Gdansk

The best thing about Gdansk is that its showpiece costs nothing: the whole rebuilt old town, from the Long Market and Long Lane past the Neptune Fountain down to the Motlawa River waterfront, is free to wander on foot. St. Mary’s Basilica, the largest brick gothic church in the world, is free to step inside, and the climb up Gradowa Hill hands you a panorama over the old town and the shipyards without a ticket. The former Lenin Shipyard, birthplace of the Solidarity movement, is open to walk through, so even the history that made this city famous can be seen for free before you decide whether to pay for any museum. For getting around cheaply, the SKM commuter train threads Gdansk, Sopot, and Gdynia along the Tricity coast on a single regional ticket, which turns the Sopot beach into an easy half-day trip; Torun and Warsaw are both reachable by train if you want to stretch a Poland itinerary further. Late spring and early autumn are the sweet spot, with mild Baltic weather and rooms well below the July and August peak.