How to Travel from Krakow to Gdansk on a 4-Day Road-Trip of Poland!

Do you want to know the best way to travel from Krakow to Gdansk? Are you planning a road-trip in Poland? Or are you looking for the best hidden gems in Poland? Well read on and join us, as we take a 4-day road-trip through Poland from Krakow to Gdansk and find the best hidden gems in Poland…

We’re setting off on a 4-day road-trip of Poland, travelling from Krakow in the south to Gdansk in the north. We want to see the best of Poland… from historic Old Towns, to modern museums, seeing the beautiful and unique countryside on the way.

Our trip was inspired by a journey we saw in one of our Lonely Planet books, but after trying to plan our route, we realised the Lonely Planet trip was meant to be 20 days long... and we only have 4 days!

So we're going to give it a go anyway, and not knowing much about Poland, we’re sure we’ll find some hidden gems on the way.

We arrive in Krakow on Thursday night from Manchester, flying with Ryanair for just £48. And we're returning from Gdansk to Leeds on Monday evening with WizzAir for £45. Giving us almost 4 full days to travel from Krakow to Gdansk in our hire car "Candy"!

Day 1 - Best Things to do in Krakow

Krakow is one of the best places to visit in Europe for a short city break. Krakow Old Town square is one of the largest and (in our opinion) most beautiful town squares in Europe. There’s a Royal Castle and cathedral to visit, a basilica and market hall. And a very lively nightlife scene too!

We arrive late on Thursday night, not reaching the Old Town until after 11pm. So we just have a quick look around Rynek Glowny which looks amazing lit up at night, and then head to our apartment. 

We’re up early on Friday morning to go to Wieliczka Krakow Salt Mines… read our full blog about our visit… Exploring the Wieliczka Krakow Salt Mines

And then in the afternoon we explore the beautiful Old Town and sample our first traditional Polish food… Best Things to do in Krakow in 1 Weekend

That’s day 1 done in Krakow, tomorrow we’ll continue our 4-day road-trip of Poland travelling from Krakow to Gdansk.

Day 2 - Exploring Ojcowski Park & Bledow Desert

Today we’re heading out of the city to see what the countryside around Krakow is like, and to find some of the best hidden gems in Poland.

We start with a hike in the amazing Ojcowski National Park, seeing Krakow Gate, visiting Ojcow Castle, and eating smoked river trout in a really cool cafe! 

Next we head to Bledow Desert, the only desert in Europe! (apparently, we have read mixed things online). Whether it is the only desert in Europe or not though, it is really unusual and a unique place to see in Poland! Definitely worth the stop.

Our plan is well and truly out of the window, having spent far too long at Ojcowski Park earlier, so we hit the road to reach Torun by the evening, a small medieval town we’re planning to stay at which we don’t know much about.

Read our full blog… Best Things to do in Krakow in 1 Weekend

That’s day 2 done, tomorrow we’ll continue our 4-day road-trip of Poland travelling from Krakow to Gdansk.

Day 3 - Best Kept Secret in Europe.. Torun & Malbork Castle

Having reached Torun last night and having a quick look around the dark (and eating some delicious Polish dumplings), we’re up early again to fully explore the medieval Old Town.

The whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s easy to see why. It’s so beautiful! Exploring the Old Town is like walking back in time, cobbled streets, amazing architecture, beautiful churches, and the city is full of statues to find. How have we never heard of this place before??

We wish we had more time here but we’re heading to Malbork Castle this afternoon, so we make a last stop at the House of Nicolaus Copernicus museum and buy some gingerbread, and continue on with our journey.

Read our full blog… 10 Amazing Things to do in Torun… the Best Hidden Gem in Europe!

We spend the afternoon at Malbork Castle, visiting the largest brick built castle in World. It’s a really interesting castle to visit, with easily one of the best audio guides we’ve ever had. 

The tour lasts for around 2 and a half hours, and then we’re on our way to our final stop of our trip from Krakow to Gdansk… Gdansk!

Read our full blog... 9 Best Things to do in Gdansk in 1 Day

That’s day 3 done, tomorrow we’ll continue our 4-day road-trip of Poland travelling from Krakow to Gdansk

Day 4 - Best Things to do in Gdansk

We reached Gdansk in the evening yesterday and just had enough time to squeeze in a visit to the Museum of the Second World War before it closed.

So this morning we’re exploring Gdansk Old Town, which is quite a different feel to Krakow and Torun. The streets seem narrower and the brightly coloured buildings aren’t quite as organised, giving it a jumbled look. But this gives Gdansk its own charm and character.

We go up the tower of the town hall and see the amazing views all around, and shop for amber on Mariacka.

In the afternoon we head to the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers and the Imperial Shipyard Museum. 

The museum is an open air museum around the shipyards, large parts of which are still in use today. So it makes for quite a different experience from the museums we’ve already visited in Poland… giving a glimpse into the raw, gritty industrial side of Poland rather than the beautiful Old Towns, churches and castles we’ve already seen.

Read our full blog... 9 Best Things to do in Gdansk in 1 Day

And that’s it for our 4-day road-trip of Poland travelling from Krakow to Gdansk, we’re flying home on Tuesday evening from Gdansk to Leeds with Ryanair. 

Where to hire a car from in Poland?

For our 4-day trip through Poland travelling from Krakow to Gdansk and finding the best hidden gems in Poland, we rented our car from Europcar.

We had a Dacia Sandero in blue, a small SUV crossover and she was great... we called her "Candy"!

Pick-up at Krakow airport was fast and easy, even late at night when we arrived after 10pm, with the office directly in the airport terminal. And we dropped off at Gdansk airport, parking in the car park next to the terminal and dropping the keys at the kiosk inside.