Gdansk has the richest history of all Polish coastal cities, one could say it is also the most important, as it is Poland’s principal seaport. Once a member of the Hanseatic League, the birthplace of the Solidarity movement with Lech Walesa as a leader, the city was always the most independent in the country. The beautiful old town, featuring Poland’s biggest cathedral, a witness to so many historic events, confirms that the city’s motto: “Neither rashly nor timidly” is entirely true. During our (not only) cycling tour we will have a chance to visit charming medieval towns closely linked with the Teutonic Knights and to take a cruise on that famous engineering achievement - the Elblag Canal. We will complete our adventure by travelling through the most interesting sights on the Polish “Amber Coast”, such as the Hel Peninsula and the

Day 1 Gdansk
Our tour starts in Gdansk on the Baltic Sea coast where your first accommodation is arranged in a centrally located hotel. On the first day you will have an initial glimpse of the city but we leave the actual sightseeing for later. Overnight stay in Gdansk.

Day 2 Frombork and Elblag                                                             On day 2 we take a charter bus and leave for Frombork, a small town where the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus spent most of his life. After visiting sites related to the life and work of Copernicus we start our cycling tour by heading south to Elblag cycling along the Vistula Lagoon.
Our accommodation for the night will be in Elblag and from there we start the next day’s cruise. Overnight stay in Elblag (35 km cycling).

Day 3 The Elblag Canal and Malbork Castle
Designed by Georg Steenke, a Prussian engineer, the Elblag Canal was opened in 1860. It connects Lakes Druzno and Jeziorak which differ by 100 metres in altitude. The canal uses an extraordinary system of locks and tracks. We take a cruise on board one of the passenger ships to Buczyniec. From there we are transported to Malbork, location of the biggest medieval castle in Poland. The fortress actually consists of three castles nested inside one another and is the biggest brick structure in the world. Founded in 1274 to be the main seat of the Teutonic Knights it was never conquered. After
arrival we will follow a local guide who will introduce us to this impressive building. Overnight stay in Malbork.

Day 4 Vistula river
Today we head east crossing the Nogat and Vistula rivers. We cycle through the depression 2 metres below sea level to historic Tczew and north to Gdansk where we will stay overnight again. Overnight stay in Gdansk (59 km cycling).

Day 5 Gdansk and Baltic Sea
This morning we join a guided tour of the city whose history has been written by generations of Germans, Poles and many other nations. Among other places we shall visit the Long Market and the historic old port crane. Afterwards we join another cruise and cross Gdansk Bay to Hel Peninsula. This thin stretch of land has been formed by sea currents and juts 35 km into the Baltic Sea. We cycle along the peninsula to the popular sea resort of Jastrzebia Gora, location of our accommodation for the night. Overnight stay in Jastrzebia Gora (30 km cycling).

Day 6 Baltic Coast and Leba
On day 6 we head west stopping at Krokowa Palace and cycling through the Coastal Landscape Park. Our destination is Leba, an important centre for the local Kashubian nation. Overnight stay in Leba (59 km cycling).

Day 7 Slowinski National Park
Today’s route follows the coast to Slowinski National Park, home of the “moving dunes”, a remarkable desert like landscape. On the way we stop at the V2 rocket testing site which was used during the Second World War. Later in the day we cross the salty Lebsko Lake and visit an interesting
open air museum in Kluki. We end in Ustka, a military port and sea resort. Overnight stay in Ustka (60 km cycling).

Day 8 Gdansk
From Ustka we head by bus back to Gdansk where you will have a free afternoon allowing you to explore the city on your own again. Gdansk is a fine end to our tour. Overnight stay in Gdansk.

Day 9 Return journey
Return trip home or individual stay extension.

PRICES:

739 EUR per person sharing twin/double room

Single supplement: 160 EUR

Grade: Easy. The route follows quiet country roads.

Services included in price: Hotel accommodation with breakfast for 8 nights, 8 dinners, Bus transport, Luggage transport between hotels, English speaking tour leader during the whole trip, Half day guided
tour of Gdansk without entrances, Support vehicle during the whole trip, Guided tour of Malbork Castle, Passenger ship cruise along the Elblag Canal, Passenger ship cruise from Gdansk to Hel Peninsula,
Entrance to Slowinski National Park

Services not included in price: Lunch meals, Entrance to open air museum in Kluki, Bicycle rental (60 EUR), Insurance