Kids notice a city better from above: the shipyard cranes, the red Old Town roofs, ships crossing the bay. Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot sit between wooded hills and the Baltic, so the views range from forest hilltops to a pier over the sea, plus a couple worth the drive out. Here's what we checked, from a church tower in the Main Town to a lighthouse on a Baltic cliff.
The brick bell tower of St. Mary's Basilica rises 78 m over the Main Town, and its viewing point at the top looks out across the Old Town rooftops and spires.
The basilica below, finished in 1502, is one of the largest brick churches ever built. Inside, the astronomical clock Hans Düringer made in 1464-1470 runs its show of moving figures once a day.
AmberSky is a 60-meter observation wheel on Ołowianka island. Its 30 glass gondolas seat up to 12 people, are heated and air-conditioned, and carry an audio guide to the city's history and architecture.
A ride turns the wheel about three times, with views over the Old Town, the historic shipyard cranes, the amber-colored stadium and as far as the Hel Peninsula.
Hevelianum fills the barracks and casemates of a 19th-century fort on Góra Gradowa, the hill above the Main Town. Around the World crosses seven continents, With Energy! is hands-on energy experiments, and Puzzle is logic and math challenges. In Playing with History, kids try on old uniforms and fire a virtual cannon by gesture. Outside, 20 hectares of paths lead to a playground and lookouts over the old city.
A 15-meter steel viewing tower tops Pachołek, a 100-meter hill in the Oliwa forest at the edge of the Tricity Landscape Park. A short walk and a flight of stairs lead up to the platform, which looks over Oliwa, Przymorze, Wrzeszcz and the Main Town, and out to Gdańsk Bay. To the west the view is all forest. It suits kids who like spotting landmarks from up high.
A short funicular in central Gdynia that carries riders up Kamienna Góra in a glass gondola. The ride takes about two minutes, covers 96 meters of track and climbs 40 meters, with no stops on the way.
At the top are a park with quiet paths, a summer amphitheater and a viewing platform looking out over the sea and the city.
A wooden pier, a beach and a steep cliff where the Kępa Redłowska forest reserve meets the Bay of Gdańsk in Gdynia. The 180-meter pier gives views back to the cliff and south to Sopot's pier.
The cliff rises up to 40 meters, with rust-colored iron streaks and brown coal in its face. By the pier entrance, a statue of marine painter Antoni Suchanek sits on a bench.
The European Solidarity Centre tells the story of the Solidarność movement from inside the former Gdańsk Shipyard. Seven rooms hold nearly 1,800 exhibits, among them the boards with the strikers' 21 demands, a shipyard overhead crane, an electric trolley and a police truck, alongside photos, films and interactive installations.
A rooftop observation deck looks out over the shipyard cranes, the canal and the church spires of the Old Town.
A metal viewing tower named after John Paul II, built in 1997 on the summit of Wieżyca, at 328.6 meters the highest hill in Kashubia and Pomerania. The top sits inside a nature reserve of 150-year-old beech forest, and the platform rises above the treetops, with views over the Szymbark Hills and the lakes of the Kółko Raduńskie.
In winter, the southern slopes of the hill become a ski area.
Rozewie Lighthouse stands on a beech-wooded cliff at Cape Rozewie, on the open Baltic coast. Visitors climb the 33-meter tower, first lit in 1822, up to the lantern. The tower holds a lighthouse-keeping exhibition, and the grounds include the restored engine room, the Stodoła gallery of marine art, and a granite bust of the writer Stefan Żeromski, whose name the lighthouse carries.
Kids notice a city better from above: the shipyard cranes, the red Old Town roofs, ships crossing the bay. Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot sit between wooded hills and the Baltic, so the views range from forest hilltops to a pier over the sea, plus a couple worth the drive out. Here's what we checked, from a church tower in the Main Town to a lighthouse on a Baltic cliff.
The brick bell tower of St. Mary's Basilica rises 78 m over the Main Town, and its viewing point at the top looks out across the Old Town rooftops and spires.
The basilica below, finished in 1502, is one of the largest brick churches ever built. Inside, the astronomical clock Hans Düringer made in 1464-1470 runs its show of moving figures once a day.
AmberSky is a 60-meter observation wheel on Ołowianka island. Its 30 glass gondolas seat up to 12 people, are heated and air-conditioned, and carry an audio guide to the city's history and architecture.
A ride turns the wheel about three times, with views over the Old Town, the historic shipyard cranes, the amber-colored stadium and as far as the Hel Peninsula.
Hevelianum fills the barracks and casemates of a 19th-century fort on Góra Gradowa, the hill above the Main Town. Around the World crosses seven continents, With Energy! is hands-on energy experiments, and Puzzle is logic and math challenges. In Playing with History, kids try on old uniforms and fire a virtual cannon by gesture. Outside, 20 hectares of paths lead to a playground and lookouts over the old city.
A 15-meter steel viewing tower tops Pachołek, a 100-meter hill in the Oliwa forest at the edge of the Tricity Landscape Park. A short walk and a flight of stairs lead up to the platform, which looks over Oliwa, Przymorze, Wrzeszcz and the Main Town, and out to Gdańsk Bay. To the west the view is all forest. It suits kids who like spotting landmarks from up high.
A short funicular in central Gdynia that carries riders up Kamienna Góra in a glass gondola. The ride takes about two minutes, covers 96 meters of track and climbs 40 meters, with no stops on the way.
At the top are a park with quiet paths, a summer amphitheater and a viewing platform looking out over the sea and the city.
A wooden pier, a beach and a steep cliff where the Kępa Redłowska forest reserve meets the Bay of Gdańsk in Gdynia. The 180-meter pier gives views back to the cliff and south to Sopot's pier.
The cliff rises up to 40 meters, with rust-colored iron streaks and brown coal in its face. By the pier entrance, a statue of marine painter Antoni Suchanek sits on a bench.
The European Solidarity Centre tells the story of the Solidarność movement from inside the former Gdańsk Shipyard. Seven rooms hold nearly 1,800 exhibits, among them the boards with the strikers' 21 demands, a shipyard overhead crane, an electric trolley and a police truck, alongside photos, films and interactive installations.
A rooftop observation deck looks out over the shipyard cranes, the canal and the church spires of the Old Town.
A metal viewing tower named after John Paul II, built in 1997 on the summit of Wieżyca, at 328.6 meters the highest hill in Kashubia and Pomerania. The top sits inside a nature reserve of 150-year-old beech forest, and the platform rises above the treetops, with views over the Szymbark Hills and the lakes of the Kółko Raduńskie.
In winter, the southern slopes of the hill become a ski area.
Rozewie Lighthouse stands on a beech-wooded cliff at Cape Rozewie, on the open Baltic coast. Visitors climb the 33-meter tower, first lit in 1822, up to the lantern. The tower holds a lighthouse-keeping exhibition, and the grounds include the restored engine room, the Stodoła gallery of marine art, and a granite bust of the writer Stefan Żeromski, whose name the lighthouse carries.
