The main tourist information office, the PTTK office (Duga 45; tel. 58/301-91-51; www.pttk-gdansk.pl), is conveniently located in the heart of the Gówne Miasto, opposite the Neptune Fountain. This office is overstretched in the summer. They offer services like making hotel reservations or booking tickets to the philharmonic and opera. To hire a city guide, you need to call in advance. The price is 80 z to 160 z per person, depending on the group size, for a 2 1/2 hour walking tour. Pick up a copy of the Gdansk, Stare Miasto map, a large-format, easy-to-read guide to all the major sights in the center of town. Also, look for the free brochures The Best of Gdansk and The Royal Route; both are comprehensive, self-guided walking tours in English. The office sells copies of Gdansk, In Your Pocket (5 z), which has an excellent overview of the city, including sections on Sopot, Gdynia, and Malbork. For more extensive exploration, the Copernicus Tri-City map with public transport routes is a good buy. The GTO Gdansk Tourist Information Center (Dugi Targ 28/29; tel. 58/301-43-55; www.gdansk4u.pl), run by the city authorities, has a similar stock of material but tends to be less crowded. It is open June to August daily from 8:30am to 6:30pm and the rest of the year daily from 9am to 5pm. They sell the Gdansk Tourist Card and rent audio guides (www.audioguide.com.pl) with humorous narrations for 12 z per 4-hour usage.
City Layout
Unlike other Polish cities, the heart of Gdansk is technically not called the "Old Town" (Stare Miasto). There is a Stare Miasto, but it lies just to the north of the main center, the Gówne Miasto (Main Town). The Gówne Miasto is where you'll find the main pedestrian walks, ul. Duga (Long St.), Dugi Targ (the Long Market), and interesting side streets. Then comes Dugie Pobrzeze, a major pedestrian walkway along the Motawa Canal. Stare Miasto is about a 15-minute walk north, and it is here you'll find the Gdansk shipyards and the Solidarity memorial, and the Roads to Freedom exhibit. To the south of Gówne Miasto is Stare Przedmiescie (Old Suburbs). Farther to the north, in the direction of Sopot, lies the unlovely Nowy Port, as well as the serene suburbs of Wrzeszcz and Oliwa. The former is home to many of the city's more affordable hotels and pensions. The Tri-City (Trójmiasto) refers to the trio of Gdansk, Sopot, and Gdynia. The heart of Sopot is about 6km (3 3/4 miles) to the north of Gdansk city center. Gdynia is about 15km (9 1/4 miles) to the north.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
