Gdańsk

The Royal Way, the shipyard and Westerplatte

Walk the Royal Way on your first Gdańsk morning: the Upland Gate, through the Golden Gate, along ulica Długa to Neptune's Fountain and the Long Market, then out through the Green Gate to the Motława. Spend day two on the 20th century, at the Second World War museum, the shipyard and Westerplatte.

Then wander up Mariacka Street, with its stone terraces and amber workshops.

In the afternoon, leave through the Green Gate and follow the Motława past the wooden Crane, then cross to Granary Island for dinner by the water as the lights come on along the quay.

Spend day two on the 20th century. Open with the Museum of the Second World War by the river, which needs a good three hours, and after lunch walk north to the shipyard gate and the European Solidarity Centre, where the story of the 1980 strikes is told. If you have a third day, take the SKM to Sopot for the pier and beach, catch a summer boat to Westerplatte, or go by train to Malbork Castle.

Baltic fish, milk bars and Goldwasser

Gdańsk is a port, so order fish: fried and smoked Baltic fish at simple counter bars along the Tricity coast, and herring. Milk bars still serve plain Polish cooking at canteen prices. Restaurants on Długi Targ trade on the view, so eat a street back, and taste Goldwasser, the local herbal liqueur with gold flakes.

Herring, in oil, in cream or with onion, turns up as a starter on most traditional menus in the Main Town.

For plain Polish cooking at canteen prices, the milk bars are still going: Bar Turystyczny on Szeroka and Bar Mleczny Neptun on ulica Długa serve pierogi, soups and pork cutlets to a mix of locals and visitors. Dominikański on plac Dominikański is a sit-down option for hearty home-style dishes, and its tomato soup has a following.

Restaurants on Długi Targ and the riverside trade mostly on their views. Better value lies a street or two back, and on Granary Island the newer places face the water. To drink, try Goldwasser, the herbal liqueur with flakes of gold that was made in the city for centuries. It is now produced in Germany, but bars in the Main Town still pour it.

Baltic summers, St Dominic's Fair and the Christmas market

The sea keeps Gdańsk cooler than inland Poland, with July and August highs near 23°C and winters around freezing. Beach season on the Tricity coast runs from late June to August, St Dominic's Fair fills the Main Town in summer, and in December a Christmas market takes over Targ Węglowy by the Upland Gate.

Rain peaks in July and August at around 70 to 80 mm a month, but autumn stays damp too, with about 55 to 65 mm in September and October.

Beach season on the Tricity coast runs from late June to August, when Sopot's sands fill and the water warms enough to swim, briefly. Early July brings Open'er, one of the biggest music festivals in Poland, to an airfield in Gdynia, a short SKM ride north. From late July, St Dominic's Fair takes over the Main Town for about three weeks with stalls of food, crafts and antiques; it dates back centuries and draws very large crowds, so book rooms early.

Winter is also the time for long hours in the Second World War museum, when the Royal Way is nearly empty.