.
However, most tourists do not know that in the Baltic region of Pomerania, along the Northern European Sea, they will find the most beautiful Polish city.
Not only does it have a high concentration of sights, but it also bears a shocking architectural resemblance to Amsterdam.
Gdansk is a historic port that has played a prominent role in European history, although this is often underestimated: it was once a wealthy maritime power, rivaling even its Dutch counterpart, and at one point it was Europe’s most important shipbuilding hub.
To the curious observer it looks like a Dutch or West Germanic city, and that is not by chance: as part of the former Hanseatic League, Gdansk’s cityscape was shaped in traditional Northern Mannerist style, with rows upon rows of gabled houses.
A fairytale city Hardly Looks real
The difference is that, while Amsterdam’s houses are usually monochromatic and somber in color, Gdansk’s are an explosion of color: As you stroll down Dluga, the main, long pedestrian street that runs through the old town, you will see ornate facades in muted green, yellow, scarlet and blue.
Trust us, you’ll be tempted to walk up and down Dluga more than a few times, from the monumental Golden to the Green Gate, as the curly Germanic motifs are striking, but this colorful Amsterdam look-alike has more to offer than the Instagrammable skinny buildings:
It is home to a rococo Neptune Fountain, St. Mary’s Church, a red-brick Gothic wonder, the picturesque Mariacka Street, famous for its casual cafes, jewelry stalls and lavishly decorated front porchesand the idyllic Radunia Canal, which could easily belong in the Netherlands.
Waterways have been as central to Gdansk’s development as that of Amsterdam, and the city’s Motlawa waterfront is among the most charming in Europe, with a concentration of a number of centuries-old structures, such as a 14th-century wooden crane dating back from the city’s shipbuilding era.
Besides its alluring medieval charm, history buffs should probably know that Gdansk is too the birthplace of none other than Daniel Fahrenheitwho invented the scale – if you walk through Dluga, you cannot miss the Fahrenheit meteorological column.
It is the place where the Second World War started
Gdansk is one of the most historically charged cities in Europe, not just because of the glorious medieval era it enjoyed, but for a much darker, fascinating, all-same reason: it’s the first free city that the Nazis invaded beforehand. -until the Second World War, which actually started the conflict.
You read that correctly.
If you’ve ever wondered where exactly war was declared, you look at it: this otherwise quaint, picturesque Polish city.
Gdank’s war and post-war struggles are extensively documented in world-class museums such as the self-descriptive Museum of the Second World War and the European Solidarity Center, which focuses on Poland’s struggle for independence from the iron fist of the Soviet Union. .
Tourists are also invited to visit Westerplatte, a peninsula infamous for being the exact spot where the Nazis made landfall as they approached Gdansk from the Baltic Sea: although it is a bit outside the city, it is it difficult to get there. extremely easy with bus 106 or 138 (the journey takes 30 minutes).
Did we sleep in Pomerania the whole time?
Gdansk is beautiful, but it’s one city in a fairly large historic province called Pomerania: it’s potentially one of the most fascinating regions in Poland, and a fairytale land dotted with castles and sleepy villages that seem frozen in time.
Marlboro Castle, the largest castle in the worldthe size of about 40 American football fields, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that once housed the Teutonic Order, is a short 42-minute train ride from Gdansk Central Station, tickets costing less than $3.
Sopot is an even shorter train journey of 15 minutes unexpected seaside resort that you didn’t know you needed: with its numerous spas, sandy beach on the azure Baltic Sea, quirky Crooked House and milder climate, it’s sure to give the blisteringly hot Mediterranean a run for its money this summer.
Speaking of $$$, if you’re a budget traveler coming to Gdansk, you’re in luck:
Gdansk is much cheaper than Amsterdam
Poland as a whole is among the cheapest destinations in Europe, and because it is often bypassed by tourists, consumer prices in Gdansk are low. completely contrary to Amsterdam‘s, or other Northern European city trips.
The local Slavic cuisine is great die because with pierogi portions, flavorful stews and delicious beer, and the best part is that you probably won’t set back more than $21 per outing in central Gdansk, compared to $47 in Amsterdam.
The average hotel price is also much cheaper: $55 versus Amsterdam’s staggering $222and the total cost for a week’s stay in Gdansk and the wider Pomerania comes to a quite cheap $782…still sold on Amsterdam?
That will be one minimum $1,392.
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