Is 50 PLN enough to survive in Gdansk?? It’s easy if you try!
Imagine. You are in Gdansk. You have just woken up. You look out the window and think of great weather, beautiful sea, fantastic food, so many attractions around each corner. It will be a perfect day! But suddenly you realize that you have only … 50 zlotys in your pocket.
Breakfast
And your face falls a bit … thoughts move quickly … Is it even possible to survive a day with such a large amount of money? And then you think No pain no gain! I have to give it a try! And in five minutes you are outside because you don’t want to waste your time. You have a plan and you intend to stick to it.
First, breakfast. You head to the nearest Biedronka. You could have gone to many other grocery stores in the neighborhood, but Biedronka is one of the cheapest and most popular supermarket chains in Poland.
In Biedronka you buy two butter croissants (1,20 zloty each). You could try crullers or turnovers filled with fruit at the price between 1.79-1.99 zloty, but croissants win. However, you can’t miss the French pastry filled with sausage, which is only 1,99 zl. Your Polish friends have always said that Polish sausages are the best in the world, so you are sure you are going to have a cheap and delicious lunch. You also add an apple and a banana (around 3-4 zlotys) to your basket to make sure no one can say that you only eat fast food!
You leave Biedronka and head to Żabka, one of the most ubiquitous corner shops in town. 2,99 for a cup of coffee? Wow. That price is unbeatable. And even cheaper with a Żabka application?! Only 1.99? I’m in!
You grab your hot beverage and now it is time for the best part of the day: warm and mellow sand, blue sky, and sound of the sea. All of this – for free! The Tricity beaches are open to the public all the way along the bay and further down to the open sea.
Got enough Vitamin sea? Now it is time for some sightseeing.
You go to the nearest kiosk to get your daily ticket at the price of 14,00 zl. You may also use the 4,40 hourly ticket for both tram and bus, but your plan is to travel longer than one hour today.
So what do you do with this 30 zl left? Let’s see The Old Town, you decide. And once you see the Golden Gate, you know it was the right choice.
You are surrounded by the wonderful historic architecture of the previous Hanza port city that used Motława River and the Baltic sea to ship goods from the interior of Eastern Europe to other parts of the world and vice versa. The Crane, the granaries on the Ołowianka Island, the famous Mariacka street, charming crooked streets … You love the vibe!
Because it’ is Tuesday, museums offer free admission. You can’t miss this opportunity and decide to visit the Amber Museum. In the meantime, you find out that some other attractions are also available for free between 10.00 am and 1.00 pm: the Main Town Hall, The Uphagen House, Polish Post Office Museum, and the Artus Court. You decide to do your best to see all of those places although you are not entirely sure if you manage to…
On the way to Artus Court, you get really hungry, so when you spot a perfect place to eat and rest, you can’t resist. It’s a simple milk bar, but you can get a two-course meal for only 20 zlotys here! Plus, this is an experience in itself, as some say, a milk bar should be your first stop in Poland.
In the rest of a day…
You go for a żurek soup only, which is a hearty traditional Polish soup that fills your stomach. Now you have 10 zł left in your pocket. Cool!
You check the map and find out that you are a short walk away from the European Solidarity Centre. In addition to the main exhibition usually paid), they offer a number of other temporary ones that might be worth seeing. Or you can take the lift to the rooftop with a public viewing terrace.
Just a few steps away from ECS, there is the historical Gdańsk Shipyard where the Solidarity movement began. The BHP Hall is a place especially worth visiting, as that’s where the August Agreements were signed in 1980 between the communistic government and the shipyard workers committee after a long period of strikes. Nearby, just in front of The Monument to the fallen Shipyard Workers, you can try out an unusual board game that might make you understand better how it was to live in PRL, as Poles still refer to the Polish People’s Republic that was a part of the communist Eastern Block until 1989. go on, pick up a dice … and you’ll be surprised how fast you’ll find new playmates!
You still have a few zlotys left…but your time is running out and the night is falling… So you go to the nearest Lidl to get some food for supper. Mission accomplished.
There is still a lot more you can do, like checking out the philharmonic orchestra for free lunch practice concerts, walk along with the shipyard, go to Elektrow, get on the trams and tour the city and more. So, yes, 50 Zl may not be much in other places, but in Gdansk, it sure takes you a long way!
