Gdansk is the Polish maritime capital with a population nearing half a million. It is a large centre of economic life, science, culture, and a popular tourist destination. Located on the Bay of Gdansk and the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, the city is a thousand years old. With its Hanseatic tradition, it has played a major role in the commercial relationships between Northern and Western Europe, as well as Central and Eastern Europe. Today, Gdansk is the capital of the Pomeranian province and an important political centre.

The first clue about the history of the city can be seen on the Upland Gate to the Old Town, which is decorated with the emblems of Poland, Royal Prussia and Gdansk, indicating the ownership changes the city has experienced.

Passing by the Renaissance Torture House and Gothic Prison Tower you will find the historic interiors of the Town Hall, dating back to the 14th century. Take a stroll along the main thoroughfare, Dluga Street, visiting the famous Artus Court, built in 1481 as a meeting place for wealthy burghers, who shared a passion for King Arthur and the Round Table, very fashionable in Hansa towns at that time. Stop at Neptune fountain, the symbol of Gdansk, which owes its many riches to the bounty of the God of the Sea, among which is amber, displayed at the nearby Amber Gallery. Depart Dlugi Targ through the Green Gate, a gatehouse built for the visits of the kings of Poland and now the office of Mr Lech Walesa. You will come across one of the most beautiful streets in Gdansk, Mariacka Street, where St Mary’s Church stands. The church, founded in 1342, is one of the biggest in Europe and large enough for 25,000 faithful. At the Motlawa River bank, the Old Crane and wooden granaries are reminders of the trade which underpinned the wealth of Hansaetic Gdansk.

You can also take a boat tour to explore the bay of Gdansk. There are some magnificent views of the Tri-Cities (Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia): the picturesque panorama of Old Gdansk, Hel Peninsula, the beaches of Sopot and Gdynia harbour. Stop at Westerplatte where WWII started and where for 8 days, 182 Polish Soldiers held off thousands of Nazi forces, supported by artillery, planes and naval units. Then take a short drive to the Gates of Gdansk Shipyard where the "Solidarity" Trade Union movement was founded in 1980, a turning point for the struggle against the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe. Pay homage to the victims killed in the 1970 shipyard protest, commemorated by a monument built after demands by the Solidarity strikers. Take a brief pause at the Oliva Cathedral, founded in the 13th century, to listen to a concert played on the Rococo organ, the finest one of its kind in Poland.

A short drive from Gdansk you will find Gdynia, a modern town and the commercial heart of the Tri-City area. The town's harbour is home to "Blyskawica" ("Lightning"), a WWII destroyer and Dar Pomorza, a former teaching vessel for the Polish navy.

Visit Sopot, a picturesque pre-war summer resort with a beautiful promenade pier. The history of Sopot Spa dates back to 1819 when the first attempts were made to set up a bathing-site in Sopot, inspired by the existence since 1808 of a similar site in the neighbouring Brzezno. Ten years later Jan Jerzy Haffner, a former doctor in the Napoleonic Army built the first brick building of a hot baths complex with 6 baths and he also laid out the Krolewskie Planty [Royal Park] around this building. In 1824, next to the Bathing Establishment, the first Dom Zdrojowy [Spa House] was built. In the 1870's a railway line was built to connect Sopot with Gdansk and Koszalin. In 1923 the southern wing of the Dom Zdrojowy was reconstructed into the site of the casino for the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of sea-bathing in Sopot. The town was destroyed during WWII but was reconstructed after the war. In 1998 Sopot was granted the status of a spa town.