Northern Poland: Gdańsk, Malbork Castle and the Masurian Lakes

Arrive in Warsaw

Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to your hotel in central Warsaw

• Repas du soir
• Nuit : Warsaw

Soir

In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the seven days: tomorrow's train to the coast, which are the longer road days, how to pack for a warm day and a wet one in the same week. Then we walk to a welcome dinner of Polish dishes, perhaps pierogi or a bowl of żurek, the sour rye soup. This first night is deliberately simple, because the northern part of the trip starts early with the train to Gdańsk.

Compris

• Proposed pick-up at Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW)
• Welcome briefing with your guide
• Welcome dinner

By train to Gdańsk

Warsaw to Gdańsk by train, then the Main Town on foot

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Gdańsk
• En train

Matin

After breakfast we take a fast intercity train from Warsaw to Gdańsk, a journey we estimate at about three hours and confirm against the timetable and seat availability.

Après-midi

We check in at a central hotel, then in the afternoon walk the Main Town with the guide: Long Market and the Neptune Fountain, the Golden Gate, the tall brick Gothic and Renaissance facades of Mariacka Street, and the waterfront on the Motława river with the medieval crane. Gdańsk was heavily damaged in the war and the Main Town was rebuilt, so we talk about what was reconstructed and why.

Soir

The evening is free for the waterfront cafés and amber shops. Tomorrow is the day for the Solidarity story and the coast, so a relatively early night helps. Seat reservations are planned but not yet booked.

Compris

• Train Warsaw to Gdańsk, seat reservations planned
• Gdańsk Main Town walk with your guide

Solidarity, Westerplatte and Sopot

Gdańsk: European Solidarity Centre, Westerplatte, then Sopot

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Nuit : Gdańsk

Soir

In the late afternoon we continue to Sopot to walk its wooden pier, a fee-charging attraction whose hours we confirm, and have dinner by the sea.

Compris

• European Solidarity Centre visit
• Westerplatte visit with your guide
• Sopot seafront and pier walk
• Dinner in Sopot or Gdańsk

Activités en option

• A further museum visit in Gdańsk, cost not included

Malbork Castle

Gdańsk to Malbork by road, then the castle complex

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Malbork

Matin

We leave Gdańsk after breakfast and drive to Malbork, a journey we estimate at about an hour, to see the castle of the Teutonic Knights, built from brick on the Nogat river and now a museum. It is one of the largest brick castle complexes in Europe, and we plan the visit so the guide can explain who the Teutonic Order were, how the castle changed hands and how it was rebuilt after wartime damage. Entry hours need checking: the castle's official page lists only the current winter schedule, with a Tuesday to Sunday pattern and grounds-only Mondays, and has not published summer 2027 hours, so the weekday and the timetable must be confirmed for each departure. We spend most of the day here and in the town, then check in at a hotel in Malbork.

Soir

The evening is free. Tomorrow is the first long road day.

Compris

• Malbork Castle visit, subject to opening days and ticketing

Activités en option

• An audio guide or an additional exhibition, if sold separately

To the Masurian Lakes

Malbork to Mikołajki by road

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Mikołajki

Après-midi

This is a long road day, an estimated three to four hours of driving plus a lunch stop, from Malbork southeast through the landscape of Warmia and Masuria to Mikołajki, a small resort town on a strait between two lakes.

Soir

We plan a lunch stop on the way and arrive in the middle of the afternoon, time enough to walk the harbour front and the lakeside paths before dinner, which is free. Mikołajki is a base for boat trips, sailing and kayaks. The Great Masurian Lakes waterways opened for navigation on 24 April 2026 according to the water authority, but we have not read when individual passenger boats operate, so the boat outing planned for tomorrow is subject to the operator's schedule and the weather. Summer evenings are long and light, so a stroll after dinner is easy. Exact drive times are estimates only.

Compris

• Lunch on the road
• Harbour walk in Mikołajki

Lake boat and the Wolf's Lair

Mikołajki: lake boat in the morning, then the Wolf's Lair at Gierłoż

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Nuit : Mikołajki
• En bateau

Matin

The morning is on the water: a lake boat outing from Mikołajki, planned with a local operator and subject to its schedule and the weather. The route and length are set with the operator, since we have not yet read a passenger timetable.

Après-midi

After a free lunch we drive about an hour, an estimate, to Gierłoż near Kętrzyn for the Wolf's Lair, the remains of Hitler's East Prussian headquarters, where an unsuccessful assassination attempt took place in July 1944. We tell this site carefully: as a place of war and Nazi rule, not as a heritage attraction, and with documented history and context, including the memorial to the resistance. The official site lists opening hours of 08:00 to 20:00 daily from May to August and 08:00 to 18:00 in September, with tickets sold only at the gate, so group entry is to be confirmed.

Soir

We return to Mikołajki in the late afternoon for a group dinner by the lake. Because boat plus Wolf's Lair already makes a full day, a paddle is not part of the plan; it stays an optional extra for the free evening, if conditions and an operator allow.

Compris

• Lake boat outing, subject to operator schedule
• Wolf's Lair visit with your guide, entry arrangements to be confirmed
• Group dinner at Mikołajki

Activités en option

• A short paddle or sailing outing in the free evening with a local operator, cost not included, not booked

Back to Warsaw and departure

Mikołajki to Warsaw by road; end of trip in Warsaw

• Petit-déjeuner

Matin

After breakfast we say goodbye to the lakes and drive to Warsaw, an estimated three to four hours of driving with a coffee stop.

Après-midi

We plan to arrive in Warsaw in the early afternoon, and the trip ends at your hotel or the airport.

Soir

Because of this road day, we do not set a default flight deadline: please choose flights in the evening or the next day, and tell us if you would like a Warsaw night added, which is not included. If you have time before your flight, you can visit the Old Town or the Warsaw Rising Museum on your own. We do not promise the arrival time; traffic around Warsaw can be heavy, and weather or lake-road works can add time. This proposal ends here, with no overnight on day 7.

Compris

• Transfer to Warsaw, proposed, with drop at your hotel or Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW)