Toruń

Copernicus, gingerbread and the view from Toruń's south bank

One day covers Toruń. Climb the Old Town Hall tower early for the view over the brick roofs, walk to Copernicus House on ulica Kopernika, and book a slot at the Gingerbread Museum. After lunch see the New Town Market, then cross the Vistula bridge for the classic view of the walled town from the south bank.

Walk a few streets south to Copernicus House on ulica Kopernika, the merchant's home where the astronomer was probably born in 1473, and spend an hour on its mix of family life, Gothic interiors and astronomy.

Book a mid-morning or early afternoon slot at the Gingerbread Museum, set in an old granary, where costumed guides walk you through mixing the dough, pressing it into wooden moulds and baking your own, with a look at old millstones along the way.

After lunch, walk north to the New Town Market, the separate town founded in 1264, and back past the ruins of the Teutonic Knights' castle. Late in the afternoon follow the walls down to the Leaning Tower and the river boulevard. As the light fades, cross the bridge to the south bank: the view back over the Vistula to the illuminated walls and church towers is the best sight in town.

Pierniki, katarzynki and naleśniki

Gingerbread, pierniki toruńskie, has been baked in Toruń for centuries, and shops around the Old Town sell it as honey-spiced cakes, iced figures and chocolate hearts; katarzynki are the flat, shaped kind. For a meal, Pierogi Plus on Ślusarska is a cheap choice, and from late spring tables spill onto the squares.

Katarzynki, flat gingerbread made of joined rounded segments, are the traditional shape to bring home. The Gingerbread Museum lets you bake your own.

For a meal, Pierogi Plus on Ślusarska, near the New Town Market, is a dumpling specialist with a long list of fillings. Manekin, with branches on Wysoka and the main square, makes large filled naleśniki, Polish crêpes, sweet or savoury.

From late spring the Old Town spills outdoors, with café and restaurant tables on the squares and lanes, and a few cafés set up on the riverbank and on boats moored by the boulevard. For an evening drink, the cellar bar Grota on the north side of Rynek Staromiejski has a long list of vodkas.

Museum hours, the Bella Skyway Festival and Toruń's weather

Toruń's winters are cold, with January highs near 1°C, and summers warm, around 25°C in July and August, when the rain peaks. Opening hours shift with the seasons, longer from May to September, and in late August the Bella Skyway Festival lights the Old Town with projections and installations.

July is by far the wettest month, at around 90 mm, while April and October are relatively dry at about 30 to 40 mm.

From May to September, Copernicus House and the Old Town Hall stay open until 18:00, and from October to April they close at 16:00, which makes a winter day shorter than it looks. Summer brings pedicabs, outdoor tables and the cafés on boats.

Late August is when the Bella Skyway Festival lights up the Old Town with projections and light installations on walls, towers and churches over several evenings, the busiest time to visit after dark. On 19 February the city marks the birthday of Copernicus. In December a Christmas market sets up on the main square, and gingerbread sales hit their peak.