9 Fabulous Museums in Gdansk You’ll Actually Love to Visit

Gdansk is a city where you can’t skip visiting museums. From magnificent Second World War museums to Amber gemstones, from merchant houses to maritime achievements, there is something for any Gdanks visitor. Therefore, this guide to the best museums in Gdansk covers some of the most exciting and unique venues you’ll absolutely love to visit.

Most of the museums we’ve visited are so well laid out that you can easily spend a few hours wandering its halls and soaking all the fascinating information. Some Gdansk museums are small and take from 30 minutes to an hour. And to give you an idea of how much time you’ll need to visit all those museums in Gdansk, each of them will have a recommended time to spend at the end. 

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How to visit museums in Gdanks free or with a discount

The majority of museums in Gdansk do have free admission on Mondays; however, if your trip falls on a different date, get Gdansk Tourist Card and its Sightseeing Package once you arrive or even before to save lots of money on museum tickets. 

What is Gdansk Tourist Card? 

It offers free entrance to over 20 museums and discounts to 30 cultural institutions and dining venues. Besides visiting museums in Gdansk with this card, you can also top it up with different public transport tickets to use within Gdańsk or Tricity (Gdansk, Sopot, and Gdynia). 

Depending on your time in Gdansk, you can choose 24 hours, 48 hours, or 72-hour card.

Note that you pay an extra 5 PLN per person for the card when buying the card. 

ADVICE: always travel with comprehensive travel insurance that also covers COVID. I personally use SafetyWing. 

Which package to choose? 

Sightseeing Package Gdansk – is the best one for visiting all the sights and museums in Gdansk for free or at a discounted rate. Note that, whether you are traveling solo or with a partner, one card is valid for one person only. 

• 24h – 55 PLN regular, 35 PLN reduced
• 48h – 75 PLN regular, 50 PLN reduced
• 72h – 95 PLN regular, 65 PLN reduced

Family Fun Package – is excellent for the whole family as it includes science and entertainment centers, and interactive exhibitions that ensure kids won’t be bored. 

• 24h – 40 PLN regular, 25 PLN reduced
• 48h – 50 PLN regular, 35 PLN reduced
• 72h – 60 PLN regular, 45 PLN reduced

Metropolitan ticket – unless you spend a few days in Gdansk where you’ll need to use public transport quite often, I would not suggest buying this. 

• 24h – 25 PLN regular, 12.50 PLN reduced
• 48h – 50 PLN regular, 25 PLN reduced
• 72h – 50 PLN regular, 25 PLN reduced

Metropolia Package – this is great if you plan on exploring Pomorskie Region aside from Gdansk. The package includes attractions from Tczew all the way to Wejherowo, including the Tricity.

• 48h – 105 PLN regular, 75 PLN reduced
• 72h – 120 PLN regular, 90 PLN reduced

We used Gdansk Tourist Card solemnly for museums; therefore, a 24-hour Sightseeing package was enough for us. 

Where to buy Gdansk Tourist Card?

You can buy it online and pick up at various points throughout the city, or buy it once you get to Gdansk. 

Points of sale: 

• Gdańsk Tourist Information Center at ul. Długi Targ 28/29
• Tourist and Airport Information at Lech Walesa Airport
• Pomorskie Tourist Information Center in Wyżynna Gate at ul. Wały Jagiellońskie 2a

• Tourist information center near the central train station (Informacja Turystyczna Visit Gdansk) at ul. Podwale Grodzkie

→ Check out their website for more information.

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Top 9 fabulous museums in Gdansk to visit

Main Town Hall

This Gothic-Renaissance-styled Town Hall standing on Dlugi Targ street is the second tallest building in Gdansk. The hall hosted various Polish Kings coming to the city throughout its history. Nowadays, it’s home to the Gdansk Museum, giving you a glimpse of its past life. 

Grand ceiling paintings of the Red Hall will leave you speechless before redirecting your gaze towards the impressively-sized fireplace. 

Other rooms display vintage furniture of the 16th-17th centuries, about 600 silver china and other pieces, and temporary exhibits in the Pile Gallery.  

The last floor of the museum shows what everyday life looked like in Gdańsk before the war. Small displays reveal the daily lives of its citizens, home layouts, and what items they’ve used. It also displays how various businesses, banks, and pharmacies looked.   

