Gdansk for the Active! TABLE OF CONTENTS: Gdansk for the Active!.........................................................4-5 Safe fun on the beach in Gdansk ..................................6-7 Places to walk .............................................................................8-9 Cycling, Gdansk-style .....................................................10-11 Running through... ..............................................................12-13 Gdansk Marathon ................................................................12-13 Gdansk from water ............................................................14-15 Exercise in Gdansk ..............................................................16-17 Gdansk Zoo ...............................................................................18-19 Follow the Gdansk Lions................................................20-21 Quests VisitGdansk...........................................................22-23 Other activities....................................................................24-25 Addresses and numbers worth knowing......................................................................26-27 Gdansk for the Active 3. Gdansk for the Active! 4. Gdansk for the Active Gdansk for the Active! Whether you are a cyclist, prefer This city of Neptune also has kilo- running, swimming or even taking metres of beaches and seaside walks, what is important is that you trails, perfect for exercising while are active and care about your enjoying the Baltic Sea coast. You health through sport and exercise. can also try kayaking on the Mo- Gdansk offers many opportunities tlawa and its many channels. All for leisure at an active pace. The this not only helps you stay in sha- city lies in the heart of an area fe- pe, but also gives you the opportu- aturing hundreds of kilometres of nity to see the city from different, cycle lanes, along with many be- even nautical perspectives. autiful parks with trails for walking and running, as well as outdoor For anyone who treats sport as a gyms. passion and a challenge, there are numerous events with prizes or- Gdansk also offers many scenic ganised every year, including po- vantage points that reward you pular competitions for runners of with breath-taking vistas of the various distances. city, the Tricity Landscape Park Simply put – if you prefer an active and Gdansk Bay. and healthy life style, Gdansk has it covered. So, what’s it to be? There are a variety of viewing points in Gdansk which, under favourable weather conditions, allow you to marvel at the local landscape from above. The most popular are: Tower of St. Mary’s Church (about 82 m high) Gora Gradowa (about 54 m ASL) Pacholek (101 m ASL) Biskupia Gorka (about 61 m ASL) Nowy Port Lighthouse (27 m high) Gdansk for the Active 5. Safe fun on the beach in Gdansk 6. Gdansk for the Active Safe fun on the beach in Gdansk The city ensures that all beach-go- For several seasons now, the Stogi ers can enjoy a safe time at the sea, and Molo Gdansk Brzezno bathing every year. The Gdansk Sport Centre spots have offered free amphibio- manages the beaches, organising us wheelchairs. These enable pe- many summer bathing locations ople with disabilities to easily move with trained and experienced life- over the sandy beaches and enjoy guards on hand to keep a watchful the water. If you would like to try one eye on everyone. These include Je- out, simply ask a lifeguard. There are litkowo, Jelitkowo Klipper, Molo Brze- also wooden walkways which lead zno, Dom Zdrojowy Brzezno, Stogi, directly down to the water, allowing Sobieszewo, Orle and Swibno. These people with disabilities to move aro- are the safest choices, which is why und easier. The walkways can also we recommend them. The Gdansk be used by cyclists and they featu- bathing spots have an impeccable re bicycle stands. The entrances to safety record, and the lifeguards the walkway-equipped beaches are have top-of-the-line equipment at marked with special signs. their disposal. In addition, the beaches in Gdansk Many beaches in Gdansk bear the offer many other amenities: chan- Blue Flag symbol. It means that this ging rooms, lockers, showers, mist area is clean, safe and maintained makers, beach libraries, playing at a world-class level. fields, beach playgrounds, outdoor gyms, restaurants and deck chair Before heading down to the beach rentals. to relax, it is a good idea to visit www.kapieliskagdansk.pl. This website offers a lot of use- ful information related to the be- aches, such as the weather at each bathing location and the water and air temperatures. You can also see if bathing at a given spot is permitted (white flag) or prohibited (red flag). Gdansk for the Active 7. Places to walk 8. Gdansk for the Active Places to walk There is a park named after U.S. Pre- But wait, there is more. Gdansk is full sident Ronald Reagan, located in of beautiful and well-cared for parks. the Przymorze Wielkie district, and Other examples include the historic is the newest park in the city. It also Oliwa Park with its ponds and water- forms one of the city’s three seaside falls created by the meandering Oli- parks, and is the perfect location if wa Stream. Also worthy of a mention you are looking to relax or seeking is the wonderful cathedral located active ways of spending your leisure right next to the park and its enchan- time. The park is separated from the ting organ concerts. beach by a cycle path and a pro- tective barrier of dunes. The park has The southern part of the city houses many coniferous and deciduous tre- Orunia Park. This has a wonderful es, meadows, reed fields, ornamen- combination of plants and water – tal bushes, two ponds, channels with perfect for an afternoon stroll or for wooden bridges, avenues for walks jogging. and recreational areas, including However, the king of all parks is the cycle paths and a skatepark. Tricity Landscape Park, with its innu- merable green hills and streams, as A newly-opened part of the park of- well as the abundance of jogging, fers illuminated walking and cycle walking and bicycle trails. The park paths, as well as a playground. There covers some are also 5 ping-pong tables if you 200 km2! fancy a game or two. You can also relax over a game of chess, as the- re are four tables with chess boards available. A third part of the park is aimed at exercising dogs. The park also features benches, bicycle stands, bulletin boards, and newly- -planted greenery. The park is a dozen minutes away from the Brzezno pier and yet another attraction and popular wal- king spot – the Western Breakwater. This is an 80-metre-long promenade leading to a lighthouse. You can en- joy one of the many benches along it, to rest and take in the view. It is a perfect place for a walk or just to marvel at the ships entering or le- aving Gdansk port, which appear to be nearly within arm’s reach. Gdansk for the Active 9. Cycling, Gdansk-style 10. Gdansk for the Active Cycling, Gdansk-style Gdansk is considered one of the Some of the hills are part of the Tricity most bicycle-friendly cities in Poland. Landscape Park. This is an expansive It offers more than 180 km of sepa- area almost completely covered rate cycle paths and lanes, combi- with woods, perfect for walks and ned pedestrian and cycle paths as cycling, as well as mountain biking. well as cycling-allowed pavements. Few cities in Poland can boast such Nearly 520 km of public roads have recreational facilities, especially a speed limit of 30 km/h, and many when we also consider the excellent small uncontrolled intersections beach bicycle trail. Several recen- and roundabouts have been built tly-completed construction projects to make cyclists feel safe even when enable cyclists to enjoy a safe trip to they are not on a cycle lane. It is also Sobieszewo Island from Sopot via the permitted to ride a bicycle in both centre of Gdansk. Starting at the so- directions on most one-way stre- uthern city limits, you can reach the ets in the city. Certain solutions are centre via a convenient cycle route innovative not only for Poland: for- on the Radunia Channel embank- merly a two-lane street, Wita Stwo- ment. sza Street features probably the broadest bicycle lanes in Europe, When designing the city’s cycling in- with the option of doing a “Copen- frastructure, attention was also given hagen left”, as well as special signal to parking. Bicycle stands can be fo- lights for cyclists to help them enter und in many places, including along the intersection several seconds the train and tram routes (Bike&Ride- before other vehicles. -type stands). The western part of Gdansk is loca- facebook.com/RowerowyGdansk/ ted on moraine hills, which lend the www.rowerowygdansk.pl. city a picturesque quality, but may be difficult to traverse for less expe- You can download the latest ver- rienced cyclists. This is one of the sion of the detailed bicycle map of reasons why Gdansk and its thirteen Gdansk, which is also available for neighbouring municipalities are wor- free in a traditional paper format. king on Mevo, a public bike system exclusively based on electric bicyc- One company that offers bicycle les. The target number of e-bicycles maintenance and rental services in to be available for the entire metro- Gdansk is House of Bikes. polis is 4000. www.houseofbikes.pl Cycling, Gdansk-style Gdansk for the Active 11. Running through... 12. Gdansk for the Active Running through... Gdansk is simply perfect for running, Gdansk running routes both recreationally and more pro- fessionally. You can practice in a Seaside route: number of different parks and green Gdansk – Sopot, about 5 km areas, using their well-maintained Beach route: trails. Enjoy running in the company Gdansk – Sopot – Gdynia, about 10 km of nature or by the Baltic Sea? Ronald Reagan Park: any distance you like We have you covered! Simply cho- Jelitkowski Park: ose the Tricity Landscape Park or the perimeter route is about 1.5 km run along the beach from Gdansk, Brzezno Park: all the way to Gdynia.