Three days is the sweet spot for a first visit to Gdańsk — enough to see the Old Town properly, dip into one of the headline museums, and either taste the Baltic coast or hop over to Sopot. This itinerary assumes you arrive late on Day 0 and leave late on Day 3, so you get three full daylight days. Adjust freely; nothing here is set in stone.
Day one — Old Town at walking pace
Start at the Golden Gate (Złota Brama) and walk Long Market (Długi Targ) east toward the Green Gate, stopping at Neptune's Fountain, Artus Court (~28 PLN entry) and the photogenic Mariacka Street side-trip. Climb St. Mary's Basilica tower (~14 PLN, ~400 steps) for the best Old Town view — go before noon to skip queues. Lunch on Mariacka or at Pierogarnia Mandu Centrum. Afternoon: cross the Green Bridge to Granary Island, walk the new river promenade back to the Crane (Żuraw), and end with sunset and drinks along the Motława. Easy 9–11 km on foot in total.
Day two — the historical heavyweights
Two of Europe's strongest 21st-century museums sit in Gdańsk: the Museum of the Second World War and the European Solidarity Centre. Don't try both in a single day — pick one and give it 3–4 hours. We send most first-timers to the WWII Museum (the permanent exhibition is genuinely extraordinary; tickets ~30 PLN, book ahead in summer). Lunch nearby in the New Town or back near Long Market. Afternoon: the Amber Museum in the Great Mill (~30 PLN) or a stroll across Ołowianka Island to the Maritime Museum and the SS Sołdek ship. Evening: dinner on the Motława waterfront.