You can go to the viewing platform to enjoy panoramic views of the Old Town. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation during our visit. 

Opening Hours: closed on Tuesdays. The rest of the days are from 10 am – 4 pm. Thursday from 10 am – 6 pm. 

Entrance Fee: Adults – 16 PLN for the museum and 12 PLN for the viewing platform. Free on Mondays or anytime with Gdansk Tourist Card. 

Website: Museum Gdansk

The time needed: 1 – 1:30 hours

Artus Court

Named after King Arthur and its famous round table concept, Artus Court is a remarkable building used as a meeting spot for merchants and a center of social life.

In the mid-19th century, after a devastating fire, it was remodeled into a Dutch Mannerism style, featuring striking sculptures and illustrations of man’s values and sins on its facade. 

Now it is a museum featuring exquisite paintings of unknown artists, ornamented furniture, ship models, coat of arms, armors, and tapestries, to name a few. 

The prominent piece of the museum is the 11-meter high heating stove adorned with gorgeous 520 individual tiles depicting the most outstanding leaders of Europe. The heater is said to be the tallest one in Europe. 

Opening Hours: closed on Tuesdays. The rest of the days are from 10 am – 4 pm. Thursday from 10 am – 6 pm. 

Entrance Fee: Adults – 16 PLN; Free on Mondays or anytime with Gdansk Tourist Card. 

Website: Museum Gdansk

The time needed: 30-40 minutes

Uphagen House

If you’d like to know how merchants used to live back in the day, Uphagen House is a must-visit among the museums in Gdansk. 

The owner, Johann Uphagen, was an art collector, historian, and merchant. He purchased this building in 1775 and remodeled it to suit the needs of the that-time wealthy merchant. 

It turned into a museum in 1911 and operated till 1944. The war destroyed the house to the ground; however, soon after WWII, it was rebuilt, but it didn’t open to the public until 1998. 

Uphagen House is one of the few 18th-century merchant city homes in Europe open to the public. 

You can wander through the luxuriously decorated rooms of the house and see how the family lived back in the day. The floor made from stone panels and stucco decorations on the ceilings is absolutely breathtaking. 

When you visit the house, only then do you realize how big and extensive these narrow houses are.  

Opening Hours: closed on Tuesdays. The rest of the days are from 10 am – 4 pm. Thursday from 10 am – 6 pm. 

Entrance Fee: Adults – 16 PLN; Free on Mondays or anytime with Gdansk Tourist Card. 

Website: Museum Gdansk

The time needed: 30-40 minutes

Historical Zone Free City of Danzig

Tucked away in the shade of the Green Gate, the Free City of Danzig museum presents a captivating insight into the city. In 1920-39 Gdansk was a semi-independent state, known as the Free City of Danzig (Freie Stadt Danzig, in German). 

This museum shows how the city looked before the rise of fascism. It also looks into the population itself, where 80% thought of themselves as Danzigers – not Poles or Germans – the unique melting pot where these nations co-existed perfectly. 

Look at the memorabilia such as the banknotes of that time, beer bottles, cigarette packages, and tourist guides, to name a few. 
Opening Hours: Summer season: every day 12 pm – 6 pm; winter season: every day 12 pm – 5

Entrance Fee: Adults – 8 PLN. 

The time needed: 30-40 minutes. 

Amber Museum

Gdansk, also called the ‘capital of Amber’, has gathered these gemstones for centuries and has been a leader in producing Baltic Amber stones. 

The museum dives deep into the history of Baltic Amber, how Gdanks got the title, the differences between gems, and gets you up close and personal with different items made solemnly from the stones. 

The collection of insects, bugs, and plants caught inside the stones is fascinating to look at, so is the hall of glamorous jewelry items made from them.

→ Become an amber craftsman in the workshop 

Opening Hours: closed on Tuesdays. The rest of the days are from 10 am – 4 pm. Thursday from 10 am – 6 pm. 

Entrance Fee: Adults – 20 PLN. Free on Mondays or anytime with Gdansk Tourist Card. 

Website: Museum Gdansk

The time needed: 1 – 1:30 hour

Polish Post Office Museum

Gdansk is where the Second World War broke out, and the Museum of the Polish Post Office is one of the spots. 

After the Treaty of Versailles came into force in 1920, the Polish post started its service in Gdansk. Situated in a several-story brick building, you learn more in detail about Gdansk Polish Post Office workers between 1920-39, with a big emphasis on the employees’ heroic defense of the building on September 1, 1939, against Germans. 

The museum displays unique prints, manuscripts, and items connected to the battle. You can also see the Germans’ plan of attack on the Post Office made on July 3, the same year. 

→ Private WWII tour with Museum of Second World War and Post Office Museum tickets

Opening Hours: closed on Tuesdays. The rest of the days are from 10 am – 4 pm. Thursday from 10 am – 6 pm. 

Entrance Fee: Adults – 16 PLN. Free on Mondays or anytime with Gdansk Tourist Card. 

Website: Museum Gdansk

The time needed: 30-40 minutes

Museum of the Second World War

Undoubtedly one of the best museums in Gdansk! It tells the story from the very beginning with the uprise of Nazi and Communism activities in Germany, France, Italy, and Russia. 

The museum follows the significant events chronologically with magnificent visual and digital displays within its eight rooms. 

It even includes war-era military equipment inside, such as a tank and naval artillery, soldiers’ personal items, things from concentration camps, and many more. 

The museum is one of the best museums I have ever visited. We were both amazed at how well-laid-out it was, packed with information that easy to digest and understand. The visual and multimedia equipment made us feel we were part of the history. 

→ Gdansk private WWII tour with Museum of the Second World War ticket

Opening Hours: varies according to season. Check the website. Closed on Mondays. 

Entrance Fee: Adults – 25 PLN. 16 PLN with Gdansk Tourist Card. 

The time needed: 2 – 3 hours

European Solidarity Centre

European Solidarity Centre is one more must-visit museum in Gdansk that strives to facilitate awareness of anti-communist resistance in Poland and Europe and the Solidarity campaign that played a decisive role in ending Communism in the world. 

Apart from the museum, this five-floor building has a beautiful atrium with greenery, a few conference halls, library archives, reading rooms, dining venues, a massive children’s playground, and a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the shipyards, to name a few. 

The building is free to enter. But, you need to pay for the exhibition spread out in seven halls. The museum presents unique documents, film footage, artifacts, and photographs with a combination of traditional exhibition methods and stunning interactive displays.

Museum reveals a long story, beginning with Anna Walentynowicz, an activist and co-founder of Solidarity, the first non-communist trade partnership in the Eastern Bloc, followed by the years of pressure and the birth of the Solidarity movement. 

It also tells how Lech Walesa became the head of the movement and how the activists organized an uprise against the Soviet Union together with other countries of the Communist Bloc to fight for freedom. 

The last two sections show the victory of democratic elections in Poland, which led to the establishment of many independent states in Europe as they broke away from Soviet rule. 

Opening Hours: varies by season. Check the website. 

Entrance Fee: Adult – 30 PLN, including a free audio guide. 20% discount with Gdansk Tourist Card. 

The time needed: about 2 hours. 

National Maritime Museum

If you are into ships and naval infrastructure, make sure to check out this museum. 

The Maritime Museum is spread in different buildings on Olowianka Island. Sołdek is the well-preserved world’s only steam-powered coal and ore transport. It was the prototype maritime ship constructed in the country after WWII. 

From 1949 until the end of its service in 1981, it made 1479 trips, carrying more than 3.5 million tons of iron ore and coal in total. 

Under its terrace, the museum-ship has an exhibition showing the history of shipbuilding and maritime trade in Poland in the mid-20th century.

The historic granaries (Maiden, Copper, and Oliwa) are now part of the Maritime Museum. They host exhibitions showing the nautical history of the Commonwealth from the medieval period until today. 

The most interesting items here to see are the cargo of the “Copper” medieval trader vessel, artillery, equipment, and sailors’ personal belongings from the Swiss warship “Solen,” which sunk in the Gdanska Bay during the Battle of Oliwa in 1627. 

Opening Hours: varies by building. Check the website. 

Entrance Fee: varies by building. Check prices. Free entrance with Gdansk Tourist Card to Sołdek, Dar Pomorza, and Granaries on Ołowianka

Time needed: 1-3 hours

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