Shopping Weekend

Shopping Weekend

Fot. Gdańsk Tourist Organization

Gdansk was more than just a middleman in trade contacts. No one could imagine leaving here without buying some amber jewellery. Gdansk jewellers were renowned as unparalleled masters of fashioning the Baltic Gold. It was them who made the famous Amber Room, the largest ever amber artefact. Today, it is best to look for amber jewellery along Długa Street, the Long Market (Długi Targ), the Long Riverfront (Długie Pobrzeże) and Mariacka Street, which are known as the Amber Fifth Avenue. But Gdansk has more places to buy original souvenirs. The Garnizon housing estate in Wrzeszcz features the Sztuka Wyboru design shop where you can find ceramic mugs with shipyard cranes or bags with Gdansk monuments. It is worth looking for products with the Gliniana Kura (Clay Chicken) logo in the Main Town’s boutiques. There are t-shirts, mugs and tea towels with comic-book style images of the Crane or the Fountain of Neptune. Graduate of Gdansk Academy of Fine Arts, Magda Beneda, even hand-paints tableware inspired by her town’s atmosphere and cityscape. You can buy her works at the atelier at 101 Ogarna St. You can also find unique souvenirs at the Szafa Gdańska boutique at 4/1 Garbary St. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. The people of Gdansk can turn even drinking beer into art. You can appreciate the local brewing tradition in places such as the Pułapka Pub at 2 Straganiarska St. where you can find a variety of beers and ciders from small local breweries. The pub’s passionate owners can talk about the ways the beer is brewed for hours on end. You can also get excellent brews at the Brovarnia at Hotel Gdansk (9 Szafarnia St.). Sounds like a great ending to the first day of shopping, doesn’t it?

As you can see, Gdansk is not only a popular destination for those who want to explore or relax. Because of the numerous malls, it is also a great place to go on a shopping spree! Conveniently located - both in the city centre and near the ring road - shopping centres lure with the wide selection of goods and the prospect of spending time in a relaxed atmosphere, regardless of the weather.

The second part of the shopping marathon begins in the centre of Gdansk, at 10Rajska St., where the Madison Gallery is located. Over 100 conveniently located shops, restaurants and service points allow for a quick and efficient shopping, but also for a nice meeting with friends. Strolling between shops, it is worth paying attention to the architecture of the place - the ground floor was designed with an old-town streets in mind. You will also find many details referring to the symbols of Gdansk history, its legends and stories.

The proximity of the Madison Shopping Mall to Gdansk Główny Railway Station allows you to easily move to Gdansk-Wrzeszcz, where - directly from the platform - you can enter the neighbouring shopping gallery, Metropolia. It’s a new point on the shopping map of Gdansk. Opened in 2016, it offers its customers more than 100 retail outlets, restaurants, bars, cafés and more. Almost the entire level +1 is intended for shops in the interior design business. Metropolia also offers a wide range of entertainment, including a 7-room Helios cinema, a modern fitness club with a relaxing area including a large sauna, a café with natural coffee, and even a mini-nursery where active moms can leave their children during workout.

On the other side of the train station we can find the Baltic Gallery, one of the most popular destinations for shopping lovers. At almost 40,000 square meters of sales space, there are more than 200 shops tempting with the selection of the most popular Polish and global brands. We can choose between shops like Benetton, Guess, Maxmara or Tommy Hilfiger, but also step into a boutique of the winner of the most prestigious Polish fashion awards, Lidia Kalita. In the Baltic Gallery one may not only refresh one’s closet, but also change hairstyle, buy jewellery or check one’s eyesight and match glasses frames. Electronics lovers will also be pleased with the place. The Saturn electronics market is home to a wide range of goods: consumer electronics, household goods, telecommunications, computers and photography. The Gallery is equipped with facilities for its clients, such as luggage storages (levels -1 and +1, next to the toilets, entrance from Dmowskiego St.), dressing room (level +3, over the Intersport shop, entrance from Dmowskiego St., open from 23 October to 30 March). You can even borrow a powerbank from the information point on level 0. If you still have some things to buy after leaving Baltic Gallery, you can also visit Manhattan Shopping Centre at 82 Grunwaldzka St. While you’re there, go to the last floor where you can eat a delicious dinner with the view over vibrant Wrzeszcz.

Bargain hunters cannot miss Designer Outlet Gdansk complex, located in the district of Szadółki at 6 Przywidzka St. - just next to Tricity’s S6 bypass (E28). You can get there by car from both the Lech Walesa Airport in Rębiechowo and the centre of Gdansk in just 10 minutes. Designer Outlet offers as many as 100 fashion, lifestyle and sports brands. Throughout the year you can buy here products at prices lower than 30 to even 70 percent. The architecture of the facility, along with its lighthouse, alludes to the harbour town, which makes shopping in the alleyways even more pleasant.

Another place worth visiting, located also near the S6 bypass, is Matarnia Shopping Park offering both fashion and furniture shops. It is the biggest shopping centre in Tricity where the shops are located along charming alleys, surrounded by greenery and sunshine which makes the shopping unusually pleasant. You can also find here world’s popular Ikea store.

Family shopping at Matarnia is pure pleasure. There are specially designated areas suitable for families with children, such as special parking spaces located near the entrances to make shopping easier. Youngest customers can enjoy two playgrounds with many attractions where parents can leave their baby under the watchful eye of a qualified personnel. In the interest of safety at the shopping mall, a First Aid Room has been created, where a trained staff member is always on hand to assist in emergencies. An intensive day of shopping can be topped out by a visit to the restaurant area which should please every taste with Polish, Italian or Chinese cuisine.

As you can see, Gdansk offers a wide, ever-growing selection of shopping possibilities. Regardless of whether you travel alone, with friends or with family, a visit to this seaside town will surely satisfy your sea of needs!